//------------------------------// // 9 - To Begin a Revolution // Story: Mantles // by Ponky //------------------------------// CHAPTER NINE TO BEGIN A REVOLUTION “Holy canoli, that’s a lot of ponies,” Lyra Heartstrings mumbled, cringing. Her tight-shut lids rippled with the shifting of her golden eyes behind them. “Are you sure about this, Bloom?” she said to her empty room. Many miles away, crouched in a ready position, Apple Bloom dared not answer. She swept her hidden, amber eyes over the crowd once more. The enchantments Lyra had placed on her mask scattered the enormous chamber’s darkness, allowing her to see every nervous twitch of her hundred and fifty opponents. “What is the meaning of this?” the cloaked unicorn shouted from the balcony above. “Do you realize what you’ve just done?” Apple Bloom tilted her head toward him, keeping the rest of her body still. “I began,” she growled in a practiced voice. “Not only are you trespassing, but by injuring one of our most esteemed brethren,” the stallion called down, “you have invoked the ire of the entire Mangled Marks. You shall not live to see beyond these walls.” His followers drew courage from that, rolling their shoulders and zoning in on Apple Bloom’s mask. Beneath it, she grit her chattering teeth. “Apple Bloom, listen to me,” Lyra Heartstrings said from her Ponyvillean home. “Don’t be afraid. Remember the plan. We both know you can do this.” “I ain’t afraid,” Apple Bloom hissed, barely loud enough to reach her own ears. “I’m angry.” Lyra smiled and tucked her forelegs closer to her hammering heart. “Well?” the vigilante growled. “What are you all waiting for?” With a collective roar, the army rushed at the costumed mare. They lowered their heads to ram her into the ground; she didn’t move an inch. The gap between them grew smaller and smaller. The fallen ponies at Apple Bloom’s hooves, brown and black, were the focus of her unseen gaze. When the fastest stallion was only a bound away from Apple Bloom’s snout, she sunk to the floor with a snap of her hooves and snatched the unconscious black pegasus from his slump. Spinning on powerful hind legs, the farmpony swung the skeletal stallion like a bat and slammed his limp legs into the incomer’s torso. Releasing her impromptu weapon, both of the stallions’ bodies flew at the raging crowd, knocking at least four more off balance and creating an effective barrier. The charging group behind the crash had no chance to dodge it, contributing to the growing pile with their yelping figures. The far ends of the army were unaffected, flowing around the obstruction to zero in on Apple Bloom. She exhaled sharply and leapt at one, pounding his blue snout with her right forehoof. As his face broke under her punch, she wrapped the other leg around his neck and spun him to the ground. Using his ribs as a trampoline, Apple Bloom leapt above the heads of even the tallest stallions. Just as she hoped, some of the pegasi took to the air and rocketed toward her. Apple Bloom grabbed a corner of her cape and yanked it as hard as she could. The momentum carried her into a spin and, extending her hooves at her side, she managed to hit three of the pegasi away. Completing her turn, she locked eyes with a fourth pegasus (though he would never know it) and readied herself in midair, lifting a straightened leg above her head. Grunting with effort, she brought the hoof down on the crown of the pony’s skull, forcing his head—and his trajectory—to the floor. Latching onto his shoulders, Apple Bloom mounted the back of the dizzy stallion, pulling on his ears to reverse their dive. Whinnying with pain, the pegasus complied, flapping hard to carry himself and Apple Bloom toward the balcony. The robed leader panicked, backing into the wall’s dark cavity and slamming the doors shut with his magic. Apple Bloom smirked successfully and turned her ride around, narrowly avoiding two more pegasi hot on her trail. She sucked a deep breath through her nostrils, taking note of every immediate detail, and leapt into action. Standing on her hind hooves, she balanced on the stallion’s back and focused on one of her would-be-apprehenders, noticing a healing wound on the joint of the white steed’s wing. Lyra saw it, too, practically leaping from her bed. “There! There! The scab on his wing!” “Got it,” Apple Bloom growled, throwing herself from one pegasus to tackle another midflight. She punched his exposed scab twice, eliciting howls from her crippled victim, and pushed off from his side to throttle the third winged stallion. To her surprise, it was a thickly built mare who appeared in her amplified vision. The flying pony scowled and opened her wings wider, whisking herself away from Apple Bloom’s course. It was only then that she finally looked down. Her stomach flipped at her helpless height, more than thirty feet above the scrambling gang. “Uh oh,” Lyra whimpered into her hooves. Apple Bloom swallowed and reached back again, gripping both corners of her billowing cape with her tightly wrapped hooves. The durable cloth inflated like a parachute as Apple Bloom descended; not enough to slow her fall, but plenty to direct it. She scanned the room with a jerk of her neck. Were there really so few pegasi among this gang? It made sense: throughout its history, Canterlot’s population had never broken fifteen percent pegasi. Praying for luck, she focused on her dive. “Look out!” a muscular earth pony squealed to his companions. The fear in his voice—and, as she dropped further, the fear in his eyes—electrified Apple Bloom’s resolve all the more. “Target him,” Lyra said, wringing her hooves. “Show them all how right he is to be afraid.” Snarling under her mask, Apple Bloom tugged on the end of her cape and swooped at the forest-green pony. He shrieked and turned to gallop away, bringing a leer to Apple Bloom’s face. Too many of his comrades blocked his path; he threw his gaze over his shoulder, shrunken pupils trembling. “No!” he screamed, tossing smaller stallions out of his way. “No, no, please!” Apple Bloom swung her hind legs forward at the last second, bucking the terrified stallion in the rear below his slate grey tail. His cracking shrieks accompanied his green furred body as they sailed together through the air and into the far wall, crunching against its metal surface and drawing at least fifty frightened eyes. “Ouch!” Lyra cheered. Clearing her throat, she added, “You okay, Bloom?” The farmpony back-flipped from the point of impact, landing in the center of six wincing stallions. She shook out her back legs experimentally and, finding them unharmed, grinned once more beneath her mask. “Never better,” she answered, springing into a number of blurred jabs and kicks that quickly brought four of the six to their knees. One turned to run; the other pounced at Apple Bloom from behind. She dragged herself forward just enough to get a good grip on the floor with her forehooves. Kicking her hind legs high and to the left, she squeezed the muscles in her chest and abdomen, swinging her own back half into the pouncing stallion’s neck. He gasped and catapulted, landing directly on top of the runner. Both of them crumpled to silence. Satisfied, Apple Bloom spun around, ready for her next attacker. Her scrunched up tail twitched beneath the purple suit as she looked from one horrified face to the next. Despite having taken out less than a tenth of their numbers, the Mangled Marks were momentarily frozen with shock. None of them dared attack her or even approach her, allowing her to realize how winded she was. “All right, that’s enough,” Lyra said, running her hooves over the top of her mane. “Time to get out of there.” The panting pony nodded, straightened up to her full height, and stared down the closest gang member. Applejack had always been jealous of Apple Bloom’s build: she was taller than her older sister, closer to her brother’s height, but had a lean muscle tone that made her “prettier ‘n’a sapling at the dawn o’ Spring.” “This one’s for you, Sis,” she whispered so quietly not even Lyra could hear. Bolting forward without warning, Apple Bloom lined herself up just right and delivered a good old-fashioned buck to the frozen steed. His sternum cracked under the stress and sent the rest of him plowing backward into a huddled group. As the vigilante hoped, the action spurred another wave of chaotic scrambling. Using the dimness to her advantage, she snaked between wildly thrashing stallions back to the chamber’s entrance, pausing once or twice to swat away a brash opponent. She hurried past the spidery black pegasus, still lying where he fell, and slammed the door to the hallway shut behind her. “Use the—” Lyra started. “Got it.” Apple Bloom reached beneath her cape and pulled a pulsing blue stone, half the size of an apple, from the stealthy pouch on her back. “I still can’t hardly believe a bunch o’ rocks can be enchanted with magic like this.” “You’d be surprised at what can be enchanted,” Lyra said. Apple Bloom smashed the obsidian gem into the center of the door. The spell unleashed and spread its blue aura like a viscous liquid, covering the door and much of the wall around it. Pounding erupted from the other side, but the magic did its job, holding the barrier in place as Apple Bloom galloped down the hall to another open doorway leading back to the Moonlit alley. “Where did he go?” she asked Lyra, disguising her voice. “Let me check.” The mare in her house slid off her bed and clenched her teeth, forcing her horn to glow even brighter. In Canterlot, Apple Bloom shivered as a barely detectable pulse burst from her hat. Seconds later, Lyra shouted, “Ha! He’s barely two blocks away! He must not have started running until after you hit that big green guy.” “He musta been enjoyin' the show,” Apple Bloom muttered, hurdling over debris in the alley and following the magical tug of her hat. It took less than a minute to find him; his hoofsteps were hard on the cracked sidewalks and echoed whenever he passed a dark alley. Apple Bloom slowed her own pace and stayed behind him the shadows, appreciating the fabric wrapped around her hooves for more than just their aesthetic appeal. She made next to zero noise, even as her pointed collar bent in the late night breeze. (/\/\) Foaly Edge shivered as the wind whipped at his orange mane. He dared not glance over his shoulder, relying on his ears to warn him if the gang approached. Soon they’d overtake that crazy Nightmare Night fanatic and send their fastest members to teach him his lesson. Whimpering between labored breaths, the big brown stallion pushed on. If only he could get back to the heart of Canterlot, perhaps the guards would have some pity and put him back in jail. His breath was the loudest thing in the world, and he knew it. He couldn’t keep from gasping as fear of the inevitable webbed inside his lungs. “What in Tartarus was I th-thinking?” he sobbed to himself. “Beating up that kid just for taking my spot… I m-must have been out of my mind!” He snorted dual plumes of vapor, throwing his head down to flick away the sweat and tears freezing on his face. “I felt so… p-powerful, finally being part of the group… why the hay did I take it so far? I shoulda just left that kid alone!” “Well said.” Foaly Edge yelped at the whisper just inches from his ear, spinning to see its speaker. An incoherent babbling dribbled from his lips as his green eyes swelled in terror, reflected in the cold, blank eyes of an angry shadow. (/\/\) The stallion passed out. “Dang, girl!” Lyra said, laughing to the ceiling. “I didn’t think you were that scary!” “I didn’t think you were the type to say dang, girl, but life’s full o’ surprises,” Apple Bloom teased, hoisting the broad stallion onto her back. “Hhmmmph! Sweet potato hay fries, he’s heavy!” “Sweet potato hay fries?” “Shuddup, you! Where am I takin’ ‘im?” Lyra chuckled. “Uhhh… how far can you go?” Apple Bloom bounced on her hind legs. “Plenty far. Dozen blocks, at least.” “Well, you won’t need to do that. Look up.” Apple Bloom tilted her head to a ninety degree angle, peering past the wide brim of her hat to the sky above. Just a few streets north was a tall brick building, all along the side of which a fire escape zig-zagged to the roof. “Perfect,” she grunted, repositioning the stallion. “Thanks, Ly—” “Shhh!” Lyra swung her hooves, as if somehow she could smack Apple Bloom upside the head from Ponyville. “Don’t say my name!” “Oh, right… sorry, uhhh… Songless?” Lyra rolled her eyes beneath their lids. “Unsung,” she corrected. “Oh, right. Sorry, Un-Sung.” “It’s just one word. Unsung. Y'know, like the unsung hero? Plus it's kind of musical sounding, so I... I thought it was clever.” “Nnnngg… whatever you say, Tonedeaf.” Lyra slumped back onto her bed and crossed her forelegs. “Hurry up, will you?” Apple Bloom carried her heavy load to the base of the tall building at a brisk trot. She dumped him next to the first flight of metal stairs, pulled her head back, and squinted at the roof. “Reckon I can use that rock Twilight enchanted?” she asked. Surprised, Lyra opened her eyes for a moment, quickly losing her connection. With a squeak of protest, she clamped them shut once more, channeling her senses of sight and hearing through her horn. “Well, I guess so. You’ve only got the one, remember. It’s not like I can ask for any more.” “Yeah, well, it’ll be worth it,” Apple Bloom said, kicking the fire escape. “I ain’t draggin’ ‘im all the way up this thing.” “All right, then. Let’s hope it works.” Digging through her pouch, Apple Bloom found another black gem, this one pulsing with a reddish-violet glow. Readying herself to sprint, Apple Bloom broke the crystal against the stallion’s spine, waiting for less than a second to watch its influence seep over him. As fast as she dared, Apple Bloom raced up the rickety fire escape, spinning and galloping up flight after flight until she dove from the top level onto the roof and rolled to the tips of her hooves. “And not a moment too soon!” Lyra said as Apple Bloom caught the floating stallion’s tail in her mouth and anchored him with her weight. Purplish glares twinkled all over his body as the gravity spell began to wear off. Like a child toting a balloon, Apple Bloom guided them to another corner of the wide, flat roof where the fire escape could not be seen. Lyra continued to giggle. “Can you imagine what would happen if you didn’t catch his tail?” “He would keep floatin’ up ‘til he started floatin’ down,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. “And I’d have to go find him.” “Pssh. Party pooper.” “Look, Lyra, could you be serious for a minute?” Apple Bloom winced at her own harshness. “I mean, yeah, this is fun and all, but… this next part’s gotta be done right if I’m gonna make any mark on this city.” Lyra’s ears twitched and she bowed her head, and while Apple Bloom couldn’t see that, she heard the new tone in her voice. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry, Apple Bloom.” “S’fine.” The last of Twilight’s magic left the stallion’s body. “It’s not like there are any rules to this thing.” “Not yet,” Lyra said with a grin. One deep breath and a crack of her neck: “All right. Make your mark, and wake him up.” (/\/\) The brightness of the Moon might have been a comfort if it wasn’t coming from the bottom of Foaly Edge’s vision. “Oh, sweet Sparkle!” he cried out, wriggling what limbs he could. “I’m upside down!” His hind hooves were bound together by dark purple cords; the same knot which restricted them was tied to the end of a flagpole. He dangled alongside a flag displaying Princess Sparkle’s insignia, trying to blink away his headache as it came into view. “Hhh… how did I…?” The flag was ripped away, revealing a pair of ice blue lenses angled in a vengeful stare, surrounded by a sea of fearsome, featureless indigo. “No! No, no, no, oh, Sweet Celestia, please, no!” “Aaahhh…” A rough voice bled through the mask. “Now there’s a name I recognize.” Foaly Edge knew the accent of an upper class Canterlotian, but the rasp of the voice made it impossible to identify the figure’s gender. As his eyes frantically darted to every point within his sight, Foaly Edge realized how high up they were. “H-h-how did we get up here?” he asked in a tight voice. “Leaving the questions to me would do you well,” the figure growled, leaning further over the edge of the building to breathe in Edge’s face. His jaw trembled on its own accord while he nodded into those cold eyes. A thousand questions swam between his ears, but he managed to keep his vocalizations to pitiful whimpers while the masked pony spoke. “Tell me about the Mangled Marks.” Foaly Edge shuddered. “No way! I’m already in deep enough manure with them—” The pony flung a hoof out from its side and pulled Foaly closer by the top of his mane. “Who do they work for? What do they do?” He blinked. “Huh?” “What do the Mangled Marks do?” A tiny smile twitched at the corners of the stallion’s mouth. “You mean… you don’t know?” A breathy laugh escaped his lips and he found some scrap of courage in its sound. “Are you new to town, Raspy? Do you even know what’s goin’ on here?” The pony growled and pushed Foaly by the forehead, sending him into a frantic swing by the knot around his hooves. “Gaaahh! Whoooaah! Okay, okay!” The fabric around his hooves loosened. “Gyeeeck! Okay, all right, I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you whatever you wanna know!” The hoof wrapped in purple snatched his mane again, stopping his momentum. “Get talking.” “Okay, look… uh…” He grit his teeth, and squeezed his eyes shut, desperate to collect his thoughts. A bit of saliva dripped from his top lip, drizzling over the underside of his snout. “I-I haven’t been in the gang for long, but this is what I know: there’s a chemical, yeah? Some kinda potion or something, I dunno… comes from some weird tree and then our unicorns do their thing. It makes you feel good and see crazy stuff that isn’t there. I’ve never tried it myself, ‘cause it’s addicting as heck, but that’s the whole point. We’re distributors, see, and we peddle the stuff to ponies all over Canterlot. We’re not the only ones, though… there are tons of gangs, and not all of ‘em sell the Sap. But—” He grimaced, hardly believing what he was about say. “But if you’re looking to… I dunno, stop it all… there’s really only three names you need to know.” The figure yanked harder at his mane, sending a wave of pain through the flesh on his skull. “And they are?” “The Mangled Marks—that’s us! Easy to spot, ‘cause we gotta mess up our Cutie Marks to be part of the group, but… but they’re powerful. More powerful than the government around here, that’s for sure. Everyone’s afraid of ‘em—er, I mean, us. We were the first to start spreading the Sap, see? Other gangs caught on and made their own versions of the product, but we’re the originals: the first crime ring in Canterlot, and we’re proud of it!” “That’s not what I want to hear,” it growled, twisting his orange mane painfully. “What are the other gangs?” “Nnrrrrh! Uh, there’s, um… Falcon’s gang! He’s a griffon, real serious guy. They sell a similar stuff to our Sap, but it’s all solid… crystalized, see? They don’t have anything close to the power and influence the Marks do, but… but they’re brutal, and they’re one to keep an eye on. Y’know… in your position.” “Keep talking,” the masked pony hissed. After a loud gulp, Foaly Edge said, “The only other big name in Canterlot is the Gonne.” The mask’s eyes seemed to narrow. “The ‘go-nay’?” “I-It’s Itailian,” he stuttered. “They have some long name… Gonne Chordy Esplosioni, or something, I dunno! We just call ‘em Gonne.” The blood collecting in his head was putting black borders around his vision. “They’re run by a lady, some mare called Satin. There aren’t a ton of ‘em, but they’re rich, and they’re bad. Heck, even we try to stay out of their way. They do a lot of, uh… ‘protection’ stuff, y’know? ‘You pay us money and we don’t kill you’ type of protection. Heheh…” A rough shake put him back on track. “They do heists! Lots of heists, organized stuff, high security vaults and whatever. Oh, Sparkle, my head…” “You’re almost done,” it promised in a far from reassuring voice. “Just tell me who leads the Mangled Marks.” Edge’s eyes crossed for a moment and he burst into laughter. His jaw was snapped shut with a quick punch, but he giggled through his answer. “Nopony… heehee… nopony knows who leads the M-Mangled Marks! Baahaha!” He tossed his head about carelessly. “You really don’t know anything, do ya, Raspy?” He gasped as the pony suddenly tugged at a hidden string, loosening the knot around Foaly Edge’s ankles. He screamed as his legs fell, only to stay suspended over the edge of the building by the masked pony’s hoof entwined in his mane. As the blood rushed out of his head and the pain returned full force, he wriggled and shrieked in the pony’s strong grip and pled as tears sprang to his eyes. “Wh-why are you doing this?” he choked. “Why?” The head beneath the mask slowly tilted to one side, flashing Moonlight off its sky blue lenses. (/\/\) “I’ll help you,” Lyra promised, draping a foreleg over Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “I will do everything I can to help you.” The earth pony nuzzled her mint-green coat. “Thank you, Lyra. I might well’ve given up if you weren’t there ta—” “No, you wouldn’t have,” Lyra interrupted, smiling at the distant Sunrise. “I saw the fire in your eyes. I’m just glad that Fate would let me in on this adventure.” She took a deep, cleansing breath through her nose. “You’re going to change things, Apple Bloom. You’re going to make a difference in this world, make life better for hundreds of thousands of ponies.” “Hundreds o’ thousands?” Apple Bloom sighed. “How on Equus am I gonna do that?” “You’re going to start a revolution.” The older pony beamed at the sky. “You’re going to inspire Equestrian citizens to revolt against Twilight’s regime.” She looked into Apple Bloom’s wide, eager eyes. “And—hopefully—that will be enough.” “So the train is definitely out of the question.” “Absolutely. Even if they don’t have guards lookin’ for me, it’ll be too risky to carry all these gems on board… not to mention the costume.” Apple Bloom closed the small briefcase in which the Mare Do Well garb was packed and turned to Lyra’s counter in the Heartstrings home's kitchen. She picked up one of the black stones, glowing with a distinctly Twilight Sparkle-ish hue. “What’s this one hold?” “An anti-gravity spell,” Lyra said, crumpling up another sheet of paper full of crossed out plans. “She made it for me not long after the Crystal Empire was rediscovered. Do you remember that?” “Barely,” Apple Bloom admitted, setting the crystal among its kind, glowing with various greens and blues. “If only one o’ these suckers had a teleportation spell or some kinda flyin' thing...” Lyra sat bolt upright on the edge of her bed. “That’s it! That’s how we’ll get you back to Canterlot!” Apple Bloomed wheeled about. “Huh? One o’ these rocks is full o' teleportin’?” “No,” Lyra said, hurrying to Apple Bloom's side and ushering her to the door, "we can't teleport you that far, but you can take a flying thing." “Scootaloo!” “Apple Bloom?” The orange pegasus dove from her napping cloud and pulled her friend into a suffocating hug. “Holy crap, Apple Bloom, I was so scared! I went over to Sweet Apple Acres this morning and asked where you were and Applejack said she could care less and I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find you and I thought you’d gone back to Canterlot or something stupid like that!” She sighed and relaxed her hold on her friend, burying her face into Apple Bloom’s mane. “Gosh, don’t freak me out like that.” Apple Bloom patted her friend’s purple mane and held her by the shoulders at foreleg’s length. “Actually, Scootaloo, I am tryin’ to get back to Canterlot.” Scootaloo’s wings flared. “What!? Why?” Apple Bloom glanced around the park, taking note of how far they were from any of the playing foals or chatting parents. Lyra nodded from her bench in the distance. Leaning forward, Apple Bloom whispered in Scootaloo’s ear, “To save Equestria, Scoots. I’m gonna be the new Mare Do Well.” The pegasus’ violet eyes grew and shone in Twilight Sparkle’s Sunlight. “What? Are you serious!? That’s totally awesome!” “Yeah, it is!” Apple Bloom agreed, unable to hold back a cheek-splitting grin. “But I need yer help to get back unnoticed. Got any ideas?” Scootaloo fidgeted and bumped her hooves against the sides of her head. Suddenly she gasped. “Of course! Follow me!” “It was Pinkie Pie’s!” “Yeah. I know.” “Oh, right… sorry, Bloom.” “Does it fly?” Scootaloo flashed her a devilish grin and took a seat in the bizarre contraption. “It does now that I’ve gotten my hooves on it!” she said, snatching a pair of goggles from a lidded container attached to the frame by her hip. She pulled them over her mane and covered her sparkling eyes, but not before Apple Bloom noticed the fire that burned behind them. It was a familiar spark, one she had seen in Harper’s eyes on the train to Canterlot. As Scootaloo’s hind legs began to crank the pedals of the machine, Apple Bloom looked fondly at the purple wrench surrounded in flame that marked her friend’s flank. “Haa haaaa! Check out those blades!” Scootaloo said, pointing above her head. “See how fast they’re already spinning? I’m barely pushing on these pedals!” She grinned and tucked her hooves around the levers in front of her chest. “I rigged the gears to turn the main shaft three times faster than Pinkie’s designs! This thing can really dash!” She had to raise her voice over the buzz of the blades reverberating off the walls of the little shed. “Open the other door, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo called out as her purple locks whipped around her beaming face. The yellow pony scrambled to the double doors of Scootaloo’s shed, passing through the open space they’d entered and using her teeth to yank at the outside of the second door. It swung on well-oiled hinges and gave Scootaloo and her vehicle a clear path to the skies. “Awwww yeeeeaaahh!” the pegasus cried, rotating her legs faster. The sleek contraption, painted like a summer sky, lifted off the ground and whooshed past the startled farmpony. Scootaloo cackled and called over her shoulder, “That was for you, Bloom!” As she watched the strange machine shrink among the clouds, Apple Bloom wondered how long it'd take to paint it violet. She burst through the cabin door. “Lyra, it’s perfect! I ain't never seen anythin' move that… fast… what’re ya doin’?” Lyra’s horn flickered as she glanced at Apple Bloom. “One second!” she grunted, turning back to the wide-brimmed hat floating in her magical grasp. The artist’s amber eyes widened as emerald sparks exploded from the bottom of the hat, orbited around its glow, and absorbed into the top. The loops became more and more frequent as Lyra strained and ground her hooves into the tile floor. Before long, Apple Bloom had to avert her eyes from the blinding glow of the horn. Then, with a crack, the brightness vanished and the hat dropped to the floor. “Whoa!” Apple Bloom took a step closer, swinging her tail. “What was that?” “The hardest spell I’ve ever done…” Lyra panted, smiling as well. She levitated an open book from her bed to Apple Bloom as she explained in laypony’s terms. “Whew… I connected my senses to the hat. Whenever a pony is wearing it and I perform that spell, I’ll be able to see through their eyes, hear through their ears, and speak directly into their minds, among other things.” Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped. “Lyra, are you serious? That’s amazin’!” “It’s kind of dangerous,” the unicorn admitted, lifting the hat with one hoof, “but as long as we’re careful, I think its benefits will far outweigh its potential consequences.” She tossed the hat to Apple Bloom and grinned with one corner of her mouth. “Give it a try.” Ears twitching, Apple Bloom slid the hat over her thick red mane. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; moments later, a green glow touched her eyelids. When she opened them, Lyra was sitting on her haunches, teeth shining in the light of her horn below her own tight-shut eyes. “Yeah,” she said, shocking Apple Bloom when the words arrived in her ears as well as in her thoughts, “this will do just fine.” “Why am I here?” Apple Bloom repeated in the shadowy dialect she had practiced. The stallion dangling by his mane twitched and whimpered, unable to tear his gaze away from her mask’s imposing pair. She relished his fear. She drank the terror in his eyes like some expensive wine, letting it flush heat into her cheeks and ramp up the beating of her heart. Staring at the brown stallion’s quivering hooves, she imagined them pummeling Harper’s snout until his perfect teeth broke off in waves of innocent blood. She wanted to break the abuser’s neck, or pound her hoof into his face until his screams were silenced, or throw him from the building and leave him in an alley to rot, pitiless, lifeless, and friendless. Breathing heavily, Apple Bloom leaned further over the edge of the roof, holding the stallion inches from her face. “Because you’re sick. Canterlot is sick.” She snorted and looked at the beautiful Moon. “All of Equestria has fallen ill to evil—and I’m here to make it well.” With a flick of her wrist, his orange mane untangled from her hoof. He gasped, throwing his hooves forward as if to grab her neck, but Apple Bloom quickly pulled away. She watched him fall—screaming into the indifferent night—and land in a dumpster overflowing with rotten trash. Apple Bloom sighed and shook away her jitters. “Looks like a little colt fell down the well,” she whispered. Lyra snorted. “Try not to say those when I’m the only one listening.” (/\/\) “Come on, Topper!” a maroon earth pony called over his shoulder, stumbling forward on his three good legs. “Luna’s nipple, where did he go?” The white pegasus trotted gingerly behind him, careful not to bounce his broken wing. “What in Tartarus was that thing?” “A friggin’ crazy pony,” the lame stallion answered, throwing one eye from alley to alley along the roads of Outer Canterlot. “For peat’s sake, we better find him soon. The boss’ll turn the blame to us if Foaly don’t get his due!” Topper gulped. “What if it got to him first?” “What would that nutcase want with Foaly, huh? It was trying to kill the boss. Why else would it ride Cornrow up there?” “Yeesh,” Topper grimaced. “Did you see Cornrow? Crashed pretty bad…” “I can barely see a thing,” the other snapped, whipping around to show Topper his swollen right eye. The motion swung his sprained hind leg, shooting a stab of pain up his side and making him hiss. “Uh… Scurvy…” Topper drawled. “Shut up! It frickin’ hurts, okay?” “No, not that. Look! It’s Foaly!” Scurvy snapped his head up to where Topper was staring. On a tall building the next road over, a dark shape was dangling the big earth pony over the roof by his mane. “Horseapples!” Scurvy swore in a high-pitched rasp. “We gotta get over there before—” The vigilante shook its hoof, and Foaly dropped out of sight. “Crap! Crap! Crap!” Scurvy mumbled, moving as fast as three legs would allow between a couple of shoddy apartment complexes and to the base of the building. To his relief, Foaly was groaning on a pile of putrid garbage. Topper appeared at his side, staring at the slim figure high above their heads. Just as Scurvy caught a glimpse of it, the masked pony spun around with a flare of its cape and disappeared from view. “What in Sparkle’s name just happened?” Scurvy snarled, marching awkwardly to the dumpster. “What did it say to you?” Foaly tried to stand, slipping on a soggy box and tumbling from his perch. He landed hard on his right side and moaned into the ground. Topper and Scurvy trotted to stand above him, gawking at the coat of his up-facing ribcage. “What?” Foaly croaked, lifting his sore neck in a vain attempt to see his own side. “What did it do to me?” “She,” Topper corrected. “It’s a mare.” Foaly blinked. “How do you know that?” The pegasus used a hoof to lift Foaly’s head enough for him to see the lines of fur ripped out of his own skin. The exposed flesh stung in the crisp night air. “Mare Do Well,” Foaly read aloud. “What does it mean?” Topper dropped Foaly’s head onto the alley floor as Scurvy snorted. “Isn’t it obvious? That’s her signature.” Foaly’s trembles returned full-force. “Her… signature?” Scurvy’s gaze drifted up to the roof where the mask no longer watched. “It means she’s done… for tonight.” A strange grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. “But she’ll be back.” (/\/\) Sweetie Belle squealed as she burst into her apartment. “Blitz! Lilac!” she called out, slamming and locking the door behind her. The two ponies sprinted out of their rooms and draped their legs over the back of the couch. “What? What is it?” “Did she do it again?” “Yes!” All three screamed with joy, wiggling, clapping, and stomping their hooves. Sweetie Belle threw the newspaper onto the coffee table and the three mares gathered tightly around it to read the front page. “Insane ‘vigilante’ attacks again!” Sweetie Belle voiced. “The sixth act of treason this month!” Lilac picked out of the article. “The Canterlot Guard agree: Mare Do Well is a top priority target!” Sweetie chirped. “A force to be reckoned with!” Blitz shouted, inspiring another loud round of girly cheering. “Can you believe it?” Sweetie asked, snatching up the newspaper to fan herself. “A real superhero, right here in Canterlot!” “I thought it may have been a fluke at first,” Lilac admitted, tucking a strand of her blue-and-white striped mane behind her burgundy ear, “but after an entire month of clearly calculated foils… oh, how I hope it’s true!” Sweetie beamed and hugged the newspaper close to her chest. “Oh, I knew she’d do it! I just knew she could do it!” Blitz blinked. “Who could do what, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie sighed and set the paper down. “Oh, nothing… I just—heehee—had a feeling that something like this would happen, I suppose.” She tittered into a hoof and swished her tail along the couch. Lilac raised an eyebrow. Before she could question her, a sharp knock rapped at the door. The trio froze and looked at each other. “Guards?” Blitz mouthed. Lilac shrunk back toward the hallway. Sweetie Belle steeled herself, donned a calm smile, and raised her head high as she trotted to the door. Clearing her throat briefly, she used her magic to undo the lock, swing the door open… and nearly screamed on the spot. “Hi, Sweetie Belle!” “A-A-Apple Bloom?” Sweetie stammered, blinking rapidly. She stuck her head out the door, searching the street below for guards and yanking the grinning earth pony inside. Flicking it shut with her tail, she reeled on Apple Bloom and stared her down with electric eyes and pursed lips. “What in Equestria are you doing here?” she seethed. “Apple Bloom!” Blitz shouted, flapping her wild blue wings in excitement and tackling her into the wall. “You’re back!” “Did I hear ‘Apple Bloom’?” Lilac asked, trotting out. “Oh my stars! Where have you been, dear? It’s been nearly two months!” Apple Bloom giggled in Blitz’s embrace, peeling her away with an affectionate squeeze of her shoulder. “It’s good t’see all o' y’all, too!” she said, looking across the room to the burgundy earth pony. “I couldn’t take the pressure, after what happened to Harper. I’ve been livin’ in hotels at the outskirts o’ Canterlot.” “Have you been attending your classes?” Lilac asked, hurrying to offer her a dainty hug. Apple Bloom laughed. “Heck no!” Lilac’s brow tilted with concern. “Surely you’ve failed school by now. I don’t mean to be rude, dear, but why come back here?” Sweetie’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, Apple Bloom. What. Are. You. Thinking?” Apple Bloom bit her lip. “Well, I just….” Sweetie noticed something break behind Apple Bloom’s eyes, softening her heart to the following words. “I just needed m-my friends.” All three of the apartments’ permanent inhabitants broke into comforting noises and loving words, holding their friend as she collapsed into tears. “Oh, you poor dear, we’re here for you!” “Don’t cry, Apple Bloom, everything’s okay!” Several minutes later, Blitz and Lilac were cooking a meal for Apple Bloom in the kitchen. The pitiable pony was wrapped in a blanket and sitting on the couch with Sweetie Belle. Neither were speaking, but listening to the friendly squabbles in the other room and staring at the newspaper on the tiny central table. “Are you gonna let me stay?” Apple Bloom asked without looking at her friend. Sweetie Belle frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?” “I didn’t do what you told me to,” Apple Bloom said, bowing her head. “I didn’t go back to Ponyville. I didn’t fix anything.” “Nice try,” Sweetie said, bumping a hind hoof into her old friend’s thigh, “but you’re not a very good actress.” Apple Bloom popped one eye open. “Huh?” Sweetie leaned forward and started to whisper. “I think you did go back to Ponyville. I think you stayed there for a week or two and figured out exactly how to make a difference in this place. You said you’ve been living in hotels? Well, maybe that’s true—but only for a month. ‘Cause when you came back to Canterlot—” She tapped the newspaper. “—you brought someone else with you.” Apple Bloom tried to hide a smile, burying her face in her hooves. “Shoot. Is it that obvious?” Sweetie’s eyes glistened. “So it’s true, then? I’m right?” “‘Bout what?” the farmpony teased. Sweetie jabbed her in the ribs. “You’re Mare Do Well!” she hissed. Apple Bloom nodded discreetly. “Eeeeheeheeheehee!” Sweetie erupted into giggled, kicking her hind hooves in tiny circles. “I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! That’s why I snapped at you when you came through the door! I thought you were… I don’t know, giving up or something! When that first paper came out, about the ‘dangerous madpony’ roaming the streets at night and attacking innocent citizens—” Apple Bloom looked up with a tenseness in her cheeks. “You didn’t believe all that hooey, didja?” “No way! Nopony did! Everyone knows the newspapers are monitored. If they’re talking bad about somepony, we all know she’s trying to change things!” Sweetie shook Apple Bloom, watching her thick mane swing around her blushing face. “You should hear the talk at school, Apple Bloom! Everyone loves Mare Do Well! And I just knew it was you!” She scooted closer to her friend, wrapping her forehooves around her from the side. “Oh, I’m so proud of you!” “Ow! Ow!” Apple Bloom yelped, trying to push her away through the blanket. Sweetie gasped and jumped back. “Oh, gosh! Are you hurt?” Apple Bloom offered a weak smile. “Turns out superheroes ain’t invincible, and I ain’t the only one throwin’ punches out there.” Wincing, Sweetie pulled back the grey blanket. “Where? I’ll help you!” “It’s a broken rib, I think,” she said, lifting her left forelimb. “Nothin’ you can do.” “Oh, Apple Bloooom…” Sweetie groaned, sliding off the couch to get a better look. “You have to be careful!” She laughed. “I am careful, silly! I’m still alive, ain’t I?” Sweetie’s smile came back as if someone had flicked a switch. “And the criminals are running scared!” “Not quite yet,” Apple Bloom chortled. Her eyes flashed and her voice took on a lower tone to say, “But they will be.” Sweetie shoved her face into Apple Bloom’s mane and squealed with delight. “Oh, I knew it, I knew it! I love you, Apple Bloom, you stupid, genius pony!” “So I can stay?” Apple Bloom asked. “I’m all out o’ bits and—” “Of course you can stay!” Sweetie said shrilly, slapping the top of Apple Bloom’s head. “Why didn’t you just come here in the first place?” “I didn’t wanna hafta explain—” “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the girls anything,” Sweetie promised, sliding an invisible zipper along her lips. “I haven’t said a word about my suspicions, and I don’t plan to.” She jumped back onto the couch and nuzzled her friend. “Besides, no one would figure it out but me! Mare Do Well was only famous in Ponyville.” Apple Bloom smiled and glanced from the newspaper to her small suitcase beside the front door. “Not anymore.”