//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Mare Do Well vs Professor Nightshade // by ssjgokillo //------------------------------// Mare Do Well vs Professor Nightshade Chapter 7: House of U(nicorn) Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic         This is it True Believer, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.  Our hero, the Mysterious Mare Do Well, vs that paragon of putrid evil, Professor Nightshade.  Who will win?  Only one way to find out, read on True Believer, read on.  EXCELSIOR! MDWvsPN         Twilight sighed wistfully as she put the finishing touches on her plan.  It was the plan, the plan to finally end this charade.  If everything went well, Nightshade would be defeated, Rainbow Dash’s hero adventure would be over, and then the two of them could continue to explore the spark they’d discovered between the two of them.         There was no doubt in Twilight’s mind what she wanted.  If she wasn’t in love with Rainbow Dash, then she was darn close to it.  They were different, but their differences didn’t drive them apart, instead it added something extra to their lives.  Twilight, when she had given herself the chance to think about it, had always imagined that she’d fall in love with a fellow scholar.  Now that idea seemed silly to her.  She was already scholarly, she didn’t need somepony to help her study.  She needed somepony to distract her from studying, to take her outside and fly her around until she couldn’t tell which direction was up anymore and she was wrapped in strong forelegs and soft wings.         The date her and Dashie had just been on had showed her everything she needed to know.  Dash and her were different, but they were also so alike in all the ways that mattered.  After this was over, after she could put this whole ugly Professor Nightshade mess behind her, she was going to ask Dashie to be her marefriend, and then see where they went from there.         She went over the plan again, making everything was perfect.  Once she was sure she had everything down, she took one of the pages she’d been writing on and threw it into the fireplace.  She watched as it was quickly consumed by the flames.  As she watched the paper burn, her eyes flashed red, and she began looking over the plans as though she was seeing them for the first time. MDWvsPN         Rainbow Dash was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get the grin off her face as she settled down for bed that night.  Dinner with Twilight had been perfect.  She had felt a little awkward at first, it was their first date after all, and it wasn’t especially well planned... or planned at all for that matter.  But still it had been spectacular.  Mostly due to the company she’d shared.         Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Twilight’s smile, and she had to suppress the urge to squeal like a school filly.  That was getting harder and harder to do.  Twilight was just so... awesome!  Sure, sometimes she could be a little over the top with the whole scheduling thing, and her reliance on books was sometimes annoying, but it was all worth it for that smile, or to hear the little laugh she made whenever she found something funny, but was trying to be polite about it.         She’d even listened patiently as Rainbow told her about her suspicions about Professor Nightshade.  In fact, she’d seemed quite impressed with the investigating Rainbow had down after her most recent fight with the crazy mare.           She’d wanted to talk to Twilight, but Spike had told her earlier that Twilight had gone to Canterlot for some shopping and wouldn’t be back until that evening.  So instead she went to talk with Applejack.  That was where she’d first started piecing things together.  Applejack had told her that Professor Nightshade hadn’t really done anything other than tie her and Big Macintosh up.  In fact, apparently all their chores had been mysteriously finished during their incarceration.           So Nightshade had gone to Sweet Apple Acres, tied up the two farmers, and then did their chores for them?  That sounded crazy right?         Almost as crazy as foalnapping a young dragon to take him to an all you can eat gem buffet.         Then there was the dam.  Rainbow had gone back as Mare Do Well and looked over the area the golems had been attacking, only to find no cracks in the structure.  In fact, cracks that had been in the dam were filled in, and a look at the now solid golems confirmed that when they had been attacking the dam, they had been made out of liquid cement.         She had explained all this to Twilight, who had listened intently to her explanation, her smile growing wider with each point Rainbow presented.         Then she had leaned over, and kissed Rainbow on her cheek, commenting on how attractive she was when she was solving a problem with her mind.         Rainbow Dash suddenly found brain teasers a lot more inviting to solve.         So what they were looking at, was a villain who wasn’t really a villain.  Whoever this Professor Nightshade was, she was just playing at being a villain.         Twilight had bit her lip and looked at Dash nervously at that.  “Be careful about that assumption Dashie,”  She had warned, “Nightshade may seem like she’s playing around now, but she’s obviously a little crazy, and that alone could make her dangerous.”         Twilight was silent for a moment before she continued.  “It seems like she has some kind of fixation on Mare Do Well.  Maybe that’s why she hasn’t been doing anything very seriously.  If something happened to Mare Do Well, then what would be left for her?  You need to be very careful around her Dashie.”         Had the warning come from anypony else, Rainbow would’ve likely wave it off.  She couldn’t ignore Twilight though.  She promised she’d take it seriously the next time Professor Nightshade showed her face.         After that, the conversation shifted to more fun topics, like flying, and magic, and comparing Twilight’s foalhood in Canterlot with Rainbow’s foalhood in Cloudsdale.  They would’ve spent the entire night sitting there chatting, had a waiter not come to their table to inform them that the restaurant was closing.         So Rainbow had walked Twilight home, the two of them nuzzled against each other as they went.  The night air was crisp and cool, though unfortunately not cool enough for Twilight to say she was cold.  She couldn’t wait for that to happen, so she could smoothly drape one of her wings over Twilight.  Hah!  Who said she couldn’t be romantic?         Her eyes were starting to feel heavy, and she didn’t fight against them as they started to droop down.  Because as she closed her eyes, she saw Twilight once again standing in front of the door to the library, and she could almost feel Twilight’s lips on hers again from the good night kiss she’d received. MDWvsPN         “You’re sure about this sugarcube?” Applejack asked Twilight.  Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all looked on from the windows of the train car.            “Yes Applejack, I’m sure.  You girls head to Canterlot, it’s very important that at least some of us attend the party.  The Elements of Harmony are more than just a way to protect Equestria, they’re also a symbol of hope.  Rainbow Dash and I can hold down the fort here while you’re gone.”  Twilight gave a reassuring smile to Applejack.  It didn’t seem to make a difference, as Applejack still looked uncertain.          “But what if that Nightshade pony shows up again?”  Applejack asked.          Twilight smiled and shook her head.  “Rainbow Dash did some investigating, and she came to the conclusion that whoever this Nightshade is, she’s just playing a very elaborate game of Royal Guards and Robbers.  She hasn’t actually done anything really bad yet, and if she does show up, well Dash and I can take her.”          Applejack still looked uncertain, the the train whistle rang out, signaling the approaching departure.  “Well then, if you’re sure.” Applejack said hesitantly as she stepped into the train car.          “I am, you girls have fun at the party, tell the Princesses I say hello!”  Twilight said.  She looked at each of her friends.  Spike and Rarity we’re looking excited about the party they were headed to.  Fluttershy looked nervous, but there was nothing unusual about that for her.  And Pinkie Pie...          Pinkie Pie looked sad and serious all at once, a look that Twilight had never seen her friend wear before.  She waved Twilight over, and Twilight walked over to the open window.          Pinkie Pie leaned forward, and wrapped her forelegs around Twilight in a tight hug.  “Good luck Twilight.”  She whispered, before pulling back and smiling sadly at her.          Twilight almost recoiled in shock, but then she remembered who she was dealing with.  This was Pinkie Pie, she probably knew what was going on from the moment it started.  And she’d kept Twilight’s secret.  Twilight didn’t even have to ask her, she did it simply because she was her friend.          Twilight felt tears forming in her eyes, and she nodded at Pinkie Pie.  “Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you get back!”  She then moved her hoof over her chest, beginning the pantomime of a Pinkie Promise.  “Cross my heart and hope to fl-”          “Don’t!”  Pinkie said suddenly, reaching a hoof out and grabbing Twilight’s.  “Don’t make a Pinkie Promise you can’t keep Twilight.”  Pinkie said suddenly.  The train whistle rang out loudly again, and steam billowed from the Friendship Express as it started pulling out of the station.  Twilight watched as Pinkie waved goodbye, that sad smile never leaving her face.          Then, Twilight’s eyes flashed red.  It was time to begin. MDWvsPN         Rainbow Dash smiled as she came to a gentle landing in front of the Golden Oaks Library.  She’d rushed through her weather patrol work today, actually clearing the sky in eight seconds flat (a new record!).  She just couldn’t wait to see Twilight.  She was hoping her friend (or would it be marefriend now?) was available, she wanted to take her flying over to this spot she saw by Ponyville lake.                  Rainbow Dash went to open the door, when she noticed that it was actually hanging on by just one of it’s hinges.  She nudged it open with a hoof, and it creaked open, revealing the inside of the library.   The  place was a mess.  Most of the books weren’t even on the shelves, they were scattered all throughout the library.         Something was wrong.  Twilight would never leave the library like this.  She’d be right in the middle of it trying to clean it up.  Rainbow carefully stepped into the library, looking around to see if there was anything that could clue her in on what happened.         It didn’t take her long to find something.  After all, a glowing lance of arcane energy stuck in the wall would be kind of hard to miss.  The arcane blade was holding a piece of paper to the wall, and as soon as Rainbow pulled the paper free, the blade dissipated into nothingness. She read the letter, but she already knew most of what it was going to say.  She could feel the anger, the hatred starting to boil in her gut as she looked over the spidery script. Marey had a unicorn, unicorn, unicorn Marey had a unicorn whose name was Twilight Now Marey better get here fast, get here fast, get here fast Marey better get here fast or the unicorn dies tonight I’ve got the rest of your little friends too “Dashie”, come alone or I kill them all. The note was unsigned, simply a picture of a tall mountain peak with a cave circled.  But she didn’t need a signature.  She knew who had sent the note, and she knew who she was going to destroy. Nopony got away with messing with her friends. And nopony would ever get away with threatening Twilight. MDWvsPN A loud boom rang out above Ponyville, as a circle of colors spread throughout the sky.  A rainbow trail arced from Ponyville to the nearby mountain range, to a peak that had not too long ago housed a hibernating dragon. Mare Do Well skidded to a stop in front of the cave, the colors of the rainbow fading away from her as she slowed to a stop.  She looked at the entrance to the cave, her mind briefly going back to the time she and her friends had climbed the mountain to try and get the dragon to leave.  How Twilight had led them up the hill, never once doubting that they could accomplish such a gargantuan task. She bit back a curse, and ran into the cave.  Twilight was in there, currently held by somepony she had just yesterday assumed was harmless.  She wouldn’t be making that mistake again.  And she was going to make sure that Nightshade never got a chance to many any mistakes again. She came to a stop as she spotted her target.  She took in the entire area in one glance.  The room was lit by multiple floating spheres of green light.  There was Professor Nightshade, that crazed grin on her face.  She was standing next to a large cauldron that was full of some kind of bubbling green liquid, and just inches above the cauldron, held in a green telekinetic grip, was Twilight Sparkle. Mare Do Well slowly walked forward.  There was no way she’d be able to grab Twilight if Nightshade dropped her, not from this distance.  She’d have to get closer. Apparently Nightshade realized the same thing, because after Mare Do Well advanced a few steps she spoke.  “Stay where you are Marey, unless you want your little marefriend here to take a bath.”  To emphasize her point, she lowered Twilight just a little bit closer to the cauldron. Mare Do Well froze in place, gritting her teeth in frustration.  “Alright then, I’m hear Nightshade, now what?” Nightshade seemed to consider the question.  She was no longer grinning, but the frown on her face was just as unnerving. “What, you’re just giving up?  No daring rescue attempt?  No “I’ll stop you or die trying speech?"  I must say Marey, I’m a little let down.  Perhaps I should let your friend down as well?”  Nightshade lowered Twilight a little closer to the bubbling goo.  Twilight tried to scrunch her body away from whatever was in the cauldron, knowing that it couldn’t be anything good. “Stop!”  Mare Do Well scream.  “What do you want?  You want me to give you some big speech?  Fine!  You’ll never win, I have justice on my side it always prevails blah blah blah.  I’ll do or say whatever you want just please, please don’t hurt her.”   Professor Nightshade’s frown deepened at that.  “Well that’s boring.”  She said.  Then, without warning, without any indication she was doing anything whatsoever, she dropped Twilight. Mare Do Well’s eyes widened in shock, but her body moved instinctively, knowing already that it wouldn’t make a difference.  Time moved in slow motion as Twilight’s hooves touched the the green liquid.  Mare Do Well saw the horror and pain on her face as her body fell into the cauldron, even as she struggled to get her wings to push her faster, harder, anything to save the mare she loved.   She flew right over the cauldron, seconds after Twilight had been fully submerged.  She hadn’t even gotten a chance to scream. But there was laughter.  Mad, cackling laughter.  It bounced off the cavern walls, echoing upon itself and sounding as though it were coming from multiple sources.  It drove itself into Mare Do Well’s brain, the endless soulless laughter of the monster who had just stolen Twilight from her. Mare Do Well shakily got to her hooves, tears staining her mask.  She turned and looked at Professor Nightshade, and wonder how she never saw the true insanity in those eyes.  How she never suspected the depths of cruelty this monster was capable of. And how Twilight had paid the price for it. That was the last thought she had before rage consumed her.  Mare Do Well howled like a wild beast as she launched herself at Professor Nightshade at speeds that should have been impossible to achieve from a stand still. Professor Nightshade teleported away, but she was treating this like the same game she had played in the sky over the dam.  Only this wasn’t the open sky, this was a small enclosed space, and Mare Do Well wasn’t playing. Her hoof connected solidly with the side of Nightshades face, the force of the blow completely twisting the insane mare around and causing her to fall to the ground.   Mare Do Well didn’t notice as the cauldron faded from sight.  She didn’t notice that the green light in the room slowly turned to a lavender.  She didn’t notice because she had her mind on one thing and one thing only.   Killing Professor Nightshade. She drew a foreleg back, preparing to punch Nightshade over and over until there was nothing left but mush.  But then Mare Do Well froze, as she saw the wings of a alicorn fade away, leaving tattered butterfly wings in their place.  The coat of the mare before her slowly grew lighter, until it was a lavender color rather than the deep purple it had been.  The hair straightened out, turning a dark purple with a pink stripe running through it.  And the cutie mark, which had been a black Nightshade flower, faded away into a six pointed star. Mare Do Well fell to her haunches as the illusion dispelled, and a bruised Twilight appeared before her. “T-Twi?  Is that you”  She asked, hope tinging her voice. And the mare before her laughed.  The same soulless cackle.  And despite the rest of her body looking like Twilight Sparkle’s, the mare before her still had those crazed red eyes. “Awww, guess the cat is out of the bag Marey.”  It was horrible, hearing Nightshade’s voice coming from Twilight’s body.  “You see Marey, this sad little unicorn felt even sadder for her pwecious widdle fwiend.”  Nightshade pantomimed rubbing tears from her eyes.  “Her widdle fwiend who wanted to be a hero.  She she made a villain, made somepony for her widdle fwiend to fight.” Nightshade took a step forward, staring straight into Mare Do Well’s eyes.  Her horrible crazed red eyes staring out from Twilight’s face.  “She made me.”  Then Nightshade laughed again, like it was the most hilarious statement in the world. “Oh but the mind she had!  It was so organized, so efficient, and so very strong.  She studied everything she could to be a good villain for her friend, made up an entire history and personality for me.  Did you know I hate pears?  I do, because she made me hate them.” Nightshade began moving, dancing around Mare Do Well as she continued with her story.  “She thought of every single aspect of my life, and then she used it to act like a villain.  But she couldn’t stop there.  Her oh so efficient mind kept going, kept making me grow in the back of her mind, until I could start acting without her.” “Oh sure, she still had to accept the persona, but I was in the back of her mind, whispering to her, tempting her with the release of letting me be in control.”  Nightshade stopped her dance in front of Mare Do Well again, her face split in a wide manic grin.  “And now, now she’s gone!” Nightshade jumped up onto her hind legs and clapped her forehooves together excitedly.  “The little egghead is gone, and do you know what that means Marey dear?”  She fell back onto all four hooves, and leaned forward until her mouth was right next to Mare Do Well’s ear.  “That means it’s just you and me from now on.  We can keep playing forever, without some pesky librarian getting in the way.” Mare Do Well felt like she’d been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer.  All this time, all this time she’d been fighting with Twilight.  Twilight, who just wanted her to feel like a hero, before they’d even had their first date, went to such lengths to give her the superhero experience she craved. And, she realized, as Nightshade whispered that last part, that Twilight had done something else as well.  She had given her the key to defeating Professor Nightshade once and for all. Mare Do Well stood up, and Professor Nightshade looked on in anticipation. “Oh, have you heard enough Marey?  Are you ready to fight me to try and save your beloved Twilight?  I have to say I expected a little more sniveling on your part, but I’m game if you are.” Mare Do Well didn’t say a word.  She simply reached a hoof up to her mask, and pulled.  The mask held tight against her fur for a moment, before it slid off, revealing the tear streaked face of Rainbow Dash underneath. The grin on Nightshade’s face was quickly replaced with a frown.  “What game are you playing Marey?”  She asked, venom laced in her voice. “I’m not playing any game Nightshade and the name is Rainbow Dash.”  Rainbow threw the mask on the ground, and kicked off the boots. “Stop that!  This isn’t funny Marey, I’m not laughing.”  Nightshade growled out.  Rainbow Dash simply ignored her, as she stood up on her hind legs and began to shimmy out of the body suit.  Once it was off she kicked it over with the other parts of the costume. Nightshade was breathing heavily, clearly upset by this turn of events.  “Put the costume back on Marey, you still have to defeat me!  Make me pay for my crimes!”   Rainbow Dash shook her head.  “I told you, my name is Rainbow Dash, and go defeat yourself.  I’m done with you Nightshade, and I’m done with the hero gig,”  Rainbow Dash leaned down and grasped the Mare Do Well mask in her teeth.  She placed a hoof on the other end, and then pulled her head back.  The sound of fabric tearing echoed throughout the cave.  “There is no more Mare Do Well.”  Rainbow Dash said, spitting out the tattered remains of the mask. Professor Nightshade looked on in horror, before she gave a howl of despair.  She scream and howled and cried, even as her body began to shake.  She gave another piercing scream, as tears fell from her eyes.  Finally, she hunched over, and when she looked back up at Rainbow Dash, it was Twilight’s eyes that were staring at her. “I knew you could do it Dashie.”  Twilight said, in her own voice, tears of happiness spilling from her eyes. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure how to react.  On one hoof she wanted to lash out at Twilight.  After all Twilight had tricked her again, just like with the original Mare Do Well fiasco.  But this time, this time it really was for her, Twilight had gone above and beyond to try and help Rainbow Dash fulfill something that wasn’t even a dream, more like a passing fancy. The other part of her wanted to wrap Twilight up in her hooves and never let her go again.  To kiss her stupid egghead face all over, and then do it again.  She wanted to stroke her mane, and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. But she couldn’t do either.  She simply felt numb after everything that had happened.  Instead, she simply turned around and faced the exit of the cave.  “Come one Twilight, let’s get you home.” She heard Twilight get up to follow her, but more than anything she could hear her sobbing, crying at the lack of reaction, crying because she knew it was over, and crying because she knew it was all her fault.