Return of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well

by xSorrow


Introduction

Introduction

MANEHATTEN- THE PAST

She jumped across the rooftops, one caped figure silhouetted over the moon. On any other night, every detail of her outline from the tips of her hat to the sharp ends of her cape were visible, but tonight her silhouette was wavy and distant as a result of the heavy rain falling from the heavens onto Manehatten. Nopony knew her name, which was just as well. When she wore this mask, she had no name.

Her eyes narrowed behind the blue eyepieces in her mask. Her large hat managed to shield her from the worst of the rain, but she still had to concentrate. Doing all these crazy leaps from building to building was dangerous enough, but now there was reduced visibility and slippery surfaces to worry about. She was in a hurry to get home before it was too late.

She arrived on top of a bank, which was a tall building. Only one busy street with plenty of chariots stood between her and the apartment building her family lived. She knelt down, ready to get a running start. The rain was pounding on her back… fortunately, this costume was waterproof. She narrowed her eyes and smiled underneath the dark blue mask. Thank Celestia she was a unicorn.

She took a deep breath, ran to the edge, and jumped with all her might. Her unicorn horn glowed underneath the hat, taking the edges of her cape and straightening them into a glider. The rain was falling, quickening her descent. She held her breath; she just had to get to the building. After tonight… no more. She’d never wear this costume again.

The glider suddenly took a sharp turn down. She gasped and nearly lost control. She tried to straighten up, trying to focus. If she fell, she’d end up under the wheels of one of those chariots. She was close to the apartment building… there was the edge… no fire escapes on this side, it was the edge or nothing but open air all the way down to the street… her speed was failing, she was going to fall.

Now! She released her cape, and threw out her hooves. Barely grabbing onto the edge of the building, she took several deep breaths and struggled to hold on. The rain wasn’t making this easy for her. Her back hooves kicked the wet side of the building, and somehow managed to gain a small bit of leverage. She… yes! She pulled herself up onto the roof of the apartment building. Now all she had to do was find the fire escape and crawl into the window of her apartment quietly, as not to wake anypony-

“I knew it.”

A voice that should have been quiet over the overwhelming roar of the storm, but she heard it perfectly. She turned, and saw him standing on the roof. How had she missed him?

“I knew you were the vigilante,” he continued, glaring at her, “How could you? After everything I’ve done for you- for us- you just turn around and mess it up?”

“You’re a criminal. I’m doing what’s right,” She said, her voice muffled underneath the mask.

“What’s right? You’ve put her at risk now!” He screamed, face going red, “If you aren’t going to worry about her, I will.”

“If you so much as lay a hoof on her-” She started.

“I already have,” He interrupted, “I’ve taken her someplace far away. You’ll never see her again, and it’s just as well. You’re going to ruin this family.”

She stared at him, and he stared back. A monster inside of her awoke, and it was fueling her rage. With an angry roar, she threw herself at him. He looked surprised as she plunged her hoof into his side, but he quickly recovered from the blow. His wings extended, and he swept in for the attack. She jumped backwards, out of the way of a devastating kick from him. He was fast, faster than she had been expecting. A sudden feeling of hopelessness filled her. Even if she won, how was she to find her, assuming that he had really taken her away?

Just as soon as it had appeared, the hopelessness left, replaced with fury. She leapt at him, but he moved out of the way. She slammed into the ground, and slid in the puddles. He was using his wings to maintain balance, but at least she was reminded that she was a unicorn. He seemed to have forgotten, now smirking from where he stood.

She grabbed him with magic, and picked him up. He tried to fight it, and for a moment she felt like her magic wasn’t strong enough to hold him. She held him over the side of the apartment building, letting him look down on the traffic below.

“Don’t make me do this,” She said to him, “Please, we can be together again. I… I don’t want to do this, Rightful.”

“Unfortunately for you,” He said quietly, “I do!” He said the last two words with a roar as he used his wings to push himself out of the magic aura holding him. Her eyes widened as he slammed into her. The two of them struggled as they slid across the entire roof of the apartment building, barely stopping on the other side. She tried using more magic, but suddenly his hoof connected with her snout. Her vision went fuzzy, and she felt off-balance.

“Sorry, Evergreen,” He said, now picking her up off the ground with both hooves, “But I’ll take good care of her.”

He dropped her off the edge of the building. She didn’t scream, and he looked down at her body, hitting the ground in the alley. He stared down long after the sickening crunch of bones hitting pavement had sounded.

“Better care of her than you ever could,” He whispered, turning around and trotting away.