MASKED MYSTERY MARE- RETURN OF THE VIGILANTES?
Last night between the hours of three and four a.m., the attempted mugging of an unknown stallion by three armed assailants was witnessed by local residents taking place on the roof of an apartment building on Fifth Avenue. Eyewitnesses reported that a mare wearing a ski mask used a grappling hook to swing from the office building across the street to land on the rooftop of the apartment complex, where she assaulted and overpowered the three attackers. The mare and the stallion who was the target of the original assault then swung off the rooftop into an alley using the grappling hook before police arrived.
Two of the three attackers were apprehended at the scene and reportedly denied assaulting a fourth individual. Instead they claim that they were fighting amongst themselves, though they did confirm the involvement and escape of the masked mare. Neither the victim nor the vigilante who rescued him have been found as of yet, though photographs were taken by Manehattan Times photographer Film Reel showing the stallion to be red with a crimson mane, though no cutie mark is visible for a positive identification. No identifiable traits were found in the photographs of the vigilante, who was wearing a full-body disguise which police say could have concealed either wings or a horn. The mare is currently wanted by the Manehatten Police Department for vigilantism, assault, and kidnapping, and the unidentified victim is considered a missing pony.
This event marks the first instance of vigilantism since the decline of the period of widespread vigilantism known as “the Clear Night”. Experts on the phenomenon and superhero enthusiasts alike are astir and over the masked mare’s appearance. Mr. Antiquity, curator of the Manehatten Museum’s Vigilante exhibit, had this to say: “Vigilantism has been a field few have forayed into in recent years, and for good reason. After a large increase in national wonder at the concept of masked heros following the brief appearance of the ‘Mysterious Mare-Do-Well’ in Ponyville, the idea of a crime-fighter with a secret identity was romanticized in novels, television shows, movies, and of course, comic books.
“For this reason it came as no surprise that when criminals in large cities began to wear disguises to conceal their identity, and thus preventing the police from acting effectively, that several civilians took the idea to heart. After the initial success of these anonymous crime fighters, more and more began to take to the night in masks and costumes to fight off the gangs.
“At first this was nothing but good news. Teams of vigilantes, numbering usually no more than four or five, helped to stop, prevent, and dissuade crime in large cities. The Vigilantes themselves became local and national celebrities, and it looked like this golden age of heroes, the ‘Clear Night’, as it came to be called, would last forever. But as the Vigilantes became more and more common and effective, the criminals they fought became more desperate, escalating both in force and ferocity.
“This unfortunately led to the injuries and deaths of many of these crusaders, and caused the remaining few to match their opponent’s brutality in order to survive. People began to lose respect for their former heroes, finding the new brutal effectiveness less comforting and more terrifying. As time went on and the continuing escalations showed no sign of relenting, the government took action and passed a law that outlawed vigilantism.
“Many Vigilantes refused this new deal, believing their work was not done as long as these dangerous criminals still roamed free. Vigilantes clashed with the police quite often, leading to more than one riot and many casualties on both sides of the law. Unfortunately, with both the Vigilantes and the police occupied, crime in Equestria reached an all-time high, and it became apparent that a solution to the problem was desperately needed. With the last inklings of public support for the Vigilantes failing, the government passed the ‘Mask Act’, giving the option for Vigilantes to obtain license from the government to work with law enforcement agencies and remain operational, as long as they registered their identities and complied with new regulations, which included strict background checks. The strictness of the license’s requirements led to a steady decrease in legally licensed heroes, until the arrest of the last active Vigilante in Equestria two years after the act was passed.”
So what does does the appearance of a new Vigilante mean, after all these years? Will her return mark a new chapter in the history of masked crime fighters? Are we witnessing the rebirth of the Clear Night, or is this mysterious masked mare the last of her kind? Just how long she survives the life she has chosen remains to be seen.
Dead Line, Manehattan Times Special Correspondent, Investigative Reporter
Photographs by Film Reel