//------------------------------// // Can A Blood Bond Be Hidden By A Mask? // Story: Darker Than Purple // by Arkybrony //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle returned to her home with her unconscious brother, via teleportation. She didn't know what to think about Shining Armor being at that meeting, since everyone there was bent on overthrowing Celestia. "He was just there because it's part of his duty to attend military meetings." She thought, trying to reassure herself. "Oh no! What if he was there so he could try and get Cadence in charge. She's next in line since Luna's gone!" Twilight thought, "Surely that can't be true! He's a good stallion with a good heart. He would never do that!" She didn't have much time to contemplate these things, as Shining Armor showed signs of waking up. She took him to a closet and tied him up. She left him there and closed the door. The time had come to pay her price yet again. She went to the kitchen and cut herself. She immediately did what she knew to do for cuts, and applied a tourniquet under her costume, which she kept on since she had to interrogate him. Twilight Sparkle had never in her life imagined that she would have to become a vigilante. Now, everything she knew was changing, and she, of all ponies, was forced to become like this. She wasn't tough and wasn't strong, but she was smart, and she was magical. She had the capability of becoming a full-time vigilante with her skill set, but with her heart, she wasn't sure. But for this mission, she was in too deep to back out. Because of her brains, she knew that she'd have to instill fear in her enemies, but she was only able to pull it off because of adrenaline, and stuff that superheroes said and did in Spike's comic books that she read. She, being the smart pony she is, knew that this mission was too high-risk to back out of or stop at any point, so she kept her act up, but, even though she knew it may be necessary for the new state of the world that Hell's Gate had suddenly created, she didn't know if she could ever do this again. She heard the sound of shaking and struggling in her closet, so she knew that Shining Armor was waking up. She put her mask back on and entered the closet. After closing the door, she turned the light on in the closet and removed the blindfold from Shining Armor's eyes and the tape from his mouth "WHO ARE YOU!?" Shining Armor said. "Who do you think I am?" Twilight responded in her disguised voice. "You could be anypony in Equestria under that costume." "Who do I look like to you?" "You look like Mare Do Well." "I am she." "She's a fictional character. Who are you?" "I already told you this. I am who I appear to be." Twilight Sparkle didn't want to identify herself as who she really was. Obviously the main reason was for protection, but deep inside, she didn't want this vigilante to reflect who she really was, and she didn't want to identify herself as a hero that, on the inside, she could never adopt as a true part of herself. To her, she was not Mare Do Well, and Mare Do Well was not her. Mare Do Well was an entirely different pony. "Ok, fine, whatever, 'Mare Do Well'," Shining Armor replied, "why am I here?" "What was that meeting about?" Twilight/Mare Do Well said. "Who's asking?" "Mare Do Well is asking." "And who are you working for?" "I work alone! Answer the question or I'll kill you right now!" She was bluffing. "Really?" Shining Armor replied, "You're going to kill the Captain of the Royal Guard? You're already a terrorist for attacking the meeting. You didn't kill anypony, and there's no evidence of attempting to kill anypony. In fact, you saved General Swifthead from falling to his death, albeit, you threw him in the air in the first place. But you killed nopony, so the most you could get is about twenty years. But if you kill me, you'll be executed immediately." Mare Do Well began charging up, acting as if she was about to use her electricity powers to kill him. "I'll tell you what the meeting was about," Shining Armor said, "but you're still a wanted terrorist." "ANSWER MY QUESTION!" "The generals, mainly Swifthead of the Everfree/Ponyville region, think that Celestia is responsible for banishing Luna to the Moon again, which is treason, even if Celestia did it, since there is no reason for her to do it. Seeing as how you're pretty well trained in magic, you probably know that that's only possible to do that using the Elements of Harmony. They were trying to present their excuses on how she did it without Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Right before you attacked, General Swifthead stated that he's already gotten his propaganda out to Ponyville in the paper. It's probably going to spread throughout Equestria, and they'll gain support. They claim they're just muckrakers, but really, they're liars. Really convincing liars too." "Where do you side on this issue?" Mare Do Well responded, still using a disguised voice. "Honestly, I don't think Celestia would do such a thing. There's no reason for her to do so. Their evidence is rather compelling, but you can just tell that they're liars. Either way, I am in the service of Equestria, not any specific ruler." "Have you considered that if they overthrow Celestia, then your wife will be the next ruler?" "They've tried to convince me with that, but they're just lying. If they succeed, they're overthrowing the Government themselves and making it a military run Government. I currently rank higher than Swifthead, but he'll probably become Führer, King, or whatever they want to call it. Is there anything else you want out of me?" Twilight/Mare Do Well, being satisfied with what Shining Armor said, had to knock him out again. Which required electricity. She was forced to use her contractor powers again. She placed her hoof on Shining Armor's chest and shocked him unconscious. She then tied a bag with an air hole over his head, tied up his legs, and teleported him to the border of the Everfree, which was about as far as she had the capability of teleporting. She was glad it was over. At least for now. She could finally take off the costume, which she did. Again, she had to cut herself to pay the price of using her contractor powers. She didn't want to have to get used to this, and didn't want to ever have to use her powers recklessly. She decided that next time, if there would ever come to be a next time, she would think EVERY decision through carefully, hoping to avoid this price. She got a knock on the door. Since her costume was taken off and hidden, she was able to answer it. Snips and Snails were at the door. "Ms. Sparkle," Snips said, offering her a newspaper, "would you like a copy of the new newspaper?" She looked at the newspaper and saw the name, The Swift Report. "Really, Swifthead?" She thought, "That's the best name you've got? Come on." "How much is it?" She asked. "Just two bits," Snails said, "and you'll want to get it fast! The Swift Report is taking Ponyville by storm!" "Eh, why not? Give me two copies." They made the exchange. She then closed the door and went to her study desk. She continued to think about the possibility of another dangerous mission like the one she just did. She thought about how she would handle it if there actually was a "next time". She set the paper down and read the headline, "Princess Celestia: Equestria's Greatest Traitor (With Evidence)" There would be a "next time". She wrote up a quick letter to Celestia explaining that this is the propaganda being spread, and had Spike send the letter, along with her second copy of the paper, to Celestia in Canterlot.