The next day Ponyville was abuzz with talk and speculation of the new little Mare Do Well. Store venders were already announcing the coming of new Mare Do Well merchandise. Ponies in the streets chatted about what they had seen, told stories that grew as the day passed. There were theories about who she was, where she had come from. The prevailing idea was that she was Mare Do Well's daughter. One of the most debated facts was her costume. It looked like the Nightmare Night costumes sold in Ponyville and some believed that it was one. Others wouldn’t believe that their hero wore a cheap costume and debate over that as well as many aspects sparked unnecessary arguments and hard feelings.
There were three monsters still left in the town but none were a threat. Lily in her flight away from her embarrassing goof with the town hall roof had remembered that one of the monsters remaining in Ponyville was just unconscious and not trapped in a magic bubble like the others. It would wake up soon and it was not like she could not count on it leaving peacefully when it did. She found it just coming to. Tempting to spit a blast at her was easy enough and she trapped it like the others. She was sure that Twilight would know what to do with them once she returned. From there Lily had raced away to the castle to take off her costume and hide it in her saddle bags.
The three trapped monsters were now the biggest attraction in the town and ponies gathered around to stare at them. No matter how many times it failed the creatures would randomly shriek and lunge at them. It also seemed like the crowd would continue to jump back each time no matter how often they failed to break through. The monsters too became the subject of debate and by the end of the day they were Little Mare Do Well's arch nemesis.
The only ones who were not debating were the school foals. As Lily walked through the town with her mother every one that she passed winked or smiled at her. They knew. Hopefully they could all keep a secret. Hopefully but not likely.
Her mother, knowing Lily's love of the hero constantly remarked happy she must be to see the new Mare Do Well. "Though I guess your disappointed that you were off playing and didn't see anything."
"Oh,..uh...yeah." Lily replied as they walked to see the trapped monsters. The rest of her family was already there.
"But I'm kinda’ glad that you were away from the danger."
"That's true."
"I would not want you near anything like that incident!"
"I know."
"Now remember dear that these things are really frightening. If you get too scared, it's alright for you to leave."
"Mommm!' Lily groaned.
"I know that you want to act tough but it's alright if you need to leave."
"Ok." Lily replied.
When they reached the street where two of the monsters were trapped in the same bubble her mother flinched at the sight. '"Aren't they just awful! Even trapped they make me want to cringe."
"They are ugly," Lily replied but she was not even looking at them. She was looking at a group of her classmates that were also gathered there. Silver Spoon, Featherweight and Dinky were among them. They of course were giving her smiling knowing smiles and winks.
"Can you imagine fighting one of those things?" Her mom commented.
Silver Spoon almost laughed. "Oh, I bet she could Mrs-"
"MMMM!" Lily cut off Silver Spoon quickly drawing a hoof across her mouth.
"Lily?" Her mon inquired.
Lily coughed. "Just a bug."
When her mon looked back up at the monsters Lily started trying to sign to her classmates how important it was that they keep quite.
"Lily what are you doing?"
Lily froze. "Uhhh, just practicing my sign language. We're learning it at school. I see dad up there. I'm going to go stand with him." With that Lily took off weaving through the crowd. She raced up beside him only to find herself also standing next to a few more classmates.
"Hey Lily did you just wear you Nightmare Night costume?" One asked, trying to whisper but a little too loud.
"Uh, yeah I wore it a few days ago. You caught me." Lily replied glancing up at her dad to see if he had heard.
"Can I get your autograph." One filly asked without thinking to whisper and her dad glanced over.
"No, I will not trade you my Mare Do Well autograph," Lily stated firmly. She looked up are her dad. "Now that she’s back everypony wants it."
"I didn't know that you had one," Her dad commented.
"Well...It's a secret. One that I need to keep," Lily replied in a very pointed way to remind her classmates. "Anyway, the monsters are creeping me out and I want to go home now."
“Don’t worry, they can’t get to you. Don’t you want to see them?”
I’ve seen enough of them,” Lily replied and took off running. She didn't stop running until she got there. As she slammed the door behind her Prickles crawled out from under the couch and gave her a quizzical look.
"Has anypony come home yet?" She asked him. Prickles shook his head. "Good," Lily stated and walked to plop down on the couch. "My class mates can't seem to keep their mouth shut. They were pretty good about my super strength but the Mare Do Well thing has got them excited. Now I don’t just have cool super strength anymore. Now I’m a town sensation," She said as her hedgehog climbed up the couch. "You know something? I dreamed about being a superhero for a long time but now that I've done it I don't really want to do it again. It's scary. While everypony can run away you have to run to it. When I fought those monster things I was more scared than I was in the Everfree."
"Pfft," Said Prickles. He flexed his little muscles like a strongpony.
"I know I have super strength but that does not make me impenetrable. I'm just a penetrable as I ever was." Lily laid her head down on the cushions. "Oh well, I doubt that I ever will have to be a superhero again so as long as nopony in my class let's it slip I'll be safe once it blows over. Then all I'll have to do is be careful about when I use my super strength. Hey that it!" Lily exclaimed sitting up. "My Super strength will keep them from thinking that it’s me! I don't have to worry so much.” Prickles looked at her in confusion. “Don’t you see? Even if they let it slip that I’m the "Little Mare Do Well" adults won't believe it. Little Mare Do Well has super strength and I'm just the little filly that they’ve met around town. To my family I’m just the youngest daughter and just baby sister. Nopony would guess that I had super strength. Instead they would look at the super strength of Little Mare Do Well as proof that it was not me!" Lily hopped off the couch and put Prickles on her back. "There is no reason to worry. This will blow over soon and it's not like I'll have to be Mare Do Well again. The elements of harmony will be back soon and they'll take over. Now come on, let's bring Miss Crumpet her milk before I forget again."
* * *
Outside Ponyville were the now abandoned burrows of the Diamond Dogs. The ponies didn't notice their moving since they hadn’t known that they were there in the first place. Not until the kidnapping of Rarity. The huge network of tunnels and rooms had remained empty for some time. Now the tunnels were patrolled by scores of the same creatures that had attacked Ponyville. The walked or stood in the passages like drones, never growing tired or bored. Never loosing vigilance. The pitch black tunnels were no problem to the sightless beings.
In the deepest tunnel torches lit the walls. A black churning mass was kept contained in a sphere in the center of the room. Beside it stood a unicorn and a pegasus. Both seemed tainted by the black mass that almost seemed alive.
“I can’t believe that it’s just a foal, Malice,” The pegasus said nursing the bruises left from the impact of the door. “Maybe she just looked small.”
“Tar Flanks, I do not care if she is or not. She’s in the way. The only thing that I want to find out is how to get her out of the way,” The unicorn replied. “If she is their little hero then she will come running when trouble strikes. Let’s send a little disturbance and see what happens.”