The Masked Accuser

by Psyga315

Kindness/friendship express

Luna stood outside, overseeing the part of Canterlot that wasn't destroyed by the invasion through the window. The sun moved closer towards the west. She had a sigh of relief. At least Celestia was still doing her job. She heard trotting. She turned around and saw Twilight.

"Believe me when I say that I thought the invasion was nothing more than a simple scare when I came to the party." Luna sighed.

"Don't worry. I do believe you. I doubt anyone expected an invasion that massive." Twilight said.

"But I only checked this part of Canterlot. I never saw the other sections. I never inspected on any injured Ponies... Maybe I could have done something like supported the ponies while you all had your celebrations." Luna said.

"Luna, please stop beating yourself up over this... I'm sure every other pony, your sister included, didn't stop to think about Canterlot's state of condition." Twilight said.

"But I should have done something about it. One of the duties to being a Princess is to protect their people from catastrophes like this, and if it did happen, support them and have them move on. Not let them riot about and call for dethroning." Luna said.

"I know what happened with Celestia was hard... I'm still shocked from it too, but as soon as Blitzkrieg and I figured out a way to-" Twilight said.

"Who's Blitzkrieg?" Luna asked. On cue, the red Pegasus poked out of the door to their room.

"Erm... Hi? Eheh..." He said.

"An odd name..." Luna stared at Blitzkrieg for a short while. She signed and walked away. "At the very least, we should be thankful that the denizens aren't actually rioting and are merely just displeased with the circumstances. Still, I hope you can find a way to fix this, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said.

---

The four ponies followed Mare Do Well and his followers through one of the districts of Canterlot. Its streets charred with the impact of the Changeling Soldiers. Rainbow Dash gave a dirty glare towards Mare Do Well, Applejack looked to the ground, her hat obscuring her eyes, Pinkie Pie simply trotting and not giving her signature bounce. Rarity had it worse, closing her eyes and holding her breath as all around them were hardened green sludge that smelled like a swamp as they hung on the buildings, lampposts and other objects. She shivered a bit, knowing that the place she visited and integrated herself in the community so long ago is now in ruins, with fears of some members of the high society being injured or worse.

“Behold Canterlot. While you enjoyed the rosy and flowery imagery at the castle and nearby residency, a good chunk of the citizens and I had to settle for this.” Mare Do Well said. Every moment presented another passing thought for Rainbow Dash that begged her to beat up Mare Do Well. She had to take her mind off it, lest she actually does that and adds red to the sickly green and black around them. That’s when she recognized the place.

“Wait… This was where we fought… Where are you taking us!?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Observant… I like that.” Mare Do Well approached the door to a large building and opened it. “Behold, the Chamber of the Elements.” Inside was where all four ponies, as well as Mare Do Well's own ponies, looked in shock. The roof was full of holes, several of the decorations were ruined and even some had the green sludge on it. The carpet was ruined with burns. But most of all, the doorway to the Elements of Harmony was broken down. Their jaws dropped from the sheer desolation of it. They only had a few moments to notice the place before they got captured before, but now they could see it all in great detail. The ponies that followed gave out several gasps.

“I know, lovely place. It was lovelier before the Changelings showed up. Don’t worry, the Elements are intact… mostly intact.” Mare Do Well said, walking into the building.

“Whatcha mean mostly?” Applejack asked. Mare Do Well went further into the building, right to the room where the Elements were held. Her hat levitated off as a horn on her head glowed a faint magenta color. She walked to the ponies, the chest containing the Elements bathed in the same magenta light. The chest opened and the Elements had nary a scratch on them.

“As you can see, they didn’t damage the Elements. The only damage it had was… well… Do we have Kindness here?” Mare Do Well asked. Fluttershy emerged from the crowd and nodded. She levitated the Element of Kindness onto Fluttershy’s neck, securing it in place. “Try getting it to glow. A simple one would do.” Mare Do Well said to her. She gulped and closed her eyes. After a while, the butterfly jewel on the Element started to glow pink, though only dimly. Mare Do Well smiled behind her mask.

“Perfect. It is as I predicted.” Mare Do Well said. The glowing stopped.

“I’m sorry… but… um… what was the point of that?” Fluttershy asked.

“You ponies were chosen to bear the Elements of Harmony because of two things. One, you have bonds with the Element of Magic, the core Element that binds the others together and becomes a fierce weapon. And two, because you closely represented those Elements. However, it’s possible to perform an action that is counter to the Element’s concept. Do you recall the time when Discord was freed?” Mare Do Well asked.

“Hey, how do you know that?” Pinkie asked. Rarity looked towards Mare Do Well.

And how did you know about the Mare Do Well incident? Rarity thought, as if she was asking Mare Do Well herself.

“I… have my connections. But you must have recalled what happened on that day when you tried to confront Discord.” Mare Do Well said.

“Y-yeah… He made us all bitter jerks.” Applejack said.

“No. He reversed your personality’s core element. The honest become liars, the generous become greedy, the kind become cruel, the laughing become the cynic, and the loyal become traitors. Definitely not Element material. A dark day for ponykind, I tell you.” Mare Do Well said.

“So, what are you getting at, punk!?” Rainbow Dash called out to Mare Do Well.

“I’m saying that the Elements wouldn’t have worked even if you got your hooves on them because some of you acted against your Element with one little action. Heck, you might have done it on multiple occasions.” Mare Do Well said. Some of the ponies dropped their jaws from the revelation, save for Applejack, who from the looks of her eyes, figured it out when she placed the Element on Fluttershy.

“What?” Rarity muttered.

“The Elements wouldn’t have defeated the Queen... Not because of how powerful she was, but because of how the Elements were powered. That’s why I brought you here. That glow showed that, while Fluttershy was cruel to Twilight, she was staying true to her Element when she went to the fake, since she was trying to be kind to her. Or perhaps she regretted her actions and the Element responded to that. The Elements have minds of their own. Some forgive easily, others are harsh. I’m going to make good on the promise I made to Celestia. There will be punishment, but not by my hooves...” Mare Do Well said. She gave the ponies time to ponder about that. Some were quaking in their hooves. She looked to the crowd, who were beginning to gossip amongst themselves. She could read their lips.

"What is she talking about?"

"Isn't she supposed to show them the consequences of their actions?"

"What's this talk about the Elements?"

“Go now, I do not wish to make this punishment a public one. What happens now will be between me and the Element Bearers.” Mare Do Well said to the crowd. They dispersed and as they did, Mare Do Well closed the door. She looked to Fluttershy.

“Your Element glowed faintly. It forgave you for what you did, Kindness, but there was a time where you weren’t so kind.” Mare Do Well said to Fluttershy.

“Oh... You... You mean the time when Iron Will came into town and-” Mare Do Well interrupted Fluttershy.

“No. It forgave you for that as well. It acknowledged the moment you regretted yelling at your friends and what you did to redeem yourself.” Mare Do Well said.

“How do you know?” Fluttershy asked.

“...” Mare Do Well stayed silent. She spoke up a moment after when she saw the ponies glare at her. “Do you remember a time you and your friends transported those desserts for the National Dessert Competition?” Fluttershy nodded. “That is why the Element glows dimly.” Mare Do Well said.

“But... I apologized and everything!” Fluttershy said.

“But did you learn your lesson, Kindness? Did you learn to not take advantage of other ponies’ trusts, including your own friends? Apologizing is one thing, learning from it is another.” Mare Do Well said.

“I... I... I didn’t... I didn’t know I was taking advantage...” Fluttershy looked down to the ground. got down and started to sob a bit. Rainbow Dash flew up to the ceiling, high enough for Applejack to not be able to restrain her.

“Alright, you jerk! No one makes Fluttershy cry on my watch!” Rainbow Dash swooped down to Mare Do Well. She flew fast. She remembered the harsh memories of what happened when the Mare Do Well appeared in Ponyville. The strain of being outmatched by her in everything, even flying. The complete and utter betrayal she experienced when that pony was revealed to be her friends. That moment in particular unleashed a plethora of emotions. Anger. Resentment. Depression.

“But a real hero doesn’t brag...” She remembered each and every single moment as she swooped towards the Mare Do Well standing before them now. The ponies could see a rainbow emerge from behind her.

“BRAG THIS, YOU BUCKER!” She shouted at her. In a moment, there was a magenta flash. Rainbow Dash was violently pushed away from Mare Do Well with a force much stronger and faster than her own. She was knocked back so far that she managed to make a dent in the wall that caught her fall. She fell to the floor, scathed from the blast and impact but otherwise alright. Mare Do Well silently set her hat back on as the others, Fluttershy included, rush to her.

“Loyalty, I’ll deal with you later. Right now, you have to wait.” Mare Do Well said, not even bothering to look at the damage she put onto her.

“Are you alright, Dashie? Please... Please speak to me!” Fluttershy struggled to find whatever bandaging material she could find. She soon ripped a piece of carpet that was fringed from the invasion, brought the strip to Rainbow Dash and wrapped it around one of her hind legs. She stood up and looked at Mare Do Well.

“How could you?!” Fluttershy stared towards Mare Do Well with tears in her eyes. Mare Do Well turned around and saw her. “You may step on me like a doormat, but when you attack my friends...” Mare Do Well’s eyes focused on her Element. Its glow becoming brighter and brighter until it was around the same shade that it had when used to defeat Discord. “You’ve crossed the line.” Fluttershy growled as her Element shot out butterflies towards Mare Do Well. She didn’t have time to react.

The butterflies knocked her back with just as much force as her own blast. However, it took only two hits from the Element before Mare Do Well put up a shield to block the others. Mare Do Well got onto the ground. Her clothes were tattered, though not ripped enough to expose her coat or mane to the ponies. Her legs trembled as they tried to keep her up.

“You’re free to go, Kindness. You have managed to reinforce what you stand for by tending to your friend. The rest of you are to remain here while I test you out one by one... privately. We’ll start with you next, Laughter. I have a strong feeling that you’ll be the next to go.” Mare Do Well said.

“Ya think we’ll letcha do this ta us!?” Applejack told her.

“Yes. For this is your punishment for nearly letting Canterlot be conquered. For letting the friends you care about down.” Mare Do Well said.

“Then why are ya bringin’ up an unrelated incident then!? And didn’tcha tell Celestia thatcha be merciful?” Applejack asked.

“Yes. I promised her that you won’t come to any physical harm. Rainbow Dash however necessitated a means for... self defense.” Mare Do Well said.

“PHYSICAL!?” Applejack asked.

“Yes. Emotional and mental harm, however, is fair game. Your head won’t be chopped off, but your will may be broken. For your punishment will be done by your own Elements. You shall be put through a trial by fire, recalling the moments you went against your Element as you struggle to learn from your mistakes and better yourself. You haven’t simply hurt Canterlot or the citizens yesterday. And in the next few hours, you’ll know exactly what I mean.” Mare Do Well said. She looked to the ponies as they stood their ground, glaring at her in defiance. Under her mask, she gave a disappointed sigh.

She saw Fluttershy refusing to move from her spot and instead focusing on healing Rainbow Dash. Off came her hat. Fluttershy glowed magenta and was violently tossed out of the room. The doors then slam shut. CLUNK! The doors locked. The Element of Laughter was the next to fly out of the chest. Mare Do Well walked to Pinkie Pie. She tried to walk straight despite her injured legs giving way every now and then.

“Let’s move onto you...” She said. Before Applejack or Rarity could do anything to stop her, Mare Do Well created a shield that pushed the two away. Mare Do Well and Pinkie exchanged glares. “I shall be your hair-straighter for this session.” She said with a smirk under her mask.

---

“Where do we start first?” The red Pegasus asked Twilight, who was sitting out on the castle balcony.

“I’m not sure. The story that Coal spoke of is the first step towards unraveling the truth... But how are we gonna find him?” Twilight asked.

“I... might make a suggestion.” The Pegasus said. Twilight looked at Blitzkrieg’s Cutie Mark.

“Huh...” Twilight said. Blitzkrieg looked to her.

“Uh...” Blitzkrieg’s eyes frantically wandered from place to place.

“Woah, woah, no need to be frightened... Are you sensitive to people looking at your Cutie Mark?” Twilight asked.

“Not really... Just... Eheh... It’s not that... It’s just... Uh... Oh, right! Suggestion!” Blitzkrieg snapped to a determined state. “A majority of Canterlot are against Celestia, right? And they’re vouching for you to take over as Princess, right?” Blitzkrieg asked.

“Uh... yeah, but Celestia said Luna would take over.” Twilight said.

“Think about it. If you declare yourself Princess, they’ll respect you. I saw their desperations to name you and Cadance Princesses. They’re willing to trust you more than the real Princesses. Maybe enough to-” By that point, Twilight knew what he was gonna say.

“Tell me about Coal! Right?” Twilight asked.

“Exactly! They could point to where Coal is and have us talk with him!” Blitzkrieg said.

“This might be a good idea... But... Celestia said I’m not ready yet... I... I didn’t even know she was grooming me to be a Princess... Ooooh... this made that dress rehearsal incident all the more stupider... How could I be a Princess if I just barge in without proper evidence!?” Twilight spun around in circles and hyperventilated. Blitzkrieg heard some sobs in-between. He placed his hoof on Twilight’s head and stopped her. He looked at her bloodshot eyes and soaked cheeks.

“Twilight, don’t beat yourself up. What’s done is done. Yes, it feels bad, but you shouldn’t have those sad times outweigh the happy times. Think about how happy you were with the wedding.” Blitzkrieg said.

“But... How can I when I know that while we celebrated, ponies were suffering major losses?” Twilight asked.

“Had you not fought for it, those losses would have been worse than even you can fathom.” Blitzkrieg said.

“But we lost! The only reason why we’re standing here and not imprisoned by the Queen is because of Cadance and my brother!” Twilight said.

“Did you contribute nothing? What about when you and Cadance expose the false Cadance? One of the citizens even stated that you contributed heavily towards saving Canterlot. I have faith in you and believe you’d make as good a Princess as Celestia herself. If you declared yourself a Princess, even if it’s just a ruse to procure information, I’ll follow you. Even if you go to deepest depths of Tartarus, I will follow you to there and back.” Blitzkrieg said. Twilight blushed and looked into his light blue eyes.

“But... you barely know me...” Twilight said.

“Maybe... Maybe I do know you. Who’s to say? I want to help you here.” Blitzkrieg said.

“... Really?” Twilight asked.

“Yes.” Blitzkrieg said.

“... They trust me enough, so maybe I don’t need to declare myself a Princess just yet... I’ll talk to them and see what I get.” Twilight said.

“I’ll come with you.” Blitzkrieg said. There was a brief pause. “For protection.”

“Thanks.” Twilight gave a smile. It wasn’t sheepish or even warm. It was just a brief indicator of hope in her. The two galloped off to the streets. As they galloped, Twilight began to think of Blitzkrieg’s Cutie Mark: a simplistic yet blazing golden thunder bolt. She couldn’t help but feel some familiarity.

Comments

[Black Kyurem]

Yes! Yes!! Make Twilight's friends suffer!

[rst64tlc]

I want to see Twilight friends suffer more.
"Blitzkrieg’s Cutie Mark: a simplistic yet blazing golden thunder bolt." Oh I know where... Great Chapter.

[Creed Miles]

This is just some speculation on my part and may contain spoilers

If the author feels that they want this taken down feel free to private message me and I will do so willingly

All if my points are to reinforce point 1

So here we go :

1 mare do well is twilight or at least a part of her mind her magic would allow her to animate the costume and thus perhaps imbue it with a form if telepathy linking it to the rogue part of her psyche

2 I get this from the fact that mare do well was known in ponyville but only the mane 6 have a bond with it and only twilight had the ability to manipulate it from afar

3 also mare do wells dialogue with twilight and to a lesser extent her friends imply a great understanding of there fears and flaws

4 twilight cannot forgive herself perhaps mare do well is twilight's regrets made manifest

5 believing that someone at the reception had a part in this uprising is easier to believe and more likely than an outside eavesdropper

6 my last point is something of an enigma, the only major power players I could think of in this story that are in accounted for are shining, cadance and chrysalis. Shining and/or cadance could use this opportunity for a power grab but I find that unlikely and against their character.
Or this could be chrysalis contingency plan to destabilize the government in preparation for a 2nd attack but this too seems unlikely as chrysalis seems to overconfident for a back up.

Well that's it comments on my ideas any 1

[Psyga315]

3856299 I found it very interesting.

[Creed Miles]

3857757
just wondering if I am completely off target or if I hit something?

[Psyga315]

3857832 You're onto something, but not exactly "nail on the head".

[Creed Miles]

3857852
gahh put out the next chapter so I can rearrange my puzzle. every little bit of info brings me closer.
would u figure that this is my hobby, also I don't always post a list like the 1 above just when the fic is truly great

[Psyga315]

3857885
Working on Chapter 3 as we speak.

[Tali_The_Lamia]

3627950 I like your thinking.