Pony Tails

by Bluecatcinema

Mare Do Well Returns

It was a quiet afternoon in Ponyville. Twilight, Starlight and all their friends were enjoying a late lunch out at the outdoor diner.

"It was wonderful of you to treat us all to lunch, Twilight." Rarity smiled.

"Well, things have been kinda hectic lately." Twilight declared. "We've all been pretty busy with one thing or another. It seemed to me we could use some quiet time."

"Ain't that the truth." Applejack agreed.

"The Wonderbolts have really been kicking into high gear lately." Rainbow admitted. "A little downtime is just what this pony needed."

"I always welcome a little quiet time." Fluttershy admitted.

"Quiet isn't really my thing... but I'm always up for some friend time!" Pinkie smiled.

"Me too." Starlight nodded. "Not that all the studying hasn't been great, but I don't mind a little break every now and then."

"I'm not complaining, Starlight." Twilight grinned. "One of the best ways to learn about friendship is by just spending time with your friends."

"So technically, I'm still studying?" Starlight joked. "So much for getting some time off..."

"Heh-heh, good one..." Spike said through a mouthful of gems.

"Help!" A voice cut through the air. "Runaway cart!"

The friends glanced down the street, seeing that there was indeed a cart packed with various items, rolling out of control. An eldery mare was in the middle of the street, frozen in horror as the cart hurtled towards her. Ponies in the street gasped.

"I got this!" Rainbow suddenly leapt out of her chair.

Rainbow speeded toward the old mare, pulling her out of the way just in time. The cart rolled past and crashed into a vacant table, falling on its side and coming to a stop.

Rainbow set the old mare down on the other side of the street, to a chorus of cheers.

"You okay, ma'am?" She asked.

"Thanks to you, dear." You old mare smiled.

"Way to go, Rainbow Dash!" One of the crowd whooped.

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" The crowd chanted.

"Hey, just doing what comes naturally." Rainbow waved, before quickly returning to her friends.

"That was amazing, Rainbow!" Starlight smiled.

"I'll say!" Pinkie agreed. "She was like 'whoosh! I'm gonna save you!' then 'whoosh, back I go!' It was super-duper heroic!"

"Yeah, I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?" Rainbow smirked. "Heroes like me don't come by every day."

"Careful there, RD." Applejack jeered. "Don't wanna dislocate sumthin' pattin' yerself on the back."

"Is it so wrong to congratulate myself for a job well done?" Rainbow asked.

"Just as long as you don't go overboard with it, darling." Rarity pointed.

"You wouldn't want a return appearance from Mare Do Well, would you?" Twilight grinned.

"Seriously?" Rainbow frowned. "Come on, guys. There's no need for that."

"Mare Do... what?" Starlight asked, confused. "What are you all talking about?"

"Funny story." Pinkie smiled. "A while back, Rainbow had this whole 'saving ponies' streak going on. Everypony in town was cheering her name. But it made her get a really big head. I mean really, really big!"

"It wasn't that big..." Rainbow pouted.

"It was, darling." Rarity declared.

"The rest of us got together and decided ta make up a hero to deflate RD's ego a little." Applejack continued. "Ya know, show her that a real hero is humble."

"Each one of us wore the costume," Twilight declared. "Between all of us, we were able to out-hero Rainbow."

"Boy, that really ticked me off." Rainbow recalled. "This new hero, stealin' the spotlight... Eventually, I'd had enough. I chased down 'Mare Do Well' and unmasked her... and found Pinkie under the mask. That's when the others showed up, and I found out what was really going on. And yeah, I was a little mad at first, but after everypony explained what was going on, I figured they were right."

"I see." Starlight mused. "Seems like a lot of effort to teach somepony a lesson in humility, but I guess you can't argue with results..."

"It was kinda fun, though." Applejack admitted. "Playin' the big mysterious hero."

"Yeah, it was." Twilight nodded. "Saving lives, preventing disasters."

"And the costume was one of my best works." Rarity smiled. "I still have one in the back room of my boutique."

"Bein' a hero is pretty awesome." Rainbow nodded. "No surprise it went to my head..."

"Wait, aren't you already heroes?" Starlight pointed out. "You've saved Equestria so many times... And Spike saved the Crystal Empire twice."

"You know it." Spike smirked.

"It's true." Fluttershy nodded. "We have saved Equestria a lot."

"But those were big saves." Rainbow noted. "We're talkin' regular, everyday heroics, like saving a runaway baby carriage, or stopping a landslide."

"Or using my Pinkie Sense to save somepony from a falling object." Pinkie added... before dashing across the street and pulling a stallion aside, saving him from a falling flower pot. She then returned to her seat. "See?"

"Helping other ponies always feels good." Twilight smiled. "No matter how big or small the deed is."

"It certainly does." Rarity nodded. "I always feel good when I help a pony with their wardrobe."

"And Ah feel good when Ah bring some tasty apples to market fer ponies to enjoy." Applejack nodded.

"And I feel good whenever I help some poor kitty out of a tree." Fluttershy smiled.

"Wow, you guys are always so helpful." Starlight chuckled. "Like regular Samaritans."

"It's what we do." Rainbow smirked. "And some of us do it more awesomely than others."

"If you do say so yourself." Rarity joked.

The ponies and dragon all chuckled joyfully.

The next day, Applejack was walking through Ponyville when she heard a cry for help.

"Help!"

"What in tarnation?" She frowned, rushing off in the direction of the cry.

Along the way, Applejack was joined by Rainbow Dash, then Pinkie.

"You heard that too, right?" Rainbow asked the others.

"Kinda hard not to." Pinkie noted. "Did you heard how loud it was? It was like 'HELLLLLP!!' That's how loud it was."

As they rounded a corner, they found the source of the distress; A roofer Earth Pony stallion was dangling off the roof of a condemned house. He had been removing slates from the roof when he had apparently slipped, and was now clinging for dear life.

"Help!" He called.

"Of all the times for the Weather Patrol ta be off pickin' up hailstones..." Applejack mused.

"I got this." Rainbow flared up her wings.

Before Rainbow could take off, a familiar purple blur leapt from a nearby roof.

"No way..." Rainbow gaped.

"Land sakes..." Applejack frowned.

"Is that..." Pinkie's eyes bugged out.

It was a pony wearing the Mare Do Well outfit.

"Oh my, what's happening?" Fluttershy asked, as she, Twilight and Rarity arrived on the scene.

"Take a look." Rainbow pointed.

"My word." Rarity's jaw dropped. "It's Mare Do Well."

"But that's impossible." Twilight declared. "We were Mare Do Well!"

"Well, it looks like somepony didn't get the memo..." Pinkie pointed out.

Before their eyes, Mare Do Well helped the roofer up, put him on her back, leapt over to a nearby balcony, then to the ground.

"Thank you, thank you!" The roofer said gratefully.

Mare Do Well nodded silently, then raced down an alley.

The ponies in the street all cheered.

"Mare Do Well's back!"

"Incredible!"

"That was amazing!"

"Ah saw it, but Ah don't believe it..." Applejack mused.

"No kidding." Rainbow frowned. "If all of you weren't here, I'd think you were pulling that 'humility' stunt again."

Starlight then rushed onto the scene.

"What's going on?" She asked. "I heard some kind of commotion."

"You won't believe it, Starlight." Fluttershy declared. "It was-"

"There!" Rarity pointed. "Mare Do Well!"

It was indeed Mare Do Well, leaping across the gap between two buildings, before vanishing from sight.

"Mare Do Well?!" Starlight gaped. "But didn't you say Mare Do Well was all of you?"

"She was." Twilight declared.

"Not any more, it would seem..." Rarity noted.

Over the next few days, the new Mare Do Well made herself known through more heroic deeds, ranging from saving some foals from an accidental thunder storm to pulling a pony out of the way of a cow stampede. Naturally, her exploits made the local paper.

"'Mare Do Well saves stallion from sky-diving mishap'." Twilight read, as she and the others resided in the map room. "Whoever this new Mare Do Well is, she certainly seems dedicated to helping."

"She may not be as altruistic as we think." Rarity frowned. "I checked the back room of my boutique, and the Mare Do Well costume is gone. Meaning that whoever it is wearing that costume is a thief."

"A heroic thief." Fluttershy pointed out.

"Well, there is that..." Rarity admitted. "But still, to purloin one of my classic works... I'd give her a piece of my mind if I could."

"Yer taking all this pretty well, Rainbow." Applejack noted.

"What, you were expecting me to go all crazy with jealousy again?" Rainbow snorted. "I've learned my lesson. There's plenty of room in Ponyville for a new hero."

"Who is she, though?" Starlight frowned. "If she's not any of you, who could she be?"

"It's a myyyysteryyy!" Pinkie giggled.

"As long as she keeps saving ponies, I can live with the mystery going unsolved." Twilight admitted. "Whoever it is, she clearly values her anonymity. And we should respect that."

"I know I do." Fluttershy smiled. "I hope she keeps up the good work."

"Ah reckon we all do." Applejack smiled.

"True..." Rarity admitted grudgingly.

"Let's just hope she doesn't get in over her head." Twilight declared. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that one pony can't tackle every problem..."

For a couple of days, things were quiet. There was no trouble in Ponyville that required a hero to solve it, so Mare Do Well was nowhere to be seen.

One morning, as Twilight and her friends were headed over to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie planning to treat them with her new concoction: triple-layered frosting cupcakes.

"Wait until you try 'em!" Pinkie smiled. "Your taste buds will thank me!"

"I'm sure they will be just divine, darling." Rarity nodded.

"Everything you make is delicious." Fluttershy agreed.

"Too bad Starlight couldn't come with." Rainbow sighed.

"She seemed really set on finishing her reading." Twilight shrugged. "She did ask me to bring a cupcake back for her, though."

"Like teacher, like student, huh, Twilight?" Applejack joked.

"Yeah, I guess..." Twilight chuckled.

Just as they reached Sugarcube Corner, they heard screams and cries of horror.

"Oh no..." Rainbow groaned. "What is it now?"

The ponies rushed off in the direction of the ruckus. They found a group of ponies gathered around a burning building.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"There are ponies trapped in that building." One bystander declared. "Mare Do Well went in to rescue them."

"No surprise there." Applejack smiled.

A family of ponies emerged from within the building.

"Are you all okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"We're fine." The father coughed from the smoke. "But Mare Do Well..."

"One of the support beams fell on her." The mother added. "She's trapped!"

"Somepony's gotta help her!" Their young filly yelled.

"Don't worry." Twilight shared determined looks with the others. "They will."

Twilight and her friends rushed into the building themselves.

"Mare Do Well?!" Twilight called, as she, Fluttershy and Rainbow used their wings to fan away some of the smoke. "Where are you?"

"There she is!" Pinkie pointed to the corner of the front room, where Mare Do Well lay pinned.

"Hang in there, pardner!" Applejack declared. "We're comin' ta help!"

Together, the group rushed over, and, using a combination of muscle and magic, pulled the debris off Mare Do Well.

"Easy there." Fluttershy said, as she and Rarity helped Mare Do Well up. "We've got you."

"Let's get outta here." Rainbow urged.

The ponies fled the burning house as fast as they could. They escaped just in time, as the roof collapsed seconds after the exited.

"She's okay!" A bystander cheered.

"They saved her!" Another added.

"Stand clear, everypony." Rarity urged. "I think our masked friend needs some air."

The bystanders obliged, going to tend to the now-homeless family, offering assistance and a place to stay. Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends helped Mare Do Well into an alley.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, as Mare Well Do, her costume in shambles, shakily stood on her own.

"You didn't inhale too much smoke, did you?" Twilight asked. "Maybe you should take off that mask, so you can breathe better."

Mare Do Well backed away suddenly.

"If yer worried about yer secret identity, we can keep a secret." Applejack smiled.

Mare Do Well tried to back away more, but realized her back was against a dead end.

"It's okay." Twilight urged. "We won't..." She trailed off as she noticed a tear in Mare Do Well's outfit, one that revealed a very familiar Cutie Mark, that of a star with two streams above it. "Starlight?"

"Wait, what?!" Rainbow gaped.

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight silently pointed out the Cutie Mark.

"It is her." Fluttershy gasped.

"Whoa! Major shocker!" Pinkie yelped.

"Okay, you got me..." The mare unmasked, revealing that she was indeed Starlight.

"Wait, this doesn't add up." Rainbow declared. "You were there, when we saw Mare Do Well that day!"

"That was a little something I set up." Starlight smiled. "I put the costume on a mannequin, then tied the mannequin to a zipline. I figured it'd help throw suspicion off me."

"Mighty clever." Applejack admitted.

"But... why?" Twilight asked. "Why become the new Mare Do Well?"

"After you all talked about how good it feels to be a hero, I figured I'd try it for myself." Starlight confessed. "I wore the costume because... well, because I didn't want you to think I was just being a hero to feed my ego, or something like that."

"That's ridiculous, darling." Rarity declared. "There's nothing wrong with helping ponies."

"And there's nothing wrong with letting them know you're the one helping them." Twilight smiled.

"So you're... not mad at me?" Starlight asked.

"Why would we be mad?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes, even if you did take the outfit without asking, I suppose it was for a good cause." Rarity admitted.

"A really good cause." Applejack added.

"You were amazing, Starlight." Fluttershy added. "You saved all those ponies."

"And you didn't even need Pinkie Sense to do it!" Pinkie added.

"How did you know all those problems were happening?" Rainbow asked.

"I cast a long-range hearing spell on an ear trumpet, then put it on one of the study windows." Starlight revealed. "So I could know when trouble was near."

"Smart thinking." Twilight smiled. "But you know, you don't have to hide good deeds behind a mask. You can be yourself, and still be a hero. Just look at us. We stand proud by our deeds. And you can do the same."

"I guess you're right." Starlight sighed, as she took off the costume. "Time for Mare Do Well to retire again. But it was fun while it lasted. More fun than I thought..."

"I know, right?" Pinkie chuckled.

"And thanks for saving me, girls." Starlight grinned.

"Anytime." Rainbow nodded.

"Well, now that this has all been cleared up, what say we head back to Sugarcube Corner?" Applejack suggested. "Those cupcakes won't eat themselves."

"Not if I can help it." Rainbow smirked.

"I am pretty hungry." Starlight admitted.

"And Twilight won't need to bring you a cupcake back, because you'll be there yourself." Pinkie declared.

"Let's call it a hero's banquet." Twilight chuckled. "Because we were all heroes today."

"Yeah, we were..." Starlight smiled.

"I'll be right along." Rarity picked up the costume with her magic. "I just need to put this back where it belongs..."

"Sorry I tore it up a little." Starlight apologised.

"No matter." Rarity declared. "Nothing a little needlework won't fix."

"Don't be too long." Fluttershy stated.

"I shan't." Rarity smiled. "I've been looking forward to those delectable cupcakes all morning..."

"I'll definitely save you some." Starlight nodded. "It's the least I can do."

"Well, look who's being a regular, everyday hero." Twilight smiled. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"It really does." Starlight added.

Most of the group headed to Sugarcube Corner, with Rarity taking a quick detour to her boutique. Starlight's superhero career was over as quickly as it began, but she was just fine with that. Her friends' words had convinced her that she could be a hero in her own skin, and that she didn't need to hide behind a mask to help ponies. It was a lesson she would take to heart as she enjoyed several of Pinkie's cupcakes.

'Maybe it's for the best that I retire.' She told herself. 'Being Mare Do Well really works up an appetite...'

Comments

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Mare Do Well wasn't one of my favorite episodes, but this is a good chapter that makes much better use of the "character."

[superfun]

While Mare Do Well is one of my favorite season 2 episodes, this was a pretty good followup.