Mysterious Mare Do Well:Rise of the Shadowbolt.

by Phoenix Kitten

Panic in Ponyville! aka: A double Dash of despair!

Twilight Sparkle awoke to the feeling of somepony poking her gently. "Ugggh... somepony get Scootaloo to untie the weights from scooter again." she groaned.

"Oh Twilight!" A voice softly squeaked. "You're alright!"

The lavender unicorn felt herself being hugged from behind. She glanced down at the other pony's forelegs and noticed they were a bright yellow. "Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed as she turned and returned her friend's hug. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. But what about you? What are you doing down here?" The canary yellow pegasus asked. "You weren't, ummm... were you?"

"What? Oh no. I inversed before hoof." Twilight told her friend. "Where's Rainbow? I thought she was a prisoner with you?"

"What? Oh no." Fluttershy drooped. "Shadowbolt has her prisoner in her fortress."

"Damn it!" Twilight growled.

"Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight's face changed to one of shock before she turned around to face the hallway. "Shadowbolt I presume?"

---

Spike wrung his claws about worriedly. Twilight had left last night assuring him she would be back by morning.
"It's morning... where is she?" The young dragon asked the empty library. After the loud crack of thunder last night he had been extremely worried. "He eyed the clock and mumbled. "Another hour. Another hour then I'll tell the others."

Spike set about distracting himself by cleaning the library and sorting the books on the shelves, helping the few early morning ponies who came in looking for books before checking the clock again. "Forty five minutes." He said as he checked out the last pony in line. "Hey Big Macintosh. Could you tell AJ to get the others and meet me here?"

The draft horse looked over his shoulder at the little dragon. "Eeyup. Anythin' in particular you want me to tell her?"

Spikes shook his head. "And I hope that book helps you!"

"Thank you kindly Spike." The stallion said before he trotted out.

Spike set about finishing his chores while he waited.

The first pony in was a pink earth pony mare with a magenta mane. "Heya Spike! My mane was tickly so I knew a dragon wanted to talk to me."

The dragon looked dumbfounded as he turned to look at the mare. "You're Pinkie sense predicted that you needed to come here so I could talk to you?"

"Well yeah. Why?"

"It's just.... Nevermind. Let's wait for the others. You may as well help me with my chores."

"Okie Dokie Loki!" Pinkie beamed.

The two of them worked for another ten minutes, casually chatting to each other before an orange earth pony mare and an ivory unicorn mare trotted in.

"Ah told you she'd already be here! Pay up pony girl!" Applejack smiled.

Rarity grumbled and hoofed over twenty bits to the farm pony. "Now then Spike, dear. What's this all about?"

"Twilight! She went out last night and I haven't seen her since."

The three ponies exchanged uneasy glances before Applejack spoke up. "Pinkie. Take Spike upstairs and help him look around. Knowin' Twi, she probably left some fancy hint."

The pink mare got a serious look on her face and saluted, picking the dragon up and carrying him upstairs, leaving the farmer and fashionista alone.

"Well Applejack. I take it you have an idea." Rarity not so much asked as she did state.

"Yeah. Pinke and ah are going to go look for her. You are going to stay here in Ponyville and protect it in our wake."

"But Applejack!"

"No butts, flanks or haunches sugahcube. Somepony has to hold down the fort. Shy, Pinkie, Twi and ah all donned the costume. Now it's your turn."

"But I don't know the first thing about fighting." Rarity whined.

"No. But you could just make a wall of gems to stop anything."

"But those spells Twilight does, her super powered telekinesis, that weird teleport thing she does. Even her voice disguise spell. I can't do any of that."

"Then just be the silent Mare Do Well. And don't worry sugahcube." Applejack smiled. "The Mysterious Mare Do Well may have her staple spells, but no pony says she ain't hidin' any tricks."

"I-I suppose you are right dear." Rarity said unsurely. "I guess I'd better break my costume out of the closet."

"Only if something bad happens." Applejack smiled. "Think we should let them know they can come down now?"

Almost on cue, Pinkie and Spike came down the stairs, the former tripping and tumbling landing in a heap, giggling like a mad mare, while the latter stepped over her and into the kitchen, dejectedly.

Applejack trotted over to Pinkie and picked her up. "Come on you two. We're headin' the the edge of Everfree forest." She said loudly. "Maybe Zecora can help us find Twi."

---

"Pinkie! You and ah need to get to Everfree. Rar. Head into that alley. Activate your costume there." Applejack called out as Shadowbolt started terrorizing the Ponyville.

Before she could protest a bolt of lightning struck Pinkie and knocked her out.

"Okay change of plans. Ah'll get Pinkie back to Sugahcube Corner. But you're going to have to cover us. Think you can do that?"

Rarity looked back and forth between her friends and Shadowbolt before galloping into the alley. "I know I'm going to regret this." She sighed. "Yukianesa!" A bright flash of white light shone from the alley.
When it dimmed the Mysterious Mare Do Well stood where Rarity had been seconds earlier.

---

"There's something wrong with Rainbow Dash." Twilight noted as their hypnotised cell guard trotted back and forth, not taking her eyes off the pair.

"You mean aside from the fact she's been hypnotised?" Fluttershy asked from her corner.

Twilight simply nodded as she threw a rock with her telekinesis watching as it passed through the pegasus mare that was guarding them. "I thought as much."

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

"As much as I'd like to say this is Rainbow and we could just try to break the hypnosis. It's not." Twilight smirked. "Device no.30456, command override. Passcode:Celestia. Respond."

Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks and looked Twilight in the eye. "Code accepted. issue new command."

"Shut down."

Rainbow's form flickered and faded,followed by a small clunk sound as a metal object fell from where she was standing.

Fluttershy eeped and huddled further into her corner.

Twilight trotted over and placed her hoof on Fluttershy, teleporting them both out of their cell and picking up the device. "A magical image projector. Shadowbolt must have stolen it from my basement at somestage and programmed it to look like Rainbow Dash."

---

Rarity's gem wall blocked another bolt of lightning from Shadowbolts thunder clouds. She had protected AJ while she carried Pinkie to Sugarcube corner and set about actively trying to strike back by using her gems as projectiles.

"Come on Mystery Mare." Shadowbolt laughed. "I know you can do better than this! Where's the flankbeating you were giving me last night?"

Rarity frowned. Is that what Twilight had been doing? 'That stupid mare we warned her but she didn't listen.' She thought to herself.

"Why don't you talk anymore huh?"Shadowbolt asked, annoyed at her opponents silence. "Talk damn you!"

Rarity shook her head and pulled a barrage of gems from the ground beneath Shadowbolt, nicking the dark mare's costume and leaving moderately deep cuts, distracting her opponent so the wave of gems behind her could build up enough height to hit her.

Comments

[Lucefudu]

I like this!

[Jackbin]

Yay a new part :D things certainly seem to be heating up, and the duplicate Rainbow Dash has been explained