Mare Do Well was trembling.
The challenge hadn't been planned at all. Rather, it had been a desperate, last-ditch attempt on her part to recapture Rainbow Dash's waning interest in their little back-and-forth. Now, she didn't know what to do. She'd taken this whole thing too far; she was in it too deep. It had been too long.
So what was she supposed to do? If she came clean now, Rainbow Dash would hate her forever, but if Rainbow Dash successfully discovered her true identity, she would hate her forever anyway. Her only chance at salvaging their friendship was if Rainbow Dash never found out at all – if Mare Do Well just quietly disappeared, never to be seen again.
That, or if Mare Do Well actually won somehow.
But for all of her confidence and smooth talk, her Mare Do Well persona was just an act – one that she wasn't even sure she could keep up for very much longer. Not without giving something away. Not without Rainbow Dash figuring everything out.
If she'd confessed to Rainbow Dash as herself, their friendship would've been changed forever, and she hadn't known whether or not she'd be able to take that. So she'd hidden herself, only feeling comfortable acting on her feelings when their friendship wasn't on the line. If she'd confessed and Rainbow Dash had somehow reciprocated her feelings, she would've felt safer revealing herself, since she would've known that she'd be forgiven and they could live happily ever after; but if Dash hadn't, then she knew that she'd be able to fall back on their friendship with none of the awkwardness that a rejection would typically bring.
The whole facade had been a game from the very beginning, in the most literal sense of the term. She'd been like a foal playing pretend, wanting nothing more than to play the part of a hero so that she could feel worthy of her crush.
But she'd made so many mistakes.
The biggest was that she'd treated the pegasus like a friend the other night. When she'd seen how upset Dash was, her first instinct had been to go and offer what little comfort she could – but she'd forgotten that Mare Do Well and Rainbow Dash weren't actually friends, and that Rainbow Dash in fact seemed to really resent her alter ego.
She'd exposed herself. She'd been too honest during their talk, and had ended up telling Rainbow more than she'd intended to. The more Rainbow Dash knew about her, the greater risk there was of the pegasus figuring out who she really was. She'd made herself vulnerable.
Tonight had been a mistake, plain and simple. She hadn't wanted to approach Rainbow Dash again for a day or two, to build suspense and all that, but then she'd seen how forlorn the pegasus had looked, sitting alone outside the party, and all of a sudden, she'd forgotten about being the aloof, mysterious stranger in favor of being the friend that Dash had needed. She'd been too open. She'd almost given herself away right there. She'd fallen out of character, and that almost cost her everything.
Mare Do Well tried to think. What were her options?
She couldn't confess to everything now; Rainbow would hate her. She couldn't let Rainbow Dash solve the mystery herself; Rainbow would hate her. She could give up the act without actually admitting to what she'd done and letting Ponyville know what had happened to their hero, but the guilt would probably gnaw away at her until she'd completely broken down. And then Rainbow would hate her.
Or she could win.
It wasn't just the fear of being discovered. It was the simple fact that she was far too selfish to throw in the towel now, as much as it pained her to know that she was causing Rainbow Dash so much frustration. Especially after the stating of a formal challenge.
So Mare Do Well could either accept Rainbow Dash's seemingly inevitable hatred, or she could find a way to win her love and therefore the game, and the truth was, as uncertain as she felt right then, the possibility of winning something so monumental made any potential risks suddenly seem worth it.
Mare Do Well wanted to win.
Rainbow Dash might hate Mare Do Well at the moment – she wasn't stupid, she knew that – but under the guise of the mare in black was a pony who knew Dash better than anypony else. A pony who wanted the pegasus to be happy. She just needed to find a way of letting Rainbow know that; if only Rainbow Dash could see it – but she couldn't, not as long as Mare Do Well was hidden this way.
How do you make somepony love you when they don't even know who you really are? How do you become brave enough to confess as yourself without needing something to hide behind?
But Mare Do Well, the character, didn't doubt herself, and for the time being, she was Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well was charming and self-assured, and if she was going to impress Rainbow Dash, that was who she needed to be.
Everything's so complicated now.
She cradled her head in her hooves, and tried to ignore the panic she felt fluttering in her stomach.
• • •
Rainbow Dash and Twilight returned to the party only to see that nopony had noticed their absences at all – save for Pinkie, who was utterly distraught, moping in a corner with her hair deflated in a very unPinkie Pie-like way. Applejack and Rarity were talking quietly and rather heatedly about something off to the side, while Fluttershy hovered nervously beside Pinkie. None of the other guests paid any attention at all, despite the party ostensibly being for Dash.
Apparently Pinkie Pie was hurt that she'd walked out on the party, and when Rainbow Dash first approached the pink pony to apologize, she gave Rainbow the cold shoulder. The silent treatment ended up lasting a whole five minutes before Dash was seemingly forgiven, and Pinkie tackled her, mane back to its normal, bouncy self to match her buoyant mood.
"Dashie!" Pinkie cried, burying her face in Rainbow Dash's sky-blue coat in a ferocious hug. "Where did you go? I thought you'd left us for-EV-er because you'd decided you wanted to go make kissy face smoochies with Mare Do Well!"
"Wait, what?" Twilight gasped.
The sounds of the party seemed to drown out the noise of their conversation, and nopony else reacted to Pinkie's statement, although Twilight herself looked shocked.
"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash hissed furiously, shoving a hoof over Pinkie's mouth, but Pinkie continued to try and talk anyway, despite the way her speech was muffled. "You weren't supposed to tell anypony!"
Pinkie Pie twisted her head away from the hoof covering her mouth. "But I didn't," she said, looking puzzled.
"You just announced it in front of, like, everypony!"
"But nopony's even listening! Besides, you didn't make me Pinkie Swear, so how was I supposed to know?"
Rainbow Dash groaned, bringing a hoof to her now-throbbing temple.
• • •
There was a nip in the air. Since the day of Pinkie Pie's "Hooray It's Winter Now Or Whatever" picnic, the weather had been on a steady decline, the chill growing more pronounced with each passing day. Frost decorated the windowpanes, and the skeletal trees of fall looked decidedly more eerie with their bare branches hung with ice. The grass was slowly freezing and crunched under each step. Fluttershy and the rest of the animal-care team had begun to herd the hibernating animals to their caves in preparation for their seasonal sleep, and the pegasi had begun to guide the birds south.
But the snow itself was yet to fall, even though the first snow had been scheduled for a week ago. A storm had been brewing in the Everfree Forest, a by-product of the wild magic that ran rampant there, causing plants to grow on their own and animals to take care of themselves. It had taken the combined forces of all the pegasi on the weather team to keep it at bay. Unless Ponyville wanted a full-on blizzard, they had no choice but to postpone the initial fall a little longer.
Dealing with the stray weather ended up taking up most of Rainbow Dash's free time for the next few days after Pinkie's party, leaving her no time to investigate any further, despite her newfound zeal. It was frustrating. She had a genuine incentive to unmask Mare Do Well now, not just a personal vendetta. Of course she happened to be too busy to do anything about it.
Apparently something was keeping Mare Do Well occupied, as well, as she was apparently too busy to make any more appearances, expected or otherwise. Rainbow Dash herself hadn't seen her at all since their last encounter, and as far as she knew, despite the townsfolk's initial excitement over Mare Do Well's return, interest in the superhero faded quickly when she made no more thrilling public appearances.
It was almost like life had gotten back to normal.
Almost, but not quite.
Again and again, Rainbow Dash found her thoughts straying back to the game that Mare Do Well had so boldly challenged her to; a bet, almost. Who will give in first?
The day after the party, there had been another note, again in that nondescript writing. Just perfect enough to possibly be from a unicorn, yet flawed enough to have been written by an earth pony or pegasus with plenty of practice. Writing that it was impossible to decipher anything from.
It had been simple, just like before, and had come with another bouquet of those flowers – red carnations, Rainbow Dash remembered. It read only Miss me yet? and bore no signature.
Other than that, there'd been no sign of Mare Do Well at all.
If Mare Do Well wasn't hanging around anymore, did that mean she'd already given up? Had she lost interest? Or perhaps Mare Do Well had suddenly realized that there wasn't any possible way for her to beat a seasoned competitor like Rainbow Dash in any kind of contest at all, so she'd decided to play it safe by backing out before her inevitable defeat – a defeat that would preferably be somewhere very public and humiliating, to maximize the impact.
That particular train of thought never failed to make Rainbow Dash grin. Yet at the same time, she felt almost disappointed. After all, victories only counted when one was faced with seemingly impossible odds. If your rival backed out before you began, then there wasn't really a contest, was there?
Her time was spent sleeping and working, much the way it had always been. But it somehow felt emptier, now.
But even if Mare Do Well had lost interest, Rainbow Dash vowed that she wouldn't give up. A victory of any kind would do wonders towards soothing her oft-bruised ego, as hollow as said victory may be. Even if Dash didn't actually get to rub it in the mare's face afterwards, finding out who Mare Do Well was would at least satisfy her personal curiosity and restore some of her lost pride.
That was how Rainbow Dash ended up making a resolution. First chance she got, she would resume her clue-hunting. This time with renewed vigor. There was more at stake now, after all.
• • •
There was no way to avoid telling Twilight, not after what Pinkie had let slip at the party, but unless Mare Do Well was somehow being played by multiple ponies again, ponies with identical voices, Rainbow Dash was finally reasonably certain that she could phase Twilight out as a suspect. There was no possible way, not unless the unicorn had used some kind of nonexistent duplication spell – which actually wouldn't have surprised Rainbow Dash that much, considering Twilight's magical prowess.
That was why she could only be "reasonably" certain.
But the point was, Twilight had to be told, and Rainbow Dash finally felt comfortable doing so. The bright side was that she now had the smartest unicorn in all of Equestria on her side.
It had been difficult, though. Much, much harder than Rainbow had been expecting. Explaining what was up with the new Mare Do Well had been bad enough with Pinkie, but that was because Rainbow Dash had known that Pinkie Pie probably wouldn't take it very seriously at all. She would've treated it like one big joke, just like she did with everything else. With Twilight, though, it was the exact opposite problem. The unicorn would take every word said completely seriously, offer up some kind of condescending egghead judgment and advice, then write Princess Celestia a letter about it, satisfied, finding a way to spin the whole ordeal into some kind of lesson.
Rainbow Dash hadn't wanted to put up with Twilight's patronizing attitude, and definitely hadn't wanted Twilight to try and wrap up the situation with a tidy little bow to be mailed to Celestia for the princess' perusal. Just thinking about whatever her relationship with Mare Do Well was could be embarrassing enough, but if the princess somehow found out, Rainbow would die.
But the truth was that Twilight was the only pony she could trust implicitly right now. Other than Applejack, at least. So if Rainbow Dash wanted advice on what her next move should be, who better to talk to than Twilight?
Twilight managed to surprise her, though. She made no snarky comments and gave no presumptuous advice, and didn't even attempt to bring up her friendship reports. Instead, she listened. She seemed almost sympathetic as Rainbow Dash stammered the whole story, blushing furiously the entire time, speaking up only once Dash had finished.
"You know, I'm pretty sure you could get the authorities on this if you wanted to," was Twilight's unexpected response. "There has to be something illegal about this. Wouldn't it qualify as stalking?"
"But I don't want to," Rainbow Dash blurted, still fidgeting, wings fluttering anxiously. "I, I mean, what if it is one of our friends? Like, if it had been you, I wouldn't want to get you arrested or anything just because of a dumb joke. And I don't feel threatened or anything, just... awkward. I dunno. I feel..."
"Out of your element?"
"I guess."
"Well..." Twilight Sparkle said slowly. They were talking in the library, and Rainbow Dash had brought the note that she'd received for Twilight to examine, to see if the unicorn could discern anything from the writing. "I'll do what I can to help you, and I promise I won't tell anypony, but only if you promise to let me do something if you start to feel unsafe somehow."
"I don't feel unsafe," Rainbow insisted, but her voice sounded feeble, even to her own ears.
It was true, though. Mare Do Well's behavior seemed risky, somehow, but not outright dangerous. Rainbow Dash hated how helpless the other mare made her feel, but it was a different kind of helpless. It wasn't the kind that could be overcome through pure strength. It was because of how easy it seemed to be for Mare Do Well to toy with her. All it took was a single word or glance and Rainbow Dash lost control, either becoming paralyzed in fear or flaring up in anger. Nopony else she knew could make her lose her cool that easily, and she hated it, but Mare Do Well seemed to enjoy riling her up.
Not that Rainbow Dash explained any of that, because Twilight was already absorbed in examining the note and wouldn't have heard her anyway.
The library was silent as Twilight read it over, but finally she sighed and gave it back to Rainbow Dash with a little shrug, looking discouraged.
"I honestly can't say," she admitted. "It doesn't look like the writing of anypony I know, and it looks like it's been disguised. It's shaky enough to either be an unskilled unicorn or a very skilled earth pony, but mostly it's just kind of bland. It's very... careful. Each letter looks like it took time and intention to pen."
"...There's only nine letters."
"I know. And it looks like it took a lot of time to write them."
"So what does that mean?"
"It means you either need to find an expert on writing analysis, or wait for me to become one. I think I have a few books lying around on the subject somewhere; it shouldn't take me too long to read through them." Twilight gave her an apologetic, yet almost hopeful smile, as if she was secretly hoping that Rainbow Dash would ask her to do this so that she'd have an excuse for further study on yet another obscure topic.
"Never mind," Rainbow Dash sighed, yanking back the letter with her teeth. As she did so, she once again caught sight of the words on the page.
Miss me yet?
No, she thought bitterly.
Before Rainbow left, she turned back to Twilight one last time. The unicorn was already absorbed in another one of her books, and probably wouldn't have wanted to be disturbed, but who better for Dash to ask than a librarian?
"What do red carnations mean?"
"Dianthus caryophyllus, a species of Dianthus –" Twilight immediately began to recite in a mechanical way.
Rainbow Dash cut her off. "No, I meant, like, that whole language of flowers thing. Do they mean something special?"
"Oh. Um... I'm not too sure about that. I don't know a whole lot about flowers that way. Maybe Fluttershy or Rarity would know? Sorry."
With a curt nod, Rainbow Dash swooped towards the door, prepared to go, when her eyes strayed and she once again caught sight of the words on the paper. She could practically feel the smugness emanating from them. With a sudden surge of disgust, she crumpled the paper in her hooves and tossed it into Twilight's fireplace. She stayed a moment to watch it burn before finally leaving.
• • •
As soon as Rainbow Dash left the library she was attacked.
"DASHIE!"
Even though she heard it coming, she wasn't fast enough to escape it: a blur of pink, rocketing straight for her, and suddenly Dash was on the ground in a tangled heap of limbs as the pony who'd lunged at her giggled like a maniac.
"Oh, you should've seen your face, you were so surprised," Pinkie chortled happily, climbing off Rainbow Dash.
"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash muttered. I should be used to this by now, she thought unhappily. Pinkie Pie glomped her friends every chance she had; getting tackled should just be second nature to Rainbow by now. And Pinkie's habit of appearing mysteriously out of nowhere was no surprise, so she shouldn't have been startled.
At least, that's what Rainbow Dash kept telling herself. It was the only way she could keep herself from throttling Pinkie Pie right then and there.
"I came to find you, silly!" Pinkie sang, oblivious to Rainbow's heavy sighing as she rose to her hooves and shook herself off. She was dancing a little circle around the pegasus, almost making an audible sproing noise with every happy little hop. If she had made some kind of cartoony sound effect, that probably wouldn't have surprised Rainbow Dash, either. "I came to find you because I had a totally fantastic idea and I really wanted to tell you about it right away so that you can know about it too and then we can have a fantastic idea together!"
"Fantastic idea, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, only half listening. She was already lazily flying away – slow enough for Pinkie to keep up with her, but fast enough so that it was obvious she didn't really care to stay behind and hear the rest. But Pinkie remained unaware, just picking up the speed of her own trot so that she could keep up with Rainbow.
"Yeah! Totally fantastic! You wanna know who Mare Do Well is, right?"
Rainbow Dash almost froze in midair, but she remained composed enough to continue flying.
Does Pinkie Pie know something? she thought, her mind already racing. Pinkie hadn't been as high on her list of suspects since the party, since she'd seemed almost jealous when Rainbow had told her about Mare Do Well's flirtatious behavior, but her alibi just didn't make sense, so she'd obviously been lying. Why Pinkie was lying was a whole other story – though it could theoretically just be attributed to her being Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie did stuff like that sometimes. She was weird. That was her thing.
"Yeah, so?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to keep her voice steady and her manner casual. She was cool. She was relaxed. No big deal, yeah, who cares about Mare Do Well anymore? That's old news.
"Well, I can help you, you goofball! With Detective Pinkie Pie on the case, silly old Mare Do Well doesn't stand a chance at making kissy –"
"Don't say it!"
With a heavily exaggerated sigh, Rainbow Dash turned around to face Pinkie, who was beaming, looking utterly satisfied with her idea and completely oblivious as to why Rainbow Dash might not be one-hundred percent on board with it.
"Pinkie Pie, that's great and all, but you don't have to, okay?" Rainbow said, trying to sound patient. She knew now that Pinkie Pie's feelings were hurt easily, almost as easily as Fluttershy's were, but in a different way. When Pinkie was hurt, she buried it down deep inside until she finally broke, and somehow, that was worse than the openly sensitive Fluttershy. "This is something I need to do by myself. You don't have to get involved."
"But I want to," Pinkie said sweetly. "Friends help friends, right? And a good friend always wants her friends to be happy! So if Mare Do Well is being a meanie pants and making you a sad-face Dashie, then it's up to your Auntie Pinkie Pie to take care of it. Pinkie Pie style!"
Despite herself, Rainbow Dash smiled. "So you're gonna throw Mare Do Well a party?"
Pinkie's eyes widened, her jaw dropping in surprise, and suddenly she was squealing, practically quivering in delight. "Ooh, that's a great idea, Dashie! We should totally do that! Ohmygosh yes I should do that right now! I didn't even think of that! How did you get so smart?!"
"Just the way I am, I guess. So, yeah, you can go do that, I'll keep doing this. Okay?"
Pinkie seemed prepared to nod her agreement before stopping herself, setting her jaw in a dramatic show of determination. "Nope! No way! No parties for Mare Do Well today! Maybe later, though," she added. "Today is not a Party Pony Pinkie day! Today is a Detective Pony Pinkie day, where I help you solve the case of the costumed... um... the puzzle of the... pony... um... the Mystery of the Masked Mare!" Satisfied with the alliteration, Pinkie Pie struck a serious pose, sitting firmly upright and saluting like a soldier awaiting orders.
Oh, for...
"Listen, Pinks," Rainbow Dash said carefully, flying towards her friend and placing her hooves firmly on her shoulders so that they were facing one another, meeting eye to eye. "I don't want you to help me. You don't have to. Just... go throw a party. That's what you do. That's your thing. Okay? I'm Ponyville's local hero, remember? I don't need any help; I can take her all on my own! Who cares if she's a superhero?"
And as Dash said it, she almost believed it. For all of her posturing, she almost never boasted without meaning it completely. The only reason she was assuring Pinkie now of her confidence was because when Rainbow Dash was with Pinkie, she felt confident.
Pinkie only listened, gazing up at her admiringly. But when Rainbow Dash finished, she blinked, fluttering her eyelashes, all wide-eyed innocence.
"I know I don't have to," she said sweetly. "But you're not very good at judging other ponies."
Rainbow Dash blinked and let go of her shoulders.
"Huh?" she asked.
"Remember meanie-pants Gilda? She was your best friend, even though she was a total bully and was really, really mean to Fluttershy. You didn't even notice. You might think you know how to handle Mare Do Well, but you really don't have any idea what you're doing."
Conversations like these were what often lead Rainbow Dash to suspect that Pinkie Pie was secretly some kind of brilliant mastermind who always knew exactly what she was doing, and that seemingly innocent comments like these were actually expertly veiled barbs that were designed to sting precisely as much as they did.
Even though Pinkie Pie was acting so sweet, Rainbow Dash almost felt a physical pain in her chest at her words and the memory of her old friend.
So instead of answering, Rainbow turned her back on Pinkie, and quietly flew away.
Any other day, Pinkie Pie might've chased after her, but when Rainbow Dash glanced behind her to see what the pink pony was doing, she only saw Pinkie standing alone outside the library, just where Dash had left her, watching her fly away with an inscrutable expression on her face. Or maybe it was just the distance between them that made it unreadable. Either way, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Rainbow Dash could finally be alone to think.
• • •
That night, Rainbow Dash made no effort to hide what she was doing or disguise it as anything but what it was. She just headed straight for the cul-de-sac where they had first met and waited, certain that Mare Do Well would show up with time if she stayed put long enough.
For a long time Rainbow Dash was alone. No sign of anypony else at all; there was only her, leaning against the dumpster and tapping a hoof in boredom. Then suddenly, she heard the sound of somepony breathing behind her.
With a shriek, Rainbow Dash leapt forward. Heart beating furiously, she whipped around with a growl, only to see Mare Do Well hanging upside down behind her.
"How are you –" she began. Then Dash paused and glanced up. Mare Do Well had hooked her legs over the edge of the dumpster, hanging off the edge the way a foal would hang upside down from monkey bars in a playground. Somehow her hat stayed in place.
"I saw this in a movie once," Mare Do Well explained. "It would be better if it was raining, though."
"I'm not going to kiss you," Rainbow Dash said quickly.
"I never said you had to." With a nimble little somersault, Mare Do Well unhooked her legs and was standing upright, facing Rainbow Dash one-on-one. "But if that's where your mind went, then, well..."
"You –"
"So did you have a nice little chat with your friend today?"
"What friend?" Rainbow Dash asked, then immediately felt stupid for doing so. Mare Do Well obviously meant Twilight. Then, instead of confusion, she found herself feeling annoyed. "It's none of your business who I talk to, and I'm pretty sure whatever method you used to find that out is illegal."
"Did you miss me? I'm sorry I haven't been around much."
"No," Rainbow shot back. She could feel Mare Do Well gradually obtaining the upper hoof in this conversation, and now she was desperately floundering to regain control. There was that sensation of helplessness again. The only reason Rainbow Dash had come to the cul-de-sac in the first place was because she'd figured that if there was anywhere she'd be likely to run into Mare Do Well, it would be there, and now she was the one being interrogated. "I only kept that stupid letter so I could get Twilight to look at it."
"That's nice. But she wasn't the friend I was talking about."
"Then who –" Oh. "Do you mean Pinkie?"
"Of course," Mare Do Well answered lightly, and then Rainbow Dash realized something. Whenever they'd spoken before, Mare Do Well had managed to retain an air of mingled playfulness and casualness, with a smug tone that she seemed to love taunting Rainbow Dash with. Now, though, she sounded tense. Almost angry.
If Rainbow Dash was right, then this would be the first time Dash had ever heard the other mare upset about something – the first time that Mare Do Well had been the one to lose her cool.
"So she's going to help you track me down, huh? Detective Pinkie Pie, and all that? That's cheating, you know. You shouldn't be allowed to get outside help."
"You never said that," Rainbow Dash countered instinctively. Justifying unreasonable behavior to herself and others was a habit by now, since she ended up doing it so often. "It was never in the rules. Besides, I warned you right at the start. I don't play fair."
"Maybe we need to go over the rules sometime, then. Tomorrow, same time, same place?" But Mare Do Well didn't wait for a response, instead continuing in her conversational way. "So you're accepting her offer? Unless I misheard, you two had a little spat, didn't you? Something about how you don't need her help?"
"Why do you even care? It's none of your business." Rainbow was rapidly losing her temper again; and there it was, that loss of control, like she wasn't in charge of her feelings when they spoke.
Mare Do Well didn't answer right away, instead stalking past Rainbow Dash, cape fluttering behind her, and Rainbow Dash realized that she hadn't been mistaken. The tension the mare carried was clear in the quick, furious little stomps of her hooves across the cobblestone as she walked forward, then turned back, pacing.
"She's not stupid, you know. You underestimate her. She did that on purpose. She knows exactly what I'm doing and she's trying to send me a message. She wants me to know that she doesn't like it, so she approached you. Flaunting it."
"Flaunting what?"
"You don't know?" A short, bitter laugh.
Rainbow Dash definitely wasn't imagining it. For the very first time, she was seeing Mare Do Well angry. There was something both hilarious and incredibly disturbing about it. On one hoof, seeing the masked mare finally get just as aggravated as Rainbow so often did was so delicious that she could almost taste it, but on the other hoof, she'd somehow come to the conclusion that Mare Do Well was always supposed to be reserved – if annoyingly conceited. If Mare Do Well was upset – about Pinkie Pie, of all ponies – then it must be because of something important. Only something big would have made the masked mare drop the good-natured formality that had pervaded all of their previous encounters.
But Mare Do Well seemed to catch herself, as if she'd just realized the same thing, and immediately stopped in her tracks. She stood with her back to Rainbow Dash, staring down the alley, and took a deep, steadying breath, as if to calm herself.
"I'm sorry," the other mare said at last. "I would've liked to come see you earlier, but I didn't want you to see me like this. I'm, I'm not supposed to be upset. I'm..." Her voice faltered. "I'm sorry," she finished weakly.
Neither of them spoke. It was so surreal to see Mare Do Well like this that Rainbow Dash wasn't entirely sure what to say, and Mare Do Well herself seemed to be struggling to regain her composure. When the mare finally turned around to look at the pegasus, her mask, so carefully blank, hid any emotion that might have been written on her face right then – an expression that Rainbow Dash might have actually been a little curious to see.
"She doesn't care about helping you. She just wanted me to know how easy it would be for her to get close to you before I could. But you two had an argument, from what I can tell, so it doesn't matter. It's not important."
A sense of realization dawned on Rainbow Dash.
"You're jealous."
"I'm not jealous!"
But Mare Do Well's voice, so even when she'd spoken before, betrayed her true feelings from the way it shook, as if she couldn't restrain herself. It wasn't calm and collected anymore; it was angry and all over the place. For just a moment – on that one word, jealous – she'd dropped the husky tone she normally spoke with, and it cracked into a higher octave. One that immediately sounded familiar, that Rainbow Dash hated herself for not recognizing the moment it sounded.
"I'm not jealous," Mare Do Well repeated, this time sounding more subdued. "She's just intentionally trying to make things difficult for me, and I don't like it. But you turned her down."
"You don't know that," Rainbow Dash said immediately. "I got upset about something completely different and irrational, so maybe I'm planning to go see her tomorrow and tell her I accept, and then we'll figure you out. And we'll beat you, together."
For once, Mare Do Well seemed lost for words.
"We're not working together, you know," Rainbow Dash continued, picking up steam. She felt like she had a handle on the conversation again, like Mare Do Well was the one being overwhelmed, and she liked it. A lot. "I'm not going to make things easy for you, and if you don't want Pinkie helping me, then I'm probably gonna get Pinkie to help me, just to bug you. In case you missed the memo, we're competing against each other. I have no reason to wanna help you. At all."
Mare Do Well almost looked like she was going to respond, but before Rainbow Dash could hear what the other mare had to say, Rainbow whirled around and took off into the night.
The air was crisp and cool and felt amazing to fly against, but not nearly as amazing as the way it felt to know that for once, she was the one doing the leaving, and that Mare Do Well was the one left behind in the empty alley, struggling to find the right words to convey whatever confusion she might have felt.
• • •
When Rainbow Dash had stood before her, spitting out her declaration with magenta eyes blazing in triumph, she'd almost wanted to give up right then and there. To tear off her mask and fall to her knees, to prostrate herself before the pegasus and ask forgiveness and to beg Dash to please, please not hate her.
She hadn't, because Mare Do Well wouldn't do that, and she was starting to find herself resenting Mare Do Well almost as much as Rainbow Dash certainly did.
Loved it. Yes I am a jerk, go and write more!
its pinkie pie
So, Mare Do Well is not any of the mane cast; everypony was at the party and engaged in something during the brief talk between Mare Do Well and Rainbow. The plot thickens...
Also, I'm severely tempted to use this space to whine for awhile about how this chapter probably isn't good enough and how you're all going to hate me now, but then I realized that you guys'll probably be all amazingly encouraging and forgiving no matter what I do because you're just awesome like that, you jerks
damn straight!
Now to read it, but first rate 5 stars and create 10 more accounts with the same email so i will be up to date 100% whenever this is updated.
53152 DO IT!!!!!!
Well, I think that we can cross both Twilight and Pinkie of the list of suspects- unless Twilight is an incredibly good actor and knows how to clone herself or create illusions (Clone/illusion spell? Possible- likely, even. Good actor? Not so much.)
Although, it could be that if Mare-Do-Well is Pinkie, she has actually split 'Mare-Do-Well' and 'Pinkie' into two seperate personalities which are no longer working together, and are actually themselves competing in some wierd different-perspective kind of way. Every time she rants about Pinkie, she is actually angry at herself for approaching Rainbow in that manner. After the first scene with Mare-Do-Well's thoughts, it mentions that she 'cradles her head in her hooves'. As soon as the party scene begins, Pinkie is mentioned to be very depressed in the corner. Was she really that bothered about the party? Curiouser and curiouser...
Regardless, Pinkie certainly knows something. The mysterious missing costume that Gummy 'ate' is highly suspicious, as was her reaction when confronted about it.
I notice that there has been little to no interaction or scenes with Applejack, which is why I am also starting to suspect her. She could have done an extremely quick speed change and, given how fast she runs, slipped into the party via a back door or something. It is mentioned that upon re-entering the party that Applejack and Rarity are having a heated discussion off to the side: We know Rarity knows something, having sold one of the costumes, but she refuses to tell the others anything. Could it have been Applejack, and Rarity is confronting her about her activities as Mare-Do-Well?
Or, could it have been Rarity herself? We only have her word for it that the costume was ever sold in the first place, and there has been little showing of her either. Her being able to (in theory) teleport accounts for also being at the party.
Of course, we all know that above theories are all most likely wrong. Its clearly Derpy.
As much as im glad your updating this story, and sad that it is not being updated every day, im also glad, this is stuff that would talk me a week to write. You sir, are a god of words.
My mind is telling me ....but it would be awesome and unexpected if it was someone else! (secretly hoping it's )
57101I wouldn't count them out so quickly. True it could'nt have been any of them but whats to say it isn't one of them? From what I see based on what took place it could either be or . AJ because of her egerness for competiton and her ability to actually keep up with . Fluttershy because of how contradictiong her personality is compaired to MDW. Finally, Rarity not only because shes smart but also because shes a go getter and has a tendancy to be jealous. is off the hook for now but I'd keep a close eye on her. though, its true shes alot smarter than she leads on for all we know she could have been just offering to help in an attempt to remove all suspision.
Okay, I'm pretty sure I have it now. It's not Twilight, unless she knows an acting enhancement spell. It's not Rarity or Applejack, since we've been given no real reason to suspect either of them. And Fluttershy may secretly be awesome, but this seems a little too out-of-character for her. So it's an expanded (and possibly less creepy) variant of your story 'Seeking Color'. Not a bad thing, by any means. That was a very good idea, and seeing something similar play out here makes for a highly interesting read. And the mystery is still extremely well-handled; I doubt I'd have figured it out if I hadn't read Seeking Color.
So good work all around. I eagerly await the next chapter, where we find out that I have no idea what I'm talking about and MDW has been Chief Thunderhooves all along.
Awesome!
chants Rainbow Pie! Rainbow Pie! Rainbow Pie!
Oh, Mare Do Well. You are playing with fire, and you are going to get burned ...
Love everyone's comments and guesses! Personally, I'm actually more convinced than ever that it's Pinkie Pie. Sure, it could be Applejack, say--but we haven't seen much of Applejack at all. It could be done cleverly, I'm sure, to pull out Applejack at the final stretch, but there'd be no emotional oomph there if it does prove to be her. It'd be total deux ex machina. It would be a cheater's ending, and while both RD and MDW have no qualms about cheating, I think AbsoluteAnonymous does.
I also am not sure there even needs to be an official, diagnosable Pinkie/Pinkamina kinda split to explain what's going on here. MDW is terrified out of her mind. She wants to win Dash's love, but at this point, she's very worried that she'll lose Dash's friendship. And who hasn't felt that conflict after developing a crush or falling in love with a friend? So Pinkie is waging an internal struggle--as Pinkie, she tries to help RD, so she can finally be exposed. And she does feel jealous--because why is RD so interested in this masked hero (who RD doesn't know is her) when she, Pinkie, has been here all along? And then, as MDW, she tries to keep up the fascade and the game, because she's scared of losing RD altogether.
Pinkie's talk about Rainbow being a bad judge of character ... I see that as a commentary on how RD has underestimated her as Pinkie, as well as how RD is failing to understand Pinkie as MDW.
There's just too much synchronization between Pinkie and MDW. MDW talkes about how Pinie is smarter than RD gives her credit for ... after MDW muses that she, MDW, is smart enough to know RD hates her. MDW thinks that she can't let Rainbow solve the mystery on her own ... and then Pinkie bops along and offers her help. I also suspect MDW (who says she knows RD very well indeed, including her frailities, and does seem to) intentionally manuevered RD to go back and take Pinkie up on her off.
I could still be wrong, of course. And I'll be just fine if I am, because given the quality of this story, I've no doubts that the ending will be fully satisfying. (And possibly heart-breaking. I've not ruled that out.)
But even though I'm reasonably certain that I'm right in my guess, I don't even really care. This chapter gave me something much more important than clues--it gave me some good, solid internal monologuing from Mare Do Well. More info on who she is, what she wants, what she fears, how she ticks. Love it. I'm just as eager for the next chapter as I have been all along. Though, as always, no pressure.
p.s. Rainbow Dash, go find out what red carnations mean already, will you? Here, I'll help--love. Red carnations mean love, Rainbow.
Applejack has experience with culture from her time in Manehattan, and I could see her shifting her accent and writing a note like that. The only problem with that is in the fact that her voice is already naturally close to MDW's apparent faked voice, so a slip might not've been all that noticeable.
That said, it's still probably Pinkie Pie, with less of a real personality split than a slight dissonance between her public persona and her MDW persona.. and I'm liking that. Her latter appearance in this chapter may have even been an act to herd RD in a specific direction, instead of an actual display of weakness on her part; fits with the "Mastermind Pinkie" concept brilliantly. Also, how else would MDW know about the "conspiracy"? Silly RD, why didn't you notice that?
And then Donny's Boy writes yet another perfect comment while I'm writing mine, rendering mine void in favour of hers/his. Ignore mine
fluttershy nuff' said
I'm not sure of anything anymore, except it's probably not Twilight due to her complete inability to keep secrets and act, but trying to figure this out beyond that gives me a headache, so I'll just be reading the stories and seeing where it goes from here .
What a twist! You've defied my expectations to the letter, this is good shit.
I'm thinking that Pinkie has absolutely nothing to do with Mare Do Well, and is actually trying for her affections separately. And as for Mare Do Well, I'm still pretty sure that it's Fluttershy. She seems like the kind of pony who would act more confidently under anonymity.
I find it mildly amusing that most everyone here says that it couldn't be Twi. The duplicate bit I got nothing on, except that she's an incredibly powerful unicorn. Saying that she can't keep secrets or act flies in the face of the fact that she was a Mare Do Well the *first* time around. Oh, and she's already admitted she has books on how to examine writing styles...
57337 Personally, she will always be Derpy Hooves to me; but according to Word of God, if they ever need a character design for Ditzy Doo, the animators will use the Derpy Hooves palette. So I compromised my headcanon with actual canon by making her real name Ditzy Doo while Derpy is the nickname everyone refers to her with. Sort of like how fans compromised the Lyra/Heartstrings thing by referring to her as both, with "Lyra Heartstrings," or by deciding that while her real name is Vinyl Scratch, DJ-Pon3 could be her stage name.
I think there's a glaring error that needs to be pointed out: the letter said Miss me yet? and later on, with Twilight, it said that the letter only had "six letters" and only said Miss me? So, which one is it? Nice Spider-Man reference, too...even though I'm confused at how ponies can see movies in their world. But, still, despite my sore throat and my cold, this one had me so excited and interested to the very end. It's plainly obvious it's a mane six character by this point; it HAS to be. If it's not, it badly contradicts everything that had been written thus far. That or...Rainbow Dash apparently knows someone else just as much as she knows the mane six, which I don't think is likely. Here's my thoughts for THIS chapter:
1. Pinkie Pie - Do I REALLY need to go into this? At this point, you'd have to be a dumbbell to not suspect Pinkie at #1 on your list. But, like "That One Guy (Guest)" said before me, there's also the high possibility that Pinkie has nothing to do with Mare Do Well. As much as I hate it, that DOES happen a lot in mysteries; the most suspected one is the one who isn't even involved, while the one who is LEAST suspected is the culprit.
2. Twilight Sparkle - I'm not fooled, nor am I convinced. How would Mare Do Well know about Pinkie's talk with Dash otherwise? They were RIGHT outside Twilight's library! Everything points to Twilight being the LEAST suspected one...which makes me believe it's really her. I honestly can't say why, since it doesn't make any sense at all...but, that's how mysteries work; they don't make a lot of sense until the very end. Plus, Twilight has a LOT of talents...you shouldn't underestimate what she can do.
3. Fluttershy - Mare Do Well's behavior clearly points to Fluttershy at times, almost to the point of not being funny. But, then again, I STILL find this incredibly hard to swallow...even with my sore throat. How in the world could Fluttershy possibly have all this confidence, anger, smugness, and pride just by putting on a mask? I don't buy it. Just because I put on a costume doesn't give ME extra confidence. Then again, Fluttershy is very complex, so we shouldn't overlook her.
4. Applejack - The only thing that remains in my mind to keep Applejack as a suspect is the fact that she's hardly ever seen, when she and Dash are very close. Applejack DOES have a smugness to her, she DOES have strange hoof-writing, she DOES have a tendency to get upset, she DOES have a slightly romantic flair to her...but, deep down, I'd be stunned to find out that it's her behind that mask. I really just cannot see it.
5. Rarity - Since chapter 1, Rarity remains at down here at #5, since I still don't think it's her. Nothing in his chapter proved otherwise. She's not a coward, despite the fact she CAN get jealous, and I really don't see why she'd be with Rainbow Dash; it's a very odd pairing. Sure, it's a pairing I'd support and find cute, but...I just don't see this happening. I'll be even MORE shocked if it's Rarity than Applejack, obviously.
Other possible suspects: Trixie, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkamena, Zecora
Despite the high level of unlikelihood, I still don't rule out Trixie; probably because I just love her and I see her all the time in whatever I read. The fact that Dash is losing her mind continues to make me think she has that same disorder as seen in "Secret Window" and Mare Do Well isn't really there. Spike...I'm just curious...WHERE THE HELL IS HE DURING ALL THIS?!?! Pinkamena, Pinkie's alter ego, is still a strong possibility, for the obvious reasons. Zecora just got stuck in my head for some reason...I don't know why. Mare Do Well doesn't speak in rhyme, but...something about her behavior just screams Zecora at me. Even if all 10 of these characters are not Mare Do Well (which I would be stunned to find out), I still can't wait to see how this turns out. Oh, and you're a lot like me; I come up with the ending right away, but it's the rest of the story that I have trouble writing!
57205
Buddy there is a rule the comment can't be longer than the story
57394 let's pretend that it was stated as six letters the second time because those are the only words RD could see from her perspective, and that the author ISN'T a total scatterbrained moron who will quickly and subtly correct that error as soon as they gain access to an actual computer rather than a Blackberry.
57413
story 5,856 words
their comment 511 words
i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/Mr-Ghast/Ponys/Flutterdaninvalid.png
Another great chapter. I loved the sudden turn of events with Mare Do Well losing her grip on Rainbow Dash's emotions. She soon becomes more predictable, losing subtlety and secrecy. Still though, there isn't enough information which a reader could use to be sure of who Mare Do Well is, so that's good.
Either way though, it's definitely a great direction to be taking this story in. Good stuff.
So awesome. I'm leaning towards, and really hoping for it to be Pinkie. But there could always be a twist.
Grrrrr... I still can't figure it out! I'm a really good sleuth too... I was at first almost CERTAIN it was Pinkie... But now I'm thinking it is either her... Or Fluttershy... Or Rarity... GOD DAMMIT RIGHT WHEN I NARROW IT DOWN YOU ADD THEM BACK ONTO THE LIST!
Hmm...reading some of the other comments, I'm torn between it being Pinkie or Twilight, with the other three all tied for third as equally suspicious.
Ok, so here's my theory, which y'all could ignore, but what if the author has no clue yet who MDW is yet, and is putting parts of almost all the mane cast's traits into her so that we all keep guessing
Ive been thinking it was pinkie the whole time, but after this chapter im thinking its pinkamena (or however you spell it) cuz that would explain how she knew what pinkie felt and thought, and the jealousy, thatd be smart if it was... oh yeah. Great story!
57738
Um...look over there! An obvious distraction! *bolts*
Just kidding. I actually know exactly how this is going to end. In fact, knew from the very beginning. So don't worry, I have a plan; not a GOOD plan, of course, but a plan. Of sorts.
57416 Fair enough, my friend. *pats on the head* We'll just blame it on Rainbow Dash and her obviously attractive to Mare Do Well which didn't allow her to read the letter correctly the second time...even if that makes no sense.
Dude, as if you're only sixteen.
This is some of the best writing I've ever read, not just in terms of fanfiction but even against professional, published writers.
At seventeen myself, you have my utmost respect, adoration, and dare I say, worship?
Keep it real.
So I just found this story and it is wonderful. It's driving me crazy trying to figure out who "Faker Do Well" is, but a good kind of crazy. Like oatmeal!
My main suspect is Pinkie (although because of that I have a feeling it isn't her haha), but Twilight, Fluttershy, and even Rarity seem likely as well, at least in my mind. I'm also not counting out Applejack just yet, although to me she seems the least likely for some reason.
i have my 3 suspects in mind.
suspect 1: fluttershy. even though it pains me to think of her lying, this is one of my guesses. reasoning, she has the badass moments where she shows all the things mare do well displays in this book. and, as i am somewhat i shy person in real life, i find everything easier to do in writing, and especial in anonymity, like now. no one will ever know who this is who is typing this so i can say almost anything.
suspect 2: pinkie pie. because of complete contrast, and because this sounds like something she would do. and let's not forget the relife when dash first Asked how gummy ate the costume without teeth.
suspect 3: gilda. sorry, don't ask how this would make sense, because she is a griphon not a ponybut hey, deep gruff voice, previous relationship, anger, confidence, gilda has it all.
i would consider derpy but...
list of imposibru: twilight, interrupting mare do well and rainbow in the party. applejack, she can't lie, so it would make no sense. rarity. sorry writer, but if it was rarity it would be kinda a dull ending, cuz she has had nothing at all to do with the book too much so far (sorry). scootaloo. distinctly the "as tall as she was" when comparing heights, it's just not possible, unless she got apple bloom to make a robot costume.
57222
Heh, sorry. Didn't mean to steal your thunder! I'm a dude, btw.
57413
Ha, ha! You think that comment was long, you shoulda seen the comment I left on Chapter 4 ... THAT was a long comment. I trust AbsoluteAnonymous to tell me to dial it back if I'm being a bit too long-winded, though, and would be happy to do so.
58716 let me just say right now that long-winded comments are my favorite kind, so you NEVER have to worry about a comment being long. Leave as many as you want, I LOVE reading them!
List of possible suspects.
Done by appearances and behavior.
1) Little to no suspicious behavior, was at the party while RD and MDW were talking, few other appearances in the story. Possibility: low-moderate.
2) little behavior, was hovering around pinkie during party encounter, MDW admitted that she was a coward and is despite outer appearance very nervous about this challenge. Possibility: low-high.
3) Appeared during party encounter forcing MDW to flee. Possibility: none.
4) Sold MDW suit (possibly), was with AJ during party encounter, more likely than not would never be caught jumping around on rooftops. Possibility: low.
5) Obviously jealous of MDW for getting so much attention from RD, while MDW is unworried by TS getting involved she seems terrified of PP stating that she has been underestimated, was apparently devastated by the situation and determined to remove MDW from the equation, history of possible multiple personality disorder. Possibility: low. Possibility: high.
6) or other background: Have not appeared. Possibility: low-high.
Personally I think that Mare Do Well isn't one of the mane six, but Pinkie gave her the costume and is helping her. That would also explain how Mare Do Well knew about the conversation Pinkie and Dash had outside the library. Or it could be Applejack wearing Pinkie's costume, because she only said that she hasn't worn her own. Or both Pinkie's poor alibi and Rarity's sale could be red herrings and it could really be Fluttershy. Really, who I think it is can be summed up by:
twentypercentcooler.net/data/c1/62/c1629caa09c7d5d8f10abad227815aab.jpg?1313055056
This the a great story, every chapter has me switching who it can possibly be!
I personally think it's either Fluttershy or a non-mane six pony. MDW talks about not acting as herself while in the costume and when we were given insight to her real thoughts and feelings it just screamed Fluttershy to me.
Keep up the great work dude and feel free to laugh at this comment about how off I am cause you know who MDW really is :p
Have a good one. *Off to read the next chapter so that my mind can be changed once again*
Nope, I'm not even going to attempt another guess at who it is.
I'm just going to continue reading and most likely spill it all out at the last chapter... or some unknown point along the way...
Time for an intermission though, I'll be back
Hokai, so this is the chapter. Dang, that is a pretty schweet chapter.
Korekshuns
>admitting what she'd done, and let Ponyville what had happened to their hero,
Accidentally the verb ('know')
>Rainbow Dash and Twilight returned to the party, only to see that nopony had noticed their absence whatsoever, save for Pinkie; who was utterly distraught, moping in some corner with her hair deflated in a very un-Pinkie Pie way.
You like semicolons, don't you AA? It's used incorrectly here, though- make it a comma and end the sentence after distraught. Then, say "She was moping..."
>just...awkward, I guess I dunno..."
Either take out one of those (I guess or I dunno), or put a period after I guess.
>unskilled unicorn or a veryskilled earth pony,
Requires a space.
>Pinkie just listened, gazing up at her admiringly..
Not sure if one period, or three...
>"No." she shot back.
More of the dialogue punctuation stuff here.
>"I know I don't have to," she said sweetly. "But you're not very good at judging other ponies."
What you did there. I see it.
Another one down, went from 1/5 to 1/3 completed. Though that's probably it for today.
57144 then logic doesn't exist and theres no possible way dash could ever figure it out? either leaving her annoyed with the presence of mare do well still existing or falling in love with her. um so i really don't like that side for its unfair for dash. but this also states that we can't figure it out unless we know everyone dash is friends with so its still a mystery yay.
Pinkie is a dick, also at this point I think cheerilee is mare do well
You're probably wondering who Mare Do Well is, huh? Well guess what! You'll never guess and will have to read this story all the way to the end.
How do you do this?! Every chapter has me flailing around in my seat in joyous confusion... if that makes any sense. Every time I think I know who it is, you drop some subtle clue that makes me doubt my powers of deduction.
My next brilliant theory:
It's the letter C. Yes, the letter C. Think about it: Rainbow Dash has both B and D, but no C. C is so close to Rainbow Dash already, but is afraid to come right out and share her feelings because of the resentment Dash still feels for C at being called Rainbow Crash. I eagerly await the chapter where MDW is unmasked and we discover the letter C, because my deduction is brilliant.
She's Pinkie. She GOTTA be Pinkie Pie. C'mon.
I swear. Every time I have this figured out, there's some subtle hint that I'm dead wrong. In the second chapter I thought it was Fluttershy, then Applejack because she came in late, but then Pinkie Pie seemed like it and then maybe Twilight Sparkle but no, "Out of your element?", so it had to be Applejack, but then the hat stayed in place so it might be a unicorn, wait, no, the whole thought process has to be Fluttershy's.
I call Derpy, Cloud Kicker or Blossomforth.
I have no idea why I'm leaving a comment guessing the end of a story that was completed months ago, but I'm doing it anyway.
It's Pinkie Pie, it's totally Pinkie Pie.