Ponyville stood on the border between seasons – on the verge of shifting to full-on winter, yet held back by some unseen force. It wouldn't have taken very much to tip the weather either way, not while nature itself stood on the brink like that, just barely overlooking the precipice, but it remained inert. Not for much longer, though. The issue with the stray weather in the Everfree Forest had finally been sorted out, and everypony on the weather team had received the same message – that they would finally be able to bring in the first snow that weekend, so be prepared.
The weather team was something that Rainbow Dash took incredibly seriously. More seriously than pretty much anything else she spent her free time on, aside from training for the Wonderbolts, despite her tendency to slack off occasionally. For the most part, Dash saw the weather she crafted as a reflection of her physical prowess and an extension of herself. After all, clearing the sky and raising storms was hard work, and she took great pride in it.
But now, the news of the coming snow was the furthest thing from her mind. She had more important stuff to worry about; stuff like how Rainbow Dash was going to see Pinkie Pie that afternoon when the six of them gathered for their weekly Pony Pet Playdate. Dash hadn't seen her at all since their confrontation, and she didn't know what to expect when they saw each other for this first time. She didn't know how to prepare.
But as it turned out, Rainbow Dash didn't have to do anything, because Pinkie just ignored her, refusing to do as much as look her in the eye. From an outsider's perspective, Pinkie Pie seemed to be completely back to normal, laughing and chatting as merrily as ever while she played with Gummy and the other pets, but not even once did she look at Rainbow Dash, no matter how much the pegasus tried to get her attention. Rainbow Dash almost felt cheated, remembering what Mare Do Well had said – but of course Mare Do Well wouldn't actually have had any way of knowing what Pinkie Pie would do next. Nopony did. Pinkie was inexplicable.
Even Tank somehow managed to hold more of Pinkie Pie's attention than Rainbow Dash did. At one point, the pink pony attempted to force him and Gummy into some kind of pseudo-wrestling match, and still, Pinkie refused to even acknowledge Rainbow.
A few times, Rainbow Dash almost thought she saw the others exchange looks of worry or shoot her a glance with an odd expression in their eye, but nopony actually said anything until Twilight Sparkle finally pulled Dash aside to voice her concerns.
"Did something happen between you two?" Twilight asked, Owloysius perched on her shoulder and staring blankly ahead in an unsettling way. "Are you guys fighting?"
"No," Rainbow Dash found herself saying. A part of her wanted to spill her guts and confess everything to everypony there so that they could all swarm her with comfort the way they always did. Not just about what had happened between her and Pinkie, but about the huge mess her life had become lately – but she couldn't shake the sense of privacy these worries had hanging about them. Besides, Dash didn't know how she'd explain these feelings, even if she tried. There were layers of meanings and subtleties here, both in what was happening with Mare Do Well and what was happening with Pinkie, layers that Rainbow hadn't quite picked up on yet and would only feel comfortable sharing once she herself could understand them. How she was supposed to do that, though, she had no idea.
Twilight looked at her somewhat suspiciously, as if she could tell that Rainbow Dash wasn't telling the full truth, but for whatever reason she dropped it and didn't press any further, much to Rainbow's relief.
Although there still wasn't any snow, Rarity seemed determined to dress the pets for the weather and in style, bravely attempting to tug a miniature wool sweater over Opal's head, but Opalescence valiantly resisted her efforts, clawing and hissing at the unicorn. Applejack and Winona were playing fetch over the hill, both of them good-naturedly ignoring the way both of them were trembling in the chilly air. Fluttershy, however, also seemed to be noticing the way Pinkie Pie was uncharacteristically avoiding Rainbow Dash. At least, that's the impression she gave, what with the way she kept switching her gaze between them nervously. She didn't say anything, though, likely because she had her hooves full with Angel. Due to the season, he was more subdued than usual, as he was conserving his energy for the winter, but he was still cranky.
After the failed wrestling match, Gummy and Tank ended up left placidly staring at each other, as if testing to see who could go the longest without blinking.
An hour passed of Rainbow Dash's half-hearted attempts to maintain enthusiasm in the face of Pinkie's snubbing, and at last they all agreed to pack up and part ways.
Rainbow Dash was a pony of action, not quiet deliberation, so when she saw Pinkie Pie heading down the path back to Sugarcube Corner, alone except for Gummy in tow, she immediately took the opportunity to speak to the pink pony alone.
"Hey, Pinks!" Rainbow called out, swooping alongside her as Tank buzzed by her side, propeller whirring.
"Oh, hi, Dashie!" Pinkie called back with feigned cheerfulness. Rainbow Dash felt a pang. If she hadn't known that Pinkie was upset from the chilly reception she'd initially received, she might not have been able to tell at all; any sadness or anger Pinkie may have felt was undetectable, aside from the slight strain in her enormous smile.
"So, um, I tried stopping by Sugarcube Corner yesterday, and –"
"Well, duh, I told you, Dashie. It's not open forever," Pinkie Pie interrupted. "You were probably too late."
Too late. There was something ominous about those words. Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to shudder. "No, before that. I stopped by and Mrs. Cake said you weren't feeling well." Here, Rainbow paused, unsure how to continue before finally settling on, "So, uh, you okay?"
"Oh, yeah, just fine! Pinkie's okie-dokie!" Pinkie Pie laughed. Sounding way too perky. And then she added, a little sharper, "Of course, you wouldn't know, since you just ran away."
Her words stung as much as a slap in the face, taking Rainbow Dash by surprise; but she wasted no time in her retort. "Hey, I tried checking up on you, but I got sent away!" Dash shot back.
"Well, you didn't try very hard, huh?" All pretense of sunshine was gone, leaving nothing behind but Pinkie's obvious bitterness as she stormed forward, staring straight ahead and refusing to look at Dash. "I kinda thought you would, you know. Thought, Dashie wouldn't really leave me, Dashie is loyal, she wouldn't choose some stranger over her best friend. But, oopsies! I guess I was wrong!" A short, hysterical laugh broke free.
"It's okay, though. Totally fine," Pinkie Pie hastened to add, words spilling free in a rush and leaving Rainbow Dash no time to respond. "Mare Do Well's new and interesting and Pinkie Pie's boring and crazy. Who'd pick poor li'l Pinkie over an awesome, mysterious superhero, right? Who even cares about Pinkamena Pie, when there're so many other more interesting ponies to care about instead? You'll just like her best, I guess, and Pinkie'll just go ahead and disappear. No biggie."
It had happened so gradually that Rainbow Dash almost didn't notice it, but Pinkie Pie was slowly deflating, hair and body steadily drooping more and more with each passing second. Pinkie's mane was now like a perfectly straight sheet of glass, framing her face on either side. Rainbow was just about to mention it when Pinkie Pie stopped and whirled around, terror in her eyes.
"Promise you won't tell!" Pinkie hissed. She was smiling again, but it was wide and manic and desperate. She practically threw herself at Rainbow Dash, grabbing Dash's front hooves and yanking her down to her level. "Promise! Pinkie Swear it!"
"Tell what?"
"That, that I'm acting like this! Pinkie is happy. Pinkie is happy," Pinkie Pie muttered, releasing her grip on Rainbow to cover her eyes. She rocked slightly, back and forth, repeating those words like a mantra. "Pinkie is happy. Happy. Smile, smile, smile."
She sighed, a heartbreakingly watery sigh, before uncovering her eyes and giving Rainbow Dash an impossibly sad smile.
"I'm sorry, Dashie," Pinkie said softly. "I guess I'm just sad because I feel like Mare Do Well's stealing you away. I'm sorry for being such a grumpy Pinkie. I'm just being a big ol' jealous, judgmental jealousy pants again."
Rainbow Dash could only stare in alarm, but Pinkie Pie was asking her to forget that this had ever happened, and a part of her wanted to agree.
She took hold of Pinkie's shoulders as gently as she could in what she hoped was a comforting gesture, and spoke in what she prayed was a reassuring way.
"Nopony's gonna steal me away, Pinks," Rainbow Dash said gently, trying to will Pinkie to finally meet her eyes. She did, and they were huge and wet and scared, like a lost foal. "I don't even like Mare Do Well. She bugs me so much it's not even funny. And that's all."
Pinkie Pie looked at her with a strange expression. It was still sad, but it seemed a little pained as well as she gave Dash a funny looking grin. A grin that said, Yeah, right.
• • •
The rest of the day passed in a blur. At some point, Twilight called Rainbow Dash to the library; she was working on a new elemental spell and had questions about different kinds of weather conditions. At another point, Rarity managed to get Dash to agree to model some kind of cloak jacket thing that the unicorn was designing for the winter season. Later that evening, Fluttershy stopped by Rainbow's cloud home and tried, in her very best attempt at being subtle, to pry and find out what exactly had happened between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.
All in all, it was a perfectly normal day, but Rainbow Dash was antsy. Restless. More so than usual, even for her, the pegasus who could never sit still and was constantly in motion. It felt like she was just waiting for night to fall so that she could see if Mare Do Well would come back.
Rainbow knew that it was irrational, because she didn't even want to see Mare Do Well, but she couldn't shake this feeling of anticipation. Not that Rainbow Dash actually wanted to meet her that night. She wasn't looking forward to it. At all.
"Rainbow Dash, is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked. She had spent most of her visit fussing in that motherly way she had of doing whenever she was concerned, tidying up bits of Rainbow Dash's mess and asking gently probing questions. The sun had set ages ago and Rainbow Dash was jumpy, constantly glancing out the window as she waited for Fluttershy to leave; it was obvious, even to the gentle yellow pegasus, that she was getting impatient.
"No," Rainbow lied. No point in making Fluttershy worry more than usual over something so complicated. And idiotic. Especially when it had nothing to do with her, as far as Rainbow knew.
And, to an extent, hoped. Rainbow Dash hadn't yet completely gotten over the suspicions she had begun to view her friends with, but the thought of Fluttershy being so, ah, aggressive, was downright disturbing.
Fluttershy didn't push it, although Rainbow Dash could tell that she wanted to. After all, she hadn't quite gotten the hang of assertiveness yet. Rainbow Dash was taking advantage of that and they both knew it.
So all Fluttershy said was, "Well, okay," before quietly making an excuse to leave, much to Rainbow's relief.
Shortly afterwards, she, too, bolted.
• • •
Maybe Rainbow should've been alarmed by how easy it was to get herself to the alley, or at least by how little she cared when she saw that Mare Do Well already there. It wasn't that she was excited to see her, and it certainly wasn't that Dash was happy to see her, but it also wasn't that Mare Do Well's appearance annoyed her or made her want to dash off. It was something in between. Maybe by this point, it was purely the familiarity that came with the routine the two of them shared. Even though Rainbow Dash was still angry about the night before, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach at the sight of the cape and cowl that wasn't wholly unpleasant.
"I knew you'd come back," Mare Do Well said once Rainbow Dash had descended. "You always have, no matter how much I tease you. I wonder why."
That was all it took for a sensation of overwhelming irritation to replace that not-unpleasant flutter.
"Desire for the last word, maybe?" Mare Do Well continued, oblivious to the scowl now lighting Rainbow Dash's face. "Or to finally get the better of me, perhaps?"
"Shut up," Dash muttered. She suddenly wanted to punch her again. On purpose, this time. "That's not why."
"Then why?"
"You're acting nastier than usual. You mad at me?" Rainbow Dash asked for some reason. She hadn't even realized that she'd been thinking it until the words flew out of her mouth, but they had the ring of truth to them.
"Oh, Celestia forbid," Mare Do Well answered sarcastically. "What reason could I possibly have to be upset with you?"
"Maybe you're sulking because you've gotten nowhere with me," Rainbow Dash challenged with a proud toss of her mane. "Maybe you're throwing a tantrum because you got rejected."
"Taking things slowly doesn't equate with getting rejected," Mare Do Well said lightly. "I told you that I'm patient. I don't mind waiting. And no matter what you say to the contrary, I saw how you responded to me yesterday."
"The wing thing?" Rainbow Dash clarified, trying to look apathetic, as though the answer didn't matter in the least and it didn't bother her to know that she was so easy to read.
She had asked Twilight about pegasus wings, since Fluttershy was the only other pegasus in Ponyville that Rainbow was especially close to and she'd been too embarrassed to answer. Rainbow Dash had gotten a long, boring lecture about something called erogenous zones as a reward. Although she'd sort of intuitively figured that her wings were probably especially sensitive, Dash hadn't realized the full extent of which or how different movements could mean anything deep aside from instinctive and automatic reactions. But the long and short of it, according to Twilight, was that Mare Do Well had been right in her interpretations of what they meant.
"The wing thing," Mare Do Well agreed. "I believe a less sophisticated pony would refer to it as a wingbo... but no," she caught herself. She gave an artistic little twirl, sending her cape swirling around her before stopping and giving something like a curtsey. "I am a classy mare, as you have undoubtedly picked up from my manner of speaking and dress. I won't stoop to such crude terminology, not for something as natural and beautiful as what your wings do when you're not paying attention."
Mare Do Well paused, and her hooves flew to her chest, clasping somewhere over her heart. "Oh, my!" she cried in mock terror. "Sophistication? Class? Crude? Who does that sound like?"
Ignoring the implication behind the mare's words – (just messing with me...) – Rainbow Dash cut to the chase. "You asked if I wanted to spend the night with you. What would that mean, exactly?"
At once, a sudden shift in Mare Do Well's attitude. All traces of sarcasm vanished, and she seemed to straighten, becoming more serious. It had been a casual question, but judging from Mare Do Well's reaction, it meant more than Rainbow Dash had initially thought.
"It would mean agreeing to let me show you a glimpse of the world I've created for myself," she answered in her poetic way. A way that anypony else would've referred to as pretentious. "Trusting me to guide you through –"
"So..." Rainbow Dash cut in, waving her hoof in a small circular motion as a way of saying get on with it.
"You'd follow me while I do my patrol and help me beat up any criminals we find. If you want to, that is."
Dash frowned. She had that restless feeling again, tail swishing nervously in reflection of her uneasiness.
"No touching," Rainbow Dash said after a moment's consideration. "No invading my personal space, and no flirting. No innuendos. And if you get all weird on me, I'm outta here."
"Got it. Nothing too forward. Just bonding of the emotional variety."
"That's so cheesy," Dash couldn't help but point out.
"Well, what would you call it, Dashie?" Mare Do Well challenged.
Rainbow Dash flinched at the casual use of the nickname. Only Pinkie Pie called her that, but she didn't want to say anything that would let Mare Do Well know how it made her squirm. If Rainbow let on just how much it bothered her, the mare would probably revel in using it as often as possible. But it sounded surprisingly intimate coming from Mare Do Well; it undid something in the pegasus, loosening something tight and knotted in her chest.
"I'm not asking this because I want to hang out with you or because I'm starting to like you or anything," Rainbow Dash felt the need to clarify. "I was just thinking that it would be pretty cool to go fight crime and stuff. I mean, most of the time, I just stop accidents or whatever. I've never battled actual criminals before."
"I'm honored," Mare Do Well said sweetly, this time with a little bow. "Is that a yes, then? You want to come with me?"
There was a note of urgency as she spoke.
"...I... guess so." Rainbow Dash said at last, still hesitant. "Just this one time, though. And if it turns out to be lame, or if you start creeping on me, I'm gone."
"Of course."
"Promise not to be weird about this. Swear it."
"You have my word –"
"No." Rainbow Dash interrupted in a flash of inspiration. "Pinkie Swear it."
Mare Do Well stared at her.
"You can't be serious," she finally said. "You don't actually expect me to –"
"What, are you chicken?" Rainbow challenged in her very best double-dare voice.
"No!" Mare Do Well snapped back, a little defensively. "I just don't want to."
"Suck it up or I leave right now."
Mare Do Well was silent, but eventually heaved a deep, put-upon sigh. "Cross my heart and hope to fly..." she began.
"Do the motions too," Dash cut in.
There was another beat of silence.
"Why are you making me do this?"
"Just do it."
"C-cross my heart and hope to fly..." Mare Do Well began again, voice shaking a little with obvious distaste. Her mask betrayed no emotion, but her grimace was almost audible; yet she obediently complied, complete with the little hoof motions, crossing her chest and gesturing towards her eye. "Stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Heh," Rainbow Dash said with a satisfied grin. She felt a little giddy with her successful display of power. "And what is it that you swear?"
"To not creep on you while we're patrolling," Mare Do Well promised reluctantly, only to add, "but that might be difficult."
"Stop!" Rainbow Dash shouted, hooves flying to her ears to block out the sound of her voice. "Don't even start! I said yes, don't make me turn tail now!"
"I only swore to leave you alone while we patrol. Can't I have a little fun until then?"
"No! We're starting now. No more."
"All right," Mare Do Well said instantly. "Follow me."
• • •
Mare Do Well moved fast. Not so fast that Rainbow Dash couldn't maintain her flying speed, of course, but she was still unsettlingly quick. Agile, too. Rainbow had admired this before, but now this agility was on full display for her. She was like a cat, lithe and nimble and always able to manage a perfect landing. It wasn't grace, exactly, but there was something fluid about her every step. She never seemed to tire, didn't once pause to pant and catch her breath. Rainbow Dash wasn't flying even close to her full speed, but she was still going pretty fast – yet Mare Do Well had no trouble keeping up the pace.
Mare Do Well didn't speak. She just ran, jumping across rooftops and balconies, cape spreading wide every time she sprung into the air, like a pair of outstretched wings. Every once in a while she turned to glance behind her, as if to ensure that Rainbow Dash was still following. She was.
Finally, Mare Do Well stopped.
"Okay," the mare said with barely contained excitement. Was this really such a big deal to her? "So, from what I can tell, this place is being used as some kind of hideout for a small-time crime ring or something. All kinds of sketchy characters come and go during the night. I've been watching it for a while now, and pretty much every week these guys make plans to pull some kind of major heist. They have one planned for tonight again."
"Where?"
"Quills and Sofas."
"A major heist at Quills and Sofas?" Rainbow Dash asked, disbelieving.
"Don't laugh. Quills are a lucrative business in a town where somepony like Twilight Sparkle is librarian. Can't say for sure about the sofas, though."
Rainbow Dash snorted in spite of herself. Mare Do Well flashed her a look. It might've been a grin, and probably was, but the pegasus had no way of knowing.
"Ready?"
"Yeah!" Rainbow shouted, again despite herself. She could feel that rush of adrenaline that always came before performing a new stunt. Whatever they were about to do, she was getting pumped for it.
They had stopped on the edge of a roof overlooking the road; across the street was a small, rundown, warehouse-like shack that looked deserted, with all the windows in sight boarded up. Rainbow Dash had never been in this part of Ponyville before. It was right on the outskirts, and had an air of spookiness hanging about.
Mare Do Well's cape was fluttering in the wind that had just picked up. "They'll leave any minute. It's always right around now," she mumbled, more to herself than Rainbow Dash. "Then –"
But the masked mare didn't get a chance to finish her thought. A cart had pulled out of the warehouse, led by a pegasus and carrying two unicorn passengers. Their heads were bowed as they leaned in to whisper together about something, but Rainbow Dash couldn't make out what they were saying. Their voices were too low.
"So you think they're gonna try and rob that sofa place?" Rainbow Dash asked, still a little doubtful, even as she folded her wings in preparation of imminent flight.
"Don't think. Know. Like I said, they do this almost every week and they aren't that sneaky about it. They've already been arrested a couple of times, but this one is personal. I'm friends with the manager and I'm not about to let anything happen to his business on my watch."
"Friends with – ?"
Before she could finish her question, Mare Do Well had sprung, catching Dash off guard. Immediately afterward, Rainbow Dash followed, propelling herself into the air and diving after the mare.
Mare Do Well came down hard on the wagon, prompting angry cries of surprise from the passengers.
"What the hay?!" one of them shouted. "Who..."
"It's Mare Do Well!" his quicker-thinking friend yelped.
"Who?"
The stallion pulling the cart came to an abrupt halt, giving the wagon itself a jolt and sending the passengers flying along with the contents of the wagon: a collection of empty burlap sacks. Oh, wow, Rainbow Dash thought. They probably couldn't be more obvious if they tried.
"We weren't doin' nothing!" one of the unicorns cried, already cowering. "Honest! J-just going for a midnight ride, ha ha!"
"What about the sofa place?" the slower one asked, earning himself a swat on the head from his companion. "Ow," he grumbled.
Despite the sudden shift in the wagon, Mare Do Well had kept steady, unlike the riders who had been thrown so unceremoniously forward. As the two unicorns scrambled upright, she sprung.
Rainbow Dash half wanted to leap into the fray herself. After all, that was why she'd wanted to come in the first place. Living the dream and all that.
But she couldn't seem to find a way to jump in.
It wasn't that she was scared or uncertain. After all, she was completely confident in her ability to kick the flanks of these guys. It was just that... it would've felt like an interruption.
Whatever else Mare Do Well was, she did have a strange kind of grace in her movements, no matter what Rainbow had thought before. Every motion was smooth, like a practiced dancer performing a choreographed routine.
So instead, Rainbow watched from the side with mingled awe and jealousy. How is she so much better than me? she screamed internally, face burning as she observed from above.
She was too busy watching to notice that the pegasus who had been pulling the cart had left the group.
There were thumps and thuds and angry shouts as the ponies below fought. No matter what Mare Do Well had said about the whole superhero thing being an act, at this moment, Mare Do Well sure looked the part, like somepony straight out of one of the comic books Rainbow Dash used to read.
There was a sickening crack as one of the unicorns was roughly bucked into the side of the wagon and he slumped against the edge, groaning as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The other unicorn lunged forward while Mare Do Well's back was turned, tackling her, but she easily kicked him off, sending him slamming into the side as well.
Rainbow Dash was about to swoop down and join the mare when she felt somepony yank on her wings. With a cry of pain Dash whirled around, and saw the pegasus – huge and growling angrily from somewhere deep in his throat – as he slammed his hooves into her side, trying to knock Rainbow out of the air.
"What the hay?" Rainbow Dash shouted, bracing herself. "Back off, buddy!"
But he lunged forward again, gripping her shoulders and trying to wrestle her down. Dash wasted no time in swinging her hoof forward, albeit blindly, cracking against his skull in the most satisfying way. She might've been a lightweight in one sense of the word, but she was scrappy and utterly confident in her capabilities. With another animalistic growl he threw himself forward, but Rainbow slipped out of his grasp, shooting straight into the air. By the time he'd realized that she'd moved, Rainbow Dash was already behind him, legs aimed squarely at the back of his head as she charged forward.
He fell out of the air and landed on the ground with a thud. He didn't rise, his only movement being the twitching of his wings.
Three unconscious stallions and an overturned wagon littered the ground, and Mare Do Well silently eyed the spectacle laid before her. She lifted her head only when Rainbow Dash was before her.
"That was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash shrieked, eyes alight and forelegs thrown open in excitement. "That was, like, the coolest thing ever! Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! Do you seriously do that every week? Why not every day?"
"Did, did you really think that was cool?" Mare Do Well asked, sounding uncertain, but a little excited as well.
"Heck yes, that was cool!" Rainbow shouted, swooping forward, all the resentment that she held towards Mare Do Well temporarily forgotten. "How do –"
"Hey!" a voice rasped, and both Rainbow Dash and Mare Do Well simultaneously turned to face the source. One of the unicorns that they'd presumed unconscious was staggering towards them, horn illuminated with an orange glow.
"I remember you," he said with a mean grin. "Wonderbolts fan. Haven't seen you in a while, rainbow. Wouldn't forget a mane like that. Bit unusual."
In a flash Rainbow Dash was back in the alley on the night that she'd first seen Mare Do Well, alone with the unicorn who'd tried snatching her saddlebags. She knew that he had no way of knowing her name and probably only called her "rainbow" because of her hair, but still, her eyes automatically widened, and she felt a thrill of panic that she hadn't felt even when fighting off the pegasus and didn't completely know why she felt now.
Mare Do Well stepped between them, and the stallion chuckled darkly.
"I remember you, too, now that I think about it," he added, nodding to the mare. "You two together now? That's adorable."
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but there was a rush of orange light and a horrible crack, and then everything was hideous, blinding pain. She thought she heard a scream, but the pain was so horrific that she couldn't tell if it came from her or somepony else, and then she was on the ground and everything was black.
• • •
Somepony was speaking.
"I'm sorry," they were saying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, slowly and reluctantly.
She was on her back, lying in the street. The road felt gritty, and her wings were stiff. She tried to fold them, to test them, but little crackles of pain kept her from moving them more than an inch or so.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," the voice continued to say. No, not say. Cry? "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
With a groan, Rainbow forced herself upright. Only now did she notice the way her wings hung limply at her sides, sloppily bandaged with strips of white cloth. Mare Do Well was huddled beside her, seemingly attempting to shrink into her costume with the way her cape was pooling around her.
She was the one crying.
"Rainbow Dash!" Mare Do Well sobbed when the pegasus sat up. "Y-you're okay!"
"What..." Rainbow Dash began, and then she felt somepony fly into her. Mare Do Well grabbed her in a fierce hug, forelegs wrapping tightly around her middle.
"I'm so sorry!" she gasped. "It's my fault, I'm so –"
"Sorry for what?" Dash asked.
For some reason, she wasn't pushing the mare away.
When Rainbow had heard Mare Do Well drop the huskier voice that she usually affected, it had immediately sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Now, the shape of her body against her own again immediately felt familiar in that old nagging way, although Dash still couldn't figure out how.
"H-he went right for your wings. I wasn't expecting that. He just used his magic to twist them and t-they just broke and I could hear it happen! I, I tried to wrap them, but I..." Mare Do Well's voice trailed off and she pulled herself off Rainbow Dash enough to gesture helplessly at the poorly bandaged blue wings. "I don't really know a lot about things like that, and I didn't do a great job."
It took a moment for the mare's words to sink in, but by the time they did, Mare Do Well was crying again.
"I'm so stupid!" Mare Do Well whimpered. "I w-wanted to look cool for you, but I didn't even think about how you could get hurt. I just messed everything up like always," she added miserably.
The reality of what had happened that night was gradually beginning to dawn on Rainbow Dash.
"Whoa!" Rainbow shouted. "We, we just... we totally beat the hay out of those guys! Can't we get arrested for that? And, and, my wings... what?!"
"They won't go to the police about us," Mare Do Well mumbled. "I told you. They do that a lot and have already gotten arrested a few times, and besides, it's embarrassing for them. Rainbow Dash, I'm so sorry," she continued weakly. "W-what if you can't fly properly anymore? Or what if you can't help bring in winter, and, and –"
"Hey, calm down," Rainbow Dash broke in. "I get banged up all the time. No biggie. Just wait, in a week I'll be back in the air."
Mare Do Well sniffed.
"And who even cares if I can't help with winter this year? It was late enough already. I'll just work extra hard at Winter Wrap-Up for once to make up for it. And don't keep apologizing. It's not like you did it."
"I should've protected you," Mare Do Well said softly. "I'm supposed to be acting like an awesome superhero and I just keep messing up."
"How've you been messing up?" Rainbow slowly asked, curious.
Rainbow Dash was referring to the way the mare had been fighting before, because at the time, Mare Do Well had seemed like a genuine vigilante, despite what she'd said about it all being an act – but the mare seemed to misunderstand.
"Like yesterday. I went too far, I always do. But you... you're being so nice right now! You hate me, why are you being so nice?" Mare Do Well wailed.
"Went too far?" Dash repeated. "I thought you were trying to make me mad."
Mare Do Well shook her head, and another muffled sob escaped. "N-no. Well, not most of the time. It's complicated and I was upset, but... but I don't want you to hate me. I don't think, I just act. I have no idea what I'm doing," she confessed.
"Yes you do," Rainbow Dash said stupidly. She was still on the ground, propped up on her elbows as the trembling and tearful Mare Do Well leered over her. "You've... you've been doing it on purpose. To mess with me."
"No!" Mare Do Well practically shouted. "I mean, no, not on purpose! I just... I've been making it all up as I go. It's all spur of the moment. I've been trying to keep you interested so that you'll come back and I'll get to see you because I'm s-scared that you'll get bored and I'll lose you."
If Mare Do Well was telling the truth, then she didn't come to the alley every night because she knew Dash would show up. She came because she prayed Dash would.
Rainbow Dash had never, for even one moment, suspected that Mare Do Well had been genuine in her repeated declarations of love. She'd been flirtatious – and had admittedly been very, very good at turning Dash on against her will – but Rainbow had never thought that Mare Do Well might have actually meant anything she said. Now, though, the mare was speaking with such raw feeling that Rainbow Dash could feel a surge of something indefinable rising in her chest. Pity, maybe, or at least sympathy.
"I –" Rainbow Dash began, and her words caught in her throat. She tried again. "I –"
"I don't want to lose you," Mare Do Well said quietly. "I really like you."
Maybe it was an instinctual reaction due to her guilt, but the mare absently reached forward, tenderly stroking one of Rainbow Dash's broken wings. Her touch sent a wave of convulsions through Rainbow's entire body, causing her to shudder in a bizarre mix of pain and ecstasy.
"I'm sorry," Mare Do Well quickly apologized, yanking back her hoof like a foal who'd accidentally touched a hot stove. "Did I hurt you?"
Yes and no. Rainbow Dash could only pant. The caress had hurt like a million shards of glass, but at the same time, had also felt like... like...
Her mind flashed back to the library, and Twilight's explanation of the wing thing. An area of the pegasus anatomy with heightened sensitivity, the stimulation of which...
Yes.
"I really like you," Mare Do Well repeated, with none of the coyness from their earlier meetings. Just absolute, heartfelt sincerity. Just softness. Just gentle coaxing. Wait, coaxing? Why was she trying to be coaxing?
A leg hooked around Rainbow's waist. Mare Do Well slid into position, straddling Rainbow Dash's hips and leaning forward.
"I know that I've given you a million reasons to hate me, but I want to give you just as many reasons to love me. That's all I've ever wanted," the mare whispered. A hoof garbed in black found its way to Rainbow Dash's rough, shaggy mane, stroking it as gently as one would pet a beloved cat. "Do you think you could ever do that?"
"...Maybe?" Dash squeaked.
She didn't know what she was saying. All she knew was that the hooves were so gentle, and were touching all the right places, reducing her to a quivering mess.
"If I was gonna, I dunno, let you kiss me or something, how would that work?" Rainbow Dash managed to stutter. "Cuz, cuz you don't want me to know who you are, and you'd have to take off your mask-hood thing."
"I'd figure something out."
"M-maybe..." Dash began.
Then she stopped.
"No!" Rainbow shouted, suddenly struggling, writhing beneath Mare Do Well. "No, get off me! What's wrong with you? You promised no creeping!"
"But you liked it," Mare Do Well protested, a trace of that old slyness finding its way back into her voice.
"Oh, for – you've been making fun of me this whole time!" Rainbow Dash exploded. For the first time she noticed a smear of something dark on Mare Do Well's violet suit. Blood? From who? Oh, no. Not – "I can't believe I actually felt sorry for you! I was right, you're just a freaking pervert or something! You've been faking it this whole time! I, I bet you weren't even really crying! Maybe you broke my wings, just so I'd be all vulnerable and feel bad for you and how guilty you felt, boo-hoo!"
"I wouldn't do that," Mare Do Well answered stiffly. "For any reason."
"How do I even know?" Rainbow Dash barked. She'd freed herself from Mare Do Well's hold and was now standing, but Mare Do Well remained sitting on her haunches on the ground, quietly looking up at her.
"Because I love you."
There it was. That word again. The word that had the power to completely destroy any rational thought Rainbow Dash may have possessed, but only when it fell from certain mouths.
"I just... why?" Rainbow Dash asked, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Why do you even like me in the first place?"
"I don't know," Mare Do Well replied humbly. "I just do. And I want to be with you, so I'll use any excuse I can find to spend time with you. I'm not just trying to seduce you; it's not like that. But I like holding you, too. I like knowing that I have that effect on you and that I have the power to make you feel that way."
"Well, I hate it," the pegasus snarled. "And you're just... just... just unbelievably obnoxious, you know that? I won't lie, it's kinda hot when you're pushy, but it's also annoying. I like being the one in charge, and I hate feeling like somepony else can control me so easily. And I know it's not even real! You've told me so over and over again, that you're playing this dumb part because you feel safer pretending to be somepony else. But maybe I'd like the real you, ever think of that?"
"You don't like me, though," Mare Do Well said softly. "You don't. That's why I wanted to try being somepony new for a while."
"Well, you don't know that for sure, do you?"
"I do."
The firmness of the response caught Rainbow Dash off guard, and she remembered Applejack's advice – to try and figure out who would want to be Mare Do Well, rather than who Mare Do Well could possibly be. If Mare Do Well wanted to keep her identity a secret so badly, there must be a reason, but it seemed like this was much more than the simple bashfulness that came with a crush.
"Did I... did I reject you, or something?" Rainbow Dash asked carefully.
She liked to joke about being a heartbreaker, but she had heard quite a few confessions and gone out with quite a few ponies. She'd never dated anypony seriously, though, never letting the relationship go beyond playing. It was always just fooling around, and Rainbow had always made it clear that it was just for fun, and to not expect any kind of long-term commitment. Dash had never stopped to consider whether anypony had ever been seriously hurt when she moved on.
But Rainbow Dash had never done so with a friend before, and if Mare Do Well was really some pathetically heartbroken stalker, then that meant Dash been going about this wrong the whole time. And suddenly everything that had happened between them took on a much more disturbing tone.
"No," Mare Do Well said, interrupting Rainbow's train of thought. "You've never specifically turned me down. But trust me. You would."
"Whatever," Rainbow Dash muttered. She was exhausted all of a sudden, and didn't want to deal with any more craziness that night. She just wanted to go home – only if she couldn't fly, then how was she supposed to get home? Where was she supposed to sleep? Not here in the street. That had bad idea written all over it.
"I'm going," Rainbow said icily. "I'll go to Fluttershy's or something. Don't follow me. Don't try and help me any more, either. And for the record, when you act normal – like when you get excited or happy or sad for whatever reason – that's when I start to feel like I could like you. Like when we watched the sunrise? I kind of liked that. Just a tip."
Rainbow Dash left, picking up speed from a trot to a run just to get out of there as fast as possible. Mare Do Well made no response, made no attempt to follow her. When Rainbow turned back just once, just to see, the mare was already gone.
S...oooo...cute...MUST HAVE MOAR.
whoa....that was intense, make moar, MAKE MOAR
So amazing, keep up the positively wonderful work! I look forward to the next chapter! Which is soon yes?
By Celestia, I hope so.
Touching. Very, very touching. And sad. I really like this Mare Do Well character.
Okay, Lazy Brony Observation time!
MARE-DO-WELL IS LIKELY:
Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
MARE-DO-WELL IS PROBABLY NOT (but still possibly):
Applejack
Pinkie Pie
A non-mane cast pony
MARE-DO-WELL IS DEFINITELY NOT:
Fluttershy
REASONINGS:
-A somewhat subtle clue is provided during the Pinkie Pie Swear scene. Twilight, in the past, has had some difficulties with the swear, mainly involving her eye. She would probably want to avoid the motions because poking herself in the eye would give her away, hence why she is stated to only gesture at her eye, not actually poke it. Rarity would find the swear just weird in general and be reluctant to do it. Also, right before she is forced to do the swear, Mare-Do-Well says "You have my word", which sounds like something Rarity (and possibly Twilight) would say.
-I'm pretty sure Applejack was mostly eliminated as a suspect in previous chapters, but that may have been me reading wrong or whatever. Plus I don't really see her as being the kind of pony to be friends with the owner of Sofas and Quills (or whatever it's called), while Twilight likely would be for obvious reasons. Pinkie Pie would also probably not be smart enough to orchestrate this whole plot and manage to stay in character as Mare-Do-Well, unless she has some hidden depths. Plus I can't see her as the type of pony to hesitate to perform a Pinkie Pie Swear, even in disguise. And for the sake of plot, I hope to Celestia it's not a non-mane cast pony.
-It can't be Fluttershy. Plain and simple. Why? Because Fluttershy knows a lot about injuries and medicine and that kind of stuff, hence why Rainbow Dash was gonna head there in the end of the chapter. So why would Fluttershy not help her badly injured friend, even if she's trying to stay in character? If she would be willing to do that, she's not a very good friend.
OBSERVATIONS COMPLETE. Farewell until next time.
Oh, this is wonderful. This might be my favorite chapter yet. It feels like we're really GETTING somewhere ... now that MDW and RD dropped their damned game, at least for a few minutes, to engage in a real and honest emotional transaction. Also, I do believe this is the first time MDW has actually said the words "I love you" to Dash, no?
Okay, this is a bit stream-of-consciousness, so bear with me:
I love how, after RD is injured, MDW's speech changes--she drops the complicated syntax, the fancy vocabulary, etc. She falls back into simpler sentences, more frequent contractions, just generally more colloquial speech. I'd figured she was purposefully fancyin' up her speech (part of the disguise? part of the superhero role? both?), but I feel like this is pretty good confirmation of that suspicion. I also like that she finally 'fessed up to flying by the seat of her pants, to not really being in control. I think it's important that RD knows and realizes that. And I love what RD tells MDW at the very end, about almost liking MDW when she's "normal."
I'm not sure how normal MDW can be, though. She's ... complex, isn't she? Kind of messed up, to understate things. Aggressive one minute, terrified the next. Pulling Dash closer (intentionally or unintentionally) then shoving her away. But I think MDW is at her most sympathetic in this chapter. She's heart-breaking and, yes, despite what RD claimed in a previous chapter, even tragic. In particular, this really hit me:
"You don't like me, though," she said softly. "You don't. That's why I wanted to be somepony new for a while."
I've been wondering, how much she knows about how Dash feels. This suggests she realizes quite a bit ... realizes that Dash is often annoyed with her, that Dash often doesn't listen to her, that Dash isn't sure how deeply she wants to peer below the calm surface. But I think she's very wrong that RD doesn't like her; I hope she realizes that. I hope RD realizes that, too, because I'm not sure if RD knows this herself.
They all break my heart. They're all just hurting, scared, confused. Behaving in spectacularly stupid ways, true, but ... they really don't MEAN to, I don't think.
I like the interweaving of Pinkie's story with MDW's story. How Rainbow is basically being taught the same lesson by both of them, just from different perspectives. It's very interesting.
Lastly, I am wondering why RD doesn't seem to be adding 2 and 2 to get 4. Specifically, I wonder if some part of her brain is actively resisting all of the clues she's gotten the last few chapters, because she simply isn't ready to deal with the truth yet. Because I do feel that RD has gotten enough that she can at least have some suspicions ...
The way MDW waits so patiently for her. Her speed, her agility. The way MDW freaked at being asked to Pinkie swear. The way MDW launched herself at RD and hugged her around the middle (and just how many ponies hug you like that, RD? I mean, REALLY).
p.s. Your author's note made me crack a grin. Well played.
Poor pinkie, She had a really hard time
It's astonishing how Dash, pinkie and MAre do well are good detailed in psyche ...
The "my life is fucked up scale" can't take much more. Talk about a conundrum!
Still Pinkie. Definitely, absolutely, the-only-one-that-makes-any-sense-at-all Pinkie. A good thing, since PinkieDash is Best Ship, and I've been right all along.
This was a very...progressive chapter. A lot happened. Pinkie-Do-Well's facade is crumbling, and Dash is starting to see and approve of her real self. It'll be interesting to see how their next meeting plays out. Also, MDW is Best Superhero. Her hesitation at the end of the fight aside, that was pretty danged awesome, as was Dash's excited reaction to the whole thing. One thing, though...did MDW ever take out the last unicorn guy after he broke Dash's wings? I would assume so, but I didn't notice any mention of that in the rest of the chapter.
Anyway, spectacular stuff as always. Quit wallowing and get typing again! Also, what ever happened to the CMC Mystery Solvers? Two whole chapters without a single peep from them? They're suspiciously quiet.
78400 Hah, "last unicorn." I didn't really feel like going too deeply into that, but remember the bloodstain on Mare Do Well's costume? I like to imagine it was from that guy. It's probably best you don't ask.
I'm almost certain its either Twilight or Rarity, with Pinkie being a close second. Pinkie loves Dash, but she isn't Mare-Do-Well.
Its NOT Fluttershy. She would know how to treat wounds.
I'm leaning towards Twilight over Rarity. Why?
-She has had trouble with the Swear before, getting her hoof in her eye. Here, it states she only gestures at it.
-She is the most likely to have a friendship with the manager of Quill's and Sofas, if she is its main customer for quills.
- MDWs speech and mannerisms are of someone intelligent/from high society, as she herself stated. She heavily implied this meant she was Rarity, which of course means it isn't.
Also, Pinkie would never hesitate to do the Swear, even in disguise.
I'm pretty sure it is Pinkie Pie but for all I know you could do a 360 and make it rarity wich would be awsome . I cant wait till I finally see this completed. Keep up the great work.
Wow. This was an epic chapter. Loved how after RD was injured, they actually communicated without that game of theirs in mind. They really conveyed some of their true feelings there, especially what RD told MDW at the end about how where she acts as herself rather than MWD she likes her more. Also what MDW told RD about how she know's she doesn't like her actual self really makes me curious as to who this is. It makes me want to think that Pinkie is MDW, but then again, this chapter pushed me to think that it might be a background character that is really MDW. Looking forward to the next chapter :D
Have a good one.
Sweet merciful Celestia that was riveting! Moar I say, Moar!
Still thinking it's Pinkimina. Dash felt that the hug was familiar, and Pinkie's the one who keeps glomping her. Then again, I could be totally wrong about this. A.J.'s still not completely off my suspects list.
"like a practiced dancer performing a choreographed routine." This chapter makes me think it's Rarity now...
At first I thought, Fluttershy! Then, Pinkie Pie! Now....Rarity. She just seems to fit.
I feel really sorry for Mare Do Well in this one.
You are an amazing writer.
You keep us on our toes.
78451
Ah. Cool. Poor bastard.
Aww, Fluttershy drops down my list. Which is sad, because I would actually prefer Fluttershy over most other pairings with Dashie. ^^;
THE NEXT CHAPTER, I AM SURE, SHALL REVEAL MOAR CLUES 8D
I have to agree with most other reviewers for this chapter - Rarity and Twilight are probably Mare-Do-Well, IMO, after reading this chapter. Pinkie and Applejack are on my not-probable list, and Fluttershy (due to my being biased) is now in the middle. I sorely hope it's not a character that's not from the Mane Six.
That would ruin everything for me.
I'm calling twilight, it sounds like something she would do
She believes that dash wouldn't like her if she just told her herself so she comes up with an overextravigant plan, sounds like twilight, she is not good at the healing stuff because she has no actual experience but she know's enough to actually do something, like twilight, she overreacts to dash being hurt by the unicorn and almost breaks down, like twilight would, she has trouble with the pinkie pie swear and only gestures to her eye, like twilight. However, whats brilliant about this story is that i could be completley wrong because there is evidence for the others as well
Wow...and yet again, we have another great chapter. Why must we be graced with such greatness? I don't really have much to say this time, so I'll just go into my usual suspects list with the reasoning behind each pick:
1. Twilight - FINALLY, she's back at the top of my list, right where I want her. Like a few people have mentioned before me, it's clearly her...at least for this chapter. First, Twilight is virtually better than Dash at EVERYTHING; she's proven it, time and time again. So, when Dash wondered how Mare Do Well could be so better than her...that's clearly Twilight. We've seen Twilight beat Dash at racing by using her BRAIN; clearly, Mare Do Well uses her intelligence, and thus is what makes her better than Dash. Plus, Twilight isn't really good with injuries, and is prone to freaking out at the simplest of things if they don't go perfectly. Finally, Twilight would naturally think that Dash doesn't like her, since Dash always mocks Twilight for her intelligence and for being an egghead, so naturally Twilight would feel that way. Oh, and Mare Do Well vanished very quickly at the end...makes me think it was a teleportation spell. We could also go into the fact that she knows the Sofas & Quills' manager or how she's not good with the Pinkie Pie Swear or whatever, but then that'd just be overkill.
2. Rarity - Most of Mare Do Well's mannerisms still tend to be flirty or sly, and we all know that that's how Rarity is. She is also agile and quick, and despite saying that Mare Do Well's motions weren't exactly "graceful", we HAVE seen moments of Rarity not exactly being as graceful as she would like to be. It's also not out of the realm of possibility that she'd know the Sofas & Quills' owner. The only thing that doesn't make a lot of sense would be when Dash got injured. First, I REALLY can't see Rarity defending Dash like that; it would just...well, not be like her. Second, while she is a drama queen, it would be very out of character for her to react the way she did when tending to Dash's wings. Third, even in the most frantic of moments, Rarity still tends to act graceful and calm; when in Canterlot, we saw her get stressed, but she always retained her poise. So, while Rarity is still a prime suspect now (much to my chagrin), I don't think it's her.
3. Fluttershy - I have to somewhat disagree with what some of the others said on here already. Just because Mare Do Well didn't fix Dash up to perfection...that doesn't mean she's not Fluttershy. For all we know, Fluttershy could've been horrified at seeing Dash hurt and simply was too stressed and frazzled to fix her up properly. Plus, the way she kept screaming, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" and all that makes me believe that she was reverting back to her normal state. Her giving Dash a big hug and telling her she loves her are suspicious, too. The only thing that bothers me about blaming Fluttershy is that...how in the WORLD could she ever be flirty and sly? Even when behind a mask, I REALLY cannot see that happening; it would just be...very out of character. Plus, people are apparently making the case that Mare Do Well has no wings (which has NOT been 100% proven). So, I give it some chance that Mare Do Well is Fluttershy, but not much.
4. Applejack - Nothing about what Mare Do Well did this chapter adds up to AJ...at all. Applejack would NOT freak out like that, she would NOT be a romantic or flirty type, she would NOT be hesitant to do that Pinkie Pie Swear, and finally...it said that Mare Do Well's voice eventually went back to normal, so if that's the case, it's CLEARLY not Applejack. At this point, I would beyond stunned and very, very confused if Mare Do Well was Applejack; it simply would not add up and not make a lick of sense.
5. Pinkie - Wow...from first to worst in 10 chapters...I wasn't expecting this. But, I fear it's true. There is no way Mare Do Well is Pinkie now. I don't care what anyone says; Pinkie is not THAT good of an actress. She's no superhero, she can't just keep going from emotion to emotion as easy as Twilight goes from book to book, she's not exactly that flirty, she's not really that outwardly intelligent, she's hardly better than Dash at ANYTHING, I don't see why she'd be unwilling to do her own swear, and the general aura I get from Mare Do Well is no longer Pinkie's. I'm sorry, but it's not her. At this point, the story wants us to believe that it is...but it's not. That would be a cop-out anyway; we're all expecting it to be Pinkie, for the OBVIOUS reasons, but you have to read between the lines. Mare Do Well is NOT Pinkie Pie. I'd bet my LIFE on it.
Other Possible Suspects: Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Trixie, Derpy Hooves, All The Mane Six (Minus Dash)
Yes, a part of me STILL thinks Dash is suffering from a disease...stupid, yes, but deal with it. It's how I think. I can easily see Scootaloo as being the superhero type, not to mention being better than Dash at everything...because, DUH, she always studies her and WATCHES her every move! Trixie...that's just my heart saying that; I love her, so I like keeping her close. Derpy...I'm praying that it's not a pony outside of the mane six, but...Derpy wouldn't be a bad choice. This last one just hit me. What if...Mare Do Well...is ALL the other five ponies? What if they made a deal that they'd each try to win Rainbow Dash's love? THAT would explain why we see little bit of tidbits of EACH of them in Mare Do Well! It would explain how Twilight showed up just as Mare Do Well left...it would explain how Mare Do Well sometimes can act classy like Rarity, or strong like Applejack, or intelligent like Twilight, or caring like Fluttershy, or a ditz like Pinkie...it makes sense! So, while it's probably not true...the thought still is lingering in my mind. Maybe...there's five Mare Do Wells...and each one is Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack...and each one is trying to win Rainbow's love...and it's how Mare Do Well ALWAYS knows everything that Dash does. It's just a thought.
At this point, it simply cannot be anypony outside the mane six. It just can't. Our amusing author's notes-writing author wouldn't be THAT big of an idiot to DARE write a background pony as Mare Do Well. That'd be the same as saying, "Ha, I tricked you all! It was NONE of the mane six! But, still, you enjoyed the story, right?" But...still...at this point, who knows what else could happen? Twilight is the clear suspect today, but a few days from now...heck, our Canadian piano-playing author could very well write something to make us believe it's Fluttershy again! Who knows? But, I do know one thing with 100% certainty: this fan-fiction rules.
79021 Oh, and I wanted to make one more point about my theory about Mare Do Well possibly being all five of Rainbow's friends. This would cleverly make the title of this fan-fiction, The Games We Play, a double-entendre. The basic meaning would indicate the "game" that Dash and Mare Do Well "play" with each other throughout the series...but, the hidden, double meaning would be the "game" that all of Dash's friends play behind her back, which would be "let's see who can win Dash's love". Yes, thinking like that is slightly cruel, but...it's still a possibility, right?
Personally, I still think its Fluttershy. There is reasons to this. For example, we know Fluttershy has skills with bandaging animals up, but does that transfer to ponies? Next she was frazzled by what happened. Panic can remove most thoughts from a ponies mind. Then there are the speech patterns. When Dash first wakes up that sounds very Fluttershy. Plus the blood on the costume can be a moment of Flutterrage.
This story is really picking up now. Dat ending,
I'm gonna give up on guessing who Mare Do Well really is. Her certainty that Rainbow would never like the real her had me blanked out completely.
I'm inclined to support Tailslover13's theory. It's most likely either Twilight, Pinkie, or all 5 of them. Just thought I'd give my two bits. In any case, I look forward to more.
The next chapter might be a little later than usual, guys. Like I've said before, I'm trying to get an update out every two days or so. However, with the holidays coming up, that might be a bit difficult this week.
79477
Argh! You've got me so conflicted now; I don't know whether to hope RD succumbs to MDW and watch how the aftermath of that gets resolved with Pinkie, or brushes MDW off and tries to (genuinely, for Pinkie's sake rather than her own) help Pinkie and see how that affects MDW. At this point these issues are even more driving for me than RD trying to piece it together! Can I hope for two things at the same time?
Lastly, I expect most here are also a bit busy preparing for the holidays (I know I am), so hopefully the time will fly by for all of us. Still can hardly wait, though!
Notice when you directly address the parasprites, we say nothing, we are like the boy in the back of class that is always asleep, never does anything when addressed to, but only when he wants to.
why isent there a parasprites emote? They need some more animal emotes, the chicken is not enough
Still Pinkie.
Well, let me rephrase. It's either Pinkie, or the last five or so chapters have been filler and this story is terrible.
So, pray it's Pinkie.
I'm not going to guess who it is. The author has done a tremendous job of keeping it open to anypony, even this late in the game. Even now we can't rule anyone out for certain. That is impressive.
"If one rules out the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, is inevitably true."
So far, it is equally improbable to be any of the mane six. At the same time, it is incredibly likely to be any one of them. I'm honestly not even sure if the author has decided who it is yet, opting to leave it open until later. Regardless, this is one maze of a fic and I'm loving every twist.
Watch it be photo finish.
Although... I do think I know who it is...
"Oh, my!" she cried in mock terror. "Sophistication? Class? Crude? Who does that sound like?"
Proof that Mare Do Well is Pinkie Pie. She used her powers of fourth-wall manipulation to troll all the recent commenters who've been convinced that it's going to turn out to be Rarity.
On a serious note, I do have something I wanna say, about a recent trend I've been noticing in the comments that's been bugging me.
I might be completely wrong about this, but from what I understand, this story is supposed to be about the role perception plays in relationships and how your preconceptions can shape the way you view someone. So if you're playing the guessing game along with Rainbow Dash but you're writing off a pony as a suspect because you think playing Mare Do Well is too "out of character" for them, then you're missing the point. Mare Do Well has specifically said that the reason she runs around in costume is so that she doesn't feel constrained by what Rainbow Dash already knows of her, because she wanted to try being somepony else, somepony braver.
Also, one more thing. A lot of people seem to be making certain assumptions in their guesses - that Mare Do Well is the only character romantically interested in Rainbow Dash, and that Rainbow Dash will inevitably end up with her. If you're working with these assumptions, then logically Mare Do Well must be Pinkie, since she's been a pretty major character so far and is obviously in love with Dash. Yet it's entirely possible that Mare Do Well and Pinkie are competing for her affections separately, and it's equally possible that Rainbow Dash will end up choosing Pinkie over Mare Do Well.
That's all I wanted to say. Just something for you guys to think about.
81124
Don't worry, I know who it's going to be. I've had a firm idea of where this story is heading since the very beginning. It's just all the stuff in the middle that I'm winging.
81039
Judging from the past few comments you've left, I'm getting the impression that you're a very low-tier parasprite being unnecessarily severe ("It's either Pinkie, or the last five or so chapters have been filler and this story is terrible") for the sake of getting a rise out of me. That, or you are extremely passionate about fanfiction. OH WELL HATERS GONNA HATE
I'd love for this story to end up being a TwiDash. There aren't that many of those and if this became one, it would be one of the best.
I'll love this story regardless of who gets together.
Oh sweet god I love this story so much.
KEEP WRITING :3
81660
If you do in fact know where you're heading, then it can really only be one pony.
Not gonna say though, don't want to ruin anything ^^
81660
It's nothing against you, bro. It's against the people saying oh my god it's totally Derpy, despite Derpy not being in the story.
I'm saying that, if it's NOT Pinkie, then /why/ is Pinkie the only major canon character in the story outside of Rainbow Dash and MDW? There are three options, really.
Option one is that it's Pinkie Pie and the story makes sense.
Option two is, as someone else suggested, RD ends up choosing Pinkie over MDW, which seems a strange route to take, considering Pinkie suffers from basically the exact same mismatched identity as MDW and therefore RD's choice seems kind of arbitrary. Unless this is a sadfic, which (I assume) it's not. Plus, it doesn't exactly gel with the various hints dropped throughout the text. And by hints I mean just narrative focus, lines, and so on, not mystery-related stuff.
Option three, related to option two, is that MDW's a character who's more or less absent from the narrative. It's Fluttershy, Twilight, Derpy, AJ, whatever. In this case, you either have to roll with option two as well, or the shipping aspect of the fic kinda falls apart. I suppose having MDW as a main character supplies some of what's needed, but really both halves of the ship ought to be main characters. I'm exaggerating when I say the fic would suck olololo but really I can't see this fic having a satisfactory, non-Pinkiedash ending. Such is the trouble of combining [Mystery] with [Romance]. shrugpony.jpg
You're right in the sense that I have no idea why people guessing IT'S RARITY IT'S RARITY NO WAIT MAYBE IT'S TOM after reading an entire chapter about Pinkie Pie makes me rage, though. It's just a story. Not quite sure why I care. derp derp derp
Nice fic, in any case. It's been a good read so far.
Fluttershy, however, also seemed to be noticing the way Pinkie was uncharacteristically avoiding Rainbow; at least, that's the impression she gave, what with the way she kept switching her gaze between them nervously. She didn't say anything, though, likely because she had her hands full with Angel.
English is not my native language and maybe I'm wrong, but is not supposed to be hooves instead hands?
PS: I love this story because it mixes mystery with superheros and, if I'm lucky, PinkieDash.
Mare Do Well is obviously Derpy Hooves.
Something I have noticed reading this is that Rarity has so far been the only one without any legitimate reason NOT to be Mare Do Well. Thus far in the story everypony else has had at least once had a reason why they cant be Mare Do Well. So I find it suspicious that Rarity has yet to have any reason other than "it wouldn't make sense." That's my two cents for this part.
Now for the actual chapter, the way this chapter is going I'm more than sure that Pinkie isn't Mare Do Well. Only because she is so distraught and hurt with Rainbow choosing Mare Do Well over her. Though I'd be willing to bet on anything that Pinkie is going to solve the mystery first!
So my vote is still with Rarity, just based off how Mare Do Well has been acting thus far and no real clues being put out other than she doesn't know how to heal or take care of severe injuries.
Also just to throw it out there Rarity could like Rainbow for a few reasons.
One being, the fact that she saved her previously in the Rainboom episode. It would be the classic fall for your savior thing.
Two is that Rainbow is an athlete, so her body would be very well built and taken care of. Something Rarity would be able to appreciate.
Three would be that Rainbow has such a carefree personality and lifestyle, something that Rarity could long for with her constantly busy and well scheduled lifestyle. It would be like a balance for them.
still think fluttershy.
some small part of me knows that, even if MDW poorly wrapped RD's wings, she did it because being too good would blow her cover.
i connect well with MDW in this story, and fluttershy being too shy to just come out and SAY "i love you" and instead putting on a mask just seems.... right. and, fluttershy may be hurt that rainbow did NOT share with her what was going on, even when she did her whole motherly thing at RD's house.
i just think it's fluttershy. my $$$ is on her.
I've just had an interesting thought...what with the subplot of the Pinkie romance option going on...if Rainbow chooses Pinkie we may never find out who played Mare-Do-Well.
With Pinkie reinging triumphant our masked heroine would have no need to don the outfit anymore and would fade into the night from which she came, with or without a farewell to Rainbow. And of course if Pinkie was in fact Mare-Do-Well then she may not reveal that to Rainbow as she didn't need to be anyone but herself all along and wouldn't want to complicate things or anger Rainbow by revealing it was her behind the mask.
Wouldn't be a completely satisfying ending as I'm sure a lot of readers would want to know who it was but that's how I would have done it if I was writing this story. Sometimes an unsolvable mystery has much more charm than a solvable one.
79021 I agree with all but one thing: It can't be Twilight, because I highly doubt that the author would pull a cloning spell out of her arsenal. If you're confused, think back to about chapter 3 or 4. Dash and MDW were talking, and who shows up? Twilight. And because a broken wing is a broken wing, no matter if it's a Pegasus or bird, I don't think it's Fluttershy. This made me certain it's Rarity, until I read the last of your other possible suspects; all of them. It does make sense, but again, I doubt the author would pull that. Not saying he won't, though.
All in all, I think it's the pony that is being used to confirm I am human: Rarity.
I'm just gonna drop the line:
'A hoof garbed in black found its way to Rainbow Dash's rough, shaggy mane, stroking it as gently as one would pet a beloved cat.'
I know this really doesn't say anything for certain, but hey, every little thing counts.
Okay, I have to ask, am I the only one who is starting to hate Mare Do Well? I mean, I know she is probably teaching Dash about something really rather important, but she is just so mean... so idk, she just rubs me the wrong way... I'm constantly finding myself saying "well if that was me, I would (insert something clever)" but then I realized that I would actually just cry, and after a few days, I'd try to kill myself in an attempt to rid myself of Mare Do Well. Oh, no. Oh sweet celestia, I'm starting to sound like Kelly from "The Office"
Okay, now I'm thinking it's Rarity. The "Oh my, who does that sound like?" is an obvious double bluff, or maybe an attempt to cover a slip.
Jesus my brain is about to explode into butterflies, I must read next chapter!
mmmmmmmm..........
maybe!!!!
78169 Also can't be Fluttershy because Mare Do Well has no wings.
1st time reading but I am pretty sure it's Pinkie, I can't say why, but i just have that feeling.
...Trixie?
Then again, Fluttershy could also say that.