• Published 1st Dec 2011
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The Games We Play - AbsoluteAnonymous



Somepony is once again masquerading as Mare Do Well, and it's up to Rainbow Dash to figure out who.

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Chapter 9: It All Falls Apart

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.