A New Hero

by Alex The Lone Wolf

The Mysterious Mare Do Well

Episode 34 – The Mysterious Mare Do Well

It felt like any other day when I woke up. I opened my eyes to see the sunshine peeking in through the window. I stretched and loosened myself. Afterwards, I rubbed my eyes and crawled off of bed. I walked down the stairs, yawning and hearing silence. Wanting to escape this silence, I opened the door and prepared myself for the sounding environment from the other ponies.

When I was outside, I could hear the chattering of many ponies as they stood, talking to each other, or walked by. I began walking through town myself, feeling the need for a stroll while it felt peaceful.

"Help! Help!" I heard a young filly's voice nearby. The voice sounded as if it was echoed. I quickly looked around to notice where the voice came from. "Help! Help!" I heard again, causing my head to point towards an old well with broken planks of wood nailed onto the top. I quickly raced over to the well and looked down. Through many feet down, I could see a small faint filly crawled at the bottom.

"Hold on! I'll get some help!" I shouted.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue that crashed through the well, causing me to jump back and land on the ground. Other ponies had walked towards where I was at. Twilight and Pinkie Pie had walked towards the well, asking me what happened. "Alex, what's going on?"

"I don't know…"

Fluttershy walked towards me as well from behind. "Alex? Are you okay?" She asked, helping me up.

"Yeah…" I dusted myself off. "There is a filly stuck in the well, but—

The same flash of blue flew out with the filly holding on to her back. It was Rainbow Dash! She had flown towards us and landed, allowing the dirty filly to hop off her with leaves, mud, and scratches on her. The ponies that surrounded the scene immediately began cheering. "Wow. What's with this crowd?" She muttered. "Uh, thanks everypony. It was really no big deal."

The saved filly walked up to her. "To me it was! You're my hero, Rainbow Dash!" Her comment caused the ponies to resume cheering as Rainbow Dash could only look at them embarrassingly in the good way. Rarely, she blushed and flew away.

"That Rainbow Dash sure is something." Scootaloo had also seen the scene and commented. I noticed she was wearing some sort of wig of Rainbow Dash's mane on her mane. Snips and Snails were also by her, wearing Rainbow Dash shirts.

"Something special." They finished while Scootaloo nodded.

The crowd eventually dispensed as Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy remained with me.

"Wow…Rainbow Dash is pretty amazing for saving that little filly." Twilight announced.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie hopped. "She was all like WOOSH! WAM! WOOSH!" She made fast gestures, basically depicting the scene again.

"That was mighty crazy, swooping in to save that little filly. Yee-haw!" Applejack added as well.

"It was." I finished with a smile, but then started thinking for a moment. "…you don't think she will let it get the best of her, do you? She is Rainbow Dash."

The three of them looked at each other, questionably.

"I hope not…" Twilight replied.

"Well, we don't we all get some breakfast over at the café? I'm sure you're hungrier than a pig on feeding day!" Applejack suggested, directing at me.

"Sure." I answered, regaining my smile.

We walked to the café where we ordered breakfast. As we waited, we continued our conversation with each other. "Hm…there's one thing that's puzzling me though…"

"What is it?" They asked.

"…how is it that a filly can fall through a well that high and not be severely injured?"

The ponies once again looked at each other questionably. They thought for a moment.

"I—

Suddenly, we heard a mare scream out loud, piercing through the whole town and interrupting Twilight. We quickly looked to see a baby carriage on the loose…with the baby still in it. It was heading towards the end of a jagged cliff. What's a…? I immediately shook my head and began running after the carriage. My chances were slim of catching the carriage, but it was worth a try.

The baby was still a little further up the hill and I was close to the end. I could see it continuously cry. I began sprinting as fast as I could to catch it, but the same blue pony flew by and grabbed the handle with her teeth. Afterwards, she planted her hooves on the ground and pulled back in an effort to stop the fleeing carriage. She had halted not only the carriage, but the baby's crying as well before it fled off the edge of the cliff. The ponies who had been watching the terrifying and suspenseful scene at the bottom of the cliff immediately began cheering.

Rainbow Dash noticed and began blushing and rubbing her head again. She bowed while in the air and waved. After, she looked towards the baby and gasped. Raising my eyebrow, I quickly rushed over to the carriage and looked inside. "Oh no! There's something wrong with the baby!" I observed inside to see a baby with a blank expression as it just stared in confusion at us. There's nothing wrong with the baby… However, her comment immediately caused the other ponies to gasp and quit cheering. Rainbow Dash picked up the baby and revealed it to the other ponies with a grin. "She's not cheering for everypony's favorite hero, Rainbow Dash!" Everypony cheered once again. Rainbow Dash flew over to the mother and was about to give the baby back, but cameras began flashing near her. She looked back to see paparazzi and instead, flung the baby and turned back, causing the mother to catch the baby and look at Rainbow with an irritated expression. The girls had caught up to me and looked at Rainbow Dash's rising fame with a blank expression, except Pinkie Pie who retained her smile.

"There just aren't enough words in the dictionary to describe Rainbow Dash's awesomeness." Scootaloo, with her Rainbow Dash mane, repeated her expression as Rainbow Dash continued to pose for the camera.

"I can think of a few new words…" Twilight announced softly.

"And I bet 'modest' is not one of them." Applejack responded, annoyed, as Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and blew kisses to everypony. After, she created a cloud logo of her cutie mark and sped off.

"No, but she is kinda awesome." Twilight added.

I noticed Pinkie Pie happily waving back as Rainbow Dash left the scene.

After breakfast, we began having a stroll through town.

"You know what I wonder?" I asked. The girls looked at me, wanting to know the answer. "Why does Ponyville have such a steep cliff like that? Has it never occurred to them to fix that? I mean…who doesn't see any danger to safety like that? Somepony could easily fall off of there…"

The girls, again, looked at each other questionably and could only shrug at the thought. As we continued walking, I noticed Fluttershy flying slightly above to the left of me. I looked at her and smiled lightly. "Hm…I really wonder how it feels like to fly."

Fluttershy gasped in happiness and returned a smile. "It would be so amazing if you could! It really has its perks." She blushed slightly, possibly for another thought.

"Well, I still have that spell that gives you temporary wings." Twilight replied. "If you want, I could cast it on you."

"Hm…" I thought as I tapped a hoof to my chin. "Wait… but the last time you did that, it didn't work for some reason. Remember?"

"Oh…right."

Suddenly, we began hearing cracking and splintering of wood in front of us. Panic followed as other ponies walked towards the scene to see what was going on. We looked to see a group of four elders hanging on to the rail of the balcony as it began to fall from the roof.

"Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" Rainbow Dash announced from above us.

"Just go!" I exclaimed, causing her to flinch and fly towards the scene.

As the balcony was heading towards the ground, Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed it from below and lightly placed it on the ground. Predictable, the ponies began cheering and Rainbow Dash began sucking in more pride. As she observed all the ponies around her, I noticed Derpy in the crowd as well. She was cheering with her forelegs raised as she yelled and crossed her eyes. After, Rainbow Dash flew up in the air above them as they continued to chant her name. "I can't hear you!" She placed a hoof near her ear, purposely wanting to hear a lot more.

"Rainbow Dash!" The crowd continued to chant as she threw her hooves up in the air. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" She was now starting to dance ridiculously. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!"

"Call me silly, but this whole hero thing might be going to Rainbow Dash's head." Twilight commented at the scene.

"Might?" I questioned.

"You may be right, silly." Pinkie Pie added, causing Twilight to narrow her eyes as she took it literally. "Come on. Let's go eat at Sugarcube Corner! I bet that will cheer us up!" She began bouncing away as the others followed.

"Are you coming, Alex?" Fluttershy asked me.

"Mm-hm." I nodded. "I'll catch up with you girls in a bit."

Fluttershy released a soft smile, kissed me, and flew away.

The crowd dissolved as Rainbow Dash had left, but Derpy remained there as she continued cheering out loud. "Yeah! Woo-hoo!"

I smiled at the sight of her. "Hey, Derpy."

"Hi, Alex!" She turned to face me. "Did you see her? She was so amazing!"

"Yeah…I did. She's a friend of mine."

"Really? Wow! She must be a great friend!"

I looked away and muttered. "Sometimes…" I turned back to face Derpy. "Anyway, I better get going. I just wanted to stop by and say hi."

"Thanks! Bye, Alex!"

I smiled. "Bye." Afterwards, I began my way towards the sweet shop.

"And then, I zoomed into the well." I heard as I walked inside. There were many ponies near a platform, all wearing Rainbow Dash merchandise. I noticed the girls watching from the back. I even spotted Pinkie Pie's lost smile that was replaced with an irritated look instead. This is bad… "I knew it would be dark and dangerous, but I didn't let that stop me. Danger's my middle name. Rainbow 'Danger' Dash." She pulled the shades that she was wearing down to her eyes. "Thinking back on it, I acted pretty awesomely heroic this morning."

"Awesomely heroic this morning and awesomely arrogant ever since." Applejack finished with an annoyed look on her face.

"Mm-hm." Twilight and Pinkie Pie agreed.

Pinkie Pie noticed me and offered a cupcake she was eating. "Wanna bite?"

"No thanks." I politely declined. "What's going on?

"Well—

Before, Applejack could begin, Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her shoulder and brought her closer to her. "Hey, Applejack. How'd you like to be immortalized as my friend?"

"Immorta-what?"

Applejack was bombarded with the flashes of the pictures as she tried to release Rainbow Dash's grip on her. On the other hand, Twilight walked over to Spike, who was wearing a reporter's suit and hat and writing in a notepad, and looked at his work. "Are you taking notes?"

"Yup! I've been hoof-picked by Rainbow Dash herself, to write her autobiography!"

Once Applejack had freed herself, Rainbow Dash continued to strike poses as Scootaloo watched joyfully from the side. Applejack walked away, sticking her tongue out and shaking her head in disgust.

"Umm, autobiographies are supposed to be written by the pony they are about..." Twilight replied.

Rainbow Dash noticed this and responded as the cameras continued flashing. "Maybe for your normal, run-of-the-mill ponies. But I'm far too busy saving lives to stop and write. That's why I hired Spike as my ghost writer."

Pinkie Pie, who was eating a whole cake nearby, yelped out loud. "Spike's a ghost!" She fled out the door, causing the shop to remain in silence for a moment.

"...Anyway. Spike here writes down everything I say. Don't you, Spike?"

Spike began writing down those words. "Don't... you... Spike. Got it!"

"This way, I can stay focused on performing those acts of bravery that nopony else has the guts to perform." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Really? "Yep, it takes guts. But it also takes brains." As she continued talking, fillies rushed over to hug her for a picture. "And sometimes a big lunch and a nap. Being a hero is surely not for everypony, but I'm up to the challenge." I sighed. "Now if you excuse me, I have some more rescuing to do." She began walking out of the shop as the many ponies followed her.

"Okay… this has gone far enough." Applejack commented.

"Well, what should we do?" I asked. "It's going to take something much more than her to stop this."

"That's it!" Twilight exclaimed. We both looked at her, wondering what she was excited about. "Everypony, meet me back at my place!" Afterwards, she ran out the door.

We looked at each other and shrugged.

When we arrived, she quickly motioned for us to come in. Once inside, she closed the door and looked at me. "Alex, you said that in order to stop her bragging, we would need something much more than her, right?"

"Yeah…?" I answered with a puzzled tone.

"Well that's it! We'll all make a new hero! One that is only in it to protect the citizens of Ponyville!"

All of the other girls became interested in the idea and began chattering about it.

"That's a great idea, Twilight. But what do you mean 'make a new hero'?"

"Well…" She began walking around, keeping her eyes locked on me. "If we get some pony to be the hero. One that is perfectly capable of doing the job and not boasting about it…"

I began catching on to her hints. "…you can't possibly be talking about me…are you…?" I questioned.

"I don't know…"

"But, Twilight… how would I be capable of performing rescues?"

"Alex, we've all seen how high your athletic abilities are. You're strong, flexible, and very agile! That's not even everything!"

All of the girls began agreeing joyfully. I looked at each one of them and could only be bombarded with pleading eyes. I sighed. "Fine… I'll do it…"

"Great!" Twilight exclaimed and ran over to Rarity. "Rarity, do you think you could make a costume for our new hero?"

"I would be honored! I'll get started on it right away!" Rarity rushed out of the library to begin working on the costume."

"Knowing Rarity, she'll probably be done with it in an hour, tops." Twilight responded and giggled a bit.

"So…I'm going to have to save anypony in trouble before Rainbow Dash gets there? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Don't worry; we'll help behind the scenes."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie hopped. "If there's any trouble brewing, I'll tell you with my Pinkie Sense!"

"Alright. Well, that takes care of knowing when it starts…but what if it happens in the sky?"

"Hm…" Twilight wondered. "I don't think there should be any trouble that you shouldn't be able to reach. After all, Ponyville adores Rainbow Dash, and Ponyville is on the ground…so… It shouldn't be that much trouble…but just in case…" She looked up to me. "Do you think I can try that wing spell on you again?"

"Uh…sure. I'm not sure if it will work, but I guess it's worth a try."

"Okay." Twilight planted her hooves in front of me and presented her horn. "Here we go…" She then began casting the spell, exerting a lot of energy into her horn. I began levitating and basically went through the same procedures as last time. After, I regained myself and looked at my body, but there were still no wings. Twilight and the others saw this and sighed. "It still didn't work… I just wonder what could be the problem…"

"It's alright, Twilight. I should be fine anyway."

"Yeah…okay… let's continue on with the plan."

After some time had passed with the further debriefing of the plan, we walked to Rarity's boutique to see how far she was with the costume.

"Hi, Rarity." Twilight announced as we walked in. "We just wanted to see how far you were with the costume."

"It's finished!" Rarity responded and presented the costume. My eyes widened at the sight. The whole costume was basically colored in dark violet and navy blue. There was a hat and below was a mask that covered the entire face. There were eyes colored light blue to hide the real eyes behind the costume. There were more things about the costume, especially a long cape that touched the floor. There was a big M on the middle of the costume. "What do you think?"

"Um…" I didn't really know what to say. "It's nice and all…but don't you think it's more for a mare?"

"Oh…" Rarity expressed and looked at the big M she placed. "Well…that explains why I put an M there…sorry… I had forgotten I was making a costume for a male…"

The other girls began snickering.

"Sorry, Rarity…but I can't go out like this… they'll think I'm a mare."

Pinkie Pie suddenly halted her laughter and began shaking. "Oh! My Pinkie Sense! There's trouble!"

"No time!" Twilight exclaimed and all of the girls immediately began placing me into the costume.

I could only try to reason with them, but I was cut off so many times that I gave up and just allowed myself to be dressed. Once I was totally in the costume, I looked in the mirror and sighed.

Pinkie Pie began shaking more fiercely now. "It's getting close!"

"Let's go!" Twilight announced and began pushing me out of the boutique.

Well… At least they won't know who I am.

We arrived in town, while keeping hidden from others, and noticed a line of ponies, wearing Rainbow Dash merchandise, waiting to get autographs from the one and only. An angel white pony with a blonde mane and tail had just walked up to Rainbow Dash with a paper held by her mouth. Rainbow Dash had a pencil with what she was proudly going to sign the paper with.

"There you go." Rainbow Dash stated.

"Someday, I wanna be just like you!" The little filly replied.

"Aim high, kid, but don't aim for the impossible." She fluttered her mane.

Out of nowhere, we heard a sudden scream. We looked up to see a parachute that had been torn and was now heading towards the ground. "Help! Help!" The pony screamed. We noticed Rainbow Dash continue signing autographs, aware of the situation, but too proud to handle it right away.

"There's your cue! Go!" Twilight exclaimed in a whisper and slightly pushed me.

I nodded and began climbing a nearby house to the rooftop. After, I jumped over to another house, passing Spike below me. Then, I jumped towards a house with a cherry on the top, and then another one with a jester's hat. Finally, I reached one that was covered in hay and jumped towards the hot air balloon when it was near the ground. When I caught up to the pony in distress, I held out my hooves and picked her up, taking her with me. We both landed safely on the ground. I could see that Rainbow Dash had took the top part of the hot air balloon instead and crashed in a nearby tree. I turned my attention to the hot pink mare with the blonde mane and tail and helped her up from the ground. The crowd that had gathered around us began cheering, making me feel a little good inside, but I definitely didn't have any plans to boast whatsoever. After seeing the former distressed pony smile, I turned around and began heading out of the area.

After I had reached a mountain which the sun shone brightly on, I looked back to see the crowd, even the mayor, look back at me mysteriously. I had also noticed Twilight there as well, with a "Good Job" look on her face. I turned away removed myself from sight.

When I assumed it was clear, I hurried back around town to Rarity's shop. I entered and was immediately greeted by the others.

"Alex, that was great!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yes! Splendid!" Rarity added as well.

"Thanks…" I responded, slowly catching my breath. "What happened after I left?"

"The mayor declared you 'The Mysterious Mare Do Well'." Twilight answered.

"What?" I slapped a hoof on my face. "Mare? Really?" I sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Alex." Applejack assured. "It's only temporary, y'know?"

"Yeah…you're right."

Fluttershy also greeted me. "Alex! You were so amazing."

I smiled lightly beneath the mask. "Thanks…" I tried to remove the top part of the costume to kiss her, but I was having trouble with it, not knowing what to do.

"Twitcha Twitch! Twitcha Twitch!" Pinkie Pie sounded and shook.

I sighed and looked at Fluttershy. "Sorry…I guess that'll have to wait until after this mess is cleared up…"

Fluttershy returned a smile. "That's okay. I can wait. Good luck!"

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

Twilight and Pinkie Pie led me towards the next area with trouble… what's with today and all these life-threatening cases?

"There!" Pinkie Pie pointed while continuing to shake. I looked and notice a carriage, carrying apparently tourists, was also on the loose and heading through town uncontrollably.

"Alex!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I'm on it." I replied and began heading towards the end where I would meet them. On the way, I saw Rainbow Dash leisurely fly up to them, most likely announcing her catch phrase, but the tourist at the end cut her off in order for her to realize what's really happening. Afterwards, she flew to the front where it looked as it had broken off and planted her hooves on the ground. She tried to stop it, but instead, she lost control and failed. She could only remain lying down as she stared at the runaway carriage.

Finally, I had made it and jumped in the middle, facing them. I sighed and hoped for the best. I ran towards the carriage and planted myself on the front, using both four hooves to stop the carriage. However, I was taken along with the carriage towards the edge of the cliff, but I could feel it slowing down. I had stopped just at the end and released a heavy breath. The ponies in the former loose carriage began cheering. Before they could possibly start questioning me, I quickly ran off and hid away, just like last time.

"Nice work, Alex!" The girls praised as I walked in panting.

"You know…" I began. "This costume doesn't make it any cooler."

Twilight giggled a bit. "Sorry, Alex, but you have to wear it if you want to keep your identity a secret."

"Yeah… I know." I sighed and sat on the ground. "Being a hero is hard work…which reminds me… what is going on with the steep cliffs and accidents today? I mean…really…"

"Twitch! At the new building they're making!" Pinkie Pie alarmed.

I groaned and stood up. "Let's do this…"

Twilight and Pinkie Pie again led me to the area. Nothing wrong seemed to be happening, but I knew not to doubt Pinkie Pie…

I watched, hidden, as the construction went on. The pony working the machine grabbed a large piece of lumber from the ground with the hook and began moving it. After a while, smoke erupted from the machine and suddenly began going insane. Rainbow Dash was flying and saw this from below. I looked at Twilight and she nodded, causing me to begin to move to the scene.

"Never fear, your friendly neighbor- whoa!" Rainbow tried to exclaim but the rope holding the large piece of wood had tore and almost smacked her. Instead, it slammed into the building, forcing the other workers to jump off. The supplies and support in the building began shaking and soon fell everywhere. One of the female workers was running away. Rainbow Dash flew to her and tried to present her catchphrase again, but failed as objects continued to fall out of the sky. For the love of Celestia, Rainbow Dash! I sprinted towards the machine and jumped on top of it, causing one of the workers to exclaim and point at me.

I jumped off and began galloping towards the construction site. I kept a sharp eye out for all of the falling items and swiftly dodged each of them as I jumped and maneuvered. I hopped onto a roll of barrels and began using them to move through the area. Afterwards, I continued to run, dodging each object that fell. I headed towards one of the workers that was too scared to run as he cowered in the middle of the destruction. I picked him up and took him outside of the danger zone. There were several other workers left. I quickly dodged each object, sliding under other obstacles and picked up those ponies as well. Just as I had placed them in the safe zone near their co-workers, the entire building had collapsed and crumbled to the ground. They all smiled at me as I looked at them to make sure they were okay. However, I was interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

"Well, Mare Do Well," She spoke, causing me to turn my head and look back at her. "…or should I call you Mare-Do-Slow?" I rolled my eyes and continued looking at her with narrowed eyes, but she couldn't see my expression anyway. "You're gonna have to pick up the pace if you wanna compete with me, 'cause I move like lightning."

"Actually, she saved all of us! We owe her our lives!" One of the workers reacted. I appreciated the compliment, but the whole "she" and "mare" thing was practically annoying me.

Rainbow Dash grew an immediate frown and fell to the ground. I began running off, but the ponies had been chasing after me as they cheered. Thanks...but I really need to go now…

I had lost them after I had "mysteriously" disappeared like always and headed to the boutique.

"Another job well done." Twilight encouraged.

"Thanks…How long do I have to keep doing? I like helping ponies out and saving them…but it just seems to keep me too busy and exhausted." I responded.

"Just until we teach Rainbow a lesson, but don't worry, it shouldn't be too long." Twilight slightly giggled.

I sighed. "Alright…" I looked at Pinkie Pie, expecting another twitch already, but she didn't receive one. "Feel anything?" I asked.

"Nope!" She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Okay…"

Fluttershy rushed up to me. "You're okay right?"

I smiled, even though she couldn't see it, and nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry." I moved my head in to kiss her again, but I forgot I had the costume and sighed.

Fluttershy giggled and slightly blushed.

"Hm…I'm starting to feel something…" Pinkie Pie announced.

"What?" I asked, immediately looking at her.

"I'm sensing some sort of 'your friend is being really dumb and is trying to make things better for her when she's actually making it worse' thing here…"

"…could you simplify that…?" I questioned, confused.

"…you might want to check on the dam…"

Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and I rushed over to the dam and noticed nothing major. I did spot a small crack, but nothing that Pinkie Pie seemed to be talking about. I looked at her and she returned a shrug. I continued observing until I saw Rainbow Dash stroll by. She heard the water drops and rushed over to it, gasping. "If the dam breaks, the whole town will be flooded! Looks like Ponyville needs a hero!" She flew over to the crack and placed a hoof on it, causing me to slap my forehead with my hoof and shake it. At least go get professionals to fix it… "Easy peasy." My eyes widened when I began seeing the crack in the dam grow. "My game is officially back on. If only somepony were here to pat me on the back." She released her hoof and began patting herself on the back. "Eh, guess I'll have do it myself."

All of a sudden, the entire dam broke and released a storm of water on Rainbow Dash, dragging her towards the waterfall. "Help!" She screamed. I quickly jumped out and began heading my way towards her. "Help!" When I arrived by the river, I quickly grabbed a nearby log and placed it on top of the flowing water. I held it down with my hoof. By the time Rainbow Dash can flowed by, she caught hold onto the log and exhaled a breath. However, when she looked up, she wasn't thankful that I had saved her. "You?" I narrowed my eyes in annoyance from this and began ignoring her. I sighed and looked at the dam. Now how am I going to fix this…? "I suppose you want me to thank—

Suddenly, rocks and chunks began to press towards the broken dam…as if magic was being used to move them… "You gotta be kidding me..." Finally, the last two pieces glued into the cracks and remade the dam, good as new. Hm… Twilight must have secretly used her magic to fix this…

Ponies nearby cheered as if I had fixed the dam. I shrugged mentally and went with the flow. I placed a hoof near my head and saluted to them, running off once again. As I ran, I felt something strange occur with my body. I had unexpectedly lifted off the ground and weirdly started to fly. What the? I looked at the sides of my body and noticed wings were there. I was instantly alarmed. Maybe Twilight's spell worked after all? Maybe it just needed some time? I noticed Rainbow Dash began flying confidently around the area. I grew a smirk on my face and decided I should toy with her a bit. I started at a fast pace in my flying. Somehow…it felt as if I already knew how to fly… but maybe it was all a part of Twilight's spell? I mean…when Rarity got her wings, she didn't have trouble with flying. I stopped thinking and began my teasing of Rainbow Dash. I flew past her very fast, causing her to twirl in a daze. I flew around for a moment, just to continue aggravating her. I looked back and noticed that she crossed her forelegs together and returned an annoyed expression. I smiled defiantly and continued flying.

After landing in front of the boutique, my wings vanished. That's too bad… that was the first time I ever flew and it felt amazing…oh well… I entered the shop.

"I can't congratulate you enough, Alex." Twilight announced as I entered.

"Can I start celebrating by taking this thing off?" I asked.

Twilight giggled and nodded. "I suppose Rainbow Dash has had enough."

I exhaled a breath. "Thanks." I had some trouble trying to find a way to take it off, but Fluttershy flew over to me and helped me. Once I had finally taken it off, I took in a deep breath. After, I kissed Fluttershy passionately. "There you go…" I smiled.

She returned a blush and a smile as well.

"Hey everypony! Let's celebrate at Sugarcube Corner! YAY!" Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed and left the building in a flash without waiting for a response. We all shrugged to each other and followed her.

Once we arrived, Twilight, Fluttershy, and I sat at the table while Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack began getting their desserts. Pinkie Pie placed a plate with a cupcake before us before rushing to stack a plethora of sweets on her place.

"You really did a lot of work today, Alex." Twilight began. "And for that, we're all proud of you."

All of the girls nodded and agreed.

I slightly blushed and smiled. "Thanks… I guess the whole 'mare' thing doesn't bother me much anymore." I paused for a moment and remembered something. "Oh! Twilight."

"Hm?" She questioned.

"I think your spell worked. After I had saved Rainbow Dash, wings had suddenly appeared on me and… I was able to fly!"

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Yeah… I wonder though…"

Suddenly, the bell rang and in came an excessively annoyed Rainbow Dash. Without a word, she pounded the ground with her hooves and laid down on a nearby staircase. The girls and I looked at each other with a smirk on our faces.

"Gotta hand it to the girl," Applejack began as she was grabbing some sweets and placed them on a plate on her back. "…that Mare Do Well sure can pull off some pretty heroic feats."

"I must say, I was impressed by that spell she used to fix the dam. Seems like something like that would take quite a bit of study." Twilight announced, but directing it mostly to Rainbow Dash. I guess Twilight did fix the dam… I looked at Rainbow Dash who was beginning to look highly annoyed as she looked towards us from the stair rail. She groaned and turned her head away, placing her hooves behind.

Fluttershy smiled brightly and joined in on the fun. "She really cares about everypony's safety."

"Have you seen her costume?" Rarity exaggeratedly asked as she walked towards us with a teacup. "It is to die for! If you ask me she's a hero of fashion."

"And she's modest and humble." Applejack added, directing it to me as well. "She lets her actions speak for themselves. Gotta admire that."

"I don't have to admire that!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "I don't think she's all that great!"

"She's... great." Spike wrote down.

"I didn't say that." Rainbow Dash rushed over to Spike and assured.

"Sounds like somepony's jealous." Twilight explained.

"Who, me?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking back.

"Rainbow Dash is jealous." Spike wrote.

"Don't write that, Spike!" Rainbow Dash yelled at him, causing the girls to laugh.

"Correction: Rainbow Dash is very jealous." Spike repeated.

"Fine! Laugh all you want, but I'll be the one laughing when I prove to you all that I'm just as good- no, that I'm a better hero than Mare Do Well!" Rainbow Dash flew out of the shop. The girls shrugged it off and resumed their chatter.

"Um…I better go check up on her and make sure she doesn't…I don't know…purposely make trouble?" I stated.

The girls looked at me and nodded, understanding.

I left the building and began looking around for Rainbow Dash. I spent a while looking for her until I began hearing shouting. "You're putting on a brave face, I get it. But you don't have to anymore. I'll help you cross the street!" I looked around a corner of a building to see Rainbow Dash pushing Granny Smith from behind.

Granny Smith planted her hooves on the ground, wanting to stop Rainbow Dash. "Actually I can cross the street just fine!"

"Don't worry! You're in extremely... capable... hooves!" Rainbow Dash struggled, but Granny Smith sat down, wishing to stay put.

When Rainbow continued pushed her, she returned panicking grunts. "Back off!"

Nonetheless, Rainbow Dash dragged her across the street, leaving Granny Smith with an irritated look. "Here we are! Safe and sound. A good and heroic citizen deserves a little recognition, don't you think?"

Instead, Granny Smith smacked her with her purse. "I didn't wanna cross the street in the first place!" She continued complaining as she walked away slowly.

I sighed and began walking towards her, but we started hearing grunts and groans nearby.

Rainbow Dash gasped. "Somepony's in trouble!" She flew over to the park where a pony was trying to open a jar of peanut butter. I rolled my eyes and headed that way. "You'd better let me open this, ma'am! For your own safety, I must ask you to stand back!"

"Oh, brother…"

Rainbow Dash cracked her neck and stared intently towards the jar. She charged towards it and immediately began trying to open it with her teeth. Soon, she noticed the mare sending a bored and uninterested expression as the filly behind her only remained surprised with widened eyes.

I had arrived at the picnic scene and grabbed the jar from Rainbow Dash's mouth with an annoyed look on my face. I walked over to the fountain nearby and tapped the lid a few times. After, I opened the lid and gave it back to the mare.

"Thanks." She responded, smiling at me.

On the contrary, Rainbow Dash grinned. "Ta-da!"

As the mare commenced placing peanut butter on the toast, she didn't bother looking at Rainbow Dash. "Uh... thanks."

"How would you describe what I just did?" Rainbow Dash persisted. "Would you say I was amazing?" Really?

"Aren't you milking this a bit?" The mare replied.

"Please, just answer the question! Was I, or was I not—

I grabbed Rainbow Dash's tail and pulled her towards the ground, cutting off her sentence. I looked at the mare and apologized. "Sorry for the interruption." I dragged Rainbow Dash out of the area and looked at her.

"Hey! What was THAT for?" She asked.

"Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"

"Well…I…Oh look!" She pointed towards a push mower nearby and instantly began cutting the grass everywhere. Once she was finished, she raised her hoof in victory. "Another great feat of heroism! I have just saved that grass!"

"From what?" Another pony nearby questioned.

"From weeds! Weeds that were attempting to eat this lawn!" Rainbow directed.

This was too painful to watch… Many ponies had gathered around and looked at Rainbow Dash oddly.

"Lame..." The filly that was with the mare announced and they all began retreating to their business.

"Aww, who am I kidding…?" Rainbow Dash then began to float upwards in the air and onto a cloud which soon turned gray and stormy.

I sighed and began walking back to the sweet shop.

Before entering the shop, I saw Twilight and the others rush out.

"Alex, follow us!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Huh?" I questioned, but I didn't wait around for an answer. I immediately began following them.

They led me back to the boutique and threw the costume at me. "Put it on!"

"What? Why?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"The mayor is having a thank you parade for Mare Do Well, YOU!"

"Right now?"

"In a few minutes!"

"…" I began putting on the costume, but as always, I had trouble with it. Fluttershy flew over to me to help me rush it on.

After I was dressed, the girls led me to the area the event was to take place. Hidden behind the location with balloons and banners, Twilight whispered to me. "Okay… we'll be in the crowd. Rainbow Dash will most likely be there. If she confronts you, do not do anything but just RUN."

"Run?" I questioned.

"Run! To the town. We'll meet you there and that's where we'll reveal everything."

"Alright." I nodded. "That sounds good. Let's do this."

They nodded and walked to join the crowd. I prepared myself to jump through the banner.

"Welcome to Ponyville's first, but surely not last, thank you parade, in honor of our city's greatest hero, the mysterious Mare Do Well!" The mayor announced, causing me to rip through the banner and present myself.

The crowd cheered. I scanned the crowd for Rainbow Dash, but like Twilight predicted, she easily confronted me. "The mysterious Mare Do Well, huh?" She asked face-to-face, causing the ponies in the crowd to gasp. "So what are you hiding? Let's see how mysterious you are without that mask!" Rainbow Dash tried to bite the fabric and rip it off, but I swiftly dodged it by pulling back my face and followed Twilight's orders: Run.

I jumped off the platform and headed towards town. I turned right at a corner and continued. I didn't stop. I didn't really look back to see if Rainbow Dash was behind me, so I continued galloped, randomly turning straight at the curves and corners. When I stopped by a building, I noticed Rainbow Dash looking around for me. I grew a sly smirk and whistled to gain her attention. She quickly turned around and saw me, beginning to fly after me. I reached a dead end; instead, I climbed the wall by swiftly jumping on the bricks that stuck out a bit in a rhythm. Rainbow Dash arrived at the wall when I was already at the top. I ran down a flight of stairs and immediately fell to the ground when I heard Rainbow Dash speeding my way. She soared above me, not noticing me and continuing to chase after me in the wrong direction. I stood up and whistled again, irritating her but at the same time having fun with her. I fled as she grew angry. After a moment of running, I looked back and didn't see her at all. I slowed to a walk and lightly panted as I looked around. Had she lost me, or did I lose her?

"I got you now!" I heard from behind and quickly turned to see Rainbow Dash charging at me. I could have easily jumped or dodge rolled out of the way, but somehow, I felt as if I shouldn't move because I just wanted to get this over with already. She tackled me to the ground, causing us to roll for a while until she finally stood on top of me. She placed her hooves on mine so I wouldn't be able escape her grasp, but it wasn't like I was trying anyway. I just laid there with a narrowed expression and a not tensed body. "Alright, Miss Mysterious! Mystery..." She grabbed my mask with her teeth and pulled it off. "…solved!" She immediately yelped when she saw my narrowed eyes staring at her. "A-a-a-a-Alex? Whudda- hud-d-duh- hud-d-duh- huh?" She was obviously surprised and highly shocked to see me. Twilight and the other girls had revealed themselves, surprising Rainbow Dash even more. "Twilight? Pinkie! Applejack? What are you all doing here?"

"The same reason Alex is here." Twilight answered, smiling afterwards.

"B-but…how…?"

"I used my Pinkie Sense to tell Alex where and when the accidents would happen!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed and her tail began twitching. "Alex! Watch out!"

"Huh?" I questioned and looked up, noticing a pot fall straight towards me. I quickly threw out my hooves and caught the plant.

"Sorry!" A mare from the window apologized.

I smiled and waved it off. "It's alright." I placed the pot on the ground near me.

"I made the costumes." Rarity presented herself. "Fabulous if I do say so myself!"

"Alex was the one who saved all those ponies." Twilight added.

Rainbow Dash walked off with a saddened expression on her face. "I don't understand. Why? Don't you want me to be a hero?"

"Of course we want you to be a hero." Twilight responded.

"But a real hero doesn't brag." Applejack winked and gestured her hooves towards me.

Rainbow Dash looked at me and turned slightly embarrassed. "Uh, I guess I did start to brag a little…"

"A LITTLE?" The rest of the girls exclaimed with angry looks.

"Okay, a lot…"

"Celebrating your accomplishments is natural." Twilight walked up to her. "But..."

"...Rubbin' them in everypony's face is not." Applejack finished.

"Yeah, the only thing that should be rubbed in anypony's face is chocolate cake." Pinkie Pie immediately began slurping loudly and licking her lips and face. The rest of us looked at her with awkward expressions.

"I think we're getting off topic here." Applejack announced.

"What we're trying to say is, it's great to be really good at something, but it's important to act with grace and humility." Twilight presented.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment and widened her eyes. "Ohhhh. That makes loads more sense. Yeah. You're right. And I guess I should've also acted with grace and humility when others outshine me. Like Mare Do Well." She pointed both of her hooves at me.

"…Just so you know… I'm not really comfortable with MARE Do Well…" I commented.

The girls returned laughter and smiles. "Sounds like you've got a letter to write to Princess Celestia." Twilight stated.

"Already got it covered." Spike came from out of the blue. "As your ghost writer, I've already penned a letter to the Princess."

"That's nice of you, Spike, but I really wanna write this letter myself."

"Aww, come on, I wrote the whole thing already!" Spike whined and presented the scroll to her.

"Okay…, let's hear it."

Spike cleared his throat. "Dear Princess Cel—

"Look out!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, interrupting Spike. "It's a real ghost!" She pointed behind him.

Spike began yelping, but Pinkie Pie joined him after, screaming as well. I didn't really understand much since they saw nothing, but nonetheless, they screamed out loud and fled, causing the girls to laugh out loud as I smiled. Rainbow Dash noticed that Twilight brought a quill and scroll to her with her magic. Rainbow Dash grabbed the feathery part of the quill with her teeth and looked at the scroll. Before she began writing, she winked at both Twilight and me.

Twilight and I could only return smiles.

After Rainbow Dash finished the letter, she gave it to Twilight to send it later.

"Thanks guys, I'll try to be more modest from now on."

"Try?" We questioned.

"Hey. You know me!" She chuckled and sped off, causing us to shake our heads but smile as well.

When night began to fall, the girls continued to congratulate me on the job well done.

"Thanks… but I couldn't have done it without you, Twilight." I answered.

"Me?" She questioned. "What did I do?"

"Well… you casted the wing spell on me and majorly helped when used your magic to fix the dam."

"I didn't use my magic to fix the dam…"

Her answer surprised me. "What…?"

"I thought somepony else fixed it…"

"…" I remained silent for a moment. "But… it was only Rainbow Dash and me…" I continued to remain puzzled about it.

"It's a mystery alright… but you should get some rest."

"Alright…" I still remained wondering on the subject.

"See you tomorrow!" Twilight waved and began leaving with the rest of the girls. Fluttershy remained with me.

"See you…"

"Are you okay, Alex?" Fluttershy asked me.

"Oh, yeah." I answered. "I'm just still confused about the whole 'dam' thing."

"Hm… You can probably think about it later. You must be exhausted."

"Right…" I responded, beginning to feel sleepy and tired. "I'll go walk you to your cottage first."

Fluttershy smiled lightly. "Okay."

From town, I walked her under the moonlight.

"Oh, there's something you should know, Alex." Fluttershy mentioned.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned.

"Twilight's birthday is coming up!" She continued with slight excitement.

"Really?" I responded with widened eyes. "That's great. Pinkie's going to make the party?"

"As always." Fluttershy released a smile.

"Well then… I can't wait."

Once at her door, we looked at each other with slightly tired smiles. I kissed her softly for a moment and then looked at her eyes. "Have a great night, Fluttershy."

"You too, Alex…"

I smiled and continued to stare into her tired but living eyes. "I love you."

She returned a tired smile and kissed me gently, pulling back after. "I love you too."

I returned home once I had made sure she was safely taken to bed. I climbed up the stairs and walked to my bed. I lightly placed myself on there and closed my eyes.

I still wonder what the whole magic thing was about… maybe it isn't such a big deal? Still… somehow… it bothers me… what is it that makes it so intriguing but puzzling at the same time?

Comments

[White Wolf]

983643

Your welcome.

[Silver Sea]

rd's stil a douche.

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

1000450
He doesn't exactly have an occupation. It all depends really. But to answer your question, he doesn't really have a specific job such as maybe a clerk or something.

[Master Lyra]

*dust clears*
...huh? Everyone left? I was rather enjoying the show.

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

1007476
Huh...?

[Agile Swift]

nice fic 20% cooler

[ExcitedReader]

confused about the whole 'dam' thing

i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/000/681/what-you-did-there-i-see-it.thumbnail.jpg

[Tesla Moon]

984380 fully agreed there

[Old Diggy]

"Oh…" Rarity expressed and looked at the big M she placed. "Well…that explains why I put an M there…sorry… I had forgotten I was making a costume for a male…"

His new name is Male-Do-Well.... I know... I'm terrible.
I'm guessing the wings and magic has to do with what Luna told him, which would explain the wing spell not working.

[Old Diggy]

1110391 My thoughts exactly. One of those things that completely change meaning depending on HOW you say it.

[nickjward7]

OH man I feel sorry for Alex to be "Mare Do Well". but who fix the dam

[F14m3rz]

Well, Celestia said she WANTED to take Alex to Canterlot, but couldn't due to "Royal Duties". Maybe what she means, is, Alex has a long way to go before he becomes an alicorn, and the experiences he undergone make some of that potential leak through. After all, the spell doesn't work on pegasi, but that would also imply that it doesn't work on alicorns... Well, those are my thoughts, anyway.

[jamespotter]

4982295
isn't it clear it was him because the thing that luna spoke of is his alicorn powers

[RNBW]

Rainbow's are an complete idiots.

[Truthseeker]

So help me, if Alex ends up being an Alicorn I will downvote this. This chapter was a disappointment. Alex ended up being WAY O.P.

[AdamAperture]

Fluttershy gasped in happiness and returned a smile. "It would be so amazing if you could! It really has its perks." She blushed slightly, possibly for another thought.

Ha, it's almost as if you knew that Twilight became an alicorn way before they even showed it!