Short stories about ponies and whatnot

by shutaro

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Mare Do Well’s journal, November 05th, 2010:

Batch of bad muffins in trash can, small dragon rummaging. This town is afraid of me. I have seen it’s true face.

The streets are extended party halls and the party halls are swarming with ponies and when the streets are finally full, all of them will have to clean up their own mess.

The accumulated filth of all their fun and dancing will rise up about their knees and the nobles and snobs will shout “Save us!” … and I’ll look down and whisper “Do it yourself”.

They had a choice, all of them. They could have followed in the hoofsteps of good ponies like the Pie Clan or the Apple family. Decent ponies who believed in a day’s work for a day’s meal and a day’s fun.

Instead they followed the droppings of party-ponies and dare-devils and didn’t realize that the trail led into the Everfree until it was too late.

Don’t tell me they didn’t have a choice.

Now the world stands on the brink, staring down into swirling chaos, all the librarians and princesses ... and all of a sudden Twilight Sparkle talks to me about friendship.

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When she had seen the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return Mare Do Well had expected the worst. Equestria was in no way ready to stand against the Bringer of Darkness. A lonely fight against all odds and an almost almighty enemy. Yes, that’s what her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother and all of her line had trained for. For a thousand years they had waited. Because they knew that Celestia had not banished her sister for eternity. The princess was a bleeding heart, a nice face, not fit to make and enforce the hard decisions.

And then a rag-tag group of amateurs had appeared on the playing field, had taken up the legendary weapons and … no, they didn’t have the guts to make a clean cut. Forgiveness was the order of the day and talk about "second chances". As if time could cure the death of tens of thousands. Celestia had allowed to turn the suffering of whole cities into laughable stories for foals. The terror of her fallen sister in one line with the Headless Horse or the Olden Pony. Today children thought that Nightmare Moon was a myth, but Mare Do Well knew better. And she was ready. One day the mask was gonna fall, one day the beloved Princess Luna would done her cape and helmet again and Mare Do Well would be ready.

She had watched as Applejack saved Ponyville from the stampede of cows and, yes, she had been impressed. Not only had the farmer saved the town, she had done it with hard work, skill and a minimum of grandstanding.

Her good mood went sour when she saw Applejack accept the huge golden trophy. And over the run of that day it got worse, and worse, and worse. Disregarding safety regulations with that catapult, ignoring health-guidelines with those muffins and the bunny-stampede … let’s just not talk about this.

These ponies were not fit to protect themself. They needed a hero to shelter them.

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So what if all she had accomplished this last year was to rescue cats from trees and puppies from the lake? The dragons, ursas and parasprites had been taken care of because Mare Do Well had protected the Bearers of the Elements. Who cared if for all the nights she had patrolled the rooftops of Ponyville she had not caught a single burglar? There hadn’t been a single burglary either. The scum of the world was afraid of her, just as it should be.

Because she was the hero Ponyville needed, not the hero it wanted.

Also Pinkie Pie always had a cupcake for her when she made her round. That counted for something, too.

Author's Note:

So what if half the text is ripped from inspired by "Watchmen"? That's what you call a 'homage'.
I think.
And at least it was the comicbook, not the movie!

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The Prompt: Mare Do Well: Year One