S2E8 "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well" (What If?)
The clubhouse that was normally used by the Cutie Mark Crusaders for their meetings was currently serving a different purpose. This purpose was being the meeting place for the official Rainbow Dash Fan Club, headed by none other then Rainbow Dash's number one fan Scootaloo.
Various colts and fillies of all ages were gathered, all of them wearing offical Rainbow Dash hats, which were nothing more then paper cut outs of Rainbow Dash's famous rainbow colored mane.
"Attention everpony." Scootaloo said "This meeting of the official Rainbow Dash Fan Club will now come to order." Scootaloo had recently visited The Mayor's office on a school field trip and needless to say it had rubbed off on her. "Alright listen up." Scootaloo continued "We have all gathered here today for one purpose, and that is to discuss the awesomeness that is Rainbow Dash." All the colts and fillies cheered loudly. "Okay settle down everypony." Scootaloo said "The first item on today's agenda is to come up with a new term to describe Rainbow Dash, because let's face it awesome just doesn't do her justice."
"Yeah!" the various colts and fillies shouted.
"Now then, does anypony have any suggestions?" Scootaloo asked "The sky's the limit."
"I've got one." Snips said "Why don't we call Rainbow Dash 'The Incredilbe Super Mare'?"
"Intresting idea, but it sounds like something out of a comic book." Scootaloo said "Let's try something a little more realistic, and original."
"I know, let's call her 'Super Dash'." Snails said.
"'Super Dash' does sound good." Scootaloo said 'Does anyone else have something they wish to suggest?"
"Let's call her super fantastic." Twist said in her lisp "Cause that's something I don't think anyone could ever think of."
"Hm I'm liking the sound of super fantastic." Scootaloo said "But now I'm torn between 'Super Dash' and super fantastic."
"Why not combine them both into the super fantastic Rainbow Dash?" a voice called out.
"That's a great idea!" Scootaloo said "All those in favor of hereby naming Rainbow Dash the super fantastic Rainbow Dash say aye!"
"Aye!" all the colts and fillies replied.
"Then that settles it." Scootaloo said "From here on out we shall officially call Rainbow Dash the super fantastic Rainbow Dash."
All the colts and fillies burst into thunderous applause.
Outside Rainbow Dash smiled. She always loved having others look up to her but for all the right reasons. Rainbow Dash loved nothing more then for ponies to cheer for her but only when she felt she'd earned it. All the same this fan club that Scootaloo had organized was always a joy to watch. "One of these days I've got to get to know Scootaloo better. Maybe even teach her how to fly." she thought to herself. But that would have to wait. For now she wanted to just kick back and relax. She had no way of knowing that over the course of the next few days she would learn her most important lesson of all time.
Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she floated among the fluffy white clouds. With all her weather duties completed she felt compelled to just kick back and relax. She was still recovering from her accident at Ghaslty Gorge (which she never would've gotten out of if it weren't for her new pet tortoise Tank) so she didn't really feel compelled to try and practice her tricks in an attempt to impress The Wonderbolts. Even she had her limits and she knew better then to overstep them.
Suddenly her plans for rest and relaxation were put on hold as a little filly cried out for help. Apparently she had somehow fallen down a well. She wasn't hurt but she couldn't get back out. Rainbow Dash knew at once what she had to do. Wasting no time she dove off the clouds and flew straight down to the well. She continued her descent as she entered the well, scooped up the filly and then flew her back to safe ground. Meanwhile a group of ponies had gathered to witness the event. Including Rainbow Dash's friends.
As soon as everyone knew that the filly was safe and sound everyone cheered. Rainbow Dash tried her best to act humble. "Aw shucks it was nothing really." she said "I'm sure anypony would've done the same thing. I just happened to be close by is all."
"Well I don't care what anypony else says. You're my hero Rainbow Dash." the filly replied.
"I am?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You bet." the filly said "I'll make sure to tell all my friends about you."
"Just promise me you won't go falling into any more wells." Rainbow Dash said.
"I promise." the filly replied and she trotted off.
"Well I'll be Rainbow Dash you're a hero." Applejack said "Never thought I'd see the day."
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of implied anger.
Before Applejack could respond Twilight defused the situation "You did a good deed Rainbow Dash." she said "And a good deed is it's own reward."
"But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate it." Pinkie Pie said "So I'm gonna host a hero party for you Rainbow Dash."
"Aw shucks Pinks you don't have to do that for me." Rainbow Dash said.
But Pinkie Pie insisted. The hero party was held at Sugarcube Corner and the turnout proved to be bigger then even Rainbow Dash had anticipated. It seemed like everyone in Ponyville including The Mayor wanted to come and get a look at the new hero. Rainbow Dash of course tried to play it off, after all it had only been one filly. "It really was no big deal." she said "I'm just glad I was able to help a filly in need. Like I said before I'm sure anypony would've done the same thing."
The next day dawned and all the attention on Rainbow Dash seemed to disappear. Rainbow Dash didn't really care and merely hoped she could get back to relaxing and recovering from her accident. However another scream of help forced Rainbow Dash into action. This time there was a baby carriage with a baby inside that was rolling down a hill that led to a cliff, the breaks on the carriage had somehow slipped off. Rainbow Dash barely managed to stop the carriage before it went over the edge of the cliff. Everyone cheered.
"Oh no! There's something wrong with the baby!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. This caused everyone to gasp. "Got ya!" Rainbow Dash said "You should've seen the looks on your faces. Don't worry the baby's fine." Rainbow Dash then promptly returned the baby and the carriage to the worried mother.
"Thank you so much." the mother said "I shudder to think what would've happened if you hadn't stopped the carriage in time."
"I'm just happy I could help ma'am." Rainbow Dash said "Hopefully next time you'll be more careful. And you should probably have that carriage inspected."
Like with before lots of ponies began to crowd around Rainbow Dash, though this time they didn't need a hero party to do so. Rainbow Dash shrugged off most of the attention but she didn't shrug off all of it.
"There just aren't enough words in the dictionary to describe Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said excitedly.
"Well I can think of a few words." Twilight whispered to Applejack.
"And I'll bet modest ain't one of them." Applejack whispered back.
"Come on now let's not jump to conclusions." Rarity said "We already learned that we shouldn't assume the worst in our friends."
"Yeah." Pinkie Pie said "Besides Rainbow Dash deserves a little fame."
"As long as she doesn't let it go to her head." Fluttershy said.
The next day came and once again Rainbow Dash became a hero. This time she managed to save an entire group of ponies that had been on a balcony which had given way. All of the ponies made sure to thank Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash once again tried to play it off.
But that didn't stop the crowd that had gathered from chanting "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!".
Rainbow Dash tried her best not to let the fame go to her head, but eventually she flew up into the air and said "I can't hear you." Prompting the crowd to cheer louder. Rainbow Dash soaked up all of the attention like a sponge. Eventually all of the ponies in the crowd went away though.
"Just what was that all about Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.
"What was what all about?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You miliking the auidence's attention like that." Twilight said.
"Oh relax." Rainbow Dash said "I'm just enjoying my fame while it lasts. I'm sure this will all be a fond memory within a week. After all there's always something new happening in this town."
"I still don't think a hero is suppose to act like you were acting. Like I said before a good deed is its own reward." Twilight said.
"Yeah, yeah thanks for reminding me Twilight." Rainbow Dash said "Now if you'll excuse me I could use some rest and relaxation. This whole hero business is exhausting work." And with that Rainbow Dash flew off.
"Call me silly but I can't help but feel like this whole hero thing is going to Rainbow Dash's head." Twilight said.
"You may be right, silly." Pinkie Pie replied.
"Well if that's true then what do we do?" Fluttershy said.
No one knew the answer to that so they simply tried not to let Rainbow Dash's antics get on their nerves. Which was eaiser said then done when it seemed like everyone wanted to get to know her. They tried on occassion to pull Rainbow Dash aside and drop some not subtle hints about how they weren't pleased with the way she was acting. And each time Rainbow Dash seemed to understand what they were saying. But it seemed like no matter how much they tried there was no way to get Rainbow Dash to change her behavior. She wasn't entirely unbearable and she was still trying on occassion to downplay the whole hero thing but this seemed to be happening less and less as the days rolled by.
Then one faithful day everything changed. Rainbow Dash was busy signing autographs when there was a cry for help. Rainbow Dash looked up and saw a pony in a hot air balloon. The balloon was descending at an alarming rate.
"Someone do something quick!" the balloonist pony shouted.
Rainbow Dash began to think. The balloon was descending really fast but she was certain she had enough time to sign one last autograph. After all she was the fastest flyer in Equestria, she could easily catch up a falling hot air balloon. All the same Rainbow Dash grew worried, as quickly as she could she finished signing the autograph and flew into the air.
Suddenly from out of nowhere came a mysterious figure, clad in a dark purple uniform. The figure was also wearing a dark purple hat, purple boots, a mask with blue eyes to concel the face of the pony wearing the costume, and the letter M on a badge just below the neck. Everyone (minus Rainbow Dash who was busy trying to catch up to the hot air balloon before it hit the ground) watched as the mysterious figure began hopping from roof top to roof top. This sort of hoof work had never been seen before. Suddenly the figure lept from the roof top and in one swift motion snatched the balloonist and safely landed.
Rainbow Dash didn't see any of it. She was too focused on ensuring she caught up to that hot air balloon before it was too late. In the end she did catch up to it but she began to panic when she saw no sign of the balloonist. A few seconds later the hot air balloon crashed to the ground. Rainbow Dash grew worried "Where's the balloonist?" she asked "I swear he was in that basket just a second ago." Then suddenly she saw a crowd of ponies gathering around a mysterious figure. The balloonist was standing next to the figure and expressed his gratitude.
The mysterious figure mearly nodded. Then Rainbow Dash showed "Listen whoever you are. I thank for helping me out this one time but next time please leaving the heroing to me. Being a hero isn't as easy as I make it look and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt."
The mysterious figure said nothing. Rainbow Dash interpreted this to mean that whoever this pony was she had gotten the message.
"Mares and gentlecolts it seems we have another hero in our midst. This mysterious mare, whoever she is has done well in our fair town today." The Mayor said "And so it is with great pleasure that I hereby dub this masked hero The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!" This brought about a chorus of applause from ponies big and small. Rainbow Dash herself was among them. After all chances were this Mare-Do-Well pony wasn't going to appear again anytime soon, so it was only fitting that this mare enjoy her time in the spotlight. Much like herself Rainbow Dash was certain that within a week Mare-Do-Well would be little more then a fond memory that everyone would look back on.
But Mare-Do-Well didn't seem to fade. In fact it seemed like Mare-Do-Well was all anyone could think about. Newspapers began to print stories about Mare-Do-Well heroic act as well as who might be behind that cape and mask. Rainbow Dash herself had to admit it was nice that the citizens of Ponyville weren't entirely focused on her for a change. All the same she still held the belief that Mare-Do-Well as well as the whole hero thing would fade away with time.
"I'm cool with Mare-Do-Well." she was heard to say "Everyone deserves their 15 minutes of fame after all." However although there were still a lot of ponies who admired Rainbow Dash and continued to praise her Rainbow Dash couldn't deny that she was starting to grow envious of Mare-Do-Well's fame. After all she believed there was only room for one hero in town and that role was already taken.
The next day didn't help matters though as Rainbow Dash had to stop a speeding carriage with a ton of ponies on board. She threw all of her strength into trying to stop the carriage with her bare hooves but it seemed like despite her best efforts the carriage wouldn't stop in time. "Get out now!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the frightened passengers "I don't think I'm gonna be able to stop this thing from plunging over the cliff!" The passengers did as they were told but just after did they so Mare-Do-Well arrived on scene. She jumped in front of the carriage and pushed against it with her back legs. Her hooves dug into the ground but she barely managed to stop the carriage entirely just seconds before it would've gone over the side.
The passengers cheered and shouted. Mare-Do-Well had saved the day once again. "Three cheers for Mare-Do-Well!" a passenger shouted and everyone else quickly joined in. Mare-Do-Well said nothing and merely shook the dust off her hooves. Just as she turned to leave however Rainbow Dash appeared in front of her. "Listen Mare-Do-Well." she said "As much as I appreciate the extra help, in the future if I want your help I'll gladly ask for it. Like I said before I don't want you to get hurt because of me. And besides Ponyville already has a hero, although perhaps you could agreee to be my sidekick. Every hero needs a good sidekick after all. What do you say?" she extended her hoof towards Mare-Do-Well.
There was a pause and time seemed to stand still. Finally after a moment of consideration Mare-Do-Well rejected the offer and simply took off. The message she seemed to convey was "Thanks for the offer but I think we'll be better off alone. I hope we won't have to meet again."
"She's quite the humble one." one of the passengers said.
"Indeed she is." another passenger replied.
"And she's quite strong. Perhaps she's an Earth Pony." a third passenger added.
"Maybe." a fourth passenger said "But if so then what Earth Pony could move so fast and be so strong?"
No one knew the answer but newspapers began to print this speculation anyway. Before long it seemed like at least half of Ponyville's population was curious as to who Mare-Do-Well might really be. There were even polls conducted asking ponies who they thought was most likely to be Mare-Do-Well. Surprisingly some of the top answers were Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Bon-Bon, and even The Mayor though she quickly debunked the rumors. "As much as I wish I was Mare-Do-Well there's no way I could be." The Mayor said "But whoever this Mare-Do-Well is she's certainly the kind of pony I'd like to be."
Mare-Do-Well meanwhile surprised everyone by staying out of the spotlight. Not once did she make a public appearance or allow for an exclusive interview. Of course this humble personality only attracted more and more ponies who were starting to grow tired of Rainbow Dash's attitude. That wasn't to say they were sick and tired of it, but even a little boasting got tiring after a while. They certainly didn't think any less of Rainbow Dash, they just thought Mare-Do-Well was a better hero. Rainbow Dash still had her fan club, and her friends still considered a good hero but Rainbow Dash did start to miss the attention she'd been getting before Mare-Do-Well arrived on the scene. As the days rolled by without any sort of problems the gap in popularity between Mare-Do-Well and Rainbow Dash only grew. Little did anyone know that this unoffical "War between heros" was about to heat up.
One day work was being carried out at a construction site. Ponyville was begining to expand rapidly and The Mayor had instructed that new homes were to be built on previously vacant land to accommodate this population increase. Suddenly one of the ponies lost control of the new mobile cranes, it knocked into the building and began knocking down steel pillars and I-beams. The construction workers began to flee from the falling debris but they were unsure of which way to go and ran in all sorts of directions.
Fortunately Rainbow Dash arrived on the scene before long and flew into the chaos to try and rescue the workers. Suddenly Mare-Do-Well appeared by her side, though only for a moment. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her eyes as she saw Mare-Do-Well somehow predict the falling debris and expertly dodge every beam and pillar that came crashing down. Rainbow Dash didn't have time to wonder how this was possible however as she tried to remain focused on the task at hoof. She spotted a worker trapped behind a pile of debris, without wasting time Rainbow Dash scooped up the stallion and proceeded to fly away from the collapsing building. All the way the stallion shouted out to her, telling her which to dodge to avoid incoming debris. At last Rainbow Dash managed to get far enough away from the building to ensure the safety of her and the worker she had saved.
"T-thank you." the construction worker said "I'm glad you showed up when you did."
"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked "You look a little shaken up."
"I-I'll be fine in a little bit." the stallion said and promptly fainted from shock. Rainbow Dash was relieved when she felt his pulse and saw that it was still beating regularly. After quickly checking the stallion over just to make sure she hadn't missed any external wounds she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned her attention to Mare-Do-Well.
"You saved our lives. We are eternally grateful." the chief of construction said to Mare-Do-Well "If you hadn't shown up I don't know if all of us would've walked away from this unharmed." Mare-Do-Well simply nodded and shook the hoof of the chief. Then she promptly disappered.
"Did you see what I saw?" a construction worker asked "Whowever that Mare-Do-Well is she must be pyschic or something."
"What do you mean?" another construction worker asked.
"Did you see how she managed to avoid all those steel pillars and I-beams?" the construction worker said "It was like she had a sixith sense that could tell her when and where something would fall."
"But that's impossible." a third construction worker said "Isn't it?"
"I don't know." the chief of construction said "But I do know that Mare-Do-Well is full of surprises."
That quote became the headline for all the newspapers the next day. By this point there was no denying that Mare-Do-Well was Ponyville's new favorite hero. Sure a lot of ponies still admired Rainbow Dash (Scootaloo was even heard to say "Mare-Do-Well's got nothing on Rainbow Dash.") but Mare-Do-Well had more popularity and was all anyone ever seemed to talk about. And for good reason of course.
"She's just so nice." Fluttershy said "And I always like those who show kindness to others." She and the rest of the mane six (minus Rainbow Dash) were talking about Mare-Do-Well at Sugarcube Corner.
"That costume of her's is simply dazzling." Rarity said "And she always seems to have time for others."
"She's always cheerful and she's always in the right place at the right time." Pinkie Pie said.
"I hear some ponies are saying she might be an alien." Twilight said.
"Well whoever or whatever she is she's modest." Applejack "She lets her actions speak for themselves, cause she knows that actions speak louder then words."
"Yes she's just so great!" Rainbow Dash said. She had been resting on a nearby couch trying to doze off after an exhausting day of cloud clearing, but that had all been thrown out the window the instant she overheard her friends talking about Mare-Do-Well. "After all that's all anyone ever talks about now! It's Mare-Do-Well this and Mare-Do-Well that and Mare-Do-Well is so awesome!"
"I'd say somepony's jealous." Applejack said.
"Who me?" Rainbow Dash said.
"Well of course silly filly." Pinkie Pie said "Who else?"
"Oh I don't know maybe Mare-Do-Well herself!" Rainbow Dash said "I mean do you even know anything about her? Maybe she's not as grand as you think she is! Maybe deep down she's just some crazed pony who's lucky she hasn't gotten herself hurt, or worse!"
"Come on Rainbow Dash surely you don't mean to tell me you're jealous of all the attention Mare-Do-Well's getting?" Twilight said.
"Who me? Jealous of Mare-Do-Well? As if!" Rainbow Dash said "Why in the world of Equestria would I be jealous of her?!"
"Well she's certainly more popular then you are right now." Twilight said "Which is odd since I thought you were expecting this whole hero thing to just fade away."
"You're darn right I was expecting it!" Rainbow Dash said "But right now all I want to know is just who does this 'Mare-Do-Well' think she is?! So until Mare-Do-Well takes off her mask and shows me who she really is inside my opinion of her isn't going to change!" and with that Rainbow Dash stormed off in a huff.
Twilight tried to stop her but Applejack convinced her to just let Rainbow Dash go. "She just needs some time alone right now." Applejack said.
"I hope you're right." Twilight said "Because otherwise I fear that things will only end badly for everyone."
Twilight would unfortunately turn out to be right. At least partially.
Rainbow Dash began to grow impatient as the days rolled by without any sort of disaster. She flew back and forth over Ponyville as often as she could, trying to keep an eye out for even the slightest hint of trouble. But as if though the universe was delivering a big sense of irony Rainbow Dash didn't see anything.
"I just don't get it." Rainbow Dash said "The one time I'm hoping for some kind of disaster there isn't one." Then suddenly she saw what she assumed was an opportunity. There was a crack in the recently constructed Ponyville Dam which had been built in order to provide cheap hydro-electric power to Ponyville. The crack was so small that you were likely to pass right by the dam and not notice it but that didn't stop Rainbow Dash from plugging it up with her hoof. "Never fear Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash said, she didn't notice the crack starting to widen at an alarming rate "Once again your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash has officially prevented disast-" The crack had expanded so much that the dam gave way. Rainbow Dash was swept away by the raging flood waters and struggled to keep her head above water. For a moment she began to see her life flash before her eyes.
Then suddenly a voice unlike anything Rainbow Dash had heard shouted "Take my hoof now!" Rainbow Dash did so and felt herself being pulled onto the safety of a nearby branch. Then she got a good look at who it was. "Mare-Do-Well?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes it is me." Mare-Do-Well said "But now's not the time for talk I must repair that dam which you somehow managed to break."
"Well unless you can use magic you've got your work cut out for you." Rainbow Dash said.
"Just watch." Mare-Do-Well said and removed her hat to reveal a dark purple horn that matched the rest of her costume.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Rainbow Dash said as she watched Mare-Do-Well's horn light up with a violet red aura. The aura surronded the pieces of the dam and began levitating them back into their original position. The process took only a few seconds and when it was finished the dam looked as good as new. Meanwhile the water slowly but surely returned to normal as both Rainbow Dash and Mare-Do-Well left the branch and planted their hooves on solid ground.
"Mare-Do-Well can use magic now?" a pony asked as she saw Mare-Do-Well's exposed horn just seconds before Mare-Do-Well hid it under her hat.
"Maybe she really is an alien." a second pony said.
"Or a really strong unicorn." a third pony chimed in.
Mare-Do-Well said nothing as she prepared to leave. Before she could however Rainbow Dash said "Looks like you won this hero contest Mare-Do-Well. I just hope you won't meet the same fate as I did. Now if you'll excuse me I must be going."
"Wait! Rainbow Dash!" Mare-Do-Well shouted.
"Just leave me alone o.k.?!" Rainbow Dash said "In fact tell this to everypony. From now on just don't bother coming near me. If you've got a problem just call Mare-Do-Well." And with that she flew away.
Mare-Do-Well tried to call out to her but it was no use. Mare-Do-Well left soon afterward. The newspapers exploded with headlines such as Mare Do Well wins unoffical hero war!, Rainbow Dash calls it quits!, and Rainbow Dash flys off! Names Mare-Do-Well as Ponyville's new hero.
Needless to say they sold like hotcakes. And those who didn't buy a paper soon heard the shocking news from their friends and/or neighbors.
The rest of the mane six held an emergency meeting at Carousel Boutique upon hearing this. "Well now what are we suppose to do?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know Twilight." Applejack said.
"Well we certainly can't just abandon Rainbow Dash now can we?" Rarity said.
"She must've been really upest to just up and fly off like that." Pinkie Pie said.
"But she probably won't set hoof in Ponyville as long as Mare-Do-Well's around." Fluttershy said.
Upon hearing the word "Mare-Do-Well" an idea formed in Twilight's head. "I think I have the answer to our problem." Twilight said. She promptly whispered it to the others.
"Well that's a good idea and all but are you really sure it will work?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah I mean if this backfires we're in trouble." Applejack said.
"I know it's risky but this is the only way we can make things right and teach Rainbow Dash the lesson we all agree she needs to learn." Twilight said "So are you with me?"
"Well I guess we are." Fluttershy said.
"But this is pretty serious. Even I can't think of a way to lighten things up." Pinkie Pie said.
"That's got to be a first." Applejack said.
"That sure feels like something Rainbow Dash would say." Pinkie Pie said solemly.
"Then let's not waste anymore time." Rarity said "Let's put this plan into action."
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Rainbow Dash meanwhile sulked to herself in her cloud home. "I just don't understand it." she said to no one in particular, though that didn't stop her pet tortoise Tank from looking up at her from his tank. "Not that long ago I thought I had everything I could ever need. I had fans. I had friends. I was respected. Ponies looked up to me. I was a hero. So where did it all go so wrong? What was it that caused Mare-Do-Well to become so well loved? What was it that caused me to become the laughing stock of the town? Did I somehow change? Did something happen to me? I don't feel any different. So why do I still feel so upset?"
The answer didn't come to Rainbow Dash however and the more she thought about this the more upset she became. Eventually she decided to just give up and try to get some sleep. Perhaps the answer would come to her in the morning. But even sleep proved to difficult for Rainbow Dash. She tried everything she could think of to fall asleep but it didn't seem to help. Despite all of this she still managed to get a few hours of sleep.
The next morning as she made herself breakfast Rainbow Dash asked herself the same questions. Eventually she started to realize something. The real reason everyone had abandoned her or refused to be near her wasn't because of Mare-Do-Well. It wasn't about who was more popular. It was about who was more modest and humble, two words that Rainbow Dash couldn't use to describe herself in her later hero days. But she realized that it was too late to just apologize and say she was sorry. After everything she'd said and done sorry wouldn't even come close to making up for it.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a familar voice called out "Hey Rainbow Dash!". Rainbow Dash knew at once who it was and flew down to greet her. It was Scootaloo her former number one fan. Looking at her now and seeing her dressed up in a Mare-Do-Well hat it was obvious her allegiance had changed. Not that Rainbow Dash blamed her.
"Oh hey Scootaloo." she said trying her best to sound pleasant "I thought I told everyone I wanted to be left alone. Or didn't you get the message?"
"I heard it loud and clear." Scootaloo said "And I couldn't believe it. I never thought you of all ponies would just give up."
"Well there's a first time for eveything squirt." Rainbow Dash said "But why should you care? It's obvious you support Mare-Do-Well now."
"That may be true but I know a lot of ponies who only started supporting her when you gave up." Scootaloo said "Whatever happened to the Rainbow Dash I use to know? Whatever happened to that pony?"
"She disappeared as soon as this whole hero thing began." Rainbow Dash said "And I don't know if she'll ever come back."
"I don't want to believe that." Scootaloo said.
"Well believe what you want to believe Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash said "But the old Rainbow Dash is gone. But enough about me you came here for a reason."
"You're right Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said "I came here to tell you that there's going to be a parade held for Mare-Do-Well and The Mayor wants everyone to be present."
"Why should I show up?" Rainbow Dash said "I'm nothing but a laughing stock."
"That's not true." Scootaloo said "No one ever gave up on you. Not even your friends. But I guess if you don't want to come you don't have to. I never thought I'd hear myself say this but I'm ashamed I ever looked up to you." And with that she left, trying to hold back her tears.
Rainbow Dash felt really bad upon seeing this and so after some debating she reluctantly decided to go to the parade. At the least if she was going to give up this whole hero thing and never show her face in town again she could make sure Mare-Do-Well would be up to the challenge of protecting an entire town.
By the time Rainbow Dash arrived the parade was already in full swing. "Mares and gentlecolts. I am pleased to present the moment you've all been waiting for." The Mayor said "Please welcome our guest of honor Mare-Do-Well!" As soon as The Mayor spoke those Mare-Do-Well leaped onto the stage. Ponies clapped and cheered.
Then to the surprise of everyone Mare-Do-Well pointed to Rainbow Dash.
"Are you addressing me?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Mare-Do-Well nodded.
"What do you want?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Mare-Do-Well didn't answer. She simply took off, motioning for Rainbow Dash to follow.
Rainbow Dash quickly forgot about feeling sorry for herself as she chased Mare-Do-Well. Surprisingly Mare-Do-Well seemed to be more then a match for Rainbow Dash and always managed to stay one step ahead. Eventually however Rainbow Dash saw an opening and seized it. "I've got you now!" she said and tackled Mare-Do-Well, pinning her down to ensure she couldn't escape. "Mystery solved." Rainbow Dash said as she removed Mare-Do-Well's mask. She gasped when she realized who it was. "Twilight?" she said.
"Looks like the jig is up." Twilight said as one by one Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity emerged from hiding.
"But how could you be Mare-Do-Well?' Rainbow Dash said "You're nowhere near as strong or fast as she."
"You're right Rainbow Dash I'm not." Twilight said "What I did was use my magic to scan Applejack and Pinkie Pie and temporarily borrow some of their powers."
"So when Twilight needed my speed or my 'Pinkie Sense' she scanned me." Pinkie Pie explained.
"Or when Twilight needed my strength she scanned me." Applejack said "And gained the power of Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee."
"I was a backup Mare-Do-Well in case anything went wrong." Fluttershy said.
"And I designed the costume." Rarity explained.
"But what about the dam?" Rainbow Dash asked "Mare-Do-Well spoke to me then and she didn't sound at all like you."
"That's because I used a voice modification spell that I recently perfected." Twilight explained "I was going to talk you before you ran off."
"But why would you all do something like this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We did it because we wanted to help ensure that your ego didn't lead to trouble." Twilight said "And we also did it to teach you a lesson."
"Like you said there's nothing wrong with having your 15 minutes of fame." Rarity said.
"But rubbing it in everyone's faces isn't." Applejack said.
"Yeah after all the only thing that should ever be rubbed in anypony's face is chocolate cake." Pinkie Pie said and began to lick her hooves. Everyone cast her an odd look.
"Anyway we wanted to teach you humility." Twilight said "A true hero is one that doesn't care what the public thinks of him or her. A true hero is one who helps others without asking for anything in return. And a true hero certainly doesn't go around boasting all the time."
"So you girls all did this to help me?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes." Fluttershy said "You're not mad with us are you?"
"Of course not." Rainbow Dash said "You all had the guts to do what nopony would do. You stood up to me and helped me learn the error of my ways."
"Sounds like you've got a letter to write to Princess Celestia." Twilight said.
"Indeed I do." Rainbow Dash said.
"I'm ready when you are." Spike said.
Rainbow Dash began to narrate her letter.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
Recently I became a hero and even though I tried not to I let all the fame and glory go to my head. I started milking my hero role for all it was worth and as a result my reputation was badly damaged.
Thankfully my friends had the guts to stand up to me and show me why I was wrong. And even when I was being unbearable they stuck by me.
Friends never give up on each other and giving up never gets you anywhere in life. But at the same time friends know when enough is enough and a true friend is one who's willing to tell you that you're wrong and help you see sense.
Your faithful subject,
Rainbow Dash"
Spike promptly sent the letter. Everyone smiled and quickly agreed to put the whole hero thing behind them. Mare-Do-Well made one final appearance in which she announced she would hang up her cape and leave the heroing to Rainbow Dash. But promised to return if Ponyville needed her.
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And now we the rewrite that everyone has been looking forward to. The rewrite of The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. Hope you enjoy it!
This is MUCH better. No OOC's of the Mane 6 and no horribly taught lesson. Seriously this is how the episode should've played out.
2648666 Glad you like it.
If I may recommend a "What if?" scenario, how about one with Owl's Well That Ends Well? I feel that episode needs some serious work as well. Like maybe Twilight and her friends hear it from Spike about how he felt jealous and that he gets after them for showing more love to Owlowiscious, despite Spike doing so much for each of them and promptly tells Twilight to leave him alone, leaving her with the task of finding a way to make amends with Spike. If you want more details, just PM me then.
2648705 If you want to do that rewrite feel free to do so. I've already made my list but part of the reason I created this fanfic was to inspire other fans to think about episodes they felt were bad or needed work and rewrite them.
2652283 I don't inteded to leave a large blank space. I assume it's just a mistake of the publishing software on this site.
Also I corrected the mistake.
Eh... As much as I like someone attempting to rewrite the episode, now it creates a new problem.
This makes her too overpowered too soon.
Twilight's scanning spell.
One other thing:
Do you mean a backup Mare-Do-Well?
...
Anyway, I digress. It was an entertaining read.
2653883 I corrected the mistake. Also the spell was temporary.
... Damn that's OP.
Way better than the original one, but I do kinda wish that Dashie didn't learn her lesson. I mean when I saw the original episode, I wanted to do a bro hoof to the creator.... To the face.... With a brick. I hated it! Everyone knows that the real Rainbow Dash would never stand to that. So if I made a rewrite, I would have Dash upset, going away on her thunder cloud, and then her friends realizing how awful, mean, and cruel they were. But anyway, your rewrite was SO much better than the original.
Not. Good. Enough.
I hate to be a negative Nelly, but this so called fan fiction did not fix the episode. While the original episode had ponies out of character, they at least had personalities. The ponies are so bland and one dimensional following a broken premise that should not have existed, even in the show where magic is an existing factor.
I think I have said too much. If anyone wishes to reply, feel free to do so, but no insults, please? Nitpick or criticism, this comment will be published.
3712999 The thing Twilight did with her magic was only temporary. I don't know why I have to constantly explain that.
If you think you could do a better job rewriting this episode by all means do so.
I can see where you were going with this, it's a big improvement. I remember reading a journal story on DeviantArt called The Price Of Loyalty which takes place near the end of the episode, that one is my favourite alternative, but this comes a very close second.
You certainly made an improvement on this episode and did an excellent job. RD wasn't as unbearable as the episode itself and her ego problem was realistically constructed. Also, the fandom did not forget easily. The ending where Mare-do-well reveals itself did catch me by surprise. I know there are many readers who hated the concept. I'm actually indifferent. I liked the original reveal better, but this still worked anyway. Great chapter.
this is what should have happened, the others should have at least have sympathy for her.
Not bad, though I think there should've been a little more of an extension to the mane six trying to talk to her first, have a few seperate scenes showing their failed attempts.
I do love how you cut out Fluttershy's pointless flyby, though the Sugarcube Corner scene would've been a little better if the mane five compared MDW to some heroes that RD is already familiar with:
The Wonderbolts.
Think about it, RD I idolizes and adores them and aspires to be just like them. So in hindsight having comparing her actions to theirs would have a bigger impact on her, then the main six could steer her in the humble direction by reminding her that while the Wonderbolts do pull off shows and enjoy the fame they know when the time for showboating is and place the civilians their rescuing as a top priority.
BOOM. Rainbow gets the message and straightens out her act, or at least starts thinking harder about her actions.
The original balloonist was Cherry Berry. I suppose I'm okay with the balloonist instead being some random stallion instead, even if I don't know what makes it an improvement.
I guess this "scanning" thing avoids the part where she thinks MDW wouldn't be able to fly, being a unicorn... and then MDW flies off. I can only imagine RD thinking, "Oh, great, I'm up against an alicorn."
You didn't fix the biggest problem with that episode. Mare-do-well is a really stupid name for a hero.
This was a much better rewrite of the episode, but I don’t think that Rainbow would’ve been that understanding. The Rainbow I know would be more upset and even hurt by what her friends did to her, and not want to talk to them for a while
. That and the town should call the girls out for posing as a hero when they were already hero’s to begin with
. I’m not saying that this is a bad rewrite, because it was much better than the main episode, and to deserve all the credit and praise. All I’m saying is that those bits could’ve been added and changed
.
All and all great work. I’m eager to see how this goes
.
7868759
!
Exactly! Thank you, that was just what I was thinking
8665061
Perhaps Darkmare would be better?
It was what the Japanese dub calls her.
This is miles better than the episode itself. Pretty much every aspect of the original episode was made a million times better in this. For example, Twilight actually tries talking to Rainbow first, which barely affects anything. And then the mane six don't act like douchebags when Rainbow dash is sulking at Sugarcube Corner. And then Scootaloo doesn't ditch her out of the blue. And to top it all off, the final scene isn't anywhere near as infuriating as in the show. Thank god! That was my least favorite scene in the show, and still is to this day. I also applaud you for not exessifying Rainbow's cockiness, as that wouldn't have done much. I'll give this a 7/10. A great chapter for me.
The stallion in the balloon is the EarthenMare Cherry Berry. She is an Earthen with the heart of a Pegasus. She owns and operates at least a ballon and an helicopter:
static.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/a/aa/Cherry_Berry_in_the_Rainbow_Helicopter_S4E21.png
Your rewrite is a big improvement:
Merriwether Williams understands neither the characters nor the geography of Ponyville. Let us go back to the premise:
Rainbow Dash saves ponies for praise; so now, her friends must intervene. Personally, I do not care whether she saves ponies for money, the goodness of her heart, et cetera, as long ass she saves ponies.
Merriwether Williams did not bother to learn the characters, so everypony is out of character. She did not bother to learn the geography of Ponyville, or she would know that Ponyville is an agricultural town in a floodplain; so therefore, should neither cliffs nor a dam nearby.
You corrected the characterization, but repeated the mistakes of geography.
Your episode is vastly better than the original.
Complete shit. Scootaloo gaslights Rainbow in this and the mane cast doesn't apologize. Awful.