Chapters It was Nightmare Night, a time for fun and merry making. But this year, Twilight was running late.
“Come on Twilight! Forget the costume! We’ve got a party to get to!”
“If you don’t hurry, the last train to Canterlot is going to leave without us!” The voice of Rainbow dash called up from outside her house below.
“Im am hurrying!”
Twilight threw open the last chest in her storage closet.
“No... No... No! Nothing! And all the costume stores will be closed by now...” She hurried down the stairs, pushing open the door to her musty basement. Tree roots lined the ceiling, and cobwebs covered the corners. Pushing aside cardboard boxes, she looked for anything. A very dusty chest in the far corner met her eyes. She blasted the lock apart with her magic, in an attempt to open the dusty chest.
“Woops.” She wheezed, dust flew about, and chunks of thin metal impaled themselves in the ground around her. She waved her hoof around, dispersing the choking dust. She peered in the chest and gasped quietly.
“My Mare Do Well costume! I remember this.” She smiled pleasantly at the memories she had at teaching Rainbow Dash a lesson in gloating. She grabbed the bundle with her magic and raced up the stairs. She tossed the bundle in her waiting saddle bag, and dashed out the door to her waiting friends.
“Took you long enough, We almost left without you!”
. . .
“Ladies!” She announced boldly. A collective gasp filled the room.
“AHH! It’s Mare Do Well! I can’t go back to prison!” Pinkie Pie hollered, ducking beneath her train seat.
“Oh darling, I can’t believe you kept that old thing! What was I thinking making it? Those are last years colors!” Rarity hollered, disgracing herself. Twilight pulled back the mask, holding the hat with her magic.
“This was what I could come up with on short notice. I am feeling a little nostalgia though.” Twilight said, having a seat. The train's brakes began to screech as the train began to slow to a stop.
“Last stop for Canterlot!” A conductor outside of the cart announced to the train.
“Time to party girls!” Pinkie Pie hollered, emerging from beneath her chair once again.
“First, we get to the castle.” Twilight reminded her.
“Oh... Right.”
. . .
“My hat!” Twilight cried out, racing after it. A hoof from an alleyway suddenly shot out, grabbing the hat in one swift motion. Twilight stopped, her mask had slid back in place during her sprint. A Colt wearing a white mask held out the hat, his cloak fluttering in the faint breeze.
“I believe this is yours, my dear.” He said in a smooth voice, holding out the hat.
“Thanks!” She grabbed the hat, and put it on snugly, pushing the brim out of her eyes. But the colt was gone!
“Hay! Where did...” She trailed off, confused. She couldn't have imagined him. A sudden scream from down the street made her stop.
“Somepony help me!”
Twilight raced down the street, turning into the small alley, when she gasped. A mare was being pushed up against a wall by three colts.
“What do you say pretty little lady, How about we forget the cash and you just come home with me?”
“Somepony help me!” She screamed again.
“Get away from her!” Mare do Well hollered out. The three thugs looked at the masked pony questioningly.
“And who are you supposed to be? Some escapee from the loony bin?” The main thug said, releasing his grip on the mare, who quickly ran away.
“I am the terror that trots in the night! I am Mare Do Well!” Twilight cried out, remembering the chant.
“You know, I think it would be more fun to beat on you instead!” The thug hollered, racing towards her. Twilight thought quickly, and used her magic to grip a discarded pipe. She brought it up forcefully, causing the assaulting Colt to collapse. She reared up, and kicked the next thug. She readied her pipe for the third thug.
“Come at me br-” Her taunt was quickly silenced as the first thug grabbed her from behind, choking her with the held pipe.
“You’ll pay for that you little creep. Rocky! Show this little pest how we repay them!”
“Let’s make her bleed!” A sudden flash of black raced between the two, hurdling the knife high in the air. The masked pony from before quickly tripped the pony who now clutched nothing but air. He grabbed the falling knife, stabbing it into his throat with a shower of blood. He reached out, punching the pony choking Twilight, dropping her. Pushing her aside, he kicked him swiftly, flying him towards his friend. The second thug ran, leaving the first to fend for himself.
“Another masked weirdo? I’ll kill you both!” He charged stampeding towards them with pure muscle. The masked pony side stepped him, holding out a hoof, effectively Clotheslining him. He fell to the ground coughing, but was lifted up by the masked pony. He gripped his throat, choking him.
“Stop! You’ll kill him!” Twilight cried out. The masked pony turned his head, the empty eyes of his mask staring at her. He let go, and wiped his cloak out with a flourish. Twilight closed her eyes, bracing herself. She opened her eyes. She was no longer in the filthy alley way, but now stood above on the rooftops looming over head. She looked about, laying her eyes on the masked pony that saved her.
“You... You saved me!” She cried out.
“How ironic that a hero would be the one needing to be saved. I do hope your allrigh... My dear.” He said in a hushed voice.
“Who are you?”
“Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a mare in a mask.”
“Well, I can see that.”
“Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, i'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked mare who he is.”
“Oh, right.”
“It does not matter who I am you see, as my tale is not as thrilling a read as yours might be. You are Mare Do Well, as you so boldly call yourself. You have never shown your self before, and that enough proves that this is your first night donning that costume, and choosing to, quote on quote, ‘clean the streets of Canterlot’ I am willing to venture. But, tonight is a special night. Nightmare Night. Perhaps you are just a mare from a party, who has had too much to drink, and thought that she herself could be a hero. Either choice is perfectly plausible. But tonight is just a mistake perhaps, something you will never venture again, the risk of saving others is that of your own life! Or perhaps, you will continue this adventure of yours. I am what your modern literature would call an ‘Anti-Hero’ saving the good with the purge of the evil. You may call me ‘K’ over other names you may hear, my dear.” K introduced himself with a flourish, pulling off his own hat in a curtsy. He replaced his hat, on top of a mop of a unnaturally straight mane. A porcelain mask covers his face, a wicked smile permanently fixed in the glass, with dark eyes that pierced even the night. He wore a simple black tunic, and a belt weighed down with knives, and a cloak that flapped about.
“You must be crazy or something.”
“I'm quite sure they would say so.”
Author's Note
K, based off the character V by Alan Moore
Twilight awoke, her head throbbing, and mouth dry. She threw off the covers of her bed, looking out the window. A simple, autumn morning. The events of last night still raced through her head. She had saved somepony! But... Who was that colt? She shook the thought out of her head. She stumbled down the stairs, walking into the small kitchen. Spike stood near the fridge, holding the local paper and a bottle of milk.
“Hay Twilight, You seeing this? Some weirdo in a costume beat some guys up last night. Some people...” Spike muttered, flipping to the colored comics in the back. Twilight grabbed the front page of the paper, and the milk bottle, taking a swig of the later from the bottle.
“Says here a mare reported a mugging, two were found dead, and another in a local park. Hmm...” She studied the blurry image that took up the image. It showed the two bodies in an alleyway, and a separate image of a pair of dark figures on a rooftop.
“There’s been some other masked weirdo running around to. What’s going on you think? Some superhero epidemic?” Spike asked, looking up from his comics.
“I don’t think that two ponies in costumes count as an epidemic.”
“I know, but today? 2. And tomorrow? Maybe three. Maybe 4? Who knows? Ponies around here can be a little crazy about that stuff.” Twilight sighed, her mind thinking back. It had felt good to save those ponies, but killing them? The paper said Mare Do Well was a hero. But it also noted that the authorities wanted her for murder... She shook the ridicules thoughts from her head. She was no hero. A sudden knock at the door brought her attention. She trotted to the door, easing it open.
“Good morning Twilight, I hope your not too exhausted from last nights extremities, and I was wondering if you made it home last night.”
“Hello Rarity, Yeah... I'm fine.” Twilight sighed wearadly.
“Ah, wonderful. Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to head to Canterlot with me, if you're feeling up for it? I was going to pick up some new materials for a dress i'm designing, and thought we could maybe have a day for ourselves. Hmm?”
“... You know, Sure. Gimme a moment to fetch my bag.”
. . .
“And so then I said, ‘Dragon scales? This is a vest not a jacket!’” Rarity laughed at her story, walking aside Twilight on the crowded streets of Canterlot.
“Great story.”
“You seem out of it, Twilight. Let’s do a little shopping for you. Ooh! A bookstore. You like those, right? Let’s go!” Rarity drug Twilight by the hoof to the small corner store. Inside were shelves stacked high with old books, the air thick with the scent of old leather and paper. It gave Twilight a small piece of mind. She looked up and down the shelves. Familiar and new titles jumping out at her.
“Hmm? ‘The elements of design’? Now what is- Oh! Not what I expected.” Rarity held up a large dusty book out to Twilight. The cover featured a cutaway of a grappling hook like device. Her brow furrowed as she flicked through the book. Designs and blueprints for odd devices that would probably not have any day to day purpose. But for some...
“I’ll take this one.” Twilight said with a nod to the bored looking teenager behind the counter. “Paper of plastic?”
. . .
“Oh my, I believe we are lost.” Rarity complained. They walked down a filthy street, no longer populated by the wealthy citizens of Canterlot. The slums.
“I would hate to get roughed up by some hooligan. And i thought for sure this was the way to the train station.”
“Let’s go in here and see if we can get directions.” Twilight said, pointing to a tavern, the sign reading ‘The thirsty Dragon’. The two ponies pushed open the double doors. The bar was filled with dirty colts, throwing darts, playing billiards, or just having a drink.
“Excuse me sir, would you happen to know where the train station is? We are terribly lost, and would be rather grateful if you could tell is!” Rarity swooned, Twilight scanned the room. A colt sat alone at a table nearest them. He sat with his legs on the table, leaning his chair back and rolling a black knife around his hoof. A few rowdy drunks pushed each other around, one hurtling into Twilight. She was sent flying, and hit the floor with a thud.
“Twilight! Are you alright!?” Rarity shrieked. The colt stood up offering a hoof to her.
“Are you alright, my dear?” He asked, pulling her to her hoofs. He slid his knife back into his belt, and sat back down. He offered her the fallen saddle bag.
“Yes, I'm alright.” She said, waltzing back to the awaiting Rarity.
“Good, this kind Colt has given me the directions to the train station, we should go.”
Twilight turned back, the Colt long gone. “Did you know him?”
“No, No I did not.” She said, leaving through the Double doors, side by side with her friend.
. . .
Nov 5
Let’s meet
~K~
He wanted to meet on the fifth? The message was hastily written, with messy handwriting. That was four days from now... She looked at both books. She had work to do.
A new shadow in the night
Twilight gripped the screw driver in her mouth, her magic keeping the small device still. She stood in her basement, cleared for space, and worktables sprawled with materials and tools lay about. A pile of pillows and boxes lay in a separate corner, some with crudely drawn faces, and others ripped apart by brute force.
“There!” Twilight held up the new device. It looked like a gun, but the barrel held a large three pronged hook out of the end. She aimed, and pulled the trigger with her magic, as the door above swung open. Spike hollered, as the hook embedded itself into the newly opened door. Twilight gave as silent cheer as she set down the gun.
“Twilight, you’ve been down here for four days! I’ve done my best to ignore the sounds of explosions, but now, I ask. What in the name of Celestia are you doing! You nearly took my head off!” Spike hollered. He stomped down the stairs, and set down the platter of food on the greasy table.
“Sorry Spike, just something I’ve been trying out.” Twilight said.
“Right, well... I’m just going to go now.”
“Wait! You said it’s been four days? What time is it?”
“About noon.”
“Good, I have enough time...”
“To be honest, I don't even want to know.”
. . .
Mare Do Well stood at the top of Canterlot Castle, the entire city sprawled out before her. She spread her wings, and leaped. The rush of wind whipped about, as she raced through the small streets, and flew above the rooftops. She dropped, and rolled on the roof with her momentum. She looked up, K stood there, applauding.
“Wonderful act, my dear. Glad you got my note.”
“You, I remember now! You were at the bar! I remember your voice.”
“Yes, How lucky I was to ‘bump’ into you. Well, I wanted a little chat is all.”
“I’ll be straight. This town is a nightmare. The slums are overridden with the innocent, and the castle houses the evil. But that’s more of a personal view. You are a hero, somepony to look up to. But there’s blood on your hooves, and the police want your head. So let’s change that. You need to be a hero! Do some heroic things!” K said with a flourish.
“I was thinking the same thing. Now, I suppose I should start small, mess up a few local gangs or drug dealers. Just some local thugs.” Mare Do Well suggested.
“Ha! Please. What’s the fun in that? Besides, It would take too long. I have a better idea. Tell me, Do you like music?”
. . .
The duo stood on a rooftop, overlooking most of Canterlot.
“It’s nice up here, you can see the whole city!” Mare Do Well complemented.
“A more perfect stage could not be asked for. You see those buildings over there? That is the house of the royal guards. The Captain of the guard lives there, along with more than half of the actual royal guard. You see, the Captain enjoys many splendors that would come with such a fine job, manly women. He enjoys them so much you see, that he is willing to... Have his way, even through kidnap and rape! Willing guard members go along with it in hopes of a raise, while those who reject are threatened with their lives. When the real villains are the heroes, who can you trust, really? So I did a little snooping, took some photos, Etcetera. And now we are going to have a little show.” K wiped a small conductor’s baton from his belt, waving it about. Bells in the distance began to ring midnight.
“Look, your princess has even had a statue of herself newly installed on the top of the building. I'm willing to bet that's real gold. Oh well, on the the Overture!” K tapped the baton on a nearby pipe, waving it about, conducting invisible instruments.
“Ah yes, the strings... and now the brass! Listen carefully, can you hear it?” K asked, waving his baton.
“I don’t hear an... Wait. Music!?” Mare Do Well raced to the balcony ledge, looking down. The speakers that usually blared messages of warning now spilled out music. Beautiful, orchestral music. Ponies began to flood the streets, leaving the comforts of their homes to find the cause of the music.
“How did you do that?” Mare Do Well demanded.
“Wait! Here comes the crescendo!” K pushed the baton towards the guard building, as the music cascaded into a symphony of sound. The building exploded, a fireball of crimson and orange. The statue of Celestia was blown to bits, flying off into the distance. Fireworks went off with the building, as K laughed maniacally. Mare Do Well gasped, staring in awe.
“Yes! Yes! Beautiful is it not!? Hahahahaha!” K continued to laugh.
“This is crazy! Enough madness, I'm turning you in! You're just a crazy man!”
“Enough madness? Enough? And how do you measure madness?” Twilight turned to him, trying to grab him.
“You gotta catch me first!” K began to run, hopping over pipes and gaps in the roof tops. Twilight sprinted after him, sliding and jumping to catch up. She avoided tossed debris, as K leaped down. Twilight slipped, gripping the building ledge. She dropped down, pushing through the crowds of horrified onlookers to the recent explosions. She leapt up, flying through the air. She saw him climbing the steps to the local post office. She dashed ahead, and tackled him. The two struggled, pushing and kicking at each other. Twilight pulled the gun from her belt, an idea forming. She shot at one of the flagpoles, and tied the other end to the kicking foot of K. She released the trigger, the pull of momentum enough to send him flying. He hung by one leg, dangling upside down. He continued to laugh. Guards rushed up, spears banished, followed by a crowd of people.
“Guards, this is the Colt you are looking for, the one who blew up the Guard buildings. I, have captured him. Mare Do Well!” She hollered triumphantly. The crowds cheered and chanted her name.
“Mare Do Well! Mare Do Well!” She gave a small bow, grabbing her hat off the ground, pulling it on with a tug. Several guards raced up the steps, surrounding K.
“Finally caught you, crazy idiot.”
“Haha, good show boys!” K hollered. A sudden crack filled the air, as K suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
“Well, you nearly got me this time, perhaps next we meet, my dear?” K hollered from above, standing on the ornate fountain of a pony spitting water upwards. Another crack, and he stood on a nearby building. He saluted and raced off into the darkness. The crowds continued to chant her name. Several guards gave their thanks, informing her of her heroics. She gave a bow, taking her hat and presenting it, then plopped it on her head, and flew off, a trail of darkness following her. She landed on a rooftop, and saluted the cheering crowd. She turned her back to them, her face beaming, under the dark mask she wore.
Twilight held up the local newspaper, The Foal Free Press. The front page was adorned with an image of Mare Do Well, saluting to the night sky. In bold print, the title read: ‘Mare Do Well! Hero of the night!’ Below that, a column on the escape villain.
“Can you beleive what makes it in the papers these days? Its tragic. Not a single column on the future of fedoras! What am i supposed to do about this next outfit i have to make?” Rarity whined, sitting next to Twilight in the local bakery: Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie approached, dropping a tray of steaming beverages on the table.
“I heard from a good source that THIS Mare Do Well fell from the sky riding a meteor, and has a ton of super powers that we haven't heard of yet, because they're too awesome to talk about!” She exclaimed.
“Pinkie Pie, that’s ridiculous. Though I heard, that it’s a colt from Stalliongrad.” Twilight remained silent, staring at the image.
“What about you Twilight? Heard any good rumors?” Pinkie asked.
“Oh I doubt it, she’s been locked up in her library all of the last two weeks.” Rarity commented. Twilight took a long sip from her hot drink.
“How funny would it be if Twilight was Mare Do Well?” Twilight spat her drink out, coughing.
“Sorry, just... Yeah, funny!” Twilight said, feigning a laugh.
“Right... Well I better get going then. Work to do and such.” Rarity said, wiping coffee from her face as she rose from the table.
“We all have work to do, don’t we?” Twilight asked, to the vacant chair across from her.
. . .
“All Right buddy, you’ve got ten seconds to tell me where you got the drugs you keep dishing out. ANd you don’t want to know what happens when I get to zero. Ten. Nine. Eight...” Mare Do Well began.
“I'm not afraid of you!”
“Funny, thats not what the last three colts said. Seven. Six. Five.”
“Last three? Oh crap! Alright look, I’ll tell you what you want to hear all right?” The colt asked, beginning to shake.
“Four. Three. Two.”
“Allright! 3rd Street. The drunken filly saloon! Just don’t hurt me!” The colt cried out, shielding his face with his hoofs.
“Good boy.” Mare Do Well growled.
“You're not going to hurt me?”
“Not if you start running now.” The colt did as suggested. All three drug dealers had pointed to the same place, though not as quickly as this one did. She lept to the roof top, sprinting forward, and leaping from rooftop to rooftop. It was a short trip, the Drunken Filly was lit up with dull neon signs. She pushed the double doors in, swinging on rusted hinges, with sharp squeeks.
“Were closed.” The bartender said without looking up, wiping the counter with an equally filthy rag with his unicorn magic.
“I'm not buying.” The bartender looked up, his eyes wide. He set down the rag, reaching under the table.
“And I said, were closed!” The bartender lifted a shotgun from beneath the bar, firing it. Mare Do Well wizzed sideways, faster than the speeding hale of pellets from the shell. She flipped a table with one swift movement, and ducked behind it, as another hail of shrapnel flew at her, with a loud bang. As the bartender reloaded franticly, she leaped over the table, racing towards the bar. The bartender gripped the barrel of the gun, swinging it like a bat. Mare Do Well grabbed it from mid air, wrenching it from his grasp, and throwing it aside. She grabbed him with her magic, hovering him in mid air, choking him.
“Where's the drug lab!?” She demanded. The bartender choked, sputtering out.
“Were!?” The bartender pointed with his hoof, his eyes rolling upwards, and face turning red. Mare Do Well dropped him, heading to the door he pointed out. He gratefully gasped in lungfuls of breath. Mare do Well kicked the door open, the air filling with smoke and the sound of machinery. Ponies in white suits and gas masks milled about, mixing tubes and pouring dangerous materials into buckets. Red barrels of gas lay mixed about, fueling the beaker flames that cooked their chemicals. A sudden shout from one of the ponies, brought the attention on her. She Raced forward, striking one of the workers down. Two unicorns raced at her, holding up broken pipes as weapons. They were quickly dispatched with a punch and kick. The air was thick with smoke and fumes, making the situation more stressful. Bullets ripped through the air, smashing into beakers and bottles as three workers armed themselves more appropriately. Mare Do Well ducked, bullets spraying over her.
“Come out little hero, I’ve got a little friend that would like to meet you!” One of the workers called out through the smoke.
“Meet this.” Mare Do Well jumped out through the smoke. She uppercutted the nearest worker, gripping his gun and smacking it with him. She turned him around, as a cascade of bullets ripped into him. Using her magic, she willed the gun to spray back into the workers. She dropped the gun, which continued to spray bullets. She was suddenly thrust aside, and pushed off her hooves. She crashed into one of the shelves, containing all the work they were doing it. A hulking pony, wielding a large hammer. She rolled aside as the hammer came crashing down, were her head had been a second earlier. She aimed a few punches, which quickly bounced off the brutes massive frame. She kicked him in the face, only to leave a grunt of annoyance. She was sent hurtling again, crashing through another group of shelves. She groaned in pain. Her head turning. A small beaker flame lay lit, as a small puddle of fuel quickly neared it. Her eyes traveled down, getting wider in fear. The red barrels had been shot apart in the gunfight, leaving fuel everywhere. She got up, and raced to the only door.
“Why do you run little hero?” The brute called out, laughing.
“To live another day.” She cried out, slamming the door shut. The fuel caught, flames rising as they raced to the barrels. Mare Do Well fell through the double doors as the massive explosion swept through her. She hit the ground, coughing. Crimson flames raced through the bar, bellowing out in the night air. The bartender helped her up.
“Under normal circumstances, I’d thank you. Those drugs were nearing the point of killing me if i didn't stay quiet about what they were doing, but you are burning down by bar!” He complained.
“Just another days work then.”
Author's Note
And we get some action, like the title suggested. I think a few more to wrap this up will do finely.