Everypony in Ponyville gathered around the stage where the parade was scheduled to start. A wooden stage was set up with a big poster of the Mysterious Mare Do Well. Mayor Mare stood up at the podium and tapped it for silence.
"Fillies nad gentlecolts!" she announced, "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!"
Mare Do Well jumped through the poster and posed for the crowd. Everypony cheered with gusto. . .until a huge snow cloud suddenly was sent spinning down from the sky and crashed into Mare Do Well. There was a burst of icy mist and snowflakes, and when they settled down, Mare Do Well was frozen solid in a casing of ice.
The crowd gasped in shock and fear, and their fears were increased when they heard an evil laugh from up above them. Everypony looked up to see a black storm cloud descend upon them. Sitting on top of the cloud was Rainbow Dash, dressed in her Shadow Bolt costume, wearing a wicked smile on her face.
The entire crowd watched with fear as the Pegasus jumped out of the cloud and slowly strolled back and forth across the stage, still wearing that wicked smile.
She looked at the crowd with disdain as she sung softly to them.
Look at these ponies,
amazing how phonies
show up for the slaughter
She then turned back to look at the frozen Mare Do Well.
No one condemning you,
lined up like lemmings
you led to the water.
Why can't they see what I see
why can't they hear the lies?
Maybe the fee's too pricey
for them to realize
your disguise is slipping.
I think you're slipping.
She turned and gave the entire crowd an icy cold death glare through her Shadow Bolt mask.
Now that your savior
is still as the grave
you're beginning to fear me.
Like cavemen fear thunder,
I still have to wonder
can you really hear me?
I bring you pain,
the kind you can't suffer quietly.
Fire up your brain
remind you inside your rioting
society is slipping.
Everything's slipping away...
So-
She suddenly jumped onto her cloud and started hitting it, causing it to randomly discharge lightning into the crowd. Ponies instantly ran away in fear as lighting crashed around them. Smiling wickedly, she sang louder.
Go ahead,
run away!
Say it was terrible.
Spread the word,
tell a friend!
Tell them the tale.
Get a pic,
do a blog!
Heroes are over with.
Look at him,
not a word!
Do Well, meet Ne'er!
Then I win,
then I get
everything I ever...
All the praise,
all the fame,
fanclubs all the rage!
Anarchy
that I run!
Now it's Rainbow Shadow's turn!
You people all have to learn
this world is going to burn!
Burn!
Rainbow Shadow spotted Spike hiding nearby, shakily writing everything down on a note pad. She flew close to him and looked at Spike's notes. "Yeah, it's two words, 'Rainbow Shadow', that's right.."
Burn!
Rainbow Shadow stopped hitting the cloud, and then flew over to Mare Do Well. She reached into a pocket of her costume and took out sharp kitchen knife. She looked around carefully, scanning the area.
No sign of Scootaloo,
I would give anything
not to have her see.
It's gonna be bloody,
Head up, Dashie, buddy,
there's no time for mercy.
Rainbow Shadow held the knife close to Mare Do Well's neck.
"Here goes no mercy..."
WHAM!!!
Rainbow Shadow was bucked in the side of the head by two really strong hooves. The knife was sent flying out of her hooves as she was knocked off of the stage and onto the ground. When she got over the dizziness, she couldn't believe her eyes. Another Mare Do Well had appeared and attacked her.
She could only watch in shock as the Mare Do Well removed her mask, revealing herself to be non other than Applejack, who looked really ticked off.
"Wha-what?" Rainbow gasped.
Suddenly, another Mare Do Well suddenly teleported in next to Applejack. She took off her mask and revealed herself to be Twilight, who looked just as angry as Applejack.
Rainbow could only watch in silent shock as Twilight went over to the frozen Mare Do Well and thawed her out with her magic. The first Mare Do Well shook her costume dry, and then took off her mask, revealing herself to be Pinkie Pie.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!" Pinkie Pie sang out dramatically. When everyone stared at her, she just blinked and said, "What?"
Rainbow's head was swimming. She couldn't figure out what was going on, why there were three Mare Do Wells, why it was her friends who were doing this to her. But these questions were all banished from her thoughts when she spotted something that made her blood run cold.
From behind the unripped edges of the Mare Do Well poster stepped Scootaloo. Apparently she had been hiding behind it to get a closer look at Mare Do Well, and had stayed there during Rainbow Shadow's attack. However, it turned out the knife was thrown right through the paper when it left Rainbow's hoof, and now it was sticking out of Scotaloo's chest.
Rainbow ran over to the trembling filly, supporting her with her hooves as she looked directly into her eyes.
"Scoots. . .Scoots. . .Scoots!" Rainbow gasped, her mind short circuiting at what she was seeing.
"R. . .R. . .Rainbow? Is that you?" Scootaloo said weakly.
"Scoots. . ." Rainbow said in horror, her eyes wide with panic, "Oh no. Nononononono. This can't be happening-."
"It's okay. . ." Scootaloo whispered with a smile, "It's alright. . .Mare Do Well will save us. . ."
Scootaloo went limp against Rainbow's body. Rainbow backed up in shock as she felt the filly's limpness. She could only look at the body of the filly that once admired her so much in shock, grief, guilt, and unending regret.
Rainbow then turned to her friends, the three Mare Do Wells. They all looked at her with mixtures of disbelief, grief, anger, and vague horror.
And that's when Rainbow Shadow flew faster than she had ever flown before.
Here lies everything.
The fame I stole is bittersweet.
My victory's complete,
so hail to the queen.
So your world's benign.
So you think justice has a voice
and we all have a choice.
That world's no longer mine.
. . . . . .
And I am fine.
Now the nightmare's real!
And now Rainbow Shadow is here!
To make you quake with fear!
To make the whole world kneel!
And I won't feel...
". . .a thing," Rainbow said softly, not wearing her costume at the moment and sitting sad and alone in a dark cave.