The Enigmatic Mare Do Wellby Joker the HedgehogChaptersThe Mare RebornThe Notorious Negamare AppearsA Meeting of The MaresThe Mare RebornNight in Fillydelphia. Luna’s moon was high in the sky. On the roof of a skyscraper stood a pony, a pegasus mare by the look of her. She was decked out in a royal purple bodysuit that covered her small wings, dark blue boots on all four hooves, a dark blue mask with one-way lenses that had a slight blue tint, a large royal purple fedora, and a dark blue cape with a royal purple protrusion and a purple clasp with a stylized “M” that was the same shade of blue as the lenses. The masked pony seemed to be listening for something. Suddenly, she heard an alarm, just what she was waiting for. “Time to punch in,” said the mare in a dark, raspy voice, before jumping off the building, her cape shimmering with deep purple magic as it turned into wings that resembled those of a thestral, and taking flight at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash proud. As the mare flies towards the alarms, we hear the voice of a mare that was 20 at the most. My name is Scootaloo Blake. You can call me Scoots. Yes, that’s me in the costume. But, I’m not the Mysterious Mare Do Well. No, I’m not so much a mystery as an enigma. I am The Enigmatic Mare Do Well. I’ve got more skills and gadgets than the original. Now, I bet you’re expecting me to go all Sally Sob Story about how my parents were killed by a mugger or some other stereotypical hero origin. Well, sorry, but no. Truth is, my parents died long before I put this hat and mask on… before I even got my scooter cutie mark of a blazing wheel thanks to my skills on one of those babies. Hmm, maybe I should ask Nick Nack to make me some kinda high-tech Mare Do Well scooter… okay, getting off topic here. My origin went a little something like this… Okay, rewind to when I was a filly. I wasn’t the world’s greatest flier, to be honest, I still ain’t, because I was born premature, and my parents were killed in a terrible accident, leaving me to get sent to Ponyville to live with my uncle. Unfortunately, his good parenting stretched about as far as making sure I got to school and a good meal. Other than that, he just let the streets raise me. That’s where I learned to fight. Of course, I made friends with Sweetie Belle, who I hear is performing in Manehattan next week, and Apple Bloom, who I hear is doing pretty well with her art career. But, there was one thing that made my time in Ponyville really awesome: The heroes that lived there. The first hero that really earned my attention was my “big sister,” Rainbow Jennifer Dash, who these days is Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire’s left-hoof pony. She would be right-hoof, but Soarin already has that position… and, as I hear, Rainbow’s heart. What really struck me about her was her never-give-up, there’s-always-another-day attitude. She was everything I ever wanted in a big sister… Then came along the pony who virtually defined the word “hero,”: The Mysterious Mare Do Well, whose mask and moniker is now my own. She was fully awesome. She never said a word, she just showed up, saved lives, and was gone again. I remember some of the rumors and theories circling around her. Like that she was actually Princess Luna trying to right her wrongs as Nightmare Moon, or that she wasn’t even a pony, but a monster from the Everfree Forest. But, as it turned out, neither theory was true. Rainbow told me that Mare Do Well had actually been Twilight Sparkle, who had fixed the dam with Fluttershy doing the fly-by afterwords. Applejack had saved the bus, and Pinkie Pie had saved the construction workers with help from her “Pinkie Sense,” a bizarre ability of Pinkie’s to predict events, such as falling objects, opening doors, and rainbows. My middle school and high school years went by without too much incident. Me and the other Crusaders stuck together, our mission changing from getting our own cutie marks to helping other young fillies and colts get theirs. But, with graduation came the parting of the ways. I moved to Fillydelphia, which seemed like a nice city… at first. My first month there, I met Nick Nack, a brilliant unicron inventor. He’s always handsome, and nice, and charming… oh, Faust, I’m crushing on him! Anyways, it was he who told me about the almost invisible rise in crime and corruption. As he put it, as long as the crime bosses keep the good ponies scared and the bad ponies rich, the city will continue to fall to pieces. But, I didn’t listen to him. Then, one day, I was walking through the street when I saw a robbery. Hiding, I saw the crooks come out, run directly in front of a cop carriage, and into an alley. The police just ignored it and went about their way. It was then that I knew that the one thing Fillydelphia needed more than anything else was a hero, a new symbol to rally behind since the usual symbols were worthless. So, why not me? Of course, I couldn’t use my Scootaloo Blake identity. That’d virtually send up a flare saying, “Hey! I’m the pony who’s messing with you! Feel free to come and rearrange my face at your earliest convenience!” At my home, I at first thought about impersonating Rainbow Dash. But, then I realized that not only would I get in trouble, but I might paint a target on my big sister’s head. It was then that I thought of… her. I approached Nick with my idea. At first, he thought it was a suicide mission, but he agreed in the end. After making the suit,which included a cape that could turn into artificial wings that would allow me to give Rainbow a run for her bits, the high-tech gadgets and defensive measures, The Enigmatic Mare Do Well was ready for action. And speaking of action… ~ A group of three ponies, one was a unicorn stallion, one an Earth Pony stallion, and the third a pegasus mare, were busy looting a jewlery store. “Come on! Hurry! We don’t want the police to catch us!” muttered the unicorn, who seemed to be the leader. “Are you kiddin’ Gary? In a town this bent, the police aren’t gonna do anything. Besides, after this, we’ll be millionaires!” said the Earth Pony. “No, we won’t… not after the Big Boss takes his share of the loot,” said the pegasus. Suddenly, what looked like a purple flashlight beam with a stylized light blue “M” in the center. “Actually, you’re all wrong. Nopony’s getting a share of any loot,” said a raspy voice. The three crooks looked up and saw Mare Do Well as she jumped down from a lamppost. “And you are supposed to be… who?” asked the pegasus. “Oh, where are my manners? Name’s Mare Do Well. The Enigmatic Mare Do Well. I tried to pick a cool costume with all the trappings, a memorable moniker, you know, the usual up-and-coming superhero stuff,” said Mare Do Well. “Well, all that planning is about to go to waste. Let’s get her!” yelled the unicorn as he fired a blast of magic at Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well did a backflip over the blast only to get hit by the Earth Pony. “Ow… okay, now you’re pissing me off,” growled Mare Do Well. She reached into her suit, the pocket magic activating, and pulled out what looked like a M-shaped throwing star and tossed it at the Earth Pony, slashing his face and drawing blood, before flying up and doing a diving kick, which connected with his head, rendering him unconscious. “Come on! Blast her!” yelled the pegasus. Mare Do Well turned her head and saw that the unicorn was about to fire another magic blast… and that the pegasus was standing directly on the other side. “Question: by ‘her,’ do you mean, ‘me?’” asked Mare Do Well jumping into the air over the magic blast, which hit the the pegasus mare. “And now, the big finish!” said Mare Do Well as she did a spinning kick on the unicorn… ~ Meanwhile, in a dark office, a ram in an business suit and a mysterious shadow watched Mare Do Well on a computer screen. “And that’s the show!” Mare Do Well cried before taking off just before the police arrived. “This is a live feed, yes?” said the shadow in a deep, gravely voice. “Of course,” said the ram. “Then, I’ve seen enough. Summon the Enforcers,” said the shadow as he closed the computer. “They’re already on their way,” said the ram. “Good…” said the shadow. The Notorious Negamare AppearsMare Do Well flew into an abandoned warehouse and made her way to a broken beam with a bent nail sticking out of it. Mare Do Well pressed down on the nail, which caused the floor beneath her to sink like a high-speed elevator. When it stopped, she found herself in a room that resembled a laboratory. Sitting at a table, working on something, was a green unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail with a cutie mark of an electric node and a three cogs. This was Nick Nack, the pony who came up with Mare Do Well’s suit and gadgets… and on whom Mare Do Well had a crush. “Ah… Fillydelphia’s newest hero returns,” said Nick. Mare Do Well smiled beneath her mask before pressing the M on her cape’s clasp. A purple glow covered Mare Do Well, and with a bright flash, her costume disappeared, revealing orange pegasus mare with a pink mane and tail underneath. Around her neck was a gold necklace with the Mare Do Well logo on it. “Not a bad night for being a superhero. I came across three different robberies, two muggings, and and out-of-control carriage,” said Scootaloo as she plopped down on a chair near Nick. “I still don’t think the crime bosses actually think I’m worth their time… yet.” “Scoots, you’ve been at this for a month, you’ve busted up umpteen hundred crimes, and captured who knows how many thugs, even if the judges are corrupt enough to turn them loose. You’re bound to be worth somepony’s attention,” said Nick. “I hope you’re right, I’m getting sick of catching pond scum,” said Scootaloo as she cracked open a bottle of cider. ~ I have tried to be patient with the world but it always has spat at me. My home has rejected me, my friends have separated from me, and my only love has abandoned me. So naturally I have found a city that reflects me. Fillydelphia is a cesspool of darkness… funny how that now shows my heart as well to the scum of Equestria now. There have been rumors of a hero from an old town of mine. They say she calls herself ‘The Enigmatic Mare Do Well’. The last part on the name is something I haven’t heard in years. Mare Do Well… she was that one light in the darkness of Ponyville, one of the few things I trusted. Now I can meet her again. I can show her just how much she means to me now. I do hope that this city is ready for a new brand of hero. My name… is The Notorious Negamare and you are about to find out why I have earned that name among the criminal scum. ~ “Come on! Let’s get out of here before the freak shows up!” growled the leader of a group of Earth Pony thugs, who were robbing a grocery store. “Heh heh heh… I always love a group of thugs who come in and out. It makes the thrill of the hunt that much more…enjoyable,” hissed a dark and raspy voice. The thugs turned to face the source of the voice. It was a mare, a mare dressed in a costume similar to that of Mare Do Well’s, but with a very different color scheme. The bodysuit was a charcoal gray, her hat along with her cape, which was torn in certain places, boots, and mask were jet black. The lenses of her mask were also blood red, and the M on the cape clasp was instead an N. “You’re not Mare Do Well!” yelled the leader after a moment. The masked mare let out an amused laugh. “No shit, Sherlock! True, our costumes look very similar, but we are not the same pony. I am The Notorious Negamare, a hero in the making. And you sons of bitches, look like my first enemies. Consider yourselves honored,” said Negamare. “I beg to differ. Let’s get her!” yelled the leader of the thugs. Negamare smirked beneath her mask. “You were warned,” she said, before mule kicking the thugs’ leader with authority, sending him flying. “Anypony else want some?” asked Negamare. Another Earth Pony tried to slash at Negamare with a knife, only to get a N-shaped throwing star stuck in his shoulder. Within fifteen minutes, all six thugs were in serious condition and barely clinging to life. Not that they didn’t deserve it, thought Negamare as she walked out. ~ The following morning, Scootaloo was walking the streets, keeping a lookout for trouble, when she saw an ambulance carriage in front of a grocery store. What the Tartarus? thought Scootaloo as she made her way to the ambulance. “What happened here?” she asked a pair of familiar-looking mares, one an Earth Pony with a light pink coat and a lavender and white mane and tail wearing a tiara, the second a white unicorn with a light pink and lavender mane and tail. “Well, they’re saying- Scootaloo? Is that you?” asked the Earth Pony mare. “Hey, Sweetie Belle, look who it is.” Sweetie Belle turned to see Scootaloo. “Scoots! How have you been?” she cried. “Diamond Tiara? Sweetie Belle? What are you two doing here? I thought you guys were on your way to Manehattan,” said Scootaloo. “Well, we’ll explain it and what happened here over coffee if you have time, that is,” said Diamond. “Of course,” said Scootaloo. ~ “So, let me get this straight: your record label up and ditched the two of you?” said Scootaloo. “Yeah… but don’t worry about us. We’ve already gotten offers from several other record labels,” said Sweetie. “Say, have you heard? They say Mare Do Well’s back!” Diamond took a sip of coffee. “You know, if she is back, and I were her, I wouldn’t waste time trying to catch the criminals… I’d teach them a lesson, just like she did to those robbers last night at the grocery store,” she said. “Wait, what?” said Scootaloo. “Well, they say Mare Do Well came across a robbery, and put the robbers in the hospital,” said Sweetie Belle. “No, Mare Do Well wouldn’t do that. It must’ve been somepony else in a costume that looked like hers… but, who?” thought Scootaloo. “You got me. Well, Sweetie, we’d better go, we have that meeting with that record company,” said Diamond. “See ya, Scoots,” said Sweetie Belle as she and Diamond Tiara left. ~ That night at an abandoned warehouse, Big Boss’s ram associate waited patiently as an orange Earth Pony stallion with a blonde mane and tail wearing a black cowboy hat, a wiry unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail and a turquoise coat, and a big blue minotaur approached him. “Finally. Come on, the Big Boss wants a word,” said the ram. The Enforcers followed the ram into the warehouse, where there was only a speakerphone on a small stool. “The gang’s all here, boss,” said the ram. “Thanks, Hammerhead. Now, to business, gentlecolts. For the past month, a pest known as the ‘Enigmatic Mare Do Well’ has been plaguing our operations. At first, I could hardly credit the reports. But, last night we managed to get some pictures of her. Show ‘em, Hammerhead,” said the Big Boss’s gravelly voice. Hammerhead passed out pictures of Mare Do Well. “So, what do you want us to do about this… Mare Do Well? Catch her, rough her up enough to make sure she stays out of the way?” asked the Earth Pony. “Why, no, Bad Apple… I want you and your boys to destroy her, as a message to any other idealists who try to cowboy up. Understand?” said Big Boss. A Meeting of The Mares“So, you don’t like my music?” asked Sweetie Belle as she and Diamond Tiara sat in the office of record producer Hit Record. Hit laughed. “You’ve got talent kid, I’ll give you that much. But, you suck. I only take those who can meet or beat Vinyl Scratch or the late, great, Sapphire Shores… so, come back when you’ve gotten better at your special talent… which should be in about fifty years,” sneered Hit. Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara stood up and turned to leave Hit’s office. As Sweetie left, Diamond looked back at Hit, a look of the utmost loathing on her face. ~ “Well, that went well,” said Sweetie Belle as she and Diamond Tiara left the record studio. “It doesn’t matter. One day, Hit will get what’s coming to him… I’m sure of it,” said Diamond. Sweetie looked concerned. “You okay, DT? Ever since we’ve got here, you’ve been acting really weird. When you found out about Mare Do Well, you jumped for joy,” said Sweetie. “So did you, Sweetie. Anyways, I’m fine… it’s you I’m worried about. Ever since your parents refused to take you in after the record company gave us the boot, you’ve been acting weird yourself… a bit more...aggressive,” said Diamond. “So have you… more so than me, even. Besides, getting turned away by your own parents can do that to you. Come on, let’s get something to eat,” said Sweetie. ~ That night, Mare Do Well leaped from rooftop to rooftop, searching for her dark doppelganger. According to Diamond Tiara, this imposter wears a black and gray version of my suit… shouldn’t be too hard to find, thought Mare Do Well. Suddenly, an explosion from a flash-bang knocked Mare Do Well off of the building and sent her plummeting to the streets below. Artificial wings, don’t fail me now, thought Mare Do Well as she activated her cape’s wings and flew right over the heads of some pony tourists. “Hello, pedestrians!” Mare Do Well yelled as she pulled up, only to be blasted by a burst of magic. Mare Do Well saw who had fired the blast. It was a wiry turquoise unicorn armed with a bo-staff with spikes at both ends. Next to him was a vaguely familiar blue minotaur and what looked like a stallion version of Applejack in a black hat. “Iron Will, you’re up,” said Bad Apple. “Got her, boss!” said Iron Will as he launched a grapple claw at Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well growled as the claw grabbed her and pulled her in. Who are these guys? she thought. Iron Will grabbed ahold of Mare Do Well. “Gotcha, little hero,” he said. Mare Do Well almost gagged. “Hey, buddy, if you needed a breath mint, you only had to ask,” she said. “It’s not about that, Miss Mare Do Well,” said Bad Apple. “What it’s about is that you’ve been mucking up the Big Boss’s plans. And that is a no-no by all accounts. Iron Will, time to squash the bug.” As Iron Will squeezed Mare Do Well like a zit, something hit Iron Will in the back, before going off with a small explosion, sending him flying, thus forcing Iron Will to let go of Mare Do Well, whose outfit had been torn in a few places from the blast. “I’d leave her alone if I were you… because now you’ve gotta deal with both The Enigmatic Mare Do Well… and me!” said a dark and raspy voice as what looked like a second Mare Do Well, only her suit was gray and black, appeared. Mare Do Well looked up and her jaw dropped under her mask. It’s her! The lookalike! she thought to herself as she slowly got back to her hooves. “Took you long enough to get here, copycat.” She said as she faced one of the thugs. “Aw, you wanted to meet me… I’m touched. How about this? Beat the big ugly minotaur in three minutes and I’ll tell you a little bit about me.” Negamare said with a smug attitude. Mare Do Well nodded and soon found herself facing Iron Will again. “Hey there ugly! Did you miss me?” Mare Do Well asked nicely before dodging a fist that slammed into the concrete. “I guess not.” She said to herself quietly as she continued to dodge all of Iron Will’s slams and grapples but after about a minute it grew boring. “You really aren’t the brightest bulb of the bunch are you?” Mare Do Well asked before she leaped above a punch and kicked the minotaur square in the face sending him flying into a brick wall. “Not bad Mary,” Negamare said as she finished her last thug by twisting his hoof in an awkward position and making it’s bone snap out of place. “Arrgh!” yelled Slick, the unicorn. “Now, then, where’s that Earth Pony?” said Negamare, looking around. Mare Do Well looked around as well. The Earth Pony had indeed fled. “All righty, now… this is awesome, another pony inspired by the original Mare Do Well. So, who are you? The Dark Mare?” Negamare laughed. “Not quite. I am Negamare,” she said. “Well, that’s a nice handle. Say, since you and me are in the same line of work, do you think you and me can team up? I mean, you’re a superhero, I’m a superhero, together, we can put the crime lords in their place faster than you could say Winter Wrap Up” said Mare Do Well. Negamare shook her head. “As tempting as it is to combine forces with one of my fillyhood heroes, especially an incarnation with talent, I’m gonna say no. I prefer to work alone. Besides, I feel that I can play the hero when I feel like it… and, tonight I feel like playing a hero,” said Negamare. Mare Do Well seemed concerned. “Something tells me you don’t exactly like being a hero,” she said. “To be honest… I don’t. But, nevertheless, something must be done about this city’s… rodent problem. Laters,” Negamare said, before leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Mare Do Well watched as her dark doppelganger made her getaway. Well, she certainly is an interesting one… but, there’s something familiar about her. Well, of course there’s something familiar about her, she has to be from Ponyville, nopony outside there knew about Mare Do Well… she thought as she began to use her artificial wings to continue her patrol. ~ Meanwhile, Negamare flew onto the balcony of an apartment and opened the sliding glass door. She made her way into her bedroom and shut the door. The sound of unzipping and of a trunk opening and closing were heard from the other side. Finally, a voice with a bit of a posh accent came from the door. “Whew. This anti-hero business is hard work. But, still, I finally got to meet The Enigmatic Mare Do Well, and fight alongside her as an added bonus. Well, I better get some sleep. I’ve got a busy night of being a badass tomorrow… heh heh heh,” said Negamare from behind the door.
The Mare RebornNight in Fillydelphia. Luna’s moon was high in the sky. On the roof of a skyscraper stood a pony, a pegasus mare by the look of her. She was decked out in a royal purple bodysuit that covered her small wings, dark blue boots on all four hooves, a dark blue mask with one-way lenses that had a slight blue tint, a large royal purple fedora, and a dark blue cape with a royal purple protrusion and a purple clasp with a stylized “M” that was the same shade of blue as the lenses. The masked pony seemed to be listening for something. Suddenly, she heard an alarm, just what she was waiting for. “Time to punch in,” said the mare in a dark, raspy voice, before jumping off the building, her cape shimmering with deep purple magic as it turned into wings that resembled those of a thestral, and taking flight at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash proud. As the mare flies towards the alarms, we hear the voice of a mare that was 20 at the most. My name is Scootaloo Blake. You can call me Scoots. Yes, that’s me in the costume. But, I’m not the Mysterious Mare Do Well. No, I’m not so much a mystery as an enigma. I am The Enigmatic Mare Do Well. I’ve got more skills and gadgets than the original. Now, I bet you’re expecting me to go all Sally Sob Story about how my parents were killed by a mugger or some other stereotypical hero origin. Well, sorry, but no. Truth is, my parents died long before I put this hat and mask on… before I even got my scooter cutie mark of a blazing wheel thanks to my skills on one of those babies. Hmm, maybe I should ask Nick Nack to make me some kinda high-tech Mare Do Well scooter… okay, getting off topic here. My origin went a little something like this… Okay, rewind to when I was a filly. I wasn’t the world’s greatest flier, to be honest, I still ain’t, because I was born premature, and my parents were killed in a terrible accident, leaving me to get sent to Ponyville to live with my uncle. Unfortunately, his good parenting stretched about as far as making sure I got to school and a good meal. Other than that, he just let the streets raise me. That’s where I learned to fight. Of course, I made friends with Sweetie Belle, who I hear is performing in Manehattan next week, and Apple Bloom, who I hear is doing pretty well with her art career. But, there was one thing that made my time in Ponyville really awesome: The heroes that lived there. The first hero that really earned my attention was my “big sister,” Rainbow Jennifer Dash, who these days is Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire’s left-hoof pony. She would be right-hoof, but Soarin already has that position… and, as I hear, Rainbow’s heart. What really struck me about her was her never-give-up, there’s-always-another-day attitude. She was everything I ever wanted in a big sister… Then came along the pony who virtually defined the word “hero,”: The Mysterious Mare Do Well, whose mask and moniker is now my own. She was fully awesome. She never said a word, she just showed up, saved lives, and was gone again. I remember some of the rumors and theories circling around her. Like that she was actually Princess Luna trying to right her wrongs as Nightmare Moon, or that she wasn’t even a pony, but a monster from the Everfree Forest. But, as it turned out, neither theory was true. Rainbow told me that Mare Do Well had actually been Twilight Sparkle, who had fixed the dam with Fluttershy doing the fly-by afterwords. Applejack had saved the bus, and Pinkie Pie had saved the construction workers with help from her “Pinkie Sense,” a bizarre ability of Pinkie’s to predict events, such as falling objects, opening doors, and rainbows. My middle school and high school years went by without too much incident. Me and the other Crusaders stuck together, our mission changing from getting our own cutie marks to helping other young fillies and colts get theirs. But, with graduation came the parting of the ways. I moved to Fillydelphia, which seemed like a nice city… at first. My first month there, I met Nick Nack, a brilliant unicron inventor. He’s always handsome, and nice, and charming… oh, Faust, I’m crushing on him! Anyways, it was he who told me about the almost invisible rise in crime and corruption. As he put it, as long as the crime bosses keep the good ponies scared and the bad ponies rich, the city will continue to fall to pieces. But, I didn’t listen to him. Then, one day, I was walking through the street when I saw a robbery. Hiding, I saw the crooks come out, run directly in front of a cop carriage, and into an alley. The police just ignored it and went about their way. It was then that I knew that the one thing Fillydelphia needed more than anything else was a hero, a new symbol to rally behind since the usual symbols were worthless. So, why not me? Of course, I couldn’t use my Scootaloo Blake identity. That’d virtually send up a flare saying, “Hey! I’m the pony who’s messing with you! Feel free to come and rearrange my face at your earliest convenience!” At my home, I at first thought about impersonating Rainbow Dash. But, then I realized that not only would I get in trouble, but I might paint a target on my big sister’s head. It was then that I thought of… her. I approached Nick with my idea. At first, he thought it was a suicide mission, but he agreed in the end. After making the suit,which included a cape that could turn into artificial wings that would allow me to give Rainbow a run for her bits, the high-tech gadgets and defensive measures, The Enigmatic Mare Do Well was ready for action. And speaking of action… ~ A group of three ponies, one was a unicorn stallion, one an Earth Pony stallion, and the third a pegasus mare, were busy looting a jewlery store. “Come on! Hurry! We don’t want the police to catch us!” muttered the unicorn, who seemed to be the leader. “Are you kiddin’ Gary? In a town this bent, the police aren’t gonna do anything. Besides, after this, we’ll be millionaires!” said the Earth Pony. “No, we won’t… not after the Big Boss takes his share of the loot,” said the pegasus. Suddenly, what looked like a purple flashlight beam with a stylized light blue “M” in the center. “Actually, you’re all wrong. Nopony’s getting a share of any loot,” said a raspy voice. The three crooks looked up and saw Mare Do Well as she jumped down from a lamppost. “And you are supposed to be… who?” asked the pegasus. “Oh, where are my manners? Name’s Mare Do Well. The Enigmatic Mare Do Well. I tried to pick a cool costume with all the trappings, a memorable moniker, you know, the usual up-and-coming superhero stuff,” said Mare Do Well. “Well, all that planning is about to go to waste. Let’s get her!” yelled the unicorn as he fired a blast of magic at Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well did a backflip over the blast only to get hit by the Earth Pony. “Ow… okay, now you’re pissing me off,” growled Mare Do Well. She reached into her suit, the pocket magic activating, and pulled out what looked like a M-shaped throwing star and tossed it at the Earth Pony, slashing his face and drawing blood, before flying up and doing a diving kick, which connected with his head, rendering him unconscious. “Come on! Blast her!” yelled the pegasus. Mare Do Well turned her head and saw that the unicorn was about to fire another magic blast… and that the pegasus was standing directly on the other side. “Question: by ‘her,’ do you mean, ‘me?’” asked Mare Do Well jumping into the air over the magic blast, which hit the the pegasus mare. “And now, the big finish!” said Mare Do Well as she did a spinning kick on the unicorn… ~ Meanwhile, in a dark office, a ram in an business suit and a mysterious shadow watched Mare Do Well on a computer screen. “And that’s the show!” Mare Do Well cried before taking off just before the police arrived. “This is a live feed, yes?” said the shadow in a deep, gravely voice. “Of course,” said the ram. “Then, I’ve seen enough. Summon the Enforcers,” said the shadow as he closed the computer. “They’re already on their way,” said the ram. “Good…” said the shadow.
The Notorious Negamare AppearsMare Do Well flew into an abandoned warehouse and made her way to a broken beam with a bent nail sticking out of it. Mare Do Well pressed down on the nail, which caused the floor beneath her to sink like a high-speed elevator. When it stopped, she found herself in a room that resembled a laboratory. Sitting at a table, working on something, was a green unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail with a cutie mark of an electric node and a three cogs. This was Nick Nack, the pony who came up with Mare Do Well’s suit and gadgets… and on whom Mare Do Well had a crush. “Ah… Fillydelphia’s newest hero returns,” said Nick. Mare Do Well smiled beneath her mask before pressing the M on her cape’s clasp. A purple glow covered Mare Do Well, and with a bright flash, her costume disappeared, revealing orange pegasus mare with a pink mane and tail underneath. Around her neck was a gold necklace with the Mare Do Well logo on it. “Not a bad night for being a superhero. I came across three different robberies, two muggings, and and out-of-control carriage,” said Scootaloo as she plopped down on a chair near Nick. “I still don’t think the crime bosses actually think I’m worth their time… yet.” “Scoots, you’ve been at this for a month, you’ve busted up umpteen hundred crimes, and captured who knows how many thugs, even if the judges are corrupt enough to turn them loose. You’re bound to be worth somepony’s attention,” said Nick. “I hope you’re right, I’m getting sick of catching pond scum,” said Scootaloo as she cracked open a bottle of cider. ~ I have tried to be patient with the world but it always has spat at me. My home has rejected me, my friends have separated from me, and my only love has abandoned me. So naturally I have found a city that reflects me. Fillydelphia is a cesspool of darkness… funny how that now shows my heart as well to the scum of Equestria now. There have been rumors of a hero from an old town of mine. They say she calls herself ‘The Enigmatic Mare Do Well’. The last part on the name is something I haven’t heard in years. Mare Do Well… she was that one light in the darkness of Ponyville, one of the few things I trusted. Now I can meet her again. I can show her just how much she means to me now. I do hope that this city is ready for a new brand of hero. My name… is The Notorious Negamare and you are about to find out why I have earned that name among the criminal scum. ~ “Come on! Let’s get out of here before the freak shows up!” growled the leader of a group of Earth Pony thugs, who were robbing a grocery store. “Heh heh heh… I always love a group of thugs who come in and out. It makes the thrill of the hunt that much more…enjoyable,” hissed a dark and raspy voice. The thugs turned to face the source of the voice. It was a mare, a mare dressed in a costume similar to that of Mare Do Well’s, but with a very different color scheme. The bodysuit was a charcoal gray, her hat along with her cape, which was torn in certain places, boots, and mask were jet black. The lenses of her mask were also blood red, and the M on the cape clasp was instead an N. “You’re not Mare Do Well!” yelled the leader after a moment. The masked mare let out an amused laugh. “No shit, Sherlock! True, our costumes look very similar, but we are not the same pony. I am The Notorious Negamare, a hero in the making. And you sons of bitches, look like my first enemies. Consider yourselves honored,” said Negamare. “I beg to differ. Let’s get her!” yelled the leader of the thugs. Negamare smirked beneath her mask. “You were warned,” she said, before mule kicking the thugs’ leader with authority, sending him flying. “Anypony else want some?” asked Negamare. Another Earth Pony tried to slash at Negamare with a knife, only to get a N-shaped throwing star stuck in his shoulder. Within fifteen minutes, all six thugs were in serious condition and barely clinging to life. Not that they didn’t deserve it, thought Negamare as she walked out. ~ The following morning, Scootaloo was walking the streets, keeping a lookout for trouble, when she saw an ambulance carriage in front of a grocery store. What the Tartarus? thought Scootaloo as she made her way to the ambulance. “What happened here?” she asked a pair of familiar-looking mares, one an Earth Pony with a light pink coat and a lavender and white mane and tail wearing a tiara, the second a white unicorn with a light pink and lavender mane and tail. “Well, they’re saying- Scootaloo? Is that you?” asked the Earth Pony mare. “Hey, Sweetie Belle, look who it is.” Sweetie Belle turned to see Scootaloo. “Scoots! How have you been?” she cried. “Diamond Tiara? Sweetie Belle? What are you two doing here? I thought you guys were on your way to Manehattan,” said Scootaloo. “Well, we’ll explain it and what happened here over coffee if you have time, that is,” said Diamond. “Of course,” said Scootaloo. ~ “So, let me get this straight: your record label up and ditched the two of you?” said Scootaloo. “Yeah… but don’t worry about us. We’ve already gotten offers from several other record labels,” said Sweetie. “Say, have you heard? They say Mare Do Well’s back!” Diamond took a sip of coffee. “You know, if she is back, and I were her, I wouldn’t waste time trying to catch the criminals… I’d teach them a lesson, just like she did to those robbers last night at the grocery store,” she said. “Wait, what?” said Scootaloo. “Well, they say Mare Do Well came across a robbery, and put the robbers in the hospital,” said Sweetie Belle. “No, Mare Do Well wouldn’t do that. It must’ve been somepony else in a costume that looked like hers… but, who?” thought Scootaloo. “You got me. Well, Sweetie, we’d better go, we have that meeting with that record company,” said Diamond. “See ya, Scoots,” said Sweetie Belle as she and Diamond Tiara left. ~ That night at an abandoned warehouse, Big Boss’s ram associate waited patiently as an orange Earth Pony stallion with a blonde mane and tail wearing a black cowboy hat, a wiry unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail and a turquoise coat, and a big blue minotaur approached him. “Finally. Come on, the Big Boss wants a word,” said the ram. The Enforcers followed the ram into the warehouse, where there was only a speakerphone on a small stool. “The gang’s all here, boss,” said the ram. “Thanks, Hammerhead. Now, to business, gentlecolts. For the past month, a pest known as the ‘Enigmatic Mare Do Well’ has been plaguing our operations. At first, I could hardly credit the reports. But, last night we managed to get some pictures of her. Show ‘em, Hammerhead,” said the Big Boss’s gravelly voice. Hammerhead passed out pictures of Mare Do Well. “So, what do you want us to do about this… Mare Do Well? Catch her, rough her up enough to make sure she stays out of the way?” asked the Earth Pony. “Why, no, Bad Apple… I want you and your boys to destroy her, as a message to any other idealists who try to cowboy up. Understand?” said Big Boss.
A Meeting of The Mares“So, you don’t like my music?” asked Sweetie Belle as she and Diamond Tiara sat in the office of record producer Hit Record. Hit laughed. “You’ve got talent kid, I’ll give you that much. But, you suck. I only take those who can meet or beat Vinyl Scratch or the late, great, Sapphire Shores… so, come back when you’ve gotten better at your special talent… which should be in about fifty years,” sneered Hit. Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara stood up and turned to leave Hit’s office. As Sweetie left, Diamond looked back at Hit, a look of the utmost loathing on her face. ~ “Well, that went well,” said Sweetie Belle as she and Diamond Tiara left the record studio. “It doesn’t matter. One day, Hit will get what’s coming to him… I’m sure of it,” said Diamond. Sweetie looked concerned. “You okay, DT? Ever since we’ve got here, you’ve been acting really weird. When you found out about Mare Do Well, you jumped for joy,” said Sweetie. “So did you, Sweetie. Anyways, I’m fine… it’s you I’m worried about. Ever since your parents refused to take you in after the record company gave us the boot, you’ve been acting weird yourself… a bit more...aggressive,” said Diamond. “So have you… more so than me, even. Besides, getting turned away by your own parents can do that to you. Come on, let’s get something to eat,” said Sweetie. ~ That night, Mare Do Well leaped from rooftop to rooftop, searching for her dark doppelganger. According to Diamond Tiara, this imposter wears a black and gray version of my suit… shouldn’t be too hard to find, thought Mare Do Well. Suddenly, an explosion from a flash-bang knocked Mare Do Well off of the building and sent her plummeting to the streets below. Artificial wings, don’t fail me now, thought Mare Do Well as she activated her cape’s wings and flew right over the heads of some pony tourists. “Hello, pedestrians!” Mare Do Well yelled as she pulled up, only to be blasted by a burst of magic. Mare Do Well saw who had fired the blast. It was a wiry turquoise unicorn armed with a bo-staff with spikes at both ends. Next to him was a vaguely familiar blue minotaur and what looked like a stallion version of Applejack in a black hat. “Iron Will, you’re up,” said Bad Apple. “Got her, boss!” said Iron Will as he launched a grapple claw at Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well growled as the claw grabbed her and pulled her in. Who are these guys? she thought. Iron Will grabbed ahold of Mare Do Well. “Gotcha, little hero,” he said. Mare Do Well almost gagged. “Hey, buddy, if you needed a breath mint, you only had to ask,” she said. “It’s not about that, Miss Mare Do Well,” said Bad Apple. “What it’s about is that you’ve been mucking up the Big Boss’s plans. And that is a no-no by all accounts. Iron Will, time to squash the bug.” As Iron Will squeezed Mare Do Well like a zit, something hit Iron Will in the back, before going off with a small explosion, sending him flying, thus forcing Iron Will to let go of Mare Do Well, whose outfit had been torn in a few places from the blast. “I’d leave her alone if I were you… because now you’ve gotta deal with both The Enigmatic Mare Do Well… and me!” said a dark and raspy voice as what looked like a second Mare Do Well, only her suit was gray and black, appeared. Mare Do Well looked up and her jaw dropped under her mask. It’s her! The lookalike! she thought to herself as she slowly got back to her hooves. “Took you long enough to get here, copycat.” She said as she faced one of the thugs. “Aw, you wanted to meet me… I’m touched. How about this? Beat the big ugly minotaur in three minutes and I’ll tell you a little bit about me.” Negamare said with a smug attitude. Mare Do Well nodded and soon found herself facing Iron Will again. “Hey there ugly! Did you miss me?” Mare Do Well asked nicely before dodging a fist that slammed into the concrete. “I guess not.” She said to herself quietly as she continued to dodge all of Iron Will’s slams and grapples but after about a minute it grew boring. “You really aren’t the brightest bulb of the bunch are you?” Mare Do Well asked before she leaped above a punch and kicked the minotaur square in the face sending him flying into a brick wall. “Not bad Mary,” Negamare said as she finished her last thug by twisting his hoof in an awkward position and making it’s bone snap out of place. “Arrgh!” yelled Slick, the unicorn. “Now, then, where’s that Earth Pony?” said Negamare, looking around. Mare Do Well looked around as well. The Earth Pony had indeed fled. “All righty, now… this is awesome, another pony inspired by the original Mare Do Well. So, who are you? The Dark Mare?” Negamare laughed. “Not quite. I am Negamare,” she said. “Well, that’s a nice handle. Say, since you and me are in the same line of work, do you think you and me can team up? I mean, you’re a superhero, I’m a superhero, together, we can put the crime lords in their place faster than you could say Winter Wrap Up” said Mare Do Well. Negamare shook her head. “As tempting as it is to combine forces with one of my fillyhood heroes, especially an incarnation with talent, I’m gonna say no. I prefer to work alone. Besides, I feel that I can play the hero when I feel like it… and, tonight I feel like playing a hero,” said Negamare. Mare Do Well seemed concerned. “Something tells me you don’t exactly like being a hero,” she said. “To be honest… I don’t. But, nevertheless, something must be done about this city’s… rodent problem. Laters,” Negamare said, before leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Mare Do Well watched as her dark doppelganger made her getaway. Well, she certainly is an interesting one… but, there’s something familiar about her. Well, of course there’s something familiar about her, she has to be from Ponyville, nopony outside there knew about Mare Do Well… she thought as she began to use her artificial wings to continue her patrol. ~ Meanwhile, Negamare flew onto the balcony of an apartment and opened the sliding glass door. She made her way into her bedroom and shut the door. The sound of unzipping and of a trunk opening and closing were heard from the other side. Finally, a voice with a bit of a posh accent came from the door. “Whew. This anti-hero business is hard work. But, still, I finally got to meet The Enigmatic Mare Do Well, and fight alongside her as an added bonus. Well, I better get some sleep. I’ve got a busy night of being a badass tomorrow… heh heh heh,” said Negamare from behind the door.
