Chapters Mare Do Well: Crusader of Darkness
Alone. That was the only word to describe how Octavia felt. Yes, this was a feeling she felt before, but not like this. Never before had she ever experienced loneliness of this magnitude. It felt... cold, and dark. As if she was on a hike through the outskirts of The Crystal Empire at nightfall. There was a constant ringing in her ear, as a chilling feeling coursed through her small, frail body. The stench of the air was putrid, and revolting, along with the mixed aroma of wet soil, and cigar smoke. Indeed, the scent left a bad taste in her mouth, almost metallic and burnt. She looked down at the broken figures before her, their faces showing no emotion of any sort, well, at least none she had ever seen. After all, she was still a filly.
And then the sound... the dreadful sound continued to play in her head over and over... Bang!! Bang!!
The more she stared, the more she could feel a sensation of no other rise from the pit of her stomach, as if a fiery haze was swallowing her whole, slowly encompassing her entire being and she couldn't escape it. Was she going mad? Was this traumatic experience slowly twisting the poor filly? No... it didn't seem so. This experience wasn't altering her even in the slightest, and yet she still felt.. wrong.
Yes... this was wrong.
The event that had taken place not moments ago was not done out of the well being of all ponykind, and she had always been taught to value and cherish other ponies. This stallion had done the opposite. She wasn't mad, that dreadful stallion was. Indeed, Octavia was different kind of mad at the moment... the fire in her eyes told her just that. Now, the reality of the situation had dawned on her.
Her parents were dead. Gone. Vamoose.
Now she could only sit there amongst their emotionless stares. No, wait, these stares weren't emotionless. They were filled with a certain chilling darkness that she had felt not moments ago. Fear.
Seeing her parents like this was slowly melting her fear away, and replacing it with the fire. This fire, was something she knew. She remembered it from the day she had been pushed around by a couple of mean school-fillies. This was anger. Pure rage. She screamed out into the night not of fear... she screamed out of rage, a newfound darkness. Tears began to shed, and it wasn't long before a police car pulled up. She looked over at it as two ponies stepped out from it. The one on the left was Detective Applejack, a kind-hearted, honest police officer who hadn't been on Gotham's force for quite long. The other, was Detective Rainbow Dash, who was once a loyal and carefree officer, but since then has been slowly altered by Gotham's underworld. And although they ha their differences, the two made a great team.
Once she saw the sight before her, Applejack gasped. "Rainbow, call for backup!" Rainbow Dash nodded and took out a radio as she led the filly to the car. "This is Officer Dash, I gotta couple of corpses down on Park Row that need cleaning up, we found a filly with them-"
"My god... these are the Melody folks!! Legato and Harmony!" Aj shouted to her partner, interrupting her.
"Uh... correction, high class corpses... over." Rainbow said with a sigh as she put the mic away. "Stay here kid." She said to Octavia before running back to her partner Applejack. "AJ go watch the damn kid while I take care of this." She barked, receiving a quick nod in return. Applejack soon returned to the filly and put and arm on her shoulder. "Uh, hey there sugarcube... you alright?" She asked as Octavia shook her head. "Ugh, why did ah ask that?!" Aj muttered as she facehoofed. She then looked back at the sad, shivering filly. "Look. I swear to you on God's name that I'm gonna find the son of a gun who did this, and throw the book at him. But I need you to be strong... do you have any family at home?"
Octavia sat silent for a few seconds before speaking up. "Well... our butler Fancy Pants has always been like family to me... does he count?" Applejack smiled. "Sure, we'll make sure to contact him when we get back to the station."
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was still examining the bodies as she smoked a cigar. "Man, these guys got fucked up..." She muttered as she looked at the wounds, which looked almost unnatural, as if it wasn't a gun that did this. Clearly though, it was, considering she could see bullets stuck in there. With a heavy heart, once the backup arrived, rainbow and Aj fled the scene with the filly.
About an hour after arriving at the station, Fancy Pants arrived as well, looking over to see Octavia bundled in her father's coat. Applejack pulled him aside and broke the news to him. With a painful sigh, he walked over and knelt at the filly's side and spoke softly to her. "Madame Octavia... this is a travesty that will take time to wash over.. and i can't say I know how you feel. All I can say is that I am truly and terribly sorry for your loss... they were as much of family to me almost as much as they were to you... I'm so sorr-"
"It's my fault..." Octavia interjected. "I offered we take the back door because it was a quicker walk and we did... it was my fault..."
"Do not say that Madame Octavia. You did nothing wrong." He said as he hugged the filly, receiving a hug from her as well. "it was the fault of the stallion who did this..." He said as he nuzzled her and picked her up onto his back, taking her to the limo and setting her in the back. Yet, as they drove, only one word could describe how Octavia was feeling.
Alone.
Mare Do Well: Crusader of Darkness
Ponyville, after hours.
Two ponies stood waiting outside a bank as one of them started to plant explosives on the door. With a deafening boom, the door bursted open and the two ponies ran in, stealing as much cash as they could before running out. The chase began, as police ponies started to chase the duo with guns, shooting the two rapidly as they continued to run. Soon, they made it to a fire escape, where they quickly ascended to the top.
Once they made it to the roof, the two thought they were home free, until a certain caped crusader dropped down in front of them. They looked upon the figure with caution as she slowly stood. Her cape flowed in the wind and her mask bore a scowl. She was slightly intimidating, but they thought she looked foolish at best.
With a smirk, the ponies both took out their guns to shoot, but the masked hero quickly threw what looked to be an M-shaped shuriken of sorts, knocking the guns out of there hooves. They looked at where the guns had fallen with fear, slowly turning back just before Mare Do Well pounded one of them to the ground, stunning the other with her cape and beating him down with rapid hoof strikes. After about 10 hits, she finished the pony off with a spinning round kick, knocking him to the floor with a painful "oof".
Two officers then made it to where they were fighting to see Mare Do Well just before she took out a grapple gun and swung away, dashing into the night. Mare Do Well then landed atop a rooftop just as a bolt of lightning struck through the sky behind her. Indeed, today both the criminal underworld and the corrupt police force would learn that she is a force to be reckoned with.
The Mare-Mobile, a slender vehicle with a dark purple and black hue. The front hood sported her logo, a silver M with a bluish circle around it. The hero pressed a button on her wrist, which swung the car doors upwards, allowing her to slide in, grip the wheel, and speed off into the night. "Computer, shortest route to the Marecave." She said emotionless as she looked down towards the GPS panel.
Within minutes, she arrived at a cliff where a waterfall was present, driving straight for the waterfall as it split open to reveal a catwalk. With a loud screech she came to a halt at the end of the platform, the doorway slowly closing and the platform slowly rotating so the car faced towards the massive door once more. It was then that a tall, white figure made his way towards the vehicle, a smile forming on his muzzle as the mare stepped out of the car. "Madame Octavia, I trust your patrol went well this evening?" He asked with a smile as she passed him. "Yes Fancy, quite too easy I'm afraid." She replied as she trotted over to the large computer in the distance, sitting at it with a huff as she began to type.
"I'm sorry, I fail to see how that could be considered a bad thing, would you mind elaborating a little Madame Octavia?" He asked as he looked over her shoulder, seeing she was going through police databases. "The bank robbers were too easy to take down... I'm used to criminals putting up more of a fight." She stated. "It was as if they wanted to be captured..." Fancy blinked as she pulled up a file on Police Lieutenant Applejack. "...and you believe Ms. Applejack has something to do with this strange occurrence?" He asked as he leaned forward to look at the screen. "No... but she would know if something on the force wasn't as it should be. She is a good cop Fancy, and you don't see many ponies like her nowadays."
"Well yes, I suppose you're right." He said with a sigh. "Just think how the city will change when Ms. Sparkle is elected for mayor. I believe she is going to be a big help in turning this city around." Octavia sighed. "Yes, Twilight has what it takes to make Ponyville great again, but she's never been that good with decision making... and we all know what happened to King Louis the third." She remarked.
Fancy smirked. "I'm sorry, did the Mistress just happen to make a joke a second ago?" He asked as he leaned close to her. "Joke? While wearing the cowl? Heavens no, i am a spirit of vengeance, I am the night. I am Mare Do Well!" She declared as she held her muzzle high, receiving a chuckle from fancy. "But in all seriousness, yes. Twilight will be an excellent mayor. It's as if she was destined to be in a position of power where she can make the world a better place." She said as she stuck a flash drive into the hub.
"My line of work doesn't get easier. And ponies like me can't be expected to bring a city from the darkness and into the light. But... Twilight..." She sighed. "She can do what I could never do as Mare Do Well." With a heavy sigh, Octavia removed her hat and cowl, tossing them on a rack and putting her muzzle in her hooves. Fancy stared at her. "Are you alright, Madame?" He asked with a concerned look. "Is there something you need me t-"
"I miss them Fancy..." She said suddenly as she let out a soft whimper. He looked upon the mare with a sigh, ever since she had started this crusade, it was slowly destroying her on the inside. But the sad truth was that if she didn't do this, it would destroy her even more. Fancy sighed as he put an arm around her. "I miss then too... they treated me as if I was no less than a brother to them. And I treated them with the utmost respect. They were the two kindest and most gentle ponies I have ever met, even to this day." He mused with a smile as he looked at her. "But we have to move forward Octavia. Even when we fall, we have to keep going. For the reason we fall, is to learn to pick ourselves back up."
Octavia shed a single tear as she hugged the stallion. "Thank you, Fancy... you always know how to make me feel better." She said with a smile. "If I couldn't do this much for my mistress, well what kind of butler would I be?" He asked with a smirk, enticing a chuckle from the mare. "You're one hell of a butler Fancy." She said as she got up and removed her suit, hanging it in the armory and walking towards the elevator, holding it for Fancy as he walked in. The two then ascended to the manor before stepping out into the loft, where it turned out the fireplace had been what was hiding the lift.
"Shall I draw you a bath Madame?" He asked as he looked over to her. "Yes Fancy, that would be lovely." She said with a smile as he looked at the older stallion. He chuckled and looked at a calendar that was hanging on the wall, tilting an eyebrow at what was written under tomorrow's events. "Madame, your brunch with Ms. Scratch is tomorrow afternoon, shall I iron your formal bowtie?" He asked as he looked in her general direction. "Yes please." She replied as she smiled to herself. Next to Twilight, Vinyl was one of her best friends and she was also a pony of music, even if they didn't share the same taste in genre. Vinyl was her musical friend and Twilight was her intellectual friend, and she enjoyed having that bit of balance.
Soon, Octavia was neck deep in warm, bubbly water, within her elegant bath tub. Bath time was always one of her most favorite times of the day. It was time where she could be left alone to reflect on recent events, and it was when she did most of her thinking. Plus, due to recent events, there was a lot on her mind. For starters, why had it been so easy to defeat those bank robbers? She figured the answer was simple, they wanted to be caught. Then she thought, why would criminals want to be caught? This was another simple question for her. They wanted to be caught because someone on the inside was assisting them in some way...
Was this pony a cop? Or perhaps a fellow criminal? This was a question she couldn't solve. Then it occurred to her, if they wanted to be caught, why would they wait until they faced Mare Do Well to take the dive. They could've walked away without a scratch and yet they decided to face Mare Do Well head on. The more she thought about it, the less it all made sense.
Then her eyes widened as she came to another proposition. These ponies wanted to face her in combat, but why? Perhaps to see what fighting her was like?
Yes. That was it. They wanted to see her in action... indeed, it was all starting to make sense.
They robbed the bank in order to be noticed, then avoided the cops as much as they could in order to face Mare Do Well, who fought just as resilient as she always did. These criminals, now with this tactical information, were now on there way into the inner workings of the PVPD, where a mole of sorts, either a criminal or dirty cop, waited to receive this information.
Yes... now it made sense... she'd been bamboozled. She gritted her teeth with a sigh, how could they pull the wool over her eyes like that? It angered her. But alas, at the moment there was nothing she could do. For now, her job was over, and all Octavia wanted was to spend the rest of her bath time in peace. So, with a sigh of satisfaction, she sinked back into the tub with a smile on her muzzle.
Mare Do Well: Crusader of Darkness
Chapter 2: The Mark of a Madman
Meanwhile, as our hero is lulling away in her favorite bath, there are other forces at work. Our two favorite bank robbers were currently being held in a small cell, being guarded by two Security Guard stallions. One of them, was tall and burly, the other was slightly shorter and skinny. "Aye, how bout some food and water dipshits?" One of the robbers piped up. "Yeah, i'm with Hack over there." The other chimed as they leaned towards the guards. "Shut up!" The burly guard shouted as he stomped. The other guard simply rolled his eyes and pushed up his glasses. "Just be quiet you two... you'll be out of here soon enough."
The burly guard looked at his peer cautiously. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked as he stared him down. "Why, the answer to your question is simple you half-witted buffoon. These men have been great contributors to my cause." He said with a smile as he popped on a green bowler hat with a question mar on it. "Y-you're that riddle guy. T-the Riddler." He says as he pulls out a gun. "Indeed, it is I, The Riddler, and I have a riddle for you, Mr. Burly Sack. If I drink, I die, if I eat, I am fine. What am I?" He asked with a smirk.
The stallion raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak when suddenly he smelt smoke. He turned towards the door and just as he went to open it- BOOM!!!1!
The next morning, Octavia woke up to Fancy pushing a new article in her face. "Fancy, what is the meaning of this?" She asked as she got up. "Read the paper Madame, it appears something bad has happened at the PVPD last night!" Octavia lifted an eyebrow and snatched the paper, immediately reading the headline:
PVPD, ashes of it's former glory?
Her eyes widened to see a picture of the department on fire. She put a hoof to her mouth as she continued to read. There had only been one casualty, and three ponies unaccounted for. 'One guard, and two convicts were missing'. She gritted her teeth, knowing what this meant. "I knew it!! Those robbers played me for a fool!!" She shouted in anger as she threw a glass across the room. Fancy flinched, and sighed. "I'll clean it up." He muttered as he went to get a broom and dustpan.
She began to trot furiously down into the garage, grabbing her coat and unlocking her sports car. "Fancy, i'm going out. This is the perfect political opportunity for Twilight's campaign." She said as she stepped into her car. "Thinking like Octavia again are we Madame? Good. It's not healthy to be a cold and brooding vigilante all the time." He joked with a smile as he watched her go. "Oh, haha Fancy, very funny." She said as she rolled her eyes sarcastically, just before speeding out into the cold morning.
This did feel odd to her, being out at day. She had become accustomed to sleeping through most of the morning, so 10:00 was far past pushing it. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, maybe they'd have some coffee? At least for billionaire playponies? She let out another annoyed sigh as she pressed a button on the control panel, which popped out a little pill into her hoof. This pill was a Melody Corp energy pill, which wasn't for sale as nopony ever gave it the clear to be sold. So, naturally, she kept them all to herself.
Soon she arrived at the lockup, smiling to see Twilight was already prepared to speak. "Perfect." She mused as she stepped out and quickly trotted up to greet her friend. Twilight smiled when she saw her, trotting up to greet her friend. "Octavia Melody, i'll be damned." She greeted as she extended a hoof, receiving a shake of the hoof from Octavia. "Don't waste your time with me, "Mayor Sparkle", i'm sure these ponies are eager to here you speak." She said with a smile as she shooed her upstage. Twilight blushed sheepishly and nodded, running back on stage and going towards the podium. She cleared her throat and tapped he mic. "Testing, testing, 1... 2..." She smiled seeing it worked.
"People of Ponyville, I regret to inform you that the rumors are in fact true. This event that happened roughly hours ago was no accident. This was a localized terrorist attack behind two criminal ponies known simply as "Hack and Slash". How these two ponies were able to do this, is beyond my current understanding. But, I assure you. I will not rest until this situation is handled." She declared with a smile, enticing excited applause. Twilight, now with nothing to say, simply cleared her throat once more. "And now, a word from my sponsor, and friend, Octavia Melody!" She pointed a hoof towards Octavia, who scowled back at her as she came up the stage.
Octavia quickly smiled and approached the mic. "Good morning, Ponyville, and I wish you all good fortune as we move into a period of unsettlement." She said with as she looked around at the ponies with a sigh, leaning aside casually. "I mean it was only a matter of time, considering how much of a shithole this town is already." Many ponies gasped at this, and a reporter stepped forward. "Ms. Melody, are you implying that our city is beyond salvation? Are we not safe here?"
"No I would say we're safe for the most part. After all, we have Twilight." She said with a smile as she gestured towards the lavender unicorn. Another reporter came over. "Ms. Melody, what is your position on the masked vigilante known as Mare Do Well??" And then another followed suite
"Ms. Melody, is she a threat?" And then another. "Are you here to say that her way of cleaning up the streets is beneficial to the ponies of Ponyville?!"
Octavia raised a hoof, causing the many to silence. "The Mysterious vigilante known as Mare Do Well.... is a menace." She finished with a raise of the muzzle. "Anypony who believes that the justicr system can be taken into a single pony's hooves has got the wrong idea. The system work. We need to show criminals the system can work. No more dirty cops, no more gang violence, no more Mob propaganda." She then sighs. "But, at the same time..." She mutters.
"Due to Mare Do Well's efforts, the crime rate in Ponyville has significantly dropped. So, if anything, she is making a difference." She commented as she looked over there confused faces. "So, what's my political stature? That's simple... I believe in Twilight Sparkle." She said with a huff as she turned to believe. The ponies gasped and started to crowd her. "Ms. Octavia! Ms. Octavia!" The started to chant frantically as they swarmed her, but as they examined the ranks of their angry mob, they found she was already gone, and her car fled away with her inside.
Indeed, she didn't know whether she had ruined, or helped Mare Do Well's reputation, but it didn't matter. Mare Do Well wasn't a hero that Ponyville is supposed to depend on. She's simply just there. When you need her, she will be there.
And that's all Octavia meant to be.
