Mysterious Mare Do Well:Rise of the Shadowbolt.

by Phoenix Kitten

Rating: teen
Tags: Mare Do Well, Alternate Universe, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 17005

An alternate ending to Mysterious Mare Do Well chronicling the dark path.

"I'm a hero! Not that Mysterious Mare Do Well!" She screamed at her bathroom mirror. "I am Rainbow Miriam Dash! The best young flier and fastest pony in Equestria! She is nothing! I'm everything Ponyville needs in a hero!" She continued screaming before tugging at her mane and shouting obscenities.
"Ponyville doesn't want me as a hero?" She asked no pony in particular as she pulled some dyes out of her cupboard. "Fine. Let's see their precious Mare Do Well handle a villain." Rainbow eyed her Nightmare Night costume and began to cackle madly.

Rating and tags may be subject to change as the story progresses

Published 2011-11-29 19:57:28 UTC
Last updated 2012-04-23 05:30:17 UTC

Dodging a bullet,lighting a fuse.

Rainbow Dash crept to the front of the roof and peered over the edge. She spied her quarry.
Another pony wearing a hoof-to-tail costume consisting of a fur tight midnight blue bodysuit overlaid with a royal purple cloak and hat. The cloak stopped at the ponies knees and left the other half covered by a midnight blue wrap. A long cape dragged on the ground behind them.
Rainbow eyed the ponies chest, spotting a small fastener attached to the cape with the letter M on it. “Aha! Now I’ve got you!” She yelled out as she dove at the pony.

She was halfway to her target when she suddenly stopped in midair, held up by an invisible force. “What the hay?”

Her target turned and looked at her, the opaque white eye pieces on the mask stretching in astonishment before closing as they shook their head. Rainbow watched, noticing a bit of the mask stretching as the mystery ponies face moved.

“You almost had me Rainbow.” Their voice was muddled and metallic, Rainbow reasoned they were using a voice disguise spell. “Had the spell I put up to stop anypony getting near me not worked, you would probably have my mask off by now.”

“You’re damn right I would! You’ve been making me look bad all week!” Rainbow yelled as a crowd began to form around them.

The pony pointed an accusing hoof at the cyan pegasus. “No Rainbow. I haven’t been making you look bad. You’ve been doing that yourself. Ponyville deserves a better hero than a mare who thinks so highly of herself that she believes she’s above its residents.”

Rainbow looked on in shock as the pony continued. “I simply stepped in because I knew you’d become so full of yourself that you’d make a mistake. I didn’t step in for the fame, or the glory. I stepped in to help citizens who were in need of a heroine that isn’t an egoist.”

Rainbow suddenly dropped to the ground, too stunned to move. “And I will continue to help the ponies of this town because it’s the right thing to do, not because it makes me look good.”
With that the mysterious pony flourished their cape and vanished on the spot.

The crowd erupted into cheers at the news their hero was going to stay, much to the chagrin of the rainbow maned pony in front of them.
With an enraged scream she flew off to her cloud house.

“I’m a hero! Not that Mysterious Mare Do Well!” She screamed at her bathroom mirror. “I’m Rainbow Miriam Dash! The best young flier and fastest pony in Equestria! She’s nothing! I’m everything Ponyville needs in a hero!” She continued screaming before tugging at her mane and shouting obscenities.

After a few minutes of language that would make any sensible pony turn a bright shade of red and panting from a spot on her bathroom floor, Rainbow pulled herself up and looked in the mirror. Her house had reacted to her bad mood. The normally pristine white clouds were black and angry. “Ponyville doesn’t want me as a hero?” She asked no pony in particular as she pulled some dyes out of her cupboard. “Fine. Let’s see their precious Mare Do Well handle a villain.” Rainbow eyed her Nightmare Night costume and began to cackle madly.

“Somepony stop that mad mare!” Roseluck cried out as a black and purple tornado swept through the town the next day.

A pitch black aura suddenly surrounded the tornado and vanquished it from the ground up, revealing a jet black pegasus with a neon blue mane and tail wearing a twisted version of the Wonderbolts uniform.

Ponyville flashed negative for a split second as the Mysterious Mare Do Well appeared from nowhere. “And just who are you?” The eye pieces on her mask narrowing.

The black pony smirked. “I could ask you the same thing.” She replied, her voice smooth and effeminate. “But since we won’t tell, you can just call me… The Shadowbolt!”

“Very well then, Shadowbolt. I am the”

“Oh I know who you are Mysterious Mare Do Well.” Shadowbolt smirked, lifting her goggles, showing off her blood red eyes. “I’m here to unmask you.”

The crowd gasped at the revelation. Hushed mumurs began to flow through the crowd, voices overlapping to create unintelligible sentences and half phrases.

“I figured if I stirred up enough trouble. You’d come right to me. Glad I wasn’t wrong. That’s the problem with masked heroes like you. I can’t attack you directly like I did that Rainbow maned show off yesterday.”

Shadowbolt smiled as she noticed her opponents jaw clench under her mask.

“Yes. Her home will make an amazing base for my actions here in this backwater town.” She gestured to her right.
Mare Do Well followed Shadowbolts hoof, her eye pieces widening in shock at the dark and angry fortress that stood where the fluffy and peaceful mansion had been yesterday.

“You not only show up here, in the town under my protection with the sole purpose of unmasking me, but you also harm”

“Not harm… scared off.”

“Scared off?”

“Yes. Scared off. I am quite the scary pony to meet at night. I noticed you yesterday and followed the egotistical bitch and hid in her home before scaring her off. I’m glad she had this costume lying around.”

“You have just made a powerful enemy today Shadowbolt.” Mare Do Well growled.

“One thousand three hundred and twenty seven.”

“What?”

“I’ve heard that line so many times.”

Ponyville flashed negative again and suddenly Mare Do Well was holding Shadowbolt against a nearby wall with her hoof drawn back.

The crowd jumped as if they had all just witnessed a ghost. Hushed murmurs started up again. "Did you see... didn't even move... over there?... she that fast?"

“Uh uh uhhh. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Shadowbolt smirked. “I know where the filly is. If you want to see her again, I get to go free. Otherwise she will meet an untimely end."

Mare Do Well growled. “I can trace her with a scrying spell.”

“Ha!” Shadowbolt laughed. “Not if she’s wearing one of these you can’t.” The pegasus said as she held up a bracelet designed to fit around a pony’s hoof.

Shadowbolt could see her opponents mouth contort into a scowl before she backed away.

“By the way. Nice voice disguise spell. You must’ve just activated it yesterday. Because today you sound just like Princess Celestia.” Shadowbolt smirked before flying off to her cloud fortress.

With a growl Mare Do Well vanished in another burst of negative light, leaving the terrified residents of Ponyville behind.

Overwatch

The Mysterious Mare Do Well reappeared in a dark room in an unknown location.
“My friends!” She called out. Four figures stepped into the shadows around her as she removed her mask, her face remaining shrouded in shadows.

“Is everything alright?”

“We heard the commotion in town.”

“And came here right away.”

“I saw what happened. But I wasn’t close enough to hear anything.”

The mare lowered her head, the light catching a small part of her mane. “We have somepony trying to unmask the Mysterious Mare Do Well.”

“Well Rainbow tried that on me yesterday.”

The other figures nodded.

“Rainbow Dash is probably still sore from yesterday.”

“I heard her screaming as she took off from the street to her house.”

“My friends!” The central figure interrupted sternly. “Rainbow Dash is missing and our foe has used what was in her house to become the villain Shadowbolt.”

The others gasped and fell silent. After a few brief seconds of quiet murmuring the figure to the back left spoke up.

“Well then… what are we to do?”

“That’s easy.” The central figure exclaimed as she remasked herself and vanished in a burst of negative light.

The four figures looked at each other uneasily before backing into the shadows and vanishing.

“See you girls later.” Twilight Sparkle smiled as she waved her friends off as they went to trotted down the street, splitting into a sem circle. She closed the door to the library she called home and trotted upstairs, closing a small compartment in the wall that held one of her favorite books before turning out the light and laying her head on her pillow.

Down stairs, the basement window crept open as a figure dressed in full black slipped in and started looking around, flashlight on her shoulder illuminating the area in front of them. In short order they found the object they were looking for and crept back out before flying deep into the Everfree forest.

The next day, the entire town of Ponyville turned out in the town square as banners flying the emblem of the Mysterious Mare Do Well adorned the announcement stage. The mare in question stood to the side of the stage while Mayor Rose addressed the crowd.

On a small hill just behind the stage an ivory unicorn took a seat upon a lavishly decorated and plush couch, a pair of binoculars lifted to her azure eyes as she scanned the crowd. “I see you Pinkie, you too Applejack.” She spoke into an earpiece. “Do you copy?”

“Roger that Rarity, good to have you up there. Let us know if you spot anypony suspicious.” A southern drawl answered back.

“We’ll keep a look out down here.” A hyper active voice added.

“”Keep it together you three, and cut the chatter.” A disguised voice suddenly interjected. “Azure is on overwatch, Core and Wall you’re on crowd duty. Canary is on air support. Copy.”

“Copy.” Three voices rang out.

“Canary, copy.”

Silence, the static from the four lines was the only response.

“Canary come back.”’

“Negative visual on Canary.” Rarity replied as she scanned the skies.

“Damn it. Core go look for her, Wall step it up you’re pulling double duty.”

“Roger” the two mares responded.

“You’re on darling.” Rarity said.

“and now, I will hoof the stand to Ponyvilles heroine, The Mysterious Mare Do Well!”
The crowd cheered and whooped and hollered.
Mare Do Well raised her hoof and the crowd fell silent.

“Citizens of Ponyville! As many of you know a villainess has made herself known with the intention to unmask me and show my identity to the world.”

The ponies that weren’t present at the showdown the other day all gasped before Mare Do Well silenced them with a hoof once more.

“Fear not. I will not be defeated by a pony of her kind.”

“Oh won’t you?”

The crowd turned as Mare Do Well looked up and spotted Shadowbolt atop a black thunder cloud.

“Where did she come from?” Rarity asked. “I scanned the skies not even thirty seconds ago.”

“Something bad is about to happen.” Pinkie replied.

Rarity turned her binoculars on Pinkie. The pink mare was shaking like a leaf.

“Azure. Break off; meet with Core at the rendezvous point.” Pinkie called out. “Leave your earpiece on though.”

Rarity packed away her binoculars and grabbed her couch with her magic, dragging it off the hill.

Back down at the stage.
“If you came looking for a fight Shadowbolt.”

“Hmm… no… not today. I just thought I’d show off my new prisoners.” The pegasus smiled as a rope dropped from the bottom of the cloud, hanging from both sides were a pair of pegasi, bound and gagged.

“Fluttershy! Rainbow!” A pink earth pony mare called out in dismay.

“If you do anything to hurt them…” Mare Do Well started.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll do something scary.” Shadowbolt retorted. “Don’t worry. They won’t be harmed. For now. I’ll see you later, Mysterious Mare Do Well.” Shadowbolt frowned. “Colt that’s a mouthful. I’m just going to call you Mystery Mare for short.” With that Shadowbolt propelled her cloud over the crowd and towards her fortress’s new location over Everfree.

Mare Do Well growled and vanished in a burst of negative light.

A few hours had passed by the time Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack had gathered inside the barn at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Where in tarnation is she?” Applejack impatiently paced back and forth, to the minor annoyance of a certain ivory unicorn.

“Calm down Applejack dear. She’ll be here when she gets here.” Rarity sighed as she watched the farmpony pace across the floor again. She made a small mark on the ground with her hoof. “Six hundred and thirty five.”

“She’s already here.” Pinkie said as she laid on her back, looking up at the rafters.

The two mares looked around before spotting their guest on top of an apple storage bin with their back to them.
Applejack opened her mouth to say something and found her mouth full of ivory hoof.

“Darling there you are. What happened out there? Where did you go?” Rarity asked before retracting her hoof.

“And don’t you think…” Applejack began again only to have a pink hoof shoved in her mouth.

“Shhhhh.” Pinkie ordered. “Plot advancement.”

With a burst of negative light the fourth pony stood beside Rarity, both looking in opposite directions. “I needed to pick up a few devices. They took longer to find than I thought they would.”

She closed her eyes. “Maybe if you cleaned up every once in a while.”

Mystery Mare turned and looked at the back of Rarity’s neck. “If I asked you right now… what answer would I get?”

“A no darling. The stakes are not yet high enough. I will step onto the field when it is necessary.” She turned and looked into the heroine’s eyepieces. “Just promise me if it gets to dangerous, you’ll reveal yourself.” She closed her eyes again.
When there was no answer after a few seconds she spoke up. “You’re gone aren’t you?” She opened her eyes and chuckled remorsefully before trotting out herself.
"I certainly hope you two don't decide to take up the costume again." She called over her shoulder as she trotted gracefully down the road back to Ponyville.

Shadows dancing in the Twilight.

Zecora and Applebloom stood over the cauldron in the center of the hut. A light green broth bubbled as the flames underneath licked at the cast iron container.

"Your skill has grown young Applebloom. More advanced potions will be yours soon." The Zebra rhymed as she took the young filly into another room.

"Thanks Zecora." The filly beamed. "Though you still haven't told me what ah just helped you make."

"Ahh. That is correct my apprentice I apologize. Please allow me to revise." She nodded as she opened a book and glanced through. "Ah. Here is the order I see. It is signed with the initials RD."

"Rainbow Dash?" The earth pony questioned as Zecora's head was pushed aside so her apprentice could verify the info herself.

"That would be my best guess too. But we will see when they arrive to pick up the brew." She smiled as she trotted into her kitchen where another cauldron sat. "Now come, it is getting late. If you are staying the night again I will prepare you a plate."

"Gee thanks Zecora!" She could hear Applebloom say as her hoofsteps followed into the kitchen.

As the two sat down to eat an ear shattering clap of thunder boomed through the window.

"By the demons of the stars above!" Zecora exclaimed.

"WHAT?!?" She heard Applebloom yell. "MAH EARS ARE STILL RINGIN'!"

"What could have angered the heavens so?" The zebra druid asked as the rain began to pour down on the forest.

Somewhere above the treeline, about ten minutes earlier...

The Mysterious Mare Do Well galloped through the Everfree forest towards the old castle that sat in the only clearing the forest had to offer.
'This is the stupidest thing I've ever done... but I'm not going to leave them at her mercy.' She thought to herself.
As she galloped through the forest, dodging rocks and shrubs she came upon a small hut in her path. The horn under her hat glowed pitch black before she vanished, reappearing on the other side of the hut.
"Almost there then."

After a short three minutes she reached the castle and slowed to a stop at the entrance, pulling her mask back and letting her slate blue mane drop down by her lavender neck. Her purple eyes spotted the cloud fortress on the other side of the castle, over the cliff that surrounded it on all sides.

"So this is where you moved them." Twilight asked the darkness around her. "Inverse."
The costume vanished from her body before she trotted across the bridge and into the castle.
Silently she made her way to the throne room where she had faced off with Nightmare Moon two years ago, noting in her head all the changes the castle had endured.
It was by no means regal last time she was here... but it still had a feeling of royal importance. Now though, it was haunting. The silence, the loud echoes of her hoofs against the granite floors. She was alone.

Twilight Sparkle passed under an archway as she trotted through the courtyard. As she did a single word left her lips.
"Izayoi."
The Mysterious Mare Do Well trotted out and looked up at the tower the throne room was in. The castle flashed negative for a second as the Mystery mare vanished.

She reappeared in the middle of the old throne room.

"Welcome Mystery mare. Or should I call you MM? How about Missy, I can call you Missy right?" A voice behind her said

Twilight growled behind her mask.

"Missy it is!"

"Shadowbolt."

"Yes?"

"Where are they?"

Mare Do Well turned around to see Shadowbolt with a hoof to her chin in thought. "Hmmm... I can't recall. Maybe it'll jog my memory if I unmask you!"

Twilight scowled and the world flashed negative for a second. Shadowbolt suddenly flung through the air and ended up embedded in a nearby wall, cracks spiderwebbing out around her.

"Oh you're fast." Shadowbolt groaned, coughing up some blood, before rocketing at Mare Do Well as the wall started to collapse.
Right before she could connect with her new nemesis the world flashed negative again and she suddenly found herself flying through the air backwards as Mare Do Well surfed on her chest. "How do you" another negative flash and the mare was gone. "do that?" She asked before looking in front of her. "Oh fuck me." She swore before slamming into the archway in the courtyard and falling to the floor.

Twilight landed on the ground on the other side of the archway. She spread her legs into a wide stance and began panting heavily. "Alright... I'm good for three more of those before I'm spent and have to leave and enact the other half of my plan."
She shook her head and turned to face the archway only to notice a heavy fog had rolled in. "This is odd. This fog is black."

"The fight starts now Missy!" Shadowbolt screamed as loud crack of sound caused the archway and half the castle to collapse.

Twilight felt her eardrums burst, a trickle of blood leaking from her ears and staining the side of her mask red. With a quick burst of magic she repaired her eardrums,restoring her hearing ability. "Make that two now. Or one if I go full len guhgughgughgughguh." She spasamed as a burst of lightning struck her suit, leaving the sizzling mare to collapse forward, her vision fading. "Damn... good thing I'm grounded..."

Shadowbolt watched as her enemy keeled forward before collapsing sideways. "Your mask is mine Missy." The thunderclouds she had released from a jar slowly lifted into the air and let the rain they had been harboring fall. She trotted towards the fallen mare and prepared to remove the mask from her short lived nemesis' face when the world flashed negative and the Mysterious Mare Do Well vanished.
"What?" She asked, glancing around before spotting her target limping into the half of the castle that hadn't collapsed. "Oh no you don't!" She growled before flying after the masked mare.

Twilight made it halfway down the hallway before collapsing by some rubble. "Inverse* She whispered weakly, her costume vanishing before she passed out.

Panic in Ponyville! aka: A double Dash of despair!

Twilight Sparkle awoke to the feeling of somepony poking her gently. "Ugggh... somepony get Scootaloo to untie the weights from scooter again." she groaned.

"Oh Twilight!" A voice softly squeaked. "You're alright!"

The lavender unicorn felt herself being hugged from behind. She glanced down at the other pony's forelegs and noticed they were a bright yellow. "Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed as she turned and returned her friend's hug. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. But what about you? What are you doing down here?" The canary yellow pegasus asked. "You weren't, ummm... were you?"

"What? Oh no. I inversed before hoof." Twilight told her friend. "Where's Rainbow? I thought she was a prisoner with you?"

"What? Oh no." Fluttershy drooped. "Shadowbolt has her prisoner in her fortress."

"Damn it!" Twilight growled.

"Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight's face changed to one of shock before she turned around to face the hallway. "Shadowbolt I presume?"

Spike wrung his claws about worriedly. Twilight had left last night assuring him she would be back by morning.
"It's morning... where is she?" The young dragon asked the empty library. After the loud crack of thunder last night he had been extremely worried. "He eyed the clock and mumbled. "Another hour. Another hour then I'll tell the others."

Spike set about distracting himself by cleaning the library and sorting the books on the shelves, helping the few early morning ponies who came in looking for books before checking the clock again. "Forty five minutes." He said as he checked out the last pony in line. "Hey Big Macintosh. Could you tell AJ to get the others and meet me here?"

The draft horse looked over his shoulder at the little dragon. "Eeyup. Anythin' in particular you want me to tell her?"

Spikes shook his head. "And I hope that book helps you!"

"Thank you kindly Spike." The stallion said before he trotted out.

Spike set about finishing his chores while he waited.

The first pony in was a pink earth pony mare with a magenta mane. "Heya Spike! My mane was tickly so I knew a dragon wanted to talk to me."

The dragon looked dumbfounded as he turned to look at the mare. "You're Pinkie sense predicted that you needed to come here so I could talk to you?"

"Well yeah. Why?"

"It's just.... Nevermind. Let's wait for the others. You may as well help me with my chores."

"Okie Dokie Loki!" Pinkie beamed.

The two of them worked for another ten minutes, casually chatting to each other before an orange earth pony mare and an ivory unicorn mare trotted in.

"Ah told you she'd already be here! Pay up pony girl!" Applejack smiled.

Rarity grumbled and hoofed over twenty bits to the farm pony. "Now then Spike, dear. What's this all about?"

"Twilight! She went out last night and I haven't seen her since."

The three ponies exchanged uneasy glances before Applejack spoke up. "Pinkie. Take Spike upstairs and help him look around. Knowin' Twi, she probably left some fancy hint."

The pink mare got a serious look on her face and saluted, picking the dragon up and carrying him upstairs, leaving the farmer and fashionista alone.

"Well Applejack. I take it you have an idea." Rarity not so much asked as she did state.

"Yeah. Pinke and ah are going to go look for her. You are going to stay here in Ponyville and protect it in our wake."

"But Applejack!"

"No butts, flanks or haunches sugahcube. Somepony has to hold down the fort. Shy, Pinkie, Twi and ah all donned the costume. Now it's your turn."

"But I don't know the first thing about fighting." Rarity whined.

"No. But you could just make a wall of gems to stop anything."

"But those spells Twilight does, her super powered telekinesis, that weird teleport thing she does. Even her voice disguise spell. I can't do any of that."

"Then just be the silent Mare Do Well. And don't worry sugahcube." Applejack smiled. "The Mysterious Mare Do Well may have her staple spells, but no pony says she ain't hidin' any tricks."

"I-I suppose you are right dear." Rarity said unsurely. "I guess I'd better break my costume out of the closet."

"Only if something bad happens." Applejack smiled. "Think we should let them know they can come down now?"

Almost on cue, Pinkie and Spike came down the stairs, the former tripping and tumbling landing in a heap, giggling like a mad mare, while the latter stepped over her and into the kitchen, dejectedly.

Applejack trotted over to Pinkie and picked her up. "Come on you two. We're headin' the the edge of Everfree forest." She said loudly. "Maybe Zecora can help us find Twi."

"Pinkie! You and ah need to get to Everfree. Rar. Head into that alley. Activate your costume there." Applejack called out as Shadowbolt started terrorizing the Ponyville.

Before she could protest a bolt of lightning struck Pinkie and knocked her out.

"Okay change of plans. Ah'll get Pinkie back to Sugahcube Corner. But you're going to have to cover us. Think you can do that?"

Rarity looked back and forth between her friends and Shadowbolt before galloping into the alley. "I know I'm going to regret this." She sighed. "Yukianesa!" A bright flash of white light shone from the alley.
When it dimmed the Mysterious Mare Do Well stood where Rarity had been seconds earlier.

"There's something wrong with Rainbow Dash." Twilight noted as their hypnotised cell guard trotted back and forth, not taking her eyes off the pair.

"You mean aside from the fact she's been hypnotised?" Fluttershy asked from her corner.

Twilight simply nodded as she threw a rock with her telekinesis watching as it passed through the pegasus mare that was guarding them. "I thought as much."

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

"As much as I'd like to say this is Rainbow and we could just try to break the hypnosis. It's not." Twilight smirked. "Device no.30456, command override. Passcode:Celestia. Respond."

Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks and looked Twilight in the eye. "Code accepted. issue new command."

"Shut down."

Rainbow's form flickered and faded,followed by a small clunk sound as a metal object fell from where she was standing.

Fluttershy eeped and huddled further into her corner.

Twilight trotted over and placed her hoof on Fluttershy, teleporting them both out of their cell and picking up the device. "A magical image projector. Shadowbolt must have stolen it from my basement at somestage and programmed it to look like Rainbow Dash."

Rarity's gem wall blocked another bolt of lightning from Shadowbolts thunder clouds. She had protected AJ while she carried Pinkie to Sugarcube corner and set about actively trying to strike back by using her gems as projectiles.

"Come on Mystery Mare." Shadowbolt laughed. "I know you can do better than this! Where's the flankbeating you were giving me last night?"

Rarity frowned. Is that what Twilight had been doing? 'That stupid mare we warned her but she didn't listen.' She thought to herself.

"Why don't you talk anymore huh?"Shadowbolt asked, annoyed at her opponents silence. "Talk damn you!"

Rarity shook her head and pulled a barrage of gems from the ground beneath Shadowbolt, nicking the dark mare's costume and leaving moderately deep cuts, distracting her opponent so the wave of gems behind her could build up enough height to hit her.

Thunderstruck in Ponyville.

The Shadowbolts costume was in tatters and blood was dripping from her wounds like rain. All around her the shards of broken gems fell like hail, embedding themselves in the ground, an invisible magic shield spread over her keeping her safe from the gem shards that were still falling.
She groggily got to her feet and looked her opponent in the eye. "So this is it huh? You're just going to unmask me now?"

Mare Do Well nodded as she trotted slowly forward, the shards pouring around her,leaving a straight path toward Shadowbolt.

Shadowbolt began to laugh. Not a happy laugh. "You... you are such a Lunadamned idiot!" She cackled. "You think that just by unmasking me you'll learn who I am?"

Mare Do Well tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh for... Talk you dumb pile of shit!"

The last gem shard floated down in front of Mare Do Well and pivoted, pointing at Shadobolt before lurching forward, jamming into something on her throat.

"What did you-" She stopped, her voice sounded weird. Like it had amalgafied from two seperate ponies. "No... no! What did you do? You clumsy... What did you do? Did you hit my vocal modifier?" Shadowbolt rocketed forward.
... before suddenly finding herself flying backwards, dragging her hooves along the ground. "Back to old tricks huh Mystery Mare?"

Rarity's eyes darted about behind her mask, looking for the source of her opponents sudden reversal of momentum. "All right Rarity... Just a few more seconds and I'll be able to do it again!" Her ear piece buzzed. "Just keep focused and get into a low stance."

Rarity kept looking around but lowered herself like she was told keeping Shadowbolt in her peripheral vision at all times.

"So, you're ready to get serious huh?" Shadowbolt smirked as she pulled a small white ball from her costume. "I'll beat you here the same way I beat you in the castle!" She yelled, her vocal modifier still on the fritz, making her sound possessed.
She slammed the ball into the ground, releasing a huge black, angry thundercloud that encompassed the ground.

"Dammit." Rarity's earpiece buzzed. "I know you know a soundproofing spell, use it on your mask, quick!"
She nodded, her horn starting to glow a pale blue, the same glow forming a barrier around the inside of her mask.

Not a moment to soon as an ear splitting thundercrack burst from the cloud, destroying windows all along the street the two were in and collapsing the walls of the closest buildings.

"Get out of the cloud! Now, before-"
Rarity felt something hit her costume, her earpiece shorted out and she collapsed to the ground, convulsing due to the lightning that had hit her.
The soundproofing spell failed as she lost her focus and began to scream.

Shadowbolt was cackling madly. "Got you again Mare Do Well." She smirked as the cloud lifted off the ground again, begininng to drop it's liquid payload. The rain caused smoke to rise off Mare Do Well's motionless form.
She winced as the rain struck her wounds. "And now Mystery Mare. Your mask is mine!"
The world flashed negative and Mare Do Well vanished from her prone position on the ground as Shadowbolt felt like she had been hoofed in the stomach.
She looked at the spot where her opponent had been and screamed in frustration before taking to the skies and looking around.

Twilight Sparkle pulled the mask off of Rarity and checked her pulse. "She's alive. But the shock knocked her out."
She pulled the mask back over Rarity's face and put her in the hay pily next to her, hiding in the shadows as Shadowbolt passed over head.

"Where are you?!?" She screamed. "I'll tear this whole damn town apart if I have to!"

Shadowbolt scanned the alleyways, spotting only scared ponies and a hay pile. "Fine! Don't come out! You'll see what happens to your beloved town Mystery Mare!" She yelled before flying towards Everfree forest.

Twilight trotted out from the shadows and grabbed Rarity from the hay pile, teleporting them both somewhere safe.

Shadowbolt touched down in frony of a small hut about half an hour later. "Guh... that took twenty minuters too long. Guess those gems did more damage than I thought." She groaned as she folded her sore wings against her body.
She frowned. Her voice still sounded like an amalgamation of two ponies.
By pulling her mask off she managed to dislodge the gem shard and the broken part of her voice changing necklace. "Crap..." She muttered under her breath as her voice returned to normal. She knocked on the door of the hut. "Unless Zecora has something she can give me I'm going to have to go silent."

Voices could be heard on the other side of the door before a pale yellow earth filly with a rose coloured mane and a pink bow opened the door.

"Do you have business with Zecora?" She asked.

"Yes I do. I'm here to pick up an order."

"Name?"

"No name, just initials. RD."

"Looks like ah'm owed ten bits." Applebloom remarked. "HAY ZECORA. PICK UP FOR THE RD ORDER!"

The zebra in question stepped into view. "So I see I was wrong about you. For my apprentice, some bits are due." She smiled. "Please come in, make yourself at home. If there is anything you need, please consult my tome."

"Shh. They're comin' to."

"Everypony quiet down, we don't want them to be scared."

"O-okay."

Voices... there were voices dancing through her head. A flash of light to her left as she pushed herself up, her vision blurry as she opened her eyes.

"Take it easy there sugahcube. You were hit with quite the blast."

"Uhhh. My head." She groaned. "It feels like there was a party in my head and the place was trashed."

"That's what ah'd imagine a blast of lightning strong enough to knock you out would feel like." The orange blob of fuzzyness dancing in front of her said.

"I guess so..." She responded, her vision going black again as she suddenly felt the sensation of falling.

"Pinkie!" She heard the voice call out.

But she was out cold by the time her head hit the floor.

Reach out to the truth.

Applejack and Fluttershy trotted around Ponyville, their heads on a swivel as they kept their eyes out for a certain dark mare.

"You see her Fluttershy?" The orange farmpony asked. "It's gettin' pretty late out."

"Oh.. uh no... sorry." Fluttershy apologized. "Though... isn't it a good thing she's not here?"

Applejack nodded. "It is sugahcube, means she got hurt pretty bad when Rarity started knockin' her around."

Twilight Sparkles voice buzzed over their earpieces. "Girls. Look sharp, cut the chatter. This will be your last patrol before you rest, Applejack, you don't mind ke-"

"She's gone!"

"Say again Twi. You got cut"

"Pinkie's gone!"

"What?!?"

"Where? And how?"

"I don't know dears, I went downstairs to make myself some tea and when I came back up she was gone."

"O-oh my... You think maybe..."

"We can't rule out that she was foalnapped by that despicable Shadowbolt." Rarity finished. "Aha. She climbed out the window. I know I closed them all up here."

'Keep moving, gotta keep moving.' Pinkie thought as she cantered slowly through Everfree forest. 'She's around here somewhere. I know she is.'
She repeated the mantra's in her head as she approached Zecora's hut. "Muchourin." She whispered, her Mare Do Well costume forming around her as she burst through the door.
Her eyepieces sliding into place as the two ponies and zebra came into the living room from the back.

"You?" The wounded Shadowbolt yelled. "You can still move after taking two lightning bolts?"

Pinkie blinked behind her mask as the Shadowbolt glared at her. She got out of her combat stance and trotted a circle around the villain before grabbing her tail and dragging her out of the hut and deeper into the forest.

Zecora and Applebloom just stood in confusion.

"What just..."

"I do not know my apprentice. Perhaps our client saw fit to test us."

"I said... let. Me. GO!" Shadowbolt yelled as she wrenched herself free from her opponents grasp.

Mare Do Well stumbled abit, catching herself and turning to look at Shadowbolt. "Who are you?"

Shadowbolt looked at the costumed heroine in surprise. "I am the"

"No. I mean who are you really?"

"I already told you I don't plan on telling you."

"Really? Guess I forgot, Rainbow Dash."

Shadowbolt began sweating heavily. "I-I'm not her. I foalnapped her remember?"

"I know it's you Dashie. You're the one who showed me that you can channel lightning through your coat one day. That's how you zapped me yesterday."

The sweat began to pour off her like rain, stinging her wounds some more and washing the dye off her coat. "Aww crud." She muttered when she noticed the pool of black dye sitting under her forelegs.

Pinkie pulled her mask off and hugged the injured pegasus. "I knew it was you Dashie!"

"Pinkie?!?" Rainbow said, surprise in her voice. "You're the Mare Do Well?"

Pinkie pulled back and nodded. "One of them..." She admitted. "Please Dashie... tell me. Why are you doing this?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Was it you that day Pinkie? Was it you I tried to tackle?"

Pinkie nodded. "But I didn't do the talking... one of the others... she used me like a puppet, took control of me with magic."

A look of shock crossed Rainbow's face before she gave her friend a nuzzle. "Tell me who they were Pinks. I'll make them regret doing it."

"I can't!" Pinkie blurted out. "Just stop this Dashie. Please!" She hugged Rainbow again and sniffled. "I don't want to see you get hurt... or worse."

The cyan pegasus hugged her friend back. "I'm already hurt Pinks. But I won't... I won't let them kill me." She reassured her friend. "How many are there?"

Pinkie sniffled again, tears threatening to pour down her face. "Including me... five."

"So four to go then. Are any of our other friends involved?"

"I don't know." She lied. "We were all contacted by a messenger, no pony else knows the identity of the other Mare Do Well's. Keep us in the dark... in case one of us defected." Pinkie was almost crying. "Like I am."

Rainbow pulled the rest of the costume off Pinkie and tore it into pieces. "Come on Pinkie... I'm set up in the old castle. I'll let you stay there."

Pinkie shook her head. "No... no I'm sorry Dashie... I can't." She turned and started to trot away. "I won't reveal your identity... but please... give serious thought to stopping this... somepony is going to get seriously hurt..." She added before galloping back toward Ponyville.

Pinkie managed to sneak back into town and her room in the loft above SugarCube Corner without anypony else seeing her and collapsed into her bed. "Please Dashie... stop this... just come back." She whispered before crying until she fell asleep.

Rainbow Dash was carrying her order from Zecora back to the old castle in a basket that was sitting around her neck. Her run in with Pinkie playing back through her head.
"Is she right? Should I stop?" She shook her head as she landed in one of the old bedrooms, now furnished with the objects of her old house, which was being pressed into service as her captured thunderclouds. "She's practically resigned... but what if she's telling the truth about not knowing, some of our friends could other Mare Do Wells... I don't want to hurt them."
She took one of the herbal supplements she had bought from Zecora and fell face first onto the bed she had taken.
She glanced back at her injured wings and watched the cuts quickly heal before she passed out.

The will to fight.

Sorry this chapter took so long to get out.I just have not been in the mood to write anything and this chapter was a pain in the flank to get past 50 words.

Anyway,have a theme song I thought appropriate.

Fluttershy dodged another lightning bolt and landed on a near by rooftop, panting and staring at the dark mare in who stood on a black thunder cloud smirking at her. "Oh give it up would you? I know there's more of you. The fighting styles of the other two were completely different and with you flying instead of using magic... I'm almost sure of it. There's more than one Mare Do Well!"

Fluttershy almost panicked when Shadowbolt made her assumption. With a quick,calming breath she focused and opened her eyes as wide as possible, glaring at the other pegasus as hard as equinely possible.

Rainbow sudeenly felt terrified as she looked into the costumed mare's eyepieces. As she struggled to look up she was greeted by a giant, ethereal, yellow scorpion with pink eyes. 'What the? A pegasus with the ability to summon a familiar?. No, it's too big to be a familiar.'

The scorpion swung it's tail at the villainess, breaking a hole in the ground and dissipating the small thundercloud on impact.

"Oh so you can see him too?" Mare Do Well asked the frightened pegasus in front of her. "That's Seraphim, whenever I get in trouble like this he helps me. I thought only animals could see him."

"Seraphim." Rainbow repeated slowly.

Fluttershy continued glaring at her opponent as her mind played back the events that lead up to that moment.

Fluttershy was trotting down through the market stalls with Pinkie Pie, who had turned up safe and sound in her room at Sugarcube Corner.
Her friend had turned over her Mare Do Well badge stating that she couldn't handle fighting another pony. They were on their way to meet with Rarity and Twilight and se about disabling Pinkie's costume, Muchourin, which boosted her Pinkie sense's precognitive abilities, when Shadowbolt showed up.
Applejack was at her family's stand today and took Pinkie to the meeting point instead, telling Fluttershy to keep the dark mare busy.
She quietly moved with the crowd before splitting into an alley way and summoning her costume, Geminus, before taking off and attempting to lure the villain to another part of Ponyville.

"My costume, Geminus, allows my friend Seraphim here to manifest easier. A side effect I see is that he is able to be seen by other ponies now." Mare Do Well informed her.

Rainbow shook herself out of her panic and dodged a pincer threatening to cut her in twain. 'That voice... I thought it was Fluttershy for a second but no way would she ever try to do something like that to another pony.' "Geminus was it? By the end of today... I'm going to have your mask in my hooves!"

Fluttershy felt odd... was she normally this violent or was it just another side effect of manifesting Seraphim at this size?
She shrugged and kept the dark mare in her sights as she flew around her. "I won't let you have your way!"

"Fluttershy!" Her earpiece buzzed."Pinkies safe. Pull out!"

"Damn..." She grumbled as Seraphim shrunk back into nothingness, her demeanor changing back to her usual quiet self as she waited for Shadowbolt to pass behind a building, jumping into the alleyway and willing her suit away before trotting out and blending into the crowd, making her way over to the meeting point.

"That still doesn't explain how it got torn in the first place." Rarity exclaimed as she looked over the shreds of Pinkie's Muchourin.

Fluttershy looked around as she trotted into the dark room

"Fluttershy... Was that giant scorpion your doing?" Twilight asked as the pegasus approached the rooms center.

"I... I think so. But he's never gotten that big before, and no pony else has been able to see him aside from me." The yellow pegasus said quietly.

"Before? So you had the ability to summon a familiar before?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Uh...what you all call the Stare.... it's really him... only animals can see him normally though. And he's usually about the same size as me."

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. "So Geminus boosts your ability to summon it."

"Him." Fluttershy corrected. "His name is Seraphim."

"So the costumes have all boosted our abilities... odd seeing as how they were never enchanted while Rarity was making them."

A loud sigh drew Twilight's attention, she turned to see Rarity looking over the remains of a gem.

"Such a waste, those gems were incredibly hard to find. Very high quality, nice amount of facets and superior hardness. Really easy to pick up with my gem finding spell but they're buried so deep it's usually not worth the effort to dig them up."

Twilight trotted over and examined one of the intact ones from the remains of Pinkie's costume, her horn glowing dimly.

"What in Equestria is that dreadful noise?" Rarity complained, holding her hooves to her ears.

"Ya sure you didn't hit yer head durin' yer bout with the Shadowbolt Rar? Ah don't hear anythin', Pinkie, Shy. Do you two hear anythin'?" Applejack asked from her corner of the room.

"Nope." Pinkie beamed.

Fluttershy shook her head.

Applejack turned her gaze on the studious, lavender unicorn."Twi?"

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry Rarity." Twilight said sheepishly as her horns glow faded. "I was testing the gems for magical resonance. I probably gave you a nasty horn ache."

The fashionista rubbed her horn gently after removing her hooves from her ears, being careful not to accidentally arouse herself. "Yes... a frequency like that is really quite painful."

"I'll need to conduct some more tests on these gems. Would you mind if I took all the ones that are still intact from Pinkie's costume?"

"Go right ahead dear. At least they'll get some use, and I would like to know more about these gems, I've gone gem hunting right across Equestria when I travelled with my parents. Never once found a gem like these."

"I'll report my findings back to you immediately if i make any." The librarian said as she scooped the gems into a small satchel, gave the white unicorn a friendly nuzzle and trotted out of the room.

Twilight Sparkle entered the library she called home at around six thirty in the evening.

"Hoo."

"Good evening Owlowicious." Twilight answered her pet horned owl.

"Hoo."

"Oh. Twilight you're home." Spike called from the kitchen. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Send it down to the lab Spike. I'll be doing some studying tonight." The unicorn called over her shoulder as she trotted down the stairs and into the basement.

"Whatever you say." The dragon answered.

Questions,concerns,chat?Email TwilightSparklepony@hotmail.com. Message my xbox: A wild Glaceon.

Vigilante Vixens p1:The four fillies.

Warning,the following two chapters are going to be very non essential to the plot(and possibly very short), I just thought you might all like to know what's going on with the Ponyville terror fillies,the CMC, during the story. Also.I totally had to do this.Enjoy a story within a story,and a potential spin off maker.
Remember.This is me interrupting the dark with a bit of fun.And because I want to practice writing the CMC.
You have been warned.

It was Monday afternoon, school had just let out in Ponyville and three young fillies were on their way to Sweet Apple Acres in a small cart being pulled by a fourth member on a scooter.

"Thankth for letting me tag along you guyth. It'th been awhile since Applebloom and I thpent thome time together." Twist half shouted over the bizarre buzzing sound caused by Scootaloo's wings.

"It's no problem Twist. Any friend of Applebloom's is a friend of ours." Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder as she held onto the earthpony in question seated in front of her.

"Besides, it'll be easier to fill her in on what she missed while she was at Zecora's over the weekend." Scootaloo added. "That was an amazing fight in the town square on Saturday."

The other two fillies nodded in agreement as they passed under the sign that welcomed ponies to the Apple family orchard, a small chalkboard sat just down the road from it advertising a special on braeburn apples grown in Appleoosa.

"A fight? That must've been quite a sight." Applebloom said,"Maybe it's related to the strange mares that visited my mentor and I, Left us wonderin' if our eyes could lie."

"I think you've been spending too much time with Zecora. Your accent is slipping, and you're starting to rhyme like she does." Sweetie pointed out.

"Am ah? Ah hardly noticed, hah." The pale yellow filly said as she cocked her head.

"Riiight..." Scootaloo said as they raced past Big Macintosh and deeper into the orchard. "Maybe stop doing that now."

"Stop doin' what?Ah ain't doin' it a lot."

"Ugh." Scootaloo groaned while Sweetie and Twist laughed,

It wasn't long until they reached the Clubhouse (after an unfortunate run in with Appleblooms older sister that resulted in a five pony pile up.)

"Ah told you to take a left! But no, you insisted you were deft." Applebloom shouted at the pegasus filly.

Scootaloo blinked and and fushed her face up against Appleblooms. "How can I be something I don't know the meaning of? And stop rhyming!"

Before Applebloom could get a word off, Sweetie loudly whispered to Twist. "Usually, in my sisters books, this is where they kiss."

Twist chuckled. "And admit that they've alwayth thecretly liked each other."

Applebloom and Scootaloo's eyes went wide and they immediately pulled their faces away from each others, blushing immensely.

"Me, fall for an earth pony with birds on the brain? Don't make me laugh." Scootaloo said, shooting a look to Applebloom.

Applebloom shot a look back before replying. "Hardee har har you two. Now ah believe y'all had some explaining to do."

Scootaloo groaned at the rhyme as Sweetie began to recount the events that had occured, with the occasional interruption from Scootaloo to make up a word for how awesome a move was or for Twist to point out something she saw from her position

"Y'all got any pictures ah could see? A face to a name is good you'll agree." Applebloom asked after her friends had finished telling her about the fight,

"Way ahead and one better." Scootaloo smirked. "The costume store hired Rarity to make costumes for us fillies to wear."

"But all the ones they had her make have an eye mask instead of a full mask." Sweetie said. "But all I had to do was ask..." She smiled as she trotted over to the wardrobe Applebloom had built before she started taking lessons from Zecora. The unicorn filly opened the doors and revealed four costumes with full face masks and what looked like a full body, black flight suit.

"No way!" Scootaloo beamed as she cantered over and grabbed the flight suit. "Your sister is awesome Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie had already put on most of her costume, the mask was sitting behind her head, the hat on the ground in front of her. "Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara think they're the best because they've got their Marvellous Mare and Cat Filly costumes. Let's see how they like the Mini Mare Do Well's." She smirked as she pulled the mask over her face and flipped the hat onto her head.

"And the Shadebolt." Scootaloo smiled as she placed her goggles over her eyes.

Applebloom watched as Twist put her costume on, recognizing both costumes as the two strange mares from Saturday night. 'So this Mysterious Mare Do Well is fightin' to protect Ponyville from the Shadowbolt?' She thought to herself. 'Looks like Zecora and I were played for a dolt.'
With a shrug she put on her costume and stood with her friends, three replicas of Ponyville's mystery mare and her opponent, uniting to fight two of the most well known heroines in Equestrian comic history.

"Hey Twist, care to join us in a Cutie Mark Crusader cheer?" Scootaloo asked the costumed mare closest to her.

"Would I?" She asked, the excitement all to obvious in her voice.

"But we're not the Cutie Mark Crusaders right now." Sweetie Belle said from between Twist and Applebloom. "We're the vigilante crusaders."

After a brief squabble over the name the four fillies all reared up and shouted. "Vigilante vixens! YAY!!!!!"

To be concluded...

Vigilante Vixens P2:All we need now is a theme song...and our own story.

I seem to have gone a bit overboard here.In anycase,turns out this does serve some story purpose. Mainly showing the sort of things those gems can do.I'll probably come back and revise this chapter later to make it more light hearted.
This happens remarkably often with me,I'll start out writing something only to have it derail into something like this. I'm built off of mood whiplash it seems....

"All right my little ponies settle down. As you all know it is dress up day today!" Cherliee smiled.

The colts and fillies of Ponyville primary school cheered, creating a nearly deafening racket.

After the class room quieted down Cherilee continued. "And as usual we have a best outfit contest." At this her demeanor drooped. "Although I'm assuming that as usual, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara will win."

The two fillies in question giggled high hoofed each other.

"Now since it's almost recess I'll be sending you out in groups of three or four based on your seating arrangements. However... you three" Cherilee pointed at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Will be heading out last, Hmm..." the teacher mare brought her hoof to her chin as she thought, scrutinizing her class. "Alright... Twist, would you mind going with them? I want a pony I can trust to watch over them."

"Thure thing mith Cherilee." Twist nodded.

"Thank you Twist." Cherilee smiled, "Now then..." She started sending off the groups of fillies and colts to the change rooms to get dressed. True to her word the CMC and Twist were the last group out. Which seemed to suit them just fine.

"All right girls!"Scootaloo called out once they were in the change rooms. "Suit up!"

Out in the playground the other foals were all gawking at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's costumes.

"We're a horseshoe-in to win best costumes. Again!" Diamond Tiara giggled as she adjusted the goggles to her Cat filly costume.

"Oh I know. No pony else could have costumes to rival ours." Silver Spoon gloated as she adjusted the golden rope on the flank of her Marvellous Mare costume.

The sound of four sets of hooves trotting onto the cobblestone playground drew everypony's attention.
A collective "whoa." Sounded from the crowd of foals.

"Who are they?"

"Where did they get those costumes?"

"Yeah. All the ones in the store don't have the full face masks."

The crowd stared at the 4 fillies standing across from them. Three Mare Do Wells and a Shadowbolt stood across from the crowd.

"So far so good" Sweetie whispered "I feel a little weird though."

"As do ah my good friend.Let us hope the feelin's end." Applebloom whispered back.

"Thcootaloo, you bring the voice changerth?" Twist asked the pegasus next to her.

Scootaloo patted herself down and looked at the group sheepishly. "Ooops."

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes under her mask. "Aren't you lucky my sister has been trying to teach me magic. I did happen to learn a voice alteration spell. I'm... forty percent sure I can group cast it on us without passing out."

"Sounds to me like the best option we've got. Go ahead my friend,give it a shot."

"If you turn her voice into Zecora's, I'm going to get you back later." Scootaloo warned as her voice faded into the Shadowbolts sultry tones.

Sweetie blinked as her horn glowed a pale pink. "Worth it." She smiled, her voice coming out sounding like the Mare Do Well that sounded like the princess.

"Did you really Thweetie?" Twist asked, her voice staying pretty much the same, just deepening in pitch.

"Did it as she warned me."

Scootaloo groaned as she heard Applebloom, who now sounded exactly like Zecora.

"An exceptional effort indeed. Now let us help these ponies in need."

The other three fillies nodded and began to trot slowly towards the Marvellous Mare and Cat filly.
Sweetie whispered to Applebloom and Twist before suddenly creating an orb of darkness around them with her magic, much to her own astonishment.
When it faded only herself and Scootaloo remained.

Two smaller orbs appeared on the rooftops around the school and deposited the earth pony fillies on them. They settled into their vantage points and watched.

"So the Mare Do Well and her opponent are working side by side. To do what?" Diamond Tiara asked as Silver Spoon grabbed the lasso off her flank and started clumsily twirling it in the air.

"We are your perfect nightmare." the mini Shadowbolt answered.

"We are the reapers bell." Mini Mare Do Well added before stealing the whip off Cat Filly's back with her magic and displaying her skill with it by sweeping it across the ground and wrapping Marvellous Mare's legs and tripping her up so she hung upside down and causing her to drop her lasso which promptly vanished into another dark orb, before flinging the super heroine into the air,watching as she twisted in mid air and landed perfectly.
Mare Do Well tossed the whip into another dark orb.

"Our weapons!" The two heroines shouted in unison. "Why you..." They growled before charging the duo.

Shadowbolt met Marvellous Mare's hoof with her own,sweeping her hind leg to trip the costumed mare before bringing her other hoof into the heroines stomach and knocking her back.
She noticed her hooves were glowing pink and glanced at her partner who was trading blows with Cat Filly.
Compared to the cat burglaress, Mare Do Well's blows were slow and sloppy,more than a few hoofstrikes peppering the small kinetic shield spell she had placed over herself. "Mare Do well! Switch!"

Mare Do Well nodded and let the next strike hit her, allowing herself to be knocked back and into a dark orb before appearing behind Cat Filly and starting a barrage of strikes. "Do not think you will be saved by the flora. Now hear my battlecry of ora!" She rhymed before unleashing a barrage of hoof strikes. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

Cat Filly turned and blocked a few of the hits but the majority got through, even if the most they did was sting lightly and knock her back.
She got to her hooves and charged forward before finding herself upside down in the air with Mare Do Well coming out of a windmill leg sweep.

A puff of dust escaped the hind legs of the Mare Do Well as she reared up and threw a strike so fast the air around it actually got out of the way.

Cat Filly was thrown backwards towards a wall by the force of the strike, only stopped by Marvellous Mare's lasso, now in the hooves of Mysterious Mare Do Well. As such she ended up hogtied before she even hit the ground.
She looked over and saw that another of the Mare Do Wells had been throwing peppermint sticks like throwing knives, which Marvellous Mare had deflected before she had been tied up by Cat Filly's whip.

As the schoolyard came back into focus around them, Silver Spoon realized that, despite having taken quite a few vicious blows during her fight, she had no bruises or scratches to speak of. Upon closer inspection, neither did her friend. Their opponents had been holding back and they barely even so much as touched them.

The rest of the foals on the school yard started cheering.
Two of them, a pair of dim witted colts named Snip and Snails trotted over to the pair of tied up heroines and undid their bonds.
"So what happened? You all vanished into a large black circle thing for a few seconds."

"A few seconds?" The two fillies cried out as they looked at each other. "That was easily a three or four minute fight."

The two fillies seethed as it turned out that not only did the Mare Do Wells and Shadowbolt win the best costumes award, they also turned out to be the Blank flanks and thier friend Twist.

"We'll get them for this." Silver Spoon sulked.

Diamond Tiara nodded in pouting agreement. "Oh yes. We will."

"You did what?" Twilight Sparkle practically shouted.

"Well they wanted some costumes to beat the pair of fillies that always won the dress up day costume contest at school so I made them little versions of our costumes." Rarity explained again. "And I used the broken shards from Pinkie's Muchourin to make them."

Twilight groaned. "I hope they don't get in too much trouble."

"Hmm." Rarity nodded. "In any case darling. I believe you said you made a breakthrough in your study of the gems."

Twilight smiled and laid out her papers in front of her felllow unicorn.

Me and your borderline.

So I started this chapter before Christmas,and now here I am just before New Years finishing it.It's been very busy.Mostly with me playing Tales of the Abyss on my new 3DS.Anyway,enough fooling around.
*ahem*Fillies and Gentlecolts!Please enjoy the show!

"To the left!" Pinkie's voice rang though an earpiece Rainbow was wearing under her Shadowbolt mask. She dove to the left, dodging a piece of the cobblestone road that the Mysterious Mare Do Well had bucked at her.
"Holy Hay! She's strong!" Rainbow remarked as she watched her opponent stomp her left foreleg down and cause a piece of the road to launch up before pivoting on the leg still planted on the ground and bucking the stone at her.
"Up up!"
Rainbow climbed, feeling the stone brush against the tip of her tail.

"Well this certainly is an interesting devlopment." Rarity said as she put down the stack of papers she had been reading. "But perhaps you could explain it in a way that's easier to understand."

"I'll try." Twilight nodded. "You know about magical resonance right?"

"Of course dear. It's the ability for a gem to resonate and amplify or subdue the innate or active magics employed by ponykind." Rarity smiled, showing the knowledge her craft had left her with.

"Exactly. These gems" Twilight held up one of the gems. "Have unequaled amplification capabilities. But only to one particular kind of magic, for example, my teleportation or your gem manipulation."

Rarity nodded thoughtfully.

"So what would it amplify on non unicorns?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie watched from her hiding place, in a bale of hay sitting with some others randomly placed on a rooftop overlooking Ponyville's town center.
Many ponies had questioned the random bales of hay that were strewn about the city like a bunch of dropped pebbles. Pinkie didn't. She didn't care what they were doing there as they served to help her disguise of choice blend in.
"Quick. Go down!"She called into her earpiece as she watched the Mare Do Well aim high with her kick.
She sighed with relief as the villainess flew under the stone piece.

Applejack couldn't believe it.All of her attacks, even her natural strength, had failed to even come close to hitting the Shadowbolt. She watched in disbelief as the dark mare dove to avoid the latest stone barrage before shaking her head and smirking, this is what she'd been waiting for. She charged forward in a full gallop leaping up above her low flying opponent and bringing her hoof back for a powerful punch.

"If what you just said is true dear, then that means that Fluttershy's Geminus is enhancing her ability to summon her familiar, Pinkie's Muchourin was boosting her Pinkie sense to levels that rival precognition and Applejack's Musashi is"

"Boosting her natural strength to rival that of a fully grown dragon. Also in Fluttershy's case, it seems to constitute a shift in personality."

"Yes... she seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much when she summoned Seraphim, I could hear her through my earpiece."

Twilight and Rarity looked at each other for a second.

"Now imagine what it's doing to the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Twilight said.

"Oh dear." Rarity gasped.

Rainbow dodged another hoof strike, retaliating with a few of her own. She wasn't close to matching the raw strength Mare Do Well was exhibiting right now, but being a martial artist had trained her speed, reflexes and accuracy.
Her strikes connected, knocking the masked heroine back and winding her. She wiped the sweat from her brow and took up her two legged stance again,ready to dodge and retaliate if she needed to.

To her surprise her opponent decided to withdraw, slamming a hoof into the ground and smashing the stone that popped up to make a smokescreen to hide her retreat.

Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in her hollowed out hay bale. Nopony had gotten seriously injured this time. She felt a little guilty, betraying her other friends to help Rainbow Dash, but if she hadn't, somepony might've died. Today, tomorrow, maybe even a few weeks later. She wouldn't allow that.
"This is my borderline." She whispered.

"What was that Pinks?" Rainbows voice buzzed through her earpiece.

"Our borderline." Pinkie answered. "I've turned my back on my last alliance. This is me and your borderline."

"...I think you mean Yours and mine borderline." Rainbow corrected.

"I know what I said." Pinkie responded.

"Whatever." Rainbow audibly shrugged. "So that's it. I've gone up against the other four Mare Do Well's at least once each. I can start planning my final attack. Something that will draw them all out. Can I count on you to help me Pinks?"

"Of course you can silly." Pinkie smiled. "As long as you don't hurt anypony too badly."

"I know I know. I won't. Or... I'll try not to at least... you understand things happen right? I can't be held responsible if an accident happens." The disguised pegasus sounded worried.

"I know, but I'll be able to tell if it's an accident or not." Pinkie answered. "Just, let me know if you'll need my help with anything other than this."

"Okay Pinks. See you soon." Was Rainbows response before the line cut out.

Pinkie sighed and sat back in her hay bale, she had supplies hidden away in it. She could spend the night there if she needed to. It would certainly be easier than going home to Sugar Cube Corner tonight. "If Twilight had just let Rainbow catch me, or just not used me as a puppet after she stopped her... none of this would have happened." She curled up, her mane and tail deflating to a straightened style. She decided to spend the night in her hay bale. She needed the alone time.

Working from the shadows pt.1

That time again everypony.Slightly delayed again due to the arrival of Persona 3 Portable for my PSP and lending a helping hoof to a fellow aspiring author.

Anywho.Welcome to finale pt.1 of 4.With an epilogue afterwards.Enjoy.

Rainbow Dash had found what, or more specifically who, she was looking for as she landed in front of the sky blue unicorn mare.

"What's this? Another heroine of the highways determined to help Trixie while she's down on her luck?" The mare snarled. "Well go look elsewhere. Trixie has enough to deal with without using the last of her bits to pay some wannabe hero."

"Hmm... every bit as arrogant as you were back in Ponyville. If not more so." Rainbow smirked behind her Shadowbolt mask, which now covered the entirety of her face.

The (formerly) Great and Powerful Trixie froze and glared daggers in the direction of the costumed pegasus. "No pony is supposed to know about that unless they were there. Who are you?"

"My name isn't important right now. You can simply call me Shadowbolt. And I come with a potential method for you to test yourself." Rainbow answered as she opened one side of the saddlebags on her flank and pulled out a folded costume, throwing it onto the mares admittedly smaller travelling wagon. "Ponyville has a team of vigilantes protecting it. I'm working as a counter vigilante to bring them down. But four on one is tough odds even for a pony like myself. So I'm going to assemble a small team to help me fight back."

"If you were there in Ponyville when Trixie was broken down by that insolent lavender unicorn then you'd want to go find her wouldn't you?" Trixie sneered. "After all. What could I offer to you?"

Rainbow smirked. "Illusions."

Trixie accomponied the masked pegasus into the small farming community on the outskirts of Manehatten. "I saw her staying over there, hope that third costume will fit her."

"I'm not worried." Shadowbolt smirked. "I brought different costumes depending on who joined my team."

"Whatever. Just stay behind Trixie and let her do the talking." The showmare grumbled as she hitched her cart and entered the hostel.

"Ahh. Miss Trixie. Looking for a place to stay again?" The innkeeper asked.

"Save it innkeep. I the one I spent the night with still here?" Trixie asked.

The innkeeper chuckled. "Sure is. Same room too. Should I let her know you're coming up?"

"Yes." Trixie led the pegasus upstairs.

The two mares climbed to sets of stairs trotted towards the room at the end of the third floor hallway.
"Remember. Let Trixie do the talking." The unicorn said as she knocked on the door to the room.

"The doors open." a voice called out.

Trixie opened the door,revealing a griffon sitting on a bed reading a magazine. "What do you want Trix?"

"I want nothing. But the mare behind me does." Trixie said,stepping to the side.

Gilda's beak twitched before she charged forward and threw Trixie out of the room, slamming the door and locking it, slamming a stretch of tape over the keyhole. "Hello again." She snarled. "Rainbow Dash."

Trixie had her ear pressed against the door to the room after Gilda had thrown her out. She could here loud crashes and screaming. She tried to put her eye to the keyhole but found it blocked with a piece of tape.

She huffed and slumped herself against the wall next to the door,waiting.

Gilda held the unmasked Shadowbolt to the wall by the neck with her talons. "Rainbow Dash..." She growled. "What are you doing here? Come back to mess with me some more or have you come to your sense and ditched those lame-o ponies?"

Rainbow offered a pained smirk. "You... still...sore about...that? Wasn't it... you that...cut ties with...me?"

The griffon roared and dug her claws into Rainbows chest.

Rainbow offered a pained chuckle. "Well... I've got a proposition for you..." She coughed. "Want to tear up the town that shunned you?"

"More than I want to tear up you? No. But go on." The angry griffon growled.

"Some team of vigilantes is ruining my rep in Ponyville." Rainbow explained. "You and Trixie help me put them down." She felt Gilda's claws ease up as she mulled it over.

"I'll be able to target whoever I want?" Gilda asked.

Rainbow nodded before she feel to the floor.

"Alright Dash. You got yourself a deal." Gilda extended her claw to the fallen pegasus.

Rainbow brushed the griffons claw away with her hoof and stood up, rummaging through her saddlebags before pulling out a big costume decorated like her own. "Welcome to the Shadows." She sneered.

"Why did you have a griffon sized costume with you?"

"I figured I'd run into you... or another pony hating griffon I could turn to my cause."

Gilda shrugged. "Any word on our targets? Names, abilities? Shit like that?"

"I'll tell you on the way."Rainbow said as she pulled her mask back over her head.

As usual...you can contact me at TwilightSparklepony@hotmail.com, on League of Legends(Summoner handle:Diamond Striker), or on xbox Live(GT:A wild Glaceon.)
PEACE!

A shadow in the light pt.2

"...which is why we're going to use this delay to our advantage." Twilight Sparkle explained. "As such. I've had Rarity add a command that allows just one of us to activate all the others costumes. Allow me to demonstrate. First the standard procedure, which I'm sure we all know. Izayoi!"
In a flash of light, Twilight's Mare Do Well costume appeared over her body. "Now. The command for a group activation is A-M-D-W and is an acronym for All Mare Do Well. It's pronounce Armedwuh."
Four more flashes of light erupted before fading away, revealing the others in their Mare Do Well costumes.

"What? How come mine activated?" Pinkie asked frantically as she looked over her Muchourin costume.

"Well because I fixed it darling." Rarity said, matter of factly. "I know you said you wanted to resign from the Mare Do Well... but we'd be at a loss without your Pinkie sense."

"Hey. Ah'm noticin' some fancy new gadgets on mah eye thingy. Ah can see all of y'all's faces above your heads and some kinda weird bar at the top of mah vision." Applejack spoke up. "Ah'm pretty sure those weren't there before."

"I umm... have a little bar next to a picture of Seraphim." Fluttershy chimed in.

"Oh yes." Twilight cleared her throat. "I took the liberty of upgrading everyponies eyepieces. The heads up display, or hud, will now tell you all where the others are, but only when they're in costume. And the suits themselves have energy reserves from the crystals used in their... is construction the right word?" Twilight thought for a second. "It'll have to do."

"Energy reserves?" Pinkie asked,eyeing a small bar next to a picture of a pony's body with sensory waves coming off it.

"Indeed." Twilight responded. "The energy reserves drain not only the crystals stored energy, but the magic from the pony wearing it. Be it innate magic such as Applejacks strength or Fluttershy's flight, or active magic, like the kind Rarity and I use. So I built a limiter in."

"A limiter?" Applejack questioned. "But... wouldn't it be better if we were always unlimited? Ah mean. For you an' Rar, of course, limitin' would stop you from over using your magic and sufferin' from an undercharge later, but for Pinkie, Shy and ah?"

"Well that's just the thing Applejack dear, these crystals drain your innate magic, so if too much of that gets drained, you'll find it very hard to get up until it's built back up again. In Fluttershy's case this would mean a loss of the ability to fly." Rarity explained.

"As it stands." Twilight continued. "We all have a very strong magical presence due to the Elements of Harmony. Which brings me to the third feature, which I will demonstrate. Inverse." A burst of darkness spread out and before yielding to the light and revealing Twilight sans her costume. "You should now see a... radar of sorts that has an image of my cutie mark on it."

"Ah see it. What's it for?"

"It's attuned to the magical frequencies given out by the Elements within a range of about three meters."

"Only three?" Pinkie asked.

"Well we tried to boost the strength but that would mean making the radar less focused and then it would send out false readings from any nearby unicorn using their magic." Rarity added.

"So why is all this new gear needed anyway?" Pinkie questioned.

"Three reasons, first,so We're ready to take on Shadowbolt, Second, To locate Rainbow Dash and third. So we can ditch the annoying earpieces." Twilight smiled. "I added a built in communicater to the costumes."

A mutual agreement passed through the group as they all deactivated their costumes and threw their earpieces on the ground.
All except for Pinkie who had slunk out of the room while no pony was looking and switched her earpiece to a seperate frequency.

The pink mare darted down an alleyway not far from the library and made sure no pony else was around before opening the channel. "Shadowbolt? Shadowbolt this in Pinkie... I've got something to tell you."

"Go ahead Pinkie... We're listening."

A short while later, Pinkie found herself pinned by the neck against a tree in Whitetail woods. A set of sharp talons holding her in place.

"Well look at what the manticore dragged in. What's up dweeb?" Gilda growled.

Pinkie coughed slightly. "I'm...here to see...Rainbow...Dash. Didn't you...hear me over....the...communicator?"

Gilda pulled back her other claw and clenched it. "Yeah... I heard ya. But Dash isn't here right now. So now I'm gonna get a small bit of payback for last time I met you." She snarled as her claw surged forward before being stopped by a sky blue glow. With a growl Gilda peaked over her shoulder. "Hey Trix, how about letting go of my claw before I snap your horn off your head and jam it up your ass."

"Idle threats Gilda." Trixie smirked. "Besides, the prismatic idiot told us not to hurt her."

"Pssh. One punch and I can blame it on being taken by surprise." Gilda rolled her eyes. "How's she gonna know?"

"Because she's on the tree branch above you." The unicorn smiled victoriously.

Gilda growled and looked up, seeing a distinct lack of pegasus.

"You really shouldn't take your eyes off me." Pinkie giggled.

Gilda looked back down and found her claw gripping empty air.

"Up here silly!"

Looking back up to the branch she spotted the pink pony standing next to a costumed Dash. "What the?"

Pinkie giggled and shrugged. "Yeah. I get that alot."

"If you're all done fooling around." Rainbow started. "We have to prepare."

I really need to set a release schedule and stick to it.
2 chapters+an epilogue to go.
For now,back to Persona 3 Portable and helping my friend with their fic.

So this is your choice?So be it. pt.3

Today it begins....the home stretch.

Rainbow Dash looked around. Trixie and Gilda were playing a card game on the table behind her while she looked out the window.
Pinkie had already left for Ponyville, to act as a double agent among the Mare Do Wells.
Rainbow went over what had been done to Pinkie's repaired costume.
They had dyed it to mimic the patterening on their Shadow costumes and Trixie had done no less than three magical modifications, placing a pair of enchantments on the back of the costume that she only said 'would help.' and removed some sort of device that would limit the amount of innate magic Pinkie could use at a time.
She turned to look at her teammates.
"Trixie! Gilda! Stow those cards for now and get everything ready for tomorrow! I want this to go off without a hitch."
The unicorn and griffon nodded, shuffling the cards back into the deck and sticking them in Gilda's travel bag.
Rainbow watched before moving to make her own preparations.

Pinkie trotted back into Ponyville, somehow bypassing the four pony search team of her friends and heading straight for SugarCube Corner.
"HI there Mr and Mrs. Cake!" She greeted the stores owners as she moved behind the counter.

"Well hello there Pinkie. Where have you been?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Just out for a stroll in Whitetail woods." Pinkie shrugged. "Sorry I didn't tell you both first, I just had a lot on my mind after talking to my friends."

"That's quite alright Pinkie. We can't have our favorite employee working in a sullen mood now can we?" Mr Cake said as he carried a tray of muffins over to the display and sat them under it.

"Certainly not dear." Mrs. Cake agreed.

Pinkie smiled as she put on her apron and moved into the kitchen to start baking. "I'll put in some overtime tonight to make up for it."

"Oh...umm excuse me, Storm Front?" Fluttershy asked,

"Yeah that's me. What's up?" The pegasus stallion asked.

"Oh...I was just wondering if you've seen Pinkie Pie is all..."

"Last I saw she was in the kitchen at SugarCube Corner."

"Oh is that where she is? Thank you ever so much!" Fluttershy smiled softly. "Thank you." With that she turned and flew down towards a trio of ponies waiting below.

"Any luck Fluttershy?" Applejack asked.

"Oh yes. Storm Front said he saw her working at SugarCube Corner." Fluttershy responded.

"So she just went back to work. Ah told y'all it was nothin' to be worried about." The farmpony smiled.

"But if she's at work then why haven't we seen..." Twilight was cut off by a grey pegasus hovering lazily down the street with a paper bag on her back.

"Muuuuuffiiiiins." The pegasus mare said slowly as she hovered past them.

"You were saying dear?"

"Nevermind."

Applejack crossed her right legs in front of her left and leaned on a nearby wall. "Ah told y'all not to get your tails in a twist. Y'all should remember, it's like Pinkie to just vanish like that."

"Uh... Applejack, we asked some ponies who had just come out of SugarCube Corner if they'd seen her earlier and no pony said they did." Twilight reminded her.

"Yeah. And that colt up there just said that she was in the kitchen. You don't normally see into the kitchen of your favorite restaurant or eatery now do you?" Applejack smiled, complacent with her logic.

"Well... no but you'd think at least one other pony would have seen her at least go in."

"Twi... this is Pinkie we're talking about."

"Applejack has a point there darling." Rarity chimed in.

"Fine...fine. We'll ask her about it more tomorrow, it's getting kinda dark out."

"Oh...I need to go feed my animals." Fluttershy realized before she flew off.

"And Ah better go help Big Mac start dinner. Otherwise we'll end up eatin' Big Mac's Big Mac&cheese plate again. Not something you want to have twice in a row." Applejack chuckled as she trotted off towards the town outskirts.

"Well then. Sweetie is off staying with our parents again, and I always give Opal enough food to last her through the day. But I do have a rather important outfit to finish." Rarity mused as she headed towards her boutique.

With a small sigh Twilight turned and head towards the library. Eager to get some sleep.

The next day the five friends trotted through town.
"It's quiet lately. Far too quiet. I don't like it." Twilight said as she scanned the skies.

"Relax Sugahcube." Applejack smiled. "Enjoy the peace while we got it."

"Yeah!" Pinkie smiled as she bounced along before muttering. "It'll be very loud in a few minutes."

"What was that Pinkie?" Rarity asked.

"Nothing!"

"The birds seem really restless today. Like somethings about to happen." Fluttershy said as she watched a group of birds start squawking and take off from the plaza.

A few seconds later a group of ponies came charging down the street shrieking. "The Shadowbolt! The Shadowbolt!"
The rest of the ponies in the plaza looked up and charged in the same direction as the first group, leaving the five bearers of Harmony.

"Looks like enjoying the peace is no longer an option." Twilight smirked. "Ready girls? Let's make this quick."

"Looks like the rodeo's come early. Yeeehaaa!" Applejack reared up in preperation.

"I was hoping the peace would last just one more day." Rarity flicked her mane back and glared down the street. "But I will take up arms if I must."

"Oh dear oh my..." Fluttershy repeated as a dust cloud became visible.

"Oh goody. Fun time!" Pinkie bounced excitedly.

"Let's go! AMDW!" They all chanted at once, Pinkie leaping back during her costumes activation.

"Aaaah! Argh!" The four Mare Do Wells cried out in pain as electrical currents danced across their costumes.

"What the hay?" Twilight groaned as she cast an insulating spell between the costumes and their wearers.

"Mah display is fried Twi. Ah can't see a dang thing."

"As is mine. My gem meter is still functioning... sort of."

"Seraphim meter.... opereational. Everything else is fried."

"I don't know what you're all on about, my display is working perfectly." Pinkie said as she trotted past the group and turned to face them in front of the Mayor's hall.

Twilight looked up, her eyepieces widening to match her eyes. Infront of her stood Pinkie in her costume, twisted with the colours and patterns of the Shadowbolts costume. With her were three more figures in similar costumes.

"Fairs fair, don't you think Izayoi?" Shadowbolt smirked.

To be concluded...

Home stretch ponies!One more part then the epilogue.

4 the answer. pt.4

Stylish...purple and black,Poison and Darkness.

Shadowbolt and Izayoi were trading blows left and right in between the negative flashes pouring from Izayoi's horn.

"Who! Are! You?!?" Izayoi screamed through her mask as she slammed her hooves into Shadowbolts forelegs.

"Wouldn't you like to know!!!" Shadowbolt screamed back before a flash of negative light filled her vision and she found herself flying backwards with Izayoi surfing her into a brickwall. "Again!?! Is this the only trick you have?!?"

"Nope." Izayoi answered. "But if it works, use it." She replied before leaping off Shadowbolts back and vanishing, appearing on the rooftop above the wall the dark pegasus was aimed at.

Yukianesa faced off against Shadowdancer, the unicorn of the team. A group of gems erupted from the ground around them, all turning to point at the villainous mare.

"Gemstones are a wonderous thing are they not? When they are alone they're amazing, in a group they're brilliant, bedazzle some clothes with them and they are delegated to an accesory. But use them as a weapon..." Yukianesa tralied off as she trotted a circle around her opponent. "And they become so beautiful, so dazzling, that your opponent won't even think to block or avoid them until it's too late."

"Or maybe they're just stunned at the inherent stupidity of using them as weapons." Shadowdancer said, rolling her eyes.

Yukianesa glared at her opponent. "That maybe so, but as long as it keeps my quarry from moving, I don't really care." She snapped, before taking a deep breath and correcting her posture. "Now then... shall we begin?" She asked as the gems began to shoot forward.

Geminus and Seraphim were facing off against Shadowquake, evidently the powerhouse of the team.
"Aww lookit that. The little pony needs a guardian." Shadowquake chuckled. "I'd liked to see you fi-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" She began screaming as she was batted away by one of Seraphims giant pincers.

"Aww lookit that." Geminus mocked. "The big griffion screaming like a little filly. What's the matter? I thought you wanted a fight!" She smirked before watching Seraphim bring his claw down on the griffon again, watching as she struggled to hold it up. "I thought you were strong. Where'd all that. Confidence. Get. To. Huh? HUH!" She asked, each word being punctutated by Seraphim slamming his other claw into the one Shadowquake was struggling to hold up,forcing it down.

"Dammit. Get offa me you overgrown hunk of stardust!" Shadowquake growled before she threw the pincer up into the air and rolled out of the way before it came back down. "Shit..." She panted. "That could have hurt."

"A weakling says huh."

"Huh?" She looked to the her left... and got hit by the pincer from the right. "Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!"

Geminus giggled and flew off after her,eager to continue the fight.

Musashi and Muchourin stood as still as statues, facing each other down. The fights were raging all around them.

"Ah don't want to hurt you sugahcube. But ah will if you give me reason too."

"I don't want to hurt you either...so please... just take off your mask..."

"No can do sugah, we are going to stop Shadowbolt. And ah'd be mighty grateful if you'd sit it out while we did."

"I can't do that... I can't let you hurt her..."

"You mind tellin' me why then?"

"I can't."

"Then ah'm not goin' to stop fightin' to bring her down."
As Musashi turned to gallop over and help somepony else on her team she found herself with her face in the dirt.

"You can't! You just can't!"

"Ah can sugahcube...and there ain't anythin' y'all can do about it!" With that Musashi spun herself over and flung Muchourin to the ground, landing on her legs and pinning the rogue heroine to the ground. "Even if that means holdin' you here 'til the battles over."

"No! Get off me!"

"No. Can. Do....sugah would you stop squirmin'?"

Izayoi used her advanced teleport and jumped over a charging Shadowbolt, planting her weight and kicking off the back of Shadowdancer, vaulting back up to the rooftops.
When everypony else started moving again she watched as Shadowdancer face planted into the ground and quickly turned to watch Shadowbolt turn and fly towards her.
Just as Shadowbolt was about to connect, Izayoi pulsed out another advanced teleport, using the time to wind up a hoof strike and slam it into the pegasus' face.

Gems tore around Shadowdancer like a tornado, knicking and cutting her costume in places as she moved to try and fight Yukianesa in the middle of the storm of shining blues, greens and reds.

"Ahh the colours... aren't they magnificent?" Yukianesa smiled as she gracefully dodged the clumsy spells hurled at her by Shadowdancer. "Even something as uncouth as fighting can be made into something beautiful."

"The only colour I'm interested in is the lavender hide I'm going to hang on my wall once I'm done here." Shadowdancer growled as she quickly erected a magic shield to guard herself from the barrage of gems flying at her.

Both unicorns were interrupted as another Mare Do Well flew between them while tumbling end over end before being followed by Muchourin who slammed a second hoof strike in her gut and sent her flying up, collecting Izayoi in the process.

Applejack opened a private channel with Twilight. "You and Rar built a kill switch into these suits right?"

"Of course. the suits hold an array of gems infused with spells that do nothing unless the command piece in the mask is connected. Remove the mask,the spells shut off and the safety spell kicks in, making the suit inert."

"We need to de mask Pinkie fast then."

Muchourin's jubilation was short lived as a cage of gems erupted from the ground to seal her in place,
"Hold tight dear and I'll let you out after this is over." Yukianesa nodded, reutrning fire on Shadowdancer by pulling more gems from the ground and hurling them telekinetically.

"Open the cage Yuki!" A voice yelled.

"Says who?"

"Musashi!"

"On it dearie."

The top of the cage opened as Musashi got closer.

"Oh no you don't!" Shadowbolt screamed over, tackling Musashi out of the sky and into the ground nearby, leaving a small crack in the pavement.

"Tarnation that hurt... Ah think one of mah ribs cracked."

"One down, three to go." Shadowbolt smiled as she leant down to pull Musashi's mask off.

Musashi opted to act rather than talk and slammed her forehead into Shadowbolt's nose, knocking the villanous pegasus backwards before staggering to her hooves and slamming her hoof into Shadowbolt's chin, grabbing her shoulder and headbutting the pegasus to the ground.
"Ah ain't done yet..." She wheezed, the pain from her rib starting to become noticable. "Landsakes... that was any harder Ah reckon Ah'd be out cold right now..." She said to nopony in particular as she cantered over to the gem cage, the side she approached from opening to let her in,closing behind her.

"Dammit." She coughed as she pushed Muchourin to the ground and pulled her mask off, throwing it outside the cage where Yukianesa's gems tore it to ribbons. "One a piece." she smiled before falling unconcious.

The now unmasked Pinkie shook herself out of her shock and quickly removed Musashi's hat and mask. "Come on... just be unconcious..." She pleaded, lowering her ear to just infront of Applejack's mouth, sighing as she heard breathing.

Geminus had procured a pair of knives from the abandoned restaurants and was using them to fight off Shadowquake while her meter refilled before dropping them in shock as a voice spoke through the communications setup.
"CHANGE IN TACTICAL SITUATION DETECTED. REBOOTING ALL SYSTEMS."

She suddenly found herself unable to move as her suit locked up and all the meters on her eyepieces started refilling as her opponent chuckled malevolently and walked towards her, rolling her neck and baring her claws.

"I think it's time for a little payback."

Shadowdancer smiled as she trotted slowly towards Yukianesa, surrounded by fallen gems.
"Now then... let's see who you really are. And if you aren't the pony I think you are, I'm going to be very disappointed."

"Come on... Oh this system is positively rife with bugs like this. Phooey... and I so hoped she was able to iron all these out."

A shadow fell over Yukianesa as she grumbled to herself, causing her to slowly lift her neck to stare the other unicorn in her masked face.

"Now then... Show me your face!"

"ALL SYSTEMS REBOOTED!"

"You show yours too then!"

Both mares grabbed each others mask in their magical aura before yanking them off, leaving a furious Rarity and a stunned Trixie staring into each others eyes.

"You!" Rarity furiously shouted.

"Oh. It's you." Trixie said, an almost bored tone present in her voice. "And I was so hoping you'd be the other unicorn. The one who can actually rival Trix-"

"Wa Ha Ha!" Rarity laughed triumphantly as Trixie slammed into the fountain, the victim of a magically charged hoofstrike to the center of her face. "That's for what you did to my mane last time you were in town you annoying show-off!"

"Ugh my head... I feel like I had a potted plant, an anvil and a grand piano dropped on it one after another."

"Oh trust me. I know what that feels like. How would you like to add a broken table to that list?"

"Ugh... not thanks."

"Well too bad!"

"Wha?"

Shadowbolt looked up in time to have a table smashed down onto her face and broken into little splinters.

"Gragh! Ouch! That hurt you... well... shit... I don't have an insult for once."

"Table leg!"

"Hu- oof!" She coughed as one of the legs was smashed across her chest.

"Oh big bad miss villain can't take a hit from a wooden table?"

Shadowbolt looked up and found herself staring down Izayoi.

"You..."

"You think it's right to terrify the ponies of this fair town for no reason at all?"

"I have a reason!"

"Do you really, you masked bitch?!"

Shadowbolt coughed out a laugh. "Ring... ring.. this is pot... calling kettle." She taunted as she reached behind her back slowly.

"What?"

"You're...calling me...the masked bitch?" Shadowbolt laughed as she stumbled to her hind legs. "You... you make me sick... with that mask of yours! The one you... you've been wearing before I donned mine."

"You're point is? At least I'm wearing my mask to do good." Izayoi retorted.

"My point? My point is this!" Shadowbolt yelled as she threw a jar of thunderclouds at her opponent.

"Damn it!"

Shadowquake had already removed the mask from Fluttershy's face and had her pinned to the ground. "She said not to hurt anyone. I don't think she'll mind if one of you turns up dead."
With that she drew her beak back and brought it down as hard as she could, aiming straight for Fluttershy's neck.

The rapidly expanding black cloud shot forth and a burst of stray lightning knocked Shadowquake off the helpless pegasus and vaporized her mask.

"G-g-g-Gilda?" Fluttershy stammered as she struggled to get up

"Argh! Dammit. Fuck fuck fuck! My face!" The Griffon screeched in pain. "That fucking mask nearly fused to my damn face!"
She screamed before taking wing and flying off. "Fuck this. I'm out!"

Izayoi slammed another trio of hoofstrikes into Shadowbolts stomach before firing a quick blast of magic to knock her to the other end of the rooftop.

Shadowbolt tried to reach behind her back for another jar of thunderclouds but a quick burst of pain from having Izayoi press both of their weights against it made her drop her last jar off the back of the building.

"End of the line for you,Shadowbolt." Izayoi said as her horn lit up and started tugging on Shadowbolt's mask.

"No...it's not!" She yelled, rushing her head forward and slamming it into Izayoi's face, staggering and knocking her back.
With a quick shove from her hind legs the masked heroine soon found herself at the very opposite edge of the rooftop.

Both of them snorted and hooved the rooftop before charging forward, jumping toward each other and drawing back their hooves, sending them flying toward eachothers faces.

Pinkie was a blur of motion as she checked on the other combatants,helping them all out of their costumes and helping Fluttershy administer first aid where neccesary.
She reviewed the list of injuries by reading back through some bizarre object. "Let's see.... I've sent Rarity to help Applejack to the hospital for possible broken ribs, Fluttershy is working on getting Trixie conscious again and Gilda has left the battlefield. Who am I missing?"

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stared each other down, the others mask in their hooves.

"Twilight? You're the Mare Do Well?"

"And you're the Shadowbolt? Rainbow...why didn't you say something?"

"Why didn't you?"

"I was trying to protect Ponyville from what I thought was some rabid fan of yours that had foalnapped you and trying to unmask me so you could be the hero again."

"I thought you were just some group of idiots who decided to try and prove that they were worth something by showing me up."

They both sighed and dropped the others mask.

"We were worried about you Rainbow."

"We?"

"Me and the others."

"You were worried about me?"

"Well yeah. Some random pegasus comes flying up to me while I'm on patrol in town and boasts about capturing you. Why wouldn't we be worried?"

"Well because you were all singing your own praises the day before hoof."

"To keep our cover up. If you were in our horseshoes wouldn't you do the same?"

"I...yeah I guess..." Rainbow admitted before she began to sway lightly. "Hey Twilight? I think I'm gonna take a nap now okay?"
Without even waiting for a response the cyan pegasus collapsed sideways and started sliding off the roof, her last sight being a slight pink glow around her body....

Which lead to the pleasant dreams of flying through an empty sky.

3 months later than I'd originally planned but I didn't have enough inspiration to finish this.
I doubt alot of you are going to be happy with this,especially considering I promised a 5k word ending.
But I wanted to get it at least wrapped up so I can focus more on Ponysona:Arcana Crusaders.
And because I finally got a way to start the epilogue.
Don't expect anything too big from the epilogue,think of it more as a teaser for the next part of the MMDW saga.So stay tuned.Because the epilogue will probably go up some time today as well.

Epilogue: Next Issue...

The royal guards chased her through the night time streets, Princess Luna herself leading them through the back alleys.

"Halt! I am Princess Luna of the royal Equestrian Diarchy, you will submit and be punished for your actions!"

'Yeah. Fat chance of that happening.' the costumed mare thought as she charged her hooves with magic and bounded up a nearby wall and leapt onto the opposite roof.

"Dammit. She got away." One of the guards growled.

"No she didn't. You head back to the castle. I'll keep following her." Luna ordered, flapping her wings and lifiting into the sky to chase the mare.

The mare had vanished. With a grumble, the night Princess returned to her post at the telescope and began scanning the area around where the mare had last been seen. The sounds of hoofsteps, obviously in a gallop,and not just a regular gallop. A worried gallop.

She glanced down the path towards the guest house, where the sound was coming from.
"Who goes there?"

As the figure got closer she was able to spot the ponies cutie mark.

"Stay indoors Twilight Sparkle."

When Twilight gave her a quick nod she returned to gazing through the telescope.

'How ironic' Luna thought to herself as she scanned the rooftops and alleyways. 'One thousand and two years ago I would have begged her to stay outside and enjoy the night, now i'm advising all of Canterlot to stay indoors because of a threat made by an anonymous source.' She sighed. "Oh well. At least the nightclubs in Manehatten are still open."

A yawn drew her attention. "Is something the matter sister?" Celestia asked.

"Nothing at all sister. Just thinking about the irony of my situation." Luna responded. "Go back to sleep, there is a wedding rehearsal you need to attend to tomorow."

Celestia chuckled. "I will sister. And be careful. The guards have been saying there are reports of a costumed pony attempting to break into the castle."

"Yes yes sister. I spotted her earlier and took a trio of guards to give chase, She got away but not before she stole one of my feathers."

"The cake! The ice sculpture! They're ruined!" The two sisters heard a voice yell.

"And it seems you didn't spot her fast enough." Celestia narrowed her eyes. "I might have to have a chat with somepony tomorrow."