The Mysterious Mare Do Well: What lies beyond the mask?

A full day of working on machine-building duty was making Spike sore– And not just that. So much information had to be processed all at once, so many concepts about mixing magic and technology, so many just dizzyfying ideas related to the multiverse…

…But he wasn’t going to let Twilight down. Even now, exhausted, with that perpetual look of worry, she continued to diligently work… At least Hermes seemed peppy, gleeful to help every time.

Taking a quick stretch and a breath, Spike walked over to the balcony. Ponyville looked full of life once again, as the sun set behind the mountains… Merely two days before the last party, they were already throwing another. First the Alicornaversary, now the Lantern festival…

There were more than a handful of ponies that passed by the community Center asking about Sunset, and everytime they did, all that Spike could do was cover for Twilight, and mumble excuses like “We’re working on it!” …How long that would take at this point, he had no idea. People in Ponyville loved Sunset. And even the ones that weren’t there to see when she vanished could notice the strange absence of the two Alicorns from the public eye. The actual true explanation as to why would be an incredibly confusing pill to swallow.

Besides him, Fluttershy watched Twilight with concern, occasionally taking glances back at the festival.

This festival was one of the most beautiful in all of Ponyville… And Twilight was going to miss it.

“...Um, hey, Twi…” He tried getting her attention, but she was utterly lost in thought. “Twilight! Hello?“

“...Yes? What is it, Spike? Did you get those servos…?” She asked absentmindedly, completely focussed on her work.

Scratching the back of his head, he shot a worried glance to Fluttershy, and they both nodded in agreement. “I was just thinking, y’know, since it’s right here, why don’t we spend an hour at the festival, just to unwind? Y’know… Rest your eyes, and everything else, really…”

“Next year. With her.” She mumbled, shaking her head.

His eyes widened with her absolute response. “B-but it’d just be one hour! You could really use the rest, Twilight!!”

“If you want to go, you can, don’t worry. But I'm staying. I can rest after I get Sunset back.” She said it nearly robotically, automatically, like she was prepared to say it as many times as she needed to.

Crossing his arms, he frowned and huffed slightly. Time to pull out the big guns. “Sunset would want you to take a break.”

“Sunset would want to be here.” She responded immediately, almost coldly.

Exhaling, he turned to Fluttershy, with that same concerned look, and whispered. “What are we going to do?! This is one of the most beautiful nights in Ponyville– And she’s just… Blargh…” He dropped his head low– After all, he understood completely why she wouldn’t leave. It didn’t make it any less painful to see.

Nodding quietly, Fluttershy whispered back, sharing in that concern. “She used to spend these nights with Sunset, so it’s just… Sad, but…” She shot a glance to Twilight, then back at Spike, with determination. “We need to get her to take a break.”

“Right! But how!? She’s absolutely in the zone! And, uh, kinda scary.” He shot a glance to the Princess, who was multitasking connecting wires and runestones while reading, as well as moving screws and bolts through the air selecting the right ones.

After pensively ruminating, Fluttershy’s wings opened with an ‘aha!’ motion.“I’ve got an idea! But it won't exactly be the break we hoped…” She whispered.

“Awesome! What is it?”

“Follow my lead.” She whispered deviously.

Clearing her throat, she stood, and did her best to act. “Weeeell, I’m beat! Hey Twilight, is it okay if me and Spike go get some food from the fair? There’s all sorts of tasty treats–”

“Sure. Have fun…” She muttered, completely focussed on what she was doing.

Nodding towards Spike in a knowing motion, the pegasus and the dragon flew off through the balcony.

The room went quiet once more, and all that could be heard was the quiet hustle and bustle of the town outside, as ponies gathered for the festivities. Twilight ignored all of it, working diligently.

From his cage, Hermes observed her with curiosity. “...You’re really not going?”

She didn’t even turn to look at him. “No. This is more important.”

He smiled, nodding. “Your conviction is staggering! As is your intellect, by the way. You catch on quick. I can respect somepony who works this diligently–”

“Your seal of approval means nothing to me.” She spoke, coldly. This was not the kind of thing she had ever said. In fact, this was a line she had learned from her wife, who said so towards her enemies. It was this, or ‘shut the fuck up’.

“A-ahem, well…” He was taken back. He did know he deserved that coldness, he was her enemy, after all. But this was common ground! “I just wanted to say that you are doing a very good job. And I respect your diligence and refusal to take a menial break! Even if the chances of finding Sunset Shimmer are slim–”

“Are they, now?” Twilight stopped, glaring at him. “You remember what I’ll do to you if we fail, right?”

He felt a shiver down his spine with her cold gaze. It didn’t help that her pet owl was sitting right next to his cage staring at him right in the eyes with the same coldness. “U-um… Yes. I’m just happy that I’m finally seeing progress on the development of this technology…!”

She turned back to her work, speaking without energy. “Hermes. This technology is completely purposeless. Once I get Sunset back, I’m trashing it– All of it. And I’ll make sure no record of it exists.”

“B-but!! It does have purpose!! You’ll see!! You won’t be able to deny it, once it works– You’ll see! It’s a brave new frontier…!” He spoke in a bit of desperation, in the realization that he wasn’t convincing her in the slightest.

She did not respond, and just like that, the conversation was over.

“Y-you’ll see…” He exhaled, pouting.

Sweetiebelle ran through the rooms of the carousel boutique with a giddy excitement in her step, carrying with her magic a handful of papers and a pen. Finally home from school, and now, she could at long last get to the subject that she had been racking her brain on for years, and make it official.

“Sis! Sis! Do you have time now to do that interview I asked?” She hopped up and down, getting Rarity’s attention, who was diligently working on a certain lantern-like-kite apparatus.

Tilting her work glasses, the seamstress suppressed an instant yes or no from within, and then narrowed her eyes. “Since when are you this excited about homework? Or interviewing me about my work, Sweetiebelle?”

Suppressing a certain mischievous smile, the little filly sat down innocently. “Oh, you know, I convinced mister Cranky Doodle to change the subject of my assignment related to interviewing you…”

With a light chuckle, Rarity put her attention back on the lantern. “Oh, did you now? What is it?”

She couldn’t contain her excitement anymore. Nearly jumping for joy, she spoke emphatically. “I’m interviewing you about the protector of Ponyville!! The Masked Mare! The Mare of Mystery!! The Mysterious Mare Do Well!!” She began spinning around in excitement. “You’re friends, right?! You made her outfit, you patch it up whenever it's banged up– I wanna write down everything you know about her, and make it like an investigation!! Maybe it could bring us closer to finding out who she really is!!”

With a delighted giggle, that at least did pick Rarity’s attention in full, as she removed her glasses and lounged, setting the Lantern aside. “Oh that is certainly an interesting subject, darling, it might make for a quite good assignment; But I’m afraid I might disappoint. We aren’t friends per se. She has never even spoken a word in my presence! Always so stalwart– She is kind of skittish!”

Hurriedly, the little filly sat beside her sister, and started writing a thing or two down. “U-um okay, before I mess this up, I organized some questions! I wanna be super professional about this. Like, gosh, it’d be sooooo cool if I helped Twilight find out who the hero of Ponyville really is!!”

Amused, Rarity looked out the window, observing the sun disappearing beneath the clouds, and besides it, Twilight’s castle. “Don’t hold your breath, darling, Twilight is the most interested of all of us to find out our protector’s true identity. And considering her stubbornly huge brain, I wager she’ll discover it first.” It was certainly the most likely possibility, but considering just how many years had it been without any progress in the investigation…

“Bwuhbwuhbwuh hang on I’m getting the questions!!” The little filly clumsily moved around the stacks of paper, wanting to get everything perfect, for once.

“Okay, okay!” She cleared her throat with determination. “Rarity! Who was the original Mare Do Well, when was she around, and what was your involvement with her?”

With an amused giggle, Rarity reminisced on memories of all those years ago. “Trick question, darling. There were multiple of her. You see, in one of the first years that Twilight lived here in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was being awfully cocky; She kept doing these ‘heroic’ deeds, and relishing on the infamy that they gave her, no matter how small, and it was really getting to her head. It was the ego inflation of the century! Not that she didn’t have a grotesquely large ego before that, as well!”

Smiling with excitement, the little filly wrote down several notes, following along as her bigger sister spoke. “And you see, me and the girls realized that we had to teach her a lesson. Burst her bubble, if you will! So I made a fabulous heroic outfit, and the girls dressed up in it, doing heroic deeds around Ponyville, but unlike Rainbow, we didn’t bother with relishing in the infamy or even bragging! The girls always left the scene after saving it. Which of course, made Rainbow’s competitive nature and ego go in overdrive…” She amused herself with the memories.

“How did it end! How did it end!! Let’s get to the cool part!!” The little filly egged her on with joy.

“Well, long story short, we were discovered, Rainbow learned her lesson, sort of, and that was the end of that! I retired the costume, and we put the matters to rest! It was only one more crazy incident in our lives at the time, after all!”

“Awesome, awesome…” She muttered to herself, writing it down. “And now we get to the cool part. Okay! What was your first encounter with the new Mare Do Well?”

With a mischievous smile, even Rarity was excited to get to this part. “Now this was a bit more recent, though still a few years ago… I believe maybe five or six? Twilight had become an Alicorn, even already had her castle and crown and everything, for a little while… And then, out of nowhere, a hooded, masked Unicorn began protecting Ponyville! And it was certainly a surprise to us! After all, Ponyville had always been a magnet for trouble– But then came this hooded stranger, just out of nowhere, and began protecting it? We were quite suspicious at first, Twilight especially. But I believe she was the first to notice how humble this protector was– After all, she never spoke a word. She did the good deeds, defeated the bad guys, the monsters, or saved the ponies in danger… And then she would just leave, without saying a word! Why, that was certainly heroic! And quite mysterious…”

Containing excited giggles, the little filly egged her on. “What happened next??”

“Well, none of us could catch her. She was quite skittish, and clearly incredibly magically capable. Not only immensely skilled with magic, but physically, too! Twilight and Rainbow were the only ones that even wanted to catch her, after a while. Most citizens were just happy to have somepony looking out for them– But as you might expect, Rainbow did get a bit jealous, specially when Scootaloo opened a fanclub just for the Mare of Mystery– and Twilight, loving this town so much, became very interested in discovering who was protecting it– What really lied beyond the mask, so she could thank her.”

“The costume! Talk about the costume!” Sweetiebelle wrote at an aggressive pace, with that same excited smile.

“Hehehe… Now therein lies the interesting part. As is to be expected, after a few months of having this new vigilante galavanting silently about, I was reminded of the ‘Mare Do Well’ of long ago– Our own invention, at the time!– And in a fit of inspiration, decided to display her costume once more! Even retelling the amusing tale of its origin to the ponies that visited my shop! For a few days, it was the subject of much gossip, and then, just like that…”

“...It was GONE! Yeah!!” the little filly completed for her with excitement.

“Hihi, that’s right, Sweetiebelle. I entered the boutique one day, and the costume had been stolen! And on the podium I saw a note– One that simply said ‘Thank you for the new face’. My, I was positively intrigued!”

“And that’s how the NEW Mare Do Well came to be!!” She excitedly wrote it down, giddily giggling to herself. “Okay! Awesome! What next? You and her! Tell me about you and her!”

With an amused chuckle, Rarity shrugged. “Oh, there isn’t much to say, darling. After that, the protector of Ponyville gallivanted over our rooftops with a suit of my making! She had a face now– Complete with the fashionable hat and cape! And I could tell she was getting better too. Always silent, always stalwart, but leaping towards danger courageously! And then, one day…”

With eyes widened in curiosity, the little filly remained quiet, waiting for the most interesting moments of the story.

“...One day, a Chimera attacked Ponyville– Zecora was running away from it, leaving the Everfree forest, being chased by the monster, asking for our help– And our Mare Do Well sprung into action!! She managed to fight and defeat the beast single handedly! It was quite a beautiful display of magic and physical prowess! But one thing Twilight noticed: Blood on the scene. Not the chimeras, but her’s– Our protector’s. She had fled the scene, despite being wounded.”

Gasping with awe, excited over the story getting bloody, the little filly kept writing, with a grin.

“And the most curious thing happened. When I arrived at the boutique that day, a window on the second floor was open– And placed upon it, was a part of the Mare Do Well costume. It had pieces of it stained with dried blood– and not just that, but it was torn, quite significantly, if I may say. And Right then, I knew exactly what I had to do.”

Nodding emphatically, Sweetiebelle egged her on. “What did you do??”

“I patched it up! I fixed her outfit, made sure it was good as new, even washed it, too.” She said with a smile of clarity. “And then I placed it upon that same window when it was done and ready. A day later, it was gone! And on that window was a note. One that simply said ‘Thank you’.”

“Yeaaaaah!! What else? What else?”

“Not much, darling.” She amused herself, returning to her work on the lantern. “It happened plenty of times over– after all, our protector often gets herself into scrapes. And I patched her outfit up everytime, even made some of my own additions occasionally! But nothing too drastic– You can’t mess with the classic, after all.”

“And did you ever get to see her up close?!!”

“As a matter of fact I did! Only once, however. She was picking up a freshly stitched mask from the window– that one, right there– and I happened to be on the second floor. I didn’t get to see her face, but as soon as I saw her, I offered her some tea!”

“Oh!! What happened?!”

“...We drank tea! Not much to say. She was quiet through the whole thing– Did not even pull her mask up the whole way, just enough for her mouth to be able to drink without impediment. I even saw her pet Opalescence once, heheh! After the Masked Mare was done, she gave me a nod and was on her way!”

“B-but you didn’t even try talking to her?!”

“There was nothing to say, darling. In that silence, we could understand each other perfectly. She was thankful for me patching her outfit up, and I was thankful for her being out there fighting for Ponyville day by day! No words needed to be exchanged. This is what Rainbow and Twilight don’t get– Sometimes, a thank you doesn’t need to be spoken. Actions speak louder– In them, we can thank those we love.” She stated simply, with a wise smile.

“B-but what was the color of her hide? You must have seen something?”

“Ah, the finer details are all on Twilight’s ‘conspiracy board’, darling. If you’d like, you could always ask her to see it up close! I’m pretty sure that our mayor has also met with our hero on occasion, you could always interview her as well. Personally, I don’t bother with the investigation– but if you must know, her fur was a tone of orange.”

With a tiny gasp, the little filly rose her head. “Orange?! Do you think it’s Applejack?!”

That suggestion was amusing to the seamstress, who delighted herself with a giggle. “Applejack is much bigger than our hero, Sweetiebelle. Her strong Farmer frame would not fit on this outfit anymore– Besides– The Mare of Mystery is an Unicorn! That much, everypony knows at this point.”

“Hmm…” Pensively, the little filly bit the opposite end of the pen. “Another question. What’s your comment on the ponies that think that one of you– the six friends that save the world and stuff– is the Mysterious Mare Do Well?”

“Absolutely rubbish, darling. We have all been sighted alongside the hero as she galivants in Ponyville, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that her frame doesn’t fit most of ours; Not just that, but at days where we are all in Canterlot, or traveling around Equestria in some world saving adventure, she is still here, keeping Ponyville safe! And besides– Unicorn! I am the only one in the group– And you don’t imagine me running above rooftops, do you? All that sweating would ruin my mane!”

“Pfff deeeeeefinitely not.” She smirked, knowing full well that it was a rarity that her big sister would be the heroic type. “Anyways, lemme get the other questions…”

“Oh dear, there’s more?” Rarity shot a glance outside with light concern, then back at her little sister. “Sweetiebelle, the festival will begin soon, will this take much longer?”

“This is important, Rarity!!! And I wanna show the girls all the data I have at the festival!!” She spoke the word data wrong, as she clutched her papers, thinking of her cutie mark crusader friends. “Okay! Okay! Next topic… Okay. Ponyville has thrown more than one celebration in her name, but she rarely ever makes an appearance. Heck– Scootaloo has a fanclub going, and it’s kinda big! And yet, they never really get to see the Masked Mare– Why do you think that the protector of Ponyville doesn’t go to any of those…?”

Giggling, the seamstress shook her head. “The answer is quite simple, darling. The same reason she rarely ever speaks, or why she always covers her face– She is not doing this for praise. Clearly, above everything, she is doing this for Ponyville. And I’m thankful– With her protecting the town, all six of us often get to be a lot more relaxed! Twilight especially, I imagine. Though she is, of course, desperately trying to thank the masked mare at any opportunity, heheh.”

Nodding quietly, the little filly realized a very important question needed to be asked, but decided to move it for later. Rarity, reminiscing, giggled mischievously. “Though there is one thing. There is no guarantee that she hasn’t been to those gatherings, but we simply couldn’t tell– After all, she could always be in the crowd, unmasked, and we never would have noticed…”

Sweetiebelle’s jaw dropped with the suggestion that the hero of Ponyville could be walking among them, and they never would have noticed.

“...But I personally don’t believe as much.” Shaking her head, Rarity dismissed it.

“Wha?? What do you mean?” She stood in surprise and excitement.

“...Let me tell you something I’ve never told anypony. Not even Twilight.” This immediately made Sweetiebelle’s eyes widen and she gasped audibly in anticipation, as the big sister smiled mischievously.

“You know my attention to detail in my outfits is impeccable, darling. And in one of Pinkie’s parties– One where she had themed around the hero in question, I saw something quite peculiar… Or should I say somepony…”

“What was it!! What?!”

“...There were plenty of ponies in there dressed like the Mare Do Well that night– No surprise at all, even Pinkie was donning her hat. And in that crowd… I saw our hero. The real one. Her costume– Restitched and patched up in just the right places, by me. I could tell nearly immediately– That silent guest, moving about in the party like any other citizen playing dress up– She was the real deal.”

“WHAT?! OH MY GOSH THIS IS SO COOL!! What did you do?!”

“...Nothing! After all, she clearly desired privacy above everything else– Why else would she always cover her face? I wasn’t about to ruin that, much less ruin her chance to enjoy the party like any of us… I did keep an eye on her through the whole party though, and it was quite interesting…”

“What did she do?!” The little filly was at the edge of her seat, and wasn’t even seated.

“...Mingled! Had some snacks. Quietly moved about, and everypony was none the wiser. I did see her chatting with Pinkie and Maud very frequently, and of course, both were completely unaware that they were face-to-face with the real deal, heheh.”

“Gosh, gosh, did you get to hear her voice properly? What did she sound like?”

“Tired, I’d say. Not very energetic; Like she had run a marathon or two recently… But I certainly couldn’t fault her– She was not on the clock. And I imagine running around rooftops and battling monsters and every other threat to our beloved town would make her run quite ragged.”

Nibbling the tip of her pen, Sweetiebelle shook her head quietly. “Hmm… I don’t know, Rarity. It could have just been another pony in town playing dress up?”

“That’s what I told myself, at the end of that night, darling! I was thinking that maybe I was seeing things, and then the strangest thing happened… As she was leaving the party- and of course, I was watching her like a hawk– She turned and winked at me. Tipped her hat and everything. Like she knew I had been watching her the entire time!!”

“OH MY GOSH SHE'S SO COOL!!” Her jaw dropped.

“I was positively stupefied!! And what’s more– I'm fairly certain I have seen the same happening in nightmare nights– Our hero, walking among us, and we are all none the wiser, because it is a day or night to wear costumes. She is incredibly cunning!!”

“What does this mean…?” Sweetiebelle wrote down furiously in her notes, wondering just what this might imply. “I wonder what…”

“It is only a gut feeling, darling. But to me, this implies something curious– That maybe, she is not from Ponyville at all. That she will only ever be here wearing a mask– Because we would recognize a newcomer in our town, and wonder. That, or perhaps we all know who she is, and would recognize her face instantly– Which only increases my curiosity on who she might be! …But I don’t truly wish to unveil the mystery. After all, she is keeping Ponyville safe. She has earned her privacy in full.”

“Awwww but shouldn’t we have a chance to thank her for all she’s done?! I mean– She single handedly beat Chrysalis once!! And then there was all those bandit attacks, that hydra, that giant kestrel, that dragon– and even that time where Starlight Glimmer attacked the town with a bunch of skeletons– I can’t count how many bad guys she’s beaten for us! Like c’mon, she deserves a proper thanks, face to face!!”

“Hehe, indeed, that is what Twilight believes– She has a conspiracy board and everything– She has pursued discovering the true identity of the Mare Do Well for years; After all, if she could thank her in person, truly, seeing her face, our hero might be able to fully say just how thankful she is that somepony is protecting the town she loves… But that’s certainly something curious…”

“Huh? What is?”

“Our Masked Mare… She runs from Twilight the fastest. Even at those parties where she was hidden in plain sight, I saw her actively avoid the Princess, never slipping up– And I think I might know why.”

“W-why?!”

“Simple. Our resident Alicorn is the smartest pony around. And all of us know this, I’m certain that the Mare of Mystery knows too– If anypony could discover what lies beyond her mask… it’s Twilight. So she avoids her like a plague, even while protecting her town!”

Scribbling on her notes with gusto, the little filly added more to her research. “This is the best assignment ever.” She muttered, but then looked at her sister, ready to ask the most important question of all. “Okay. This one is important, big sis. Who do you think is the real Mare Do Well, really? What do you think lies beyond the mask…?”

Taking a pensive hoof to her lips, Rarity’s gaze was listless, as she considered the question. “Honestly, darling… I don’t know. And I am not inclined to discover. After all, she has saved us all, again and again… I believe she has earned her privacy. Whoever she is, we all know she must care for Ponyville and the ponies in it profoundly. And I am satisfied with that.”

Pouting, the little filly shook her head. “Awww, here you go being all poetic… I wanna know who she really is!!”

“Then keep digging, darling, I’m sure you’ll discover the mystery.” She turned to her lantern with a satisfied smile. “Now, I’m glad you are applying yourself to your assignment, but are we quite done? Because the Lantern Festival will begin in a few moments, and I don’t want to miss it! Applejack is bringing her apple fritters again and I am very much skipping my diet tonight.” The sun had indeed set, as she gazed out the windows, and Ponyville was quite lively already.

“One more thing, one more thing!!” The little filly waved her little hooves with excitement. “I just need to get your comments on one more subject… But you might not like it.”

Narrowing her eyes in pre-disappointment, her big sister nodded. “Go on…”

“Well…” The little filly grabbed a piece of paper with plenty of notes in it. “I want your commentary on a couple of the most important things related to the Mare Do Well… Fan theories.”

The groan of annoyance and frustration that Rarity let out echoed in the Carousel boutique.

The top of Twilight’s castle. That had always been her favorite spot.

No better area to scout Ponyville– To keep an eye on any potential trouble that might form.

And there was always trouble in Ponyville… This might be where the magic happens, but it certainly was where problems happened, too.

Hopefully tonight will be different than last year. Rescuing those ponies from that fire almost burned my mask off. Who even ignites their lantern indoors?

The town was lively. And from this perspective, it looked small, as quaint and comfortable as it had ever been. And from the top of the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Mysterious Mare Do Well observed all of it– From a perfect point of advantage, sitting as her cape flapped in the wind.

Well, here’s to hoping. If there’s any trouble, I’m here. And if there isn’t… I have the best seat in the house to watch the show.

She took a deep breath, enjoying the quiet of the night. All the sounds from the town seemed so distant, from up here. Watching the skies, they were somewhat cloudy– and above Ponyville, a handful of small airships floated over the town, no doubt to watch and participate in the festivities.

The wind felt just warm enough, just chilly enough. The night felt perfect. For a moment, she considered how much better she could feel the wind, if there was no mask covering her face, no hat atop her head. She extended a hoof… Then brought it down.

No. Out here the mask never comes off. The pony behind it doesn’t exist anymore. She’s dead. No slip ups. Never.

Her eyes narrowed, as she scanned the town for any commotion. Her gaze led itself down naturally, as a certain someone left the castle doors.

…There she is…

Below, all the way on ground level, the Princess of Friendship left her home, side by side with a friend or two, and they all held their own lanterns. The Mare of Mystery watched over them intently.

For the biggest brainiac in Equestria, she sure doesn’t look up often. Heh. All the better for me. Well, at least she’ll have fun at the festival…

She forced herself to look elsewhere, as she took even better cover, using the darkness that the altitude provided for her.

For a few minutes, she stood as she always stood. Silent, and ready. Only when the show actually began did she allow herself to lounge, her eyes mesmerized.

From the town, and even the airships above, lanterns were released into the night sky, they floated, lifted aloft by their own flames, and illuminated the already beautiful vista with gorgeous tones of orange.

Holy shit... Even better than last year. These Ponies know how to party… Nothing like this back in Canterlot, heh.

The cheers of ponies all around town could be heard from a distance, and the festival continued without a hitch.

Taking the chance, the Masked Mare climbed higher, being mesmerized by the sight, only on occasion shooting glimpses below. Even if she was alone, drinking in the sight was a precious moment.

Another year of keeping Ponyville safe.

When will my debt be repaid…?

…Never.

I will do this to my grave.

With a smile.

The Mysterious Mare Do Well will never quit. Never let up. Never give up. She can do anything– Whatever it takes.

She inhaled for a while, drinking in the nightly air, and then exhaled. Perhaps this night would be uneventful after all…

…Until it wasn’t.

She narrowed her eyes, her gaze drawn by a familiar sight. A carriage entered the town, from its most unoccupied direction, heading straight towards town hall.

Not this fucking guy again. Ugh. Not on my watch.

Leaping with determination, she fell at breakneck speeds, and mere moments from reaching the ground, she teleported, inverting her axis in a way that launched her forward with all of the momentum she had from falling.

With a bit of levitation she slowed her fall, but did not stop. Landing on a rooftop, she continued her gallop, leaping and teleporting whenever she needed to cross further reaches of empty space between the houses.

Above her, lanterns illuminated the skies and the town beautifully, interrupted only by the sight of those small airships, with its delighted residents seeing all of the town from an advantageous position.

Below her, many ponies celebrated and enjoyed themselves, music, food, singing… Few noticed her presence.

She followed the carriage with determination, but had to make a quick stop. Near her, a lantern was stuck on a tree, and below, three fillies tried reaching for it, utterly unsuccessful.

Are those the kids from that fanclub? …Small town.

With a skillful leap and a flip, she carefully removed the lamp from the tree, and landed with agility on the ground, quickly handing the three fillies the lantern.

The three fillies in question’s jaws were utterly dropped, as they received her aid. They attempted to speak, but words failed them.

She simply gave them a nod and a tip of the hat, and teleported back to the rooftops. Just in time to hear the three of them squealing in the distance.

Heh. Cute kids.

Back to business…

Her target was in sight. From that carriage, right before town hall, came out a minotaur, and a posse of bandit ponies.

That asshole is not stealing the deed to Ponyville. Not on my watch.

With another set of agile leaps, she climbed on the roof of town hall, then down– Landing with skill right in front of it, facing her enemy with a quiet scowl.

Lots of ponies on the streets… Eight or ten bandits, not counting the big asshole. Let’s hope the fight doesn’t spread. I won’t let it.

The Minotaur took notice of her immediately, with an angry shout. “There she is!! The lil’ masked bastard!!! URGH!! You’ll pay for the last beating ya handed out to us– If my name isn’t Iron Will!!”

Silently, but with great joy, the Masked Mare made a few gestures. She pointed a hoof above a specific side of her head, and then tilted her head deviously.

Tilting his own head, the leader did not get it. “Bwuh? Is she playin’ charades?”

One of his bandit lackeys looked at him, and pointed out the obvious. He was missing a horn, one that she had broken off in a previous battle, one she was glad to point out; With a devious grin that none could see through her mask.

That’s right, asshole. I’m here for your other horn.

Shooting glances between her and his lackeys, Iron will finally got it, as he clenched his fists in anger. “Oh that DOES IT! I’m gettin yer masked ass; And after yer minced meat, I’m bulldozing this town and building a theme park!!” He reached into the carriage, opening a compartment. “And this time I brought a little toy with me to make sure yer TOAST!!”

But she didn’t give him the chance. Dashing forward at incredible speeds, she did a leg sweep on him, knocking him down, and then immediately switched her attention to the other bandits.

They attempted to lunge at her, to stomp her with hooves, punch her, anything, but she didn’t let them. With great agility, she would flip over them, counter with her own kicks and punches, at times launching one at the other with magic.

And due to the commotion, they started being noticed. Ponies gathered around in curiosity, but at a moderate distance, watching their hero fight– Some with surprise, others with awe, many with cheers.

Please don’t come any closer. There’s nothing to see here.

She breathed sharply, quickly, as she blinded a foe with a swish of her cape, and delivered a vicious beat down. But right before she could deliver the final blow…

Flying at an incredibly fast speed, Rainbow Dash tackled the bandit she was fighting, sending him flying at a wall. She then turned, mid air, giving the Mare of Mystery a salute. “Heya, sidekick!! Let’s do some butt-whooping!!”

And here comes the loudmouth…

Ignoring her, the Masked Mare leapt forward, continuing the fight unimpeded, delivering swift blows, and receiving her own, getting punched in the face on more than one occasion.

Stuffing her hat on a bandit’s face to stun him, she turned and delivered a swift bucking, then with magic quickly equipped it back, a rehearsed motion she had done countless times.

Ponies around her cheered everytime she took an enemy down.

Why can’t they just keep a safe distance?! This isn’t a show!

“Thank you, thank you!!” Rainbow shouted with a cocky smile, as she delivered a speedy kick to one of the bandits. Raising her wings in celebration as the crowd watched; Which was reprimanded by a bandit delivering a swift punch to her jaw, sending her tumbling.

Finally, the leader stood– Iron Will scoffed, blew air from his nostrils, and charged at the Masked Mare, ignoring Rainbow entirely. “I’LL FLATTEN YOU, YA MASKED BASTARD!”

Standing her ground, the hero of Ponyville waited for the last moment before teleporting beside the oversized Minotaur, tripping him; Sending him falling to the floor again.

Two unicorn bandits aimed crossbows at her, and she stood her ground– Blocking the shots with magical barriers and snapping the arrows. Another volley was shot at her, with poor accuracy, and she leaped in front of it, blocking most shots, but one hit her flank, she gritted her teeth and endured the pain.

Can’t risk them hitting the crowd, no matter what.

Only a few bandits remained, and she faced them with fighting intent, but Rainbow just landed casually next to her. “Hey, by the way, when are you going to stop by your fanclub? They literally write songs about you! It’d mean a lot to Scoots, y’know?!” She demanded the hero’s attention, and was not given it.

Seriously? I’m not even dignifying that with a response. Does she not get why I’m doing this?

Ignoring the pegasus, she leapt forward with fighting intent, bucking a bandit onto another bandit, and hitting another with a flip kick. Besides her, flying casually, Rainbow continued to lecture her idiotically. “Hero tip, sidekick! You should cherish the praise of your fans more!! Get them roaring!!”

Does she ever shut up?

Being distracted by Rainbow left her exposed– And Iron Will managed to deliver a swift punch to her side, nearly worsening the damage that the arrow had made, sending her flying. With a flip, and with the same momentum, she teleported behind him, bucking the back of his head mid air with tremendous force.

“Nice! That’s what I would have done, too!” Rainbow nodded, standing idly with her arms crossed and a smile.

Then do it, loudmouth!

The pegasus once again was punched by a bandit, this time on her gut, which she retaliated with her own kick.

The Masked Mare swiftly dispatched the bandit that was attacking Rainbow, without hesitation.

Attempting to garner the hero’s attention, the pegasus waved at all the ponies watching, and smirked. “You oughta taunt the bad guys more! Like c’mon!! All our fans are here! Least you could do is say a quip or something!”

Unfortunately, that was enough to distract the Masked Mare, even if only for a moment. Reaching into the carriage, Iron Will pulled out his newest toy. “I been waitin’ for THIS! Say hello to my new toy, ya masked freak!!”

The crowd gasped, and Rainbow did too.

Shit. That’s a rocket launcher.

She took a battle stance, her nerves high, as she waited for the shot, keeping an eye on every miniscule movement of Iron Will as he took aim. Her heart pounded furiously as her adrenaline was high.

Okay. He needs to shoot at me. Not the crowd, not the homes, me.

She tilted her head, ever so slightly, just to see if that would tease him, instigating him to fire.

If he shoots me, I can contain the blast. I can do this. I can do this.

And for half a second, everything was going according to plan…

…Except Rainbow interfered. “BACK OFF, ASSWIPE!” She shouted, taking flight and lunging at the minotaur, shaking his aim, lifting the missile launcher up, where it misfired.

For a single moment, a shiver went down the hero’s spine. She witnessed, with her eyes widened, the missile fire went up, up… And hit one of the air ships that floated above Ponyville, knocking it out of the sky.

She inhaled sharply.

For that single, time-stopping moment, with her eyes widened, she saw the trajectory of the fall. As she stood, in that single second, her mind went overdrive, considering every angle.

That thing is headed right for the Carousel Boutique. Shit. I can’t let it fall on any buildings!

Her eyes narrowed, as she could see the denizens of that small airship yelling in a panic, as their vehicle was in free fall.

There’s ponies still in that airship. I need to get them out and safely, I need to get up there, and redirect it’s fall to the streets!

Her gaze moved incredibly fast, as if time stood still. She looked towards the street; Where several ponies stood, gasping in fear, looking up.

There’s ponies all over the plaza near the Boutique– I have to move them out for the ship to crash properly, and FAST!

Then finally, her gaze landed on the bandit leader… Who wrestled with Rainbow Dash, both of their jaws dropped over the misfiring and its direction.

I can’t let him get away again– I’ll be too exhausted to fight after I get up there– I need to stop him too, and first!

Ignoring the pain she was already feeling from the hits she had taken and the arrow lodged on her side, she allowed herself only one single moment to blink…

I can do this.
I have to.
I WILL.

Then leapt forward, with fierce determination and agility.

Launching herself with her magic like a missile, she delivered a swift and powerful blow directly to the Minotaur’s neck, breaking his windpipe, and then, continuing the same momentum, She stomped his horn, breaking it, propelling herself forward, towards the street.

“CLEAR THE WAY!! MOVE!!” She shouted as loud as she could, as she galloped towards the Carousel Boutique.

Unfortunately, not as many ponies managed to move fast, that's when with her magic, she began picking them up, and swiftly tossing them to safety. Two she launched at a soft bush, three she launched at a tent that cushioned their fall, and the last four she tossed at a water fountain.

Continuing on the same momentum, she leapt, and teleported, at incredible speeds, leaping over the walls and roof of the Carousel Boutique, launching herself upwards.

With a final leap, she kept her momentum through teleportation, heading up through the air, as the ship crashed down in her direction. Twisting her body mid air, she adjusted her trajectory to land in it safely, having a few sides of her body cut by loose broken metal on the way, including her face, with one nearly slicing her left eye.

Immediately upon landing, all of the scared ponies in the airship looked at her, and she shouted as she gathered them up with magic. “EVERYPONY HUDDLE UP!” Binding them together, they all hugged, and she cast a bubble spell that surrounded them, keeping them safe and lightnening their weight.

“RAINBOW! CATCH!” With a decisive motion, she bucked them off of the airship, and they fell significantly slower than her; Who remained on the airship, which was in itself seconds from crashing on the Boutique below.

Straining, screaming in pain, she channeled all of the magic she could, attempting to levitate the entire airship, all at once, redirect it, if possible, lift it off of its trajectory, land it directly on the streets below she had just cleared.

She screamed in pain, gritted her teeth, her horn burned, overheated, overcharged, overexerted with it burning a hole in her mask, and with that immense effort, the airship missed the boutique and landed on the streets, and with its impact, she was sent flying.

She flew, out of control, landing violently on a rooftop nearby, nearly immediately forcing herself to stand. Her entire body hurt– Her face and horn burned, and her heart pounded furiously, she felt as if she would pass out with the strenuous amount of magic she had just cast. But she forced herself to stand and look, as she breathed incredibly uneasy, short haggard breaths.

Rainbow was carrying the bubble she had tossed off the airship down, taking them to the ground, with its denizens safe.

The streets were clear of the crash, where the ship still burned. Not one townsfolk was hurt, the few that she tossed to safety regained their senses, unharmed.

And in the distance, the Minotaur wheezed for air on the floor, not managing to get up properly, incapacitated.

But the ship was still on fire. Her work wasn’t done yet. Ignoring the headache, ignoring the bruises and pain and even the burning sensation, she cast her magic once more.

With strenuous effort, she gathered most of the water from the fountain nearby in a single bubble, careful not to take the ponies that had been tossed there with it, and moving it towards the ship, letting go and extinguishing its flames.

Then and only then she allowed herself to exhale. Her body nearly collapsed, the broken arrow in her flank stung.

Every single pony in town roared with joy, cheering her success, chanting her hero name. The Lantern festival had gone without a hitch, thanks to the Mysterious Mare Do Well.

...There. All done.

As every pony cheered and thanked her below, screaming with joy and excitement, she gave them a single nod, and a tip of the hat, and that cheering grew even louder and happier with it.

...I guess I gave them a show after all… Fuck, I’m bleeding out.

Then, in the crowd, someone approached, drawn to the chaos, interested in her specifically. Twilight Sparkle. Their eyes met, and the Masked Mare shuddered.

Shit. Time to go.

With a wince of pain, she turned, limping away from the edge of that rooftop, feeling all of the pain and the weight of that night press down on her, slowing her movements.

“Nicely done, sidekick!” Rainbow flew in the air next to the rooftop she walked on.

Turning her head, the mysterious Mare Do Well didn’t have the energy for doing much other than glare at her, as she breathed sharply, feeling pain.

Smirking with a giggle, Rainbow pointed at her face. “Heh. Twilight's gonna love this. Adding your eye color to her conspiracy board is gonna be awesome!”

Her hide shivered. She brought a hoof to her face.

Oh no.

With only a bit of patting, she could feel it.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!!!!

Her mask had been damaged, and even burnt slightly, on its left side by her own overheating of magic. A side of her mask was nearly fully torn open, which exposed her eye.

Leaning forward, Rainbow snickered deviously with her arms crossed. “Twi’s gonna loooooove to know you got lovely green eyes. We’re one step closer to cracking your secret identity, sidekick!”

“Fucking Loudmouth.” The Masked Mare said simply, with a snarl, before limping away with some difficulty.

The pegasus was taken back in shock at the hero– For having spoken up just to insult her, genuinely surprised.

I’ve got to get out of here before she–

“Wait!!” A familiar voice called out from behind her. Twilight Sparkle had teleported onto the rooftop, and was desperately garnering her attention. “Please!! Let me thank you for saving the festival…!”

The mare allowed herself only one second to look back– Only with the side of her face that was covered. There the Princess stood, like she had many other times, trying to get her to stay.

Trying to get her to slip up.

Trying to get her to show her face.

What lied beyond the mask.

no no no no no no no no no…

“U-um, Twi, she, uh–” Rainbow attempted to speak– And just like that, the Mare of Mystery teleported forward, onto another rooftop, trying to gallop with all her strength.

“N-no!! Wait!!” Desperately, the Princess of Friendship took chase with flight, and the pegasus was left behind, still stupefied.

Running was difficult. Her entire body begged her to stop. Her entire body ached, and her horn burnt. But she refused to give in.

“Please, let’s just talk!!” Twilight begged from behind her, too close.

The Masked mare teleported forward, attempting to reach another rooftop– but her strength waned, and she fell– Hitting against a wall, then tumbling on a lamp post, and crashing violently on the floor for good measure, falling in an alleyway, failing to drop and roll.

She struggled to get up, forcing herself to, coughing up blood– which was actually dripping down her muzzle– her mask was torn even more now. Her mouth was nearly fully exposed.

Shit, shit, SHIT!!

“Please don’t run!” Speaking with unease, the Princess of Friendship stood at the end of the alleyway. They were alone, and walls surrounded them from all sides, except hers.

I need to get out of here– I need to teleport away…!

And yet, she stood, weakly, covering her face with her hat, tilting it downwards, but still glancing, if only a little, at the Princess, bathing her own face in shadow to prevent her from seeing it. The lights above them danced in a way that bathed the alleyway in just enough darkness.

With a concerned, weary smile, the Princess nodded at her. “You’ve saved so many ponies today– it could have been a disaster!! But you were there. You saved them. Thank you so much…”

Why can’t she just thank me and leave?

“Y-you’re hurt– If you come with me to my castle, I could help you, I could patch you up…!” She spoke with unease, approaching slowly. The Mare Do Well took one step back. This halted Twilight immediately, knowing that any misstep would cause her to run.

Why does she always have to care like this?

“Please let me help you– Like you’ve helped this town– I owe you so much…!” She tried approaching her again, with a look of pity, incredibly mindful of her every step.

Why does she always have to pry?

“Whoever you are behind that mask…” Twilight shook her head, slowly. “You can trust me. I promise. I just want to know who has done so much for us…!”

Why can’t she just let me go?

Slowly, impeccably slowly, the protector of Ponyville raised her head. Her breathing still unsteady, her entire body hurting, blood dripping from her muzzle, her face still bathed in shadow, she allowed herself to look the Princess in the eye.

Why can’t I just leave?

“Why…” The Masked Mare spoke, weakly, pained, and even just a word made the Princess freeze. The split second between that word and the rest was one of anticipation.

“...Why can’t you just let me do this for you…?”

The Princess’s eyes widened in surprise at the words, as she attempted to process them. “W-what? Me…?”

They shared a moment of incredibly pained silence. Twilight tilted her head, desperately attempting to get a glimpse of the face of the hero of Ponyville, all the while the other did not move, simply wheezed in pain.

Twilight raised a hoof towards her mask.

For a moment. For one, fleeting, painful moment, the hero considered giving in.

Her breathing was uneasy, their eyes met, even covered in shadow. Even now, the Princess didn’t recognize her.

But if she let this happen, she would.

Her heart raced. It raced because she wanted to leave. It raced because she wanted to stay.

Until…

With a flash, the Princess of Valor appeared out of thin air, falling on the floor of the alleyway, landing with a frustrated grunt.

“Ugh. Solid…!” She exhaled, standing up, with a yawn that implied that she had just woken up. And then she saw…

Twilight Sparkle, looking at her with silent, immense confusion and surprise, and next to her… Some sort of masked hero– But one she could easily identify through the torn mask, and through the simple fact that she was here.

And just like that, in a frantic confused panic, the Mysterious Mare Do Well teleported away.

“No!!! No!!” Twilight shouted in sadness, losing track of her.

“What did I just drop in… is this the Lantern Festival…?” the Valkyrie questioned, looking up, still feeling exhaustion.

“Y-you!!” Twilight turned to her, in flabbergasted surprise, scanning her with a look, and inspecting her wings, she was even more shocked. “Aren’t you… S-Sunset Shimmer?! What happened to you?! You’re an Alicorn?!! Where have you been?! Hasn’t it been… Six years?!”

“U-um, Twi, I’m uhh–” She began to explain, but the Princess of friendship shook her head. “N-no!! Sorry. Talk to me some other time! I have to go find her…!” And with that, she took flight.

“Twilight, wait! I can help!” The Valkyrie took flight after her, intent on discovering what the hell was going on with this universe, and if possible, helping her.

How could I almost let this happen. How could I let her get so close.

And now, it might be over.

It might be time to go…

“Ready?” Maud Pie asked cautiously, quietly, with anticipation.

“Ready.” The Masked Mare braced herself.

Swiftly, and as gently as she could, the Earth Pony pulled what remained of the arrow lodged in the side of the hero’s flank, who hissed pain. Maud immediately began tending to the wound, making sure it was properly cleaned and bandaged.

The Mysterious Mare Do Well looked at herself in the mirror, no longer wearing a mask, and most of her outfit. She had blood in most of her face, dripping out of her nose and a bit dried on her chin, not to mention a couple of bruises. Her horn still burned– It was sensitive to the touch in the most painful way, due to overexertion of her magic.

The most distinctive wound was a cut that went incredibly close and above her left eye– One that forced her eyes to be unevenly open, with the left one being narrow.

I… look like mom.

“I… I look like my mother.” She let out an ironic frail chuckle, leading her gaze to the reflection of the mare that was currently patching her up.

“How so?” Maud asked simply, while working diligently.

“She… Well… She got into bar fights often when she was younger, so one of her eyes didn’t open properly.” A simple conversation was an easy way to suppress the pain she felt in her entire body. As she spoke, she bandaged a hoof that was cut by metal.

I wish I was thinking about anything else.

But there’s not much good to think about right now.

For only a moment, Maud stopped, to ensure that she was looking directly in the eyes of the Mare of Mystery, through her reflection. “How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”

I can’t remember how long it’s been.

“...Almost a decade, I think...” She spoke, definitively. “I… I shouldn’t have brought it up. I don’t want to talk about it.”

With an affirming hum, the Earth Pony nodded. “How was the night? I saw you from the crowd. You were pretty incredible as usual.”

“8.5 I think. Bordering on 9.” She hissed in pain.

“Not as bad as the skeleton army and the Sorceress, then? You’ve taken worse beatings.” She was nearly done patching her up, but continued incredibly carefully.

Even worse than those…

Hanging her head low, the hero shook her head quietly. “Yeah, but… I think I’m done. I think Twilight knows it’s me.”

A brief moment of uneasy silence passed, one that was accentuated only by the noises made on the quiet cave river that passed by Maud’s home. She spoke, deadpan as always, but uncertain. “...What happened?”

How could I explain it? I don’t even know.

Reminiscing on those incredibly recent moments was already painful. “My mask got torn. I’m pretty sure she saw my eye color. And not just that, but… I’ve seen some weird shit, in this job… but never a clone of me appearing out of thin air.”

“Clone? Maybe it was Chrysalis again.”

“No. Chrysalis doesn’t know my face. This clone looked like me… Without the suit. Just… Normal. I don’t know what sort of divine punishment I have going on, but… Holy shit, why is someone parading my face around… Right next to Twilight. I’m fucked. She must have connected the dots by now. Remembered me. I think… I think I might need to go. I can’t… I can’t have anypony knowing that the Mare Do Well is… Me.” She let out a long exhale, one that indicated just how exhausted she was.

What lies beyond the mask is nothing.

Maud remained silent for a moment, thinking. Thinking strongly. Then she spoke. “Well… I can’t stop you, if you want to. But I think Ponyville is better with you in it. And I’d miss you.”

“...I’d miss you too. You rock.” Gazing at her friend’s reflection, the hero smiled, genuinely, if not weakly, and the Earth pony shared on that smile, even blowing air from her nostrils, which in Maud language translated to laughing so much she was crying. “You’re so funny.”

But then, returning her gaze at her own reflection, the hero shook her head. “It’s not me that Ponyville needs. They need the mask. It was never about me… Twilight, she…” She stopped, shuddering, exhaling once more.

I didn’t want to face her again. I never even wanted her to think about me– The real me, again. I wanted her to forget I ever existed.

“Maybe this could be a good thing. Twilight finally knowing about you. You could finally explain to her why you do it?” In a way, this could convince the hero to stay, as well.

“It can't be. It just can't. This face… This mask… The pony beyond it is dead. I didn’t want to ever… To ever have to face her again.”

Letting out a slight smile, Maud joked to lighten the mood– The closest that a pony like her could joke, anyway. “Well, if you have been discovered, at least I can finally tell Pinkie that I kissed and banged the ‘Mysterious Mare Do Well’ a couple times.”

Containing laughter, the hero of Ponyville shook her head. “Pff. I imagine she’d be disappointed, knowing who I really am.”

“Pinkie doesn’t get disappointed easily. And also, you’re great.”

She shuddered in pain, despite being thankful of the comment, but the stoic Earth Pony comforted her with a smile.

It was good while it lasted.

But it’s over now.

It’s all over… isn’t it…?

They shared quiet smiles, as the Earth Pony finalized the bandaging, but then both of their ears twitched, hearing a knock in Maud’s front door.

“I’m not expecting anypony.” Maud blinked, nudging her head in a specific direction, signaling to her to move.

The Masked Mare instantly sprung to action, even if it hurt. She swiftly equipped her torn mask, her hat, and the rest of her suit, and bolted to an end of the cave.

And slowly, domestically, Maud went towards her front door cautiously, moving by her cave-home quietly.

“Who is it?” She called out, barely raising her voice.

“Umm… Maud? It’s Twilight! I, uh, have to talk to you, it’s a bit important…” The muffled voice of the princess was unmistakable, but she was still careful.

She opened the door, but only enough to peek her head. “Hello Twilight Sparkle. To what do I owe the pleasu–” She stopped. Because right besides the Princess, was a very familiar Alicorn, and a tall and strong one at that. “Um.”

“Hey, Maud. Can we come in? It’s about me. The other me.” The Valkyrie spoke with a quiet grin.

A brief moment of silence passed. Maud’s eyes were fixed on the Princess of Valor. Who with a tilt of the head, smirked.

“Holy shit you’re tall” Maud spoke softly.

Twilight’s gaze bounced from the Earth Pony to the Alicorn, weirding out the interaction, but connecting a few dots. “We… We know about her. Is she here…?”

“Ahem” Maud cleared her throat, deadpan, regaining her composure. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. But if you’d like to come in…”

“I would.” The Alicorn placed a decisive, dominating hoof on the door, coming a little closer to the Earth pony.

“...Okay.” Maud replied softly, letting go of the door, allowing the Valkyrie to come inside and also do whatever she wanted, a bit mesmerized. And as she passed, the Alicorn bumped Maud’s side with her own for good measure. “You look good too.” She winked.

”Holy shit”

Twilight followed along, a bit more shy, addressing the Princess of Valor. “...What was that all about?”

With a light chuckle, the Valkyrie shook her head. “I learned, a bunch of dimensions back, that Maud is susceptible to having a crush on me. So I figured her reaction would be telling if she knows the me from here.”

Turning her head to Maud, she asked an interesting question. “So, what is the other me, your superhero girlfriend or something?”

Blinking only once, Maud followed along. “It’s pretty hard to call somepony a girlfriend when you can’t introduce other ponies in town to her, or your family, or even go on dates… Unless they’re costume parties, and even then, you can’t even admit you know each other. …We are what we are.”

“Hm. How about that? I guess there was some other universe for this after all.” The Valkyrie shrugged with a delighted smile.

“G-gosh… The multiverse… This is crazy…!” The Princess pondered to herself, but not for long, because quite fast she noticed a couple of bloody hoof prints. And turning to Maud, she saw that her front hooves were also a bit bloody, having spent a prolonged amount of time previously helping patch up the hero.

“Oh. Crap.” The Earth Pony stated simply, looking down at her bloody hooves, as the Valkyrie entered the room that she had just been tending to the hero of Ponyville on.

It was pretty easy to deduce what had happened here, for the two intelligent Alicorns, but the Earth Pony had to say something anyway. “She ran away when she heard the knocks. She’s pretty skittish.”

Exhaling in frustration, Twilight turned to her in confusion and annoyance. “Maud, why did you never tell me that you had the Mysterious Mare Do Well just– Living secretly in your house?!?! Don’t you know how long I’ve been looking to find out about her?!?! And you never told me she slept here?! Why?!”

“Because I’m not a snitch.” The Earth Pony stated simply, tilting her head. “And also I figured the least I could do to reward the Protector of Ponyville was a roof over her head. She was sleeping in caves when I found her. I just gave her a proper place to rest, and decent meals. She deserved it.”

“Same old Maud…!” The Valkyrie chuckled. “Thanks for looking out for the other me.”

“B-but…” Twilight exhaled, looking down with sorrow. “She’s gone again… I just…”

“No. She’s here.” The Valkyrie led her gaze with a point, upwards.

In the darkness, in the walls of the roof of the cave, there was a figure, an unmistakable figure, watching the scene. They all looked at her in silence.

“What the fuck are you?!” She snarled from above. “Are you a changeling?!”

“I’m you from another universe. You should come down before you hurt yourself, you looked pretty banged up back there…” Her other self tilted her head with concern.

“How did you find me?!” She asked, with the same anger.

“When you’re cursed to travel the multiverse, you start seeing some predictable patterns of yourself– This isn’t the first universe where I used Maud’s home as a hideout, and also, you had a very faint trail of blood that led to the Everfree forest, despite your teleportations. I put two and two together.” She shrugged, well aware of how predictable she was becoming to herself.

“How do I know you’re not some kind of trick, or monster?!” The same voice snarled from above, not budging an inch.

“You became this hero persona because you were ashamed of who you are under the mask– But you felt indebted to Twilight for saving your life all those years ago, right?”

“H-how…!”

“It’s what I would have done… What I could have done.”

A moment of uneasy silence passed. Twilight nodded quietly, attempting to be reassuring. “I-it’s okay! I know now… Please just come down so we can talk properly…!”

More silence. More hesitation.

Finally, after a long while, she shuffled down skillfully, ignoring the pain, and walked slowly towards the trio, still wearing her torn mask and hat, leaving the shadows, limping.

Finally, after so many years, with resignation… She slowly took her hat and mask off in front of the Princess of Friendship.

“S-so it’s true…!” Twilight widened her eyes. “S-Sunset Shimmer…!”

Sunset Shimmer sat, covered in her own blood and bruises. Her hair cut short, with only a small side sweep, perfect for fitting in a tight mask, with an exhausted, mournful gaze, unsteady breathing, and not to mention, one of her eyes was half closed due to her wounds… Her face already full of scars from previous fights in the past few years.

“...You look like mom…” The Valkyrie’s gaze became mournful as well, only for a moment.

“...You really are me. And with wings, too…!” The hero of Ponyville said, defeated, her gaze stuck to the ground, unable to look the Princess of Friendship in the eye.

“Sunset…” Twilight looked into her bruised and bloody face, into her tired green eyes. “...Why…?”

Shaking her head slowly, she spoke slowly, weakly. “I never cared for Ponyville. Not at the beginning, at least… I love the town now, but… I was doing this for you. It was always for you.”

Her eyes widened, with the same concerned surprise. “W-what do you mean…?”

The hero continued speaking, with a frail, tired, weak voice. “...You saved me. I stole your crown, became a monster, and you… You still save me. You were the perfect pupil of Celestia… Everything I wasn’t. And you even offered to help me. But I ran away… Not because of you… I ran away because of me. I couldn’t stand myself. I looked at my reflection everyday and felt… Shame. Hate. But I still… I still had a debt to pay to you.”

Bringing a shocked hoof to her own lips, the Princess of Friendship was completely surprised. After all, she had forgotten about Sunset Shimmer– It had been one more villain she had defeated years ago, one where her mentor occasionally mentioned missing, but gone, nonetheless. She thought she was dead. She thought she hadn’t truly managed to help Sunset.

“I thought that if I looked after Ponyville, if I just kept the town safe, you could rest more. You could just… have a life with less worries. I don’t know. I didn’t plan to become some sort of symbol, it just happened. I just… I just wanted to repay my debt to you.”

“Why couldn’t you tell me…?”

“Twilight, I couldn’t stand me. I hate… What lies beyond this mask, I hate it. I couldn’t… I couldn’t ever face you, or Celestia again. Not after what I did. I knew I didn’t deserve your forgiveness, I knew I couldn’t ever show my face around Equestria anywhere, but I had to… I had to repay my debt.”

Exhaling, Twilight shook her head, then smiled genuinely, a weary, kind smile. “But I forgave you…! …I forgive you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me, for Ponyville… For me. You… you’re incredible, Sunset. I’ll keep your secret if that’s what you want… If you need any help whatsoever, I’m yours. I owe you everything… Thank you so, so much… Just… Thank you for being you.”

Silence.

The wounded hero’s eyes were widened, and her face was red, and she didn’t know what to say.

She looked down for a moment, then back at the Princess. “...And you’re okay… You’re okay that it’s me?” She gestured at the burnt mask on the floor.

“More than okay.” Twilight smiled genuinely with a nod. “You have no idea how happy I am, that it’s a familiar, friendly face.” She chuckled, shaking her head, reminiscing. “Rainbow thought you were Lightning Dust– Somehow having learned magic just to one-up her.”

Blowing raspberries, Sunset shook her head. “Wow, that loudmouth would have never figured it out.”

“Look, Sunset…” Twilight got a bit closer, regarding her with pity, but also joy, and this time, Sunset did not recoil. “Celestia would be really, really happy to know it’s you, and that you’re okay. …But I’ll only tell her if you’re okay with it… Okay…?”

Nodding slowly, suppressing a smile, Sunset wiped some of her own blood off her face. “I’ll, uh… I'll think about it… If that’s okay…?”

“Okay.” Twilight’s smile was wide. They were both exhausted, but now they were smiling.

“...I, uh, didn’t imagine this would go like… This.” Sunset exhaled, unable to suppress a smile.

Maud approached her with a quiet, small smile, and raised an eyebrow.

Chuckling, Sunset rolled her eyes. “...Go on, say it.”

“I told you so.” Maud stated with that same smile, then kissed her on the cheek, a kiss she went ‘ow’ over due to the bruises, but still enjoyed.

Both Twilight and Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of it all, and for the simple joy of understanding each other, and Maud, of course, laughed on the inside.

“Well!” The Valkyrie snickered, as she made her way out the door. “You two can sort yourselves out now, and I’ll be on my way. The Lantern Festival is still going on, and I want to catch a bit of it before I get thrown into the next universe. I’ll say, though, you’re definitely one of the better me’s out there, me. Nice hustle, hero.”

The three of them watched her move away, and she waved goodbye with a wing, with final parting words. “Oh, by the way? In my universe I’m married to Twilight Sparkle. Good luck with that.”

The atmosphere got very awkward and very flustered for the trio… But not for long.

After the reveal they had previously experienced, this was only one more for the pile.

Despite everything, the Princess of Valor chose not to go into town after all, merely watching the light show from a hill, near the border of the everfree forest.

The skies were lit completely with lanterns that scattered in every direction.

She took a long inhale, feeling the wind on her mane.

It was strange, considering that some universes shared the same holidays, in the same days– after all, she and her wife had planned to enjoy this one together as well– As they had, plenty of years before.

One thing that a lot of universes shared: Twilight’s castle. Seeing that felt… Wrong. Strange.

Because in her universe, her getting together with Twilight, her becoming an Alicorn… The destruction of the castle was directly tied to it. In none of the universes she went to, did Ponyville have a community center…

Their community center. So every time she saw that castle, she knew. She knew this universe would be one of distance.

After a while, she took a glance to her left, and a bit further off, she saw the trio– Sunset, Maud and Twilight, walking over to the hill, and laying down on the grass, watching the show together in silence. And she smiled when she saw that her other self wasn’t wearing her mask.

She wondered, only for a moment, what kind of hero she would be now, now that she could maybe, just maybe, through Twilight… Love herself.

There had been many worlds where she tried her best to help– But she was getting tired.

The exhaustion was catching up to her. Even with being an Alicorn, getting unstable one-hour sleep bursts wasn't doing the trick to rest her fully, and slowly, she was feeling weaker.

She considered trying to sleep… But she couldn’t. Not when her wife might be watching the same light show she was back home.

Spike and Fluttershy returned from the festival, holding several snacks and sweets, and sat on the balcony, giving each other knowing glances and nods, as they saw Twilight– Still working diligently on the machine, still being incredibly focussed, and incredibly exhausted.

“We’re back!” Fluttershy spoke with a rehearsed innocence. “Would you like some snacks from the festival?”

Suppressing giggles, attempting to contain the ruse, Spike sat down. “We’ve got caramel apples, apple fritters, some pretzels…”

“--Sure. Bring them over here, please.” Twilight muttered, not paying attention.

Silence. She turned her head, and saw the duo sitting down, on top of a picnic blanket no less, with all their snacks, looking at her with eyebrows raised.

“...Can you please bring an apple fritter over here…?” The Princess spoke, only a bit demanding, tired.

“I dunnoooooo…” Spike spoke, deviously looking at Fluttershy, who continued with him; “It would likely damage the Equipment if you got crumbs on it, Twilight. Better not…!” They both batted their eyes innocently.

From his cage, Hermes had been sleeping, but awoke with their arrival, just in time to give his opinion. “They’re right, this equipment is quite volatile! You shouldn’t eat near it– Trust me, I once nearly became bald–”

“--Fine.” The Princess exhaled, annoyed, and walked forward, taking his cage with her, placing it on the far end of the balcony, but at a distance that Fluttershy could hand him some of the snacks. “But only for ten minutes.” She spoke, grabbing a delicious, warm, fresh apple fritter.

And just like that, they watched the lanterns dance in the sky, and the people of Ponyville enjoyed themselves with party and reverie, on this quiet, beautiful night.

They ate in silence, watching the show, and focusing on nothing more.

It wasn’t long before Twilight accepted that she couldn’t work more tonight. It wasn’t long before tears filled her eyes– After all, the last time she had seen this, she had a warm wing covering her, belonging to none other than Sunset Shimmer.

The night felt cold. And it felt lonely– All while still being beautiful.

“Twilight…” Fluttershy spoke softly, getting her attention. “...Next year.”

They shared an understanding nod– Even if it was difficult to feel hope, fighting against these odds.

As she returned her gaze to the lanterns and the stars once more, she closed her eyes, and spoke weakly. “...I think…” She shuddered, cold. “I think I’m ready to go to sleep now.”

“It’s okay… We’ll clean up for you!” Spike nodded with an understanding smile– After all, he was planning on sleeping in this room, as was Fluttershy.

“Goodnight.” The Princess stood and walked away, and the three that remained wished her the same.

She shambled through the silent halls of their community center, finally reaching her room.

Opening the door, it was dark, and as quiet as a tomb.

She took a moment to drink in the sight. Her bed, large, but empty.

Exhaling, she shook those thoughts off, and climbed on the bed, crawling under the covers, feeling the emotional exhaustion of two days catching up to her, after all, she had avoided sleeping well, or sleeping here, since then.

She reached for Sunset’s pillow, and inhaled. It still smelled just like her…

Embracing it, she kept that scent close, and fell asleep.

Author's Note

Okay right off the bat I need to say something, this is not meant to be a mystery chapter. The moment you read the title, I expect you to think "Oh nice, Sunset is the Mare Do Well" Lmao. What I mean is I don't consider my readers idiots, it only took time for the story to be open with it cause it made for much better prose! Saving the reveal for when its adequate to the outside characters!

(I ALMOST wrote the sweetiebelle fan theories segment. almost. the chapter was long enough as it is)

Also. Can you see why this is my second favorite of all of the chapters I'll write on this fic? Maybe not, maybe I'm just nuts lmao. Good fun to have an inner Narration though! Instead of an justice league vibe, like in the power ponies chapter, it was more of a Daredevil vibe, hehe. (watch the original netflix show its really good) Mostly I think its just my personal preference for Sunsets-- Having a profoundly heroic Sunset who is her own worst enemy, despite her heroic deeds, she still profoundly hates herself, is so fucking fun. And I think Ponyville deserves a hero.

This chapter is similar to 'Firestorm' in a sense that Sunset is nearly heroic, active, but still hates herself. and it makes for BALLIN good action.

The Hero of Ponyville. I wound up changing how she looked in the poster, shes one of the few arts I wasn't satisfied with.

Also I really wanted to give a chance for a universe to have a heroic Sunset-- But one with still all of her personal vices. Becoming this mask literally allows her to be better in every possible way she wished, she couldn't compartmentalize who she was before that... but maybe she can now.

This is def the kind of universe I like to think about what could have happened post-Valkyrie-visit, heheh. The weirdest most esoteric polycule in the multiverse. Generally, imagine her ever unmasking herself in front of Ponyville, heh. would be fun. But most importantly, becoming a much more confident and openly heroic hero. Not like, as stuck up and arrogant as puss in boots in the beginning of the last wish, but like, enjoying her heroic deeds much like him!

Also I imagined a Chrysalis classic joke of "Finally I can know what the Mare Do Well's secret identity is...! ...I have no idea who this is."

I will say, I've never been into crack ships, Maud and Sunset is the only one I've ever even felt something about, and its exclusively because its fucking funny. Though that also stems from sunpie, I imagined how fucking hilarious it'd be if Sunset somehow at some point got to be with all of the Pie sisters lmao.

I NEEED to sketch this with twilight too lmao. Can you imagine this though: the most stoic boring pony in all of town is seen macking on the hero of Ponyville. people would lose their shits. I honestly could write a whole chapter of maud just comically keeping the Mare Do Well living in her house secret, all while Pinkie is suspicious of her.

In a sense, (Much like daredevil season 3) sunset literally does not take off the mask when shes out, she is always on this persona, her old life is done, certainly something. Just saying that Rarity interview has a lot of fun bits and pieces that highlight the themes and things that will go on later (including Maud being with Sunset at the party heheh)

Also! Sequences with the wife will continue to appear inbetween chapters now! It will become a little mish mashy.

For now, I think I'll slow down my pace, big time. There's still like four or so chapters before I get to my favorite of all, and honestly I been pushing it with how much time I spend writing, I think, lol.

I believe I might start trying to make a YTP for the first time! specifically, one for the rollercoaster of friendship special lmao.

Either way. Next chapter? Let's just say it's great and powerful.