The Adventures of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!

MONDAY: DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT

It was hotter than hell out in Canterlot today, a strange change in weather given it was still the coat end of winter. As the sun bared down onto the crowd of people standing in the middle of the street surrounding the crime scene, I stood in the far back in an alley, hiding in the shadows perched up on top of a dingy air conditioning unit that was hanging over a door to some underground club. The crowd had been blocked off by a line of yellow police tape, blocking them from the crime scene, which had been a destroyed restaurant on the corner intersection of 5th and Marwood Ave. It was some Indian joint called ‘The Tasty Treat’, or used to be at least since the place was completely burned down. I never had it myself, but one time I heard Rarity and Pinkie recommend it after they visited it for some project. Who I assumed to be the owners of the place were sitting down on the steps of the entrance. A heavier built man with a mustache was holding a weeping woman with long curly hair. As insensitive as it is for me to say given the circumstances, she was quite beautiful.

A fire fighter and police officer were standing above them, jotting down notes as they talked to the two. Though, the man looked irritated throughout the discussion. Eventually another police cruiser pulled up to the scene, and stepped out from the driver side was Lieutenant Spitfire. On the passenger side was the man himself, Commander Easy Glider. He wasn’t wearing his signature fur collared pilot jacket, no doubt due to the heat. He took out a piece of white cloth from his shirt pocket and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with it. He was saying something to Spitfire, and the two nodded to each other before taking off their sunglasses and entering the scene. It was hard to make out what was going on, so I decided to sit back in the shadows and wait for Easy Glider to get away from Spitfire and the other officers.

After about five minutes, Easy Glider stepped out of the burnt down establishment, looking over to Spitfire and gesturing for her to talk to the two owners. Old bastard clearly didn’t like talking to civilians. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped to the side of the restaurant’s main entrance, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. I took this moment as my chance to signal for him.

Pulling out a glass shard from within my cloak, I put it out of the shadows and into the sunlight, slanting it a bit so that the sunlight reflected off the glass and towards the Commander. A bright light flashed across his face, causing him to squint his eyes and cover them with his hand. He peaked through the slits of his fingers, staring right at me from across the street. Contempt with where he was looking, I put the glass shard down. His eyes widened, and he looked around at the officers. After a moment, he pulled out his phone, tapped a nearby officer on the shoulder, and told him something while pointing at his phone. The officer nodded and returned to his position. My guess is he told him he was going to take a call.

Commander Easy Glider slid past the crowd of on lookers, somehow avoiding notice of anybody. He ran across the street with his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the alley I was in. Once he was directly under me, he leaned up against the wall next to the clubs' entrance door, taking out his phone and pretending to call someone.

“Haven’t seen you all weekend. Nor on Friday night” he said, still staring at the crowd on the other side of the street while pretending to be on his phone. He put his cigarette in his mouth, blowing out a cloud of smoke before letting the stick dangle from his lips. I pushed myself deeper into the shadows, making sure that nobody could see me.

“Sorry, I’ve just been busy,” I responded in my ghostly whisper. This of course wasn’t entirely true. On Friday night, after I left Red Hearts place, I returned back to my apartment. My original plan was to stitch up the costume, wash it, take a shower and head back out for the night. But once I got home, I immediately stripped naked and collapsed onto my bed, passing out for the rest of the night. I ended up sleeping all day Saturday, and half way through Sunday. Apparently, Rarity and Applejack came by, but I was way past the hell out to have even heard the knocks. I have to call them back later. When I had woken up late into Sunday, I was shocked to realize just how long I had been out. I guess operating on no sleep or rest took more out of me then I thought it would. Still, I had been awake for almost an entire week straight.

After my little break, I was clearer in the head to realize that my costume had been beyond screwed. The thing was so torn up, infected with shit from the sewer and beyond any form of repair that I just had to chuck the thing into the garbage. I of course kept my boots, gloves and even my mask and fedora, giving all of them extreme disinfected cleanings. The only real thing I had to patch up was the mask. The fedora had multiple holes and tears along the brim, but it was still wearable. Besides, good fedoras aren’t exactly cheap. For the mask I had to re-stitch some new cloth to where the tears were, along with replacing one of the acrylic eyes. A few hours and some YouTube videos and the damn thing was functional again. As for the spandex themselves, I had to buy another full purple suit at the mall twenty minutes before it closed. I didn’t want to buy another one, in fact if I can avoid it, I will. Now with a cop on my side, I didn’t need him snooping around to try and figure out my identity, even if I did trust him. It wouldn’t be hard to find me if I ordered a shit ton of dark purple suits. It’s not like there were many shops that sold them to look through. I also had to buy some cloth for a brand-new cloak, which also took the rest of my Sunday night making. It was times like these I wished I could tell at least Rarity about my true identity.

“You don’t say. You know one of my detectives saw you at the Diamond Dogs fighting ring. He said you went really fucking ballistic.” I looked down at him for a bit, before turning my attention back to the scene that was across the street from us.

“Did he tell you about their involvement?” Easy Glider sighed before taking another long drag from his cigarette.

“Yeah. But damnit, it’s not like we can use his statement to authorize any kind of operation out there.” I looked down at him, a little surprised at his statement.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Well, we can’t take the confessions of a man that was almost beaten half to death by a vigilante. The DA won’t sign off to that. Especially given the manpower and resources we’d need to even get an operation past that God damn forest and up that mountain.” Shit...I hadn’t really thought about that. But to be fair, I wasn’t really thinking at all that night. “Also, what the fuck was up with that...I guess transformation you did?” He asked. I looked back down at him, confused at what he was asking.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, my detective said that during the fight, you transformed into some kind of...I guess horse girl thing.” What the Hell? I didn’t remember any of that. My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the night of the fall formal. The magic that Twilight and her friends were using. Had I tapped into that power the other night? There’s no damn way that was possible. Although Easy Glider couldn’t see it, panic was spread across my face. Trying my best to regain my composure, I spoke.

“Interesting. I’ll have to look into that,” and look into that I most certainly will.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. If you didn’t see anything, it probably didn’t happen. Detective Soarin’s got quite the wild imagination. Plus, the poor bastard had been pulling doubles in his operation. He probably just hallucinated the thing,” said Easy Glider. I wasn’t contempt with this explanation at all, but I’ll focus on it later.

“Sure...so, I just need to find you a different piece of evidence that the DA will authorize?” I asked, trying to move on from the topic of magic.

“That, or you can go up that damn mountain and dismantle the operation yourself. Either way, my hands are tied at this moment.” I was a bit disappointed to hear this, but wasn’t entirely surprised.

“Do you have anything on Spoiled?” I asked.

“Not on her specifically. But we were able to get some intel pertaining to Blue Blood. You were right, we, or at least I, now know his connections to the mob. Got some word by my officers that he’s holding a party this Friday. Only super high members of society are allowed in. But Spoiled Rich will be there.” He blew out some more smoke, and turned his head sideways, barely looking up at the AC unit I was crouched on top of. “We actually managed to snag two tickets. Obviously, members of law enforcement aren’t allowed in... but perhaps you’d like to check it out?” A huge grin shined underneath my stitched-up mask.

“Of course I’d be interested,” I responded. Easy Glider smiled, and turned back to face the crowd.

“Cool. Swing by my office later tonight or any night before Friday, they’re yours,” he said. Happy with the results of our conversation, I decided to ask the burning question I had ever since I got here.

“What’s going on over there?” Easy Glider sighed, and dropped his cigarette to the floor before snuffing it out with the heel of his shoe.

“I was actually going to talk to you about that. We’ve had some arson issues of late. Independent businesses have been going up in flames. We believe they’re all connected. But for some reason, the owners are too terrified to tell us anything of worth. If I’m being honest, we’re kind of stumped on this one. Look, I know our... weird relationship is solely based on stopping Sombra and the drug operations here, but do you think you can look into this one?” I hesitated to answer for a moment. I was only really interested in taking down Sombras mob. But, the words of Red Heart echoed in my mind.

Sunset...you saved my life

Then I suddenly remembered Diamond Tiara, and what she told me that other night.

You’re kind of like a hero

I didn’t consider myself a hero of any sorts...but maybe just this once....

“Yeah, I’ll look into it.” I finally said. Easy Glider took a sigh of relief, as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

“Great. Stay right here, I have something to get.” He ran out of the alley, and back across the street, still with the phone up to his ear. Making his way past the crowd of spectators, he got back into the police cruiser. After a while, he emerged out, holding a yellow folder in his right hand, and the phone up against his ear with his left. He then ran back across the street and back into the alley.

“Here,” he said throwing the folder on top of a nearby trash can. “Its’ everything we have on this case. Don’t worry we have extras. Also, here’s some wreckage we found at this crime scene. At all the scenes, there’s mechanical parts scattered everywhere. Thought you could make something of it.” He pulled out a small piece of red scrap metal from his pocket, and threw it on top of the folder.

“I’ll keep in touch.” I said. He nodded, before putting the phone back into his pocket and walking out of the alley. Quickly, I hopped off of the AC unit, grabbed the items from on top of the trash can, and disappeared into the blackness of the alley.

SUNSETS APARTMENT

"Sunset, this is not what we agreed on!” Red Heart said through gritted teeth. She had been standing behind me, replacing the bandages around my head and cleaning the wound from the two large gashes. I was sitting down on the sofa of my living room, eating an apple while I stared down at the case file in my lap.

“Check this out Red, apparently the fire inspectors have evidence that points to a high frequency of concentrated flames. Meaning this shit isn’t some grease fire or accident. I think it’s a flamethrower,” I said, ignoring Red's protest.

“I’m serious Sunset, this wasn’t in our agreement. We agreed that you would focus on taking down the mob and stopping the drug game here, as impossible as that already is. We didn’t say anything about you adding on more danger to your life.” I turned my head around and looked up at her.

“Oh come on Red, these people have had their livelihoods destroyed, and the police can’t figure out who’s behind this.” I turned back around to the sheets of paper in my lap. “Whoever is doing this is ruining good, innocent people's lives. I have to bring them into justice.” I could hear Red snicker behind me.

“Oh wow, so the big bad Sunset Shimmer wants to actually help people?” She gasped in an exaggerated manner. “And here I thought that she was just doing this out of some misplaced sense of guilt and depression. Do my ears deceive me?” The mocking tone in her voice almost made me smile.

“Oh be serious Red. Our agreement is still on, but I have to check this shit out. If you’re just going to be a pain in the ass then the doors right behind you.”

“Oh as if.” Red scoffed. “If it wasn’t for me Shimmer, the terrifying ghostly Mare-Do-Well would be dead. Besides, if I wasn’t here, you’d probably just take all these bandages off and go jump into another sewer or something. Also, who reminded you to eat today?” I looked down at the apple I was munching on, blushing a bit as I knew she was right.

“Yes, lucky me. What would I do without you.” I still wasn’t on board with Red Heart knowing my identity. The screwed-up part of my brain didn’t like how much it grounded me to an extent. Now I’d have to worry about an innocent woman's life since she’s now affiliated with me.... but I can’t lie. It’s kind of nice having someone around. It makes the voices in my head go away sometimes. “Anyways, have you ever been to any of these restaurants?” I asked, handing her one of the sheets of paper. She took it from my hand and analyzed the sheet.

“Let me see. Oh wow, the Tasty Treat got burned down? It’s actually a really good place, and the owners are a father and daughter. Real nice people.” I rolled my eyes and looked back down to the other sheets.

“Yeah, that’s what Rarity and Pinkie said,” I mumbled.

“Well look at you. You know for someone that hates everything and wants nothing to do with those girls, you sure do talk about them a lot.” I didn’t have to look at her to know she was grinning.

“Just keep reading the damn paper,” I growled, to which she just chuckled to herself. After a couple of seconds, Red put the piece of paper in front of me and pointed at two of the establishments listed.

“These two aren’t restaurants. This first place called Quills and Sofas sells furniture and writing utensils. The second one is a Pawnshop just outside of downtown,” she said. I grabbed the paper from her and re-read the two lines.

“Interesting. So, what the hell? What are the connections between the two?” I asked out loud. If the connections weren’t amongst restaurants, then it had to be something else. But, what the hell could it be? I mean, a damn furniture store and some shitty pawn shop? This was getting weird. My focus had been broken by my phone buzzing beside me. Glancing at it, I saw that it was a message from Applejack. “Shit,” I mumbled. I grabbed my phone and opened the message. It read:

Hey Sunset. None of us have seen you or heard from you for over a week. We’re awfully worried about you. I know you probably don’t want to talk to any of us, but we just want to know that you’re okay. It would mean a lot if you could come down to the farm for a bit. Just you and me, I promise. I got those maps you were looking for. If not, then I won’t bother you anymore.

I sighed and threw my face into my palms. Red stopped wrapping the new bandages around my head and tilted hers in confusion.

“What’s up?” she asked. I handed her the phone without lifting my face up. I don’t know why to be honest. It wasn’t any of her business. But I guess I just needed to hear someone else’s opinion. After a moment of her reading, she sighed. “Well, looks like someone has some friends that are worried about her,” she said. I lifted my head back up, allowing her to wrap the new bandages around me.

“Screw you,” I blurted. But she just giggled to herself.

“Well, what are you going to do miss Shimmer?” she asked.

“I’m going over there after this. Just for those maps. I need them before I go back down into the sewer.” I could feel the mood in her change after I said this.

“Wait, you’re going back down there?” the sadness in her voice was almost deafening. Almost.

“Of course. The Changelings are still operating down there and trafficking the crystals. I need to stop them. But I need those maps to get a better understanding of the old sewer's layouts so I don’t just jump in there unprepared like a dumbass. Barely made it out alive the last time I did that,” I responded. Red didn’t say anything for a bit. I don’t think she was too thrilled with the prospect of me going back down such a hellhole...and to be honest neither was I. Eventually she spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, I think it’s wonderful you’re going to talk to Applejack. You need a friend to talk too right now,” she said as she finished applying the new bandage. I rolled my eyes and stood up before walking over to my wardrobe. “So, what are you going to tell her?” Asked Red.

“Tell her what?” I asked grabbing a pair of blue denim jeans and a grey t-shirt.

“About your injuries. Granted you look a lot better than before I worked my magic, but you still look like hell,” said Red. I looked into the mirror on my wardrobe door, examining the state I was in. To her credit, she was right. I looked like hammered shit. The bruises were fading away, but they were still plenty of them around my face. The large white bandage around my head was going to be very difficult to explain, and I still had a massive fresh scar across the bridge of my nose. Additionally, my hand was still wrapped due to a hairline fracture, and the most difficult one of all to explain was my front missing tooth.

“I don’t know, I didn’t really think about it,” I said taking off the baggy white shirt that I had on. I saw Red grimace to herself before looking away. Her face expressed clear sadness as I undressed. It didn’t surprise me to be honest, the state my body was in was, well, horrific. My entire torso was covered in stitches, scars, bruises and bandages. I dreaded to see what my failed attempts at cauterizations looked like once I took my bandages off. I looked over to Red again, frowning a bit to myself as I recalled just how awfully I treated her in the past. She really was a gifted health care provider. But her skills made me have one burning question.

“Hey Red, can I ask you something?” I asked, putting my jeans on and hopping a bit as I lifted them to my waist by the belt loops.

“Hmm? Sure, I guess, what’s up?” she asked, still looking away from me as I got ready. I grabbed a black leather belt from the bottom of the wardrobe, and began to insert it through the loops.

“Why aren’t you a doctor?” I asked bluntly. Red finally looked over to me with a puzzled look. I threw the grey t-shirt over my shoulder and closed the wardrobe door, before looking back over to her curiously with my hands on my hips.

“What, you’re still trying to give me crap Sunset?” she accused with a raised eyebrow. I smirked before shaking my head.

“No, I’m serious. I mean, you’re really good with medical practices. You’re right, I would be deader then shit if it wasn’t for you. You really patched me up. I mean, your skills are the equivalent to a doctor,” I explained. I slid on the t-shirt, tucking the front of it right behind the silver belt buckle, while letting the rest of the shirt drape over my waist. Red leaned against the back of my couch, crossing her arms as she stared off into space.

“Well, I did try to become a surgeon.” This definitely piqued my interest.

“No shit. What happened?”

“It’s kind of personal Sunset. Long story short, it didn’t work out for reasons. So, I went for the next thing I wanted to do, help children.” I couldn’t help but smile at this answer. The innocents in it made me...a little happy. I walked over to the front door, grabbing my boots and putting them on.

“So what, you couldn’t be a pediatrician?” Red laughed pretty hard at this.

“What miss Shimmer, is something wrong wanting to dedicate my life to school children in a school?” She asked with a sly grin. I chuckled a bit while tucking my pant legs into my boots.

“It’s a little shitty compared to being a pediatrician is all I’m saying. With skills like that, you could have quite a lavish career, making a shit ton of money,” I retorted while grabbing my leather jacket off the metal coat rack next to the door. Red just smiled and shook her head in disagreement.

“I think I see what your issue is Sunset.” I looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. “All you’ve ever cared about in life is power. You’ve only ever let your selfish desires dictate your actions. Never seeing the value in anything deeper than your needs and logical reasonings.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes to this.

“I thought you were a nurse, not a psychologist. What’s your point Red?” I asked, rather unamused. Red gave me a stern, serious look, staring me directly into my eyes as she spoke.

“Sunset, you only ever listen to the dark parts of here,” she said while pointing at her brain. “But you never allow yourself to listen to what’s in here,” she said pointing at her heart. I was left rather speechless. Granted, it was one of the corniest things I’ve ever heard. But...I can’t remember the last time I ever thought about anything other than my own desire for power, and my fallacies of perceived objectiveness I had with it. It’s been years since I’ve ever done something simply because I thought it was the right thing to do. Even with all of this Mare-Do-Well shit, it really just came down to me me me. The part that really got to me though as I thought about this...I can’t remember the last time I was truly happy.

“It’s an interesting thought,” I said seriously. But one I don’t think I was ready to face just yet. So, like I always do, I averted any attempt at self-discovery. “Screw all that bullshit, where would I be if I followed my heart?” I jokingly said as I grabbed my phone and house keys. Red sighed before smirking.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe properly atoning for your actions in a healthy way by apologizing to those you’ve hurt? Then grow a genuine friendship with those who are trying to offer it to you? Then probably seek mental help from a licensed therapist about your self-loathing and deteriorating mental state, all while finally allowing yourself to be happy and form a genuine connection here. I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot better than running around a grimy city losing your sanity by fist fighting every gang member, junkie killer you find. Just a thought.” I shook my head and smiled.

“You kidding? And miss out on getting my ass beaten to death? Sounds boring.” Red sighed and chuckled to herself, but I could tell behind that mask she wasn’t kidding. But...like I said, I wasn’t ready, nor did I want to be ready for a discussion like that. As I approached my front door, I looked back over to her and sighed.

“Listen Red, I’m going to give Applejack some bullshit explanation that I’ll pull out of my ass while I head over there. But I’m going to need you to back me up on it as a witness. I think they're starting to see past my shit. Especially her.” Red’s eyes widened, and she began rapidly shaking her head in disapproval.

“Oh no, absolutely not! You are not going to involve me in your lies with this. I won’t do it Sunset,” she said firmly. I began to open the door, ready to head out of my loft.

“Well, I wasn’t asking Red. Besides, you’re already involved in my bullshit. Should’ve just left me to die out there,” I said before walking out the door, slamming it behind me before allowing Red to even open her mouth for a response.

That really was not the conversation I wanted to have today.