The Legend of Mare-Do-Well

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The Legend of Mare-Do-Well trots along...

The Legend of Mare-Do-Well is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Fan Fiction written by JD2K. It revolves around Mare-Do-Well, from the series episode "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well", a role Pinkie Pie has taken on after an event with a young colt made her realize how Ponyville truly needed a hero. The series is written in the style of typical superhero stories, featuring alter ego difficulties, crazy supervillains, and quite a bit more.

Tropes used in The Legend of Mare-Do-Well include:

• And I Must Scream: When somepony loses a challenge to the Game Marester, she turns them into a trophy. However, it's heavily implied that, even as a trophy, they're still awake.
  • In Chapter 12, Pinkie's Confidence reveals the crystal arena where she is being "punished" for its sins actually has the rest of the emotions and personality traits trapped inside, unable to communicate and is the main reason why Pinkie Pie is in her coma.
• Badass Normal: Pinkie Pie turns into this as Mare-Do-Well, thanks to lots of training and determination.
• Breather Episode: Chapter 9 has almost literally nothing to do with Mare-Do-Well, and instead focuses on a dare Rainbow Dash made with Pinkie to prank a long list of different characters that Rainbow has never been able to prank. In fact, if not for a brief few sentences in which Pinkie heads out as MDW again, this chapter could be an entirely separate story altogether.
  • May also count as A Day in the Limelight for Rainbow Dash, as the story is shown through her perspective rather than Pinkie's for once.
• Break the Cutie: Thoroughly to Pinkie Pie in chapters 10 and 11.
• Butt Monkey: Rainbow Dash has become this as of late.
  • Applejack joins her in this role in chapter 12.
• Cerebus Syndrome: The first few chapters? Pinkie becoming Mare-Do-Well, having some small adventures, and taking down a bad guy or two. Then comes chapters ten and eleven.
• Chekhov's Gun: Pinkie Pie tries to solve the Cup and Balls magic trick earlier in Chapter 6. It turns out to be the All or Nothing final challenge Game Marester uses in Chapter 7.
  • After Pinkie asks for help from the rest of the mane six in the second chapter, she requests one thing from each of them. Everything she gets is either used in the next couple chapters or has already been used...except the meditation help from Fluttershy, which seems to have been forgotten. Pinkie later meditates in chapter 8 to heighten her senses and locate the captured children.
• Cliff Hanger: Naturally. Usually takes place at the end of the first chapter of the occasional two-chapter arc, such as the Game Marester arc. However, possibly the most chilling example would be at the end of chapter 11: Pinkie Pie seemingly gives up on Mare-Do-Well and appears to write a suicide note on Gummy's grave in blood. This is made worse by the very final text; normally each chapter ends with "The Legend of Mare-Do-Well trots along..." or "The Legend of Mare-Do-Well will resume...", but this one presents it as a question: "Will the Legend of Mare-Do-Well still trot along?"
• Contrived Coincidence: The truth behind all the pranks in Chapter 9.
• Continuity Nod: In one chapter, Spike mentions preparing a gem to eat on his birthday, referring to the events of "Secret of My Excess". Another nod to the same episode happens a couple of chapters later, when Pinkie is shown to be staying at Twilight's house until her bedroom at Sugarcube Corner is repaired from Spike's rampage.
  • In the midst of a Villainous Breakdown in Chapter 12, Dr. Caballus/the ponification of Pinkie Pie's Guilt mentions several events Pinkie Pie should still be guilty over including Pinkie's pranks,thinking Zecora was an evil enchantress, not liking her first dress and forcing Rarity to make another, and even stealing/eating cornbread. Mentioning her breakdown and paranoia over the events of "Party of One" was the last straw.
• Could Have Avoided This Plot: If only Rainbow Dash read the letter that Pinkie sent her, Dash would have realized Pinkie was preparing a cake and party for the anniversary of the day she first arrived in Ponyville from Cloudsdale instead of following the prank list that Dash feared.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Mr. P.
• Death Wail : Pinkie Pie at the end of chapter 11.
• Evilutionary Biologist: Dr. Caballus
• Fat Bastard: Bigtime.
• Food Fight: The climax of Pinkie's shattered nerves and stress in Chapter 5 becomes this. See below.
• For Science!: Dr. Caballus's modus operandi. He even lampshades it.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: When Ponyville gets its own police department, a few of them seem to hate Mare-Do-Well's guts. Special emphasis on Captain Halberd.
• High-Class Glass: Dr. Caballus wears a monocle on his left eye. It is actually a mind-control crystal he uses to keep his werewolf/naga slaves as well as Gummy in line.
• Hoist by Her Own Petard: Game Marester and her loophole abuses.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: A variation; the five remaining mane cast members enter Pinkie's mind and find her Confidence, which has become depressed due to Guilt taking over. They are forced to use this to get her back to normal.
• Imagine Spot: Twilight Sparkle gets one when she imagines what sort of roommate Pinkie Pie would be while considering having her move in with one of the Mane Cast because of her fears of her Secret Identity being discovered. She quickly reconsiders it.
  • Rainbow Dash gets continuous ones in Chapter 9 believing all the events that befall the characters who were on the list were all due to Evil!Pinkie Pie's meddling.
• It's Personal: Pinkie vows to make absolute sure she captures Dr. Caballus after he kills Gummy.
• Killed Off for Real: Gummy in chapter 11.
• Loophole Abuse: The Game Marester uses this to her advantage during her challenges. Mare-Do-Well beats her by using this against her, with Spike's help.
• Mama Bear: Nopony will stand in Pinkie's way to find Gummy.
• Meaningful Name: "Caballus" is another word for horse.
• Mood Whiplash: We go from a Breather Episode involving Rainbow Dash being scared of a prank list in Chapter 9 to Gummy and Fluttershy's kidnapping, meeting Dr. Caballus who has conducted several insane biological experiments on ponies, werewolves and nagas and was serious about dissecting Fluttershy for her DNA in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 is worse with Gummy's Death.
  • In chapter 12, we go from the mane six desperately trying to help a near-dead Pinkie Pie (a ponification of her Confidence) fight her a memory of Dr. Caballus (her Guilt) to Dr. Caballus using his magic to make Applejack and Rainbow Dash do embarrassing dances for entertainment.
• OOC Is Serious Business: Whenever Pinkie Pie has her straight mane (but not her darkened hue), she is deadly serious.
  • Chapter 10 shows her in this way. The rest of the Mane Cast actually get worried when she swears.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Pinkie does this sometimes to keep her identity a secret.
• Oh Crap: Mare-Do-Well reacts this way when Mr. P transforms.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: It's never stated what Mr. P's real name is.
• Out of Character: Pinkie Pie and Mare-Do-Well are entirely different in personalities; Pinkie is herself and MDW is The Stoic, so the latter is this for the former.
• Pie in the Face: Pinkie Pie does it to herself by accident, which immediately starts a war. Captain Halberd getting hit with one ends aforementioned war.
• Sanity Slippage: Dr. Caballus wasn't exactly sane from the beginning, but he at least seemed to be in control of himself. As time goes on, he goes absolutely insane.
• Secret Identity: Pinkie tries to keep her alter ego as Mare-Do-Well a secret from everypony but the rest of the mane cast, which ends up causing her quite a bit of stress. It decreases greatly when she reveals her secret identity to the Cakes.
• She's Back: After her Heroic BSOD, Pinkie returns to normal thanks to the rest of the mane six cheering up her Confidence.
• Stealth Hi Bye: Pinkie has learned to do this as Mare-Do-Well. Possibly with Zecora's help.
• The Stoic: Pinkie, when as Mare-Do-Well.
• The Voiceless: Mare-Do-Well never speaks. Justified, as Pinkie does this on purpose to avoid giving away her identity, due to having a very distinctive voice.
• Watch Out for That Library!: With all the windows closed, Rainbow Dash makes a spectacular crash against the side of the tree and inadvertently causes the accident that Rainbow Dash later believes was the fault of Evil!Pinkie Pie.
• What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: When the Game Marester beats Pinkie at jump rope, the latter then considers it "personal".
  • Captain Halberd lives and breathes this trope, ranging from his reaction to getting hit with a pie to declaring a war on crime after he was pranked with ink all over his face and uniform. Or so Rainbow Dash thought. Turns out he was overreacting over a supposed stolen medal that was in his house the entire time.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: The pegasus that Bigtime sends out in chapter 8 is never seen again.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: In chapter 11, it seems like Pinkie has more or less succeeded, and is going to safely escape from Dr. Caballus. Except Gummy was fatally poisoned when he swallowed and spat said doctor out. The poison kicks near the exit when Dr. Caballus activates a deathtrap to finish the job.