Nine - Past Meets Present
Braeburn and Daring Do stared at the tall structure in front of them, eyes wide and jaws dropped. The door was built flawlessly into the wall, as if it had formed just as naturally as the dark stone that surrounded it. The beige earth pony pulled his upper torso forward, getting a better view of the oddity. In the middle of the door was an ovular indentation, two circular holes drilled vertically into the steel a few inches apart. The sheer size of the door held its own sense of divine purpose, as if the meaning of life itself was waiting for them behind it.
"What in the name of Celestia...?" Daring gasped, standing up and walking to the door. She placed a curious hoof to the steel, gazing over the engraving and the alleged lock. "Cunning must have built this..."
"But...how would he do that?" Braeburn asked, laying flat on his stomach.
"Well..." she started. "There's a number of explanations for something like this. He certainly had the means, I mean he did disappear from the world with the entirety of Dodge Junction's bank. At the time, money like that could make a pony the richest in the West. So when you think of that, the first explanation one can come to is that he paid a team to build it. But Cunning was a secretive pony, so perhaps he found a way to do it by himself without anypony being the wiser. That's...impressive. To think of what's behind this door...but, wait a second..."
Daring squinted at the final clue Cunning had left, as if to extrapolate some sort of hidden meaning. "But this right here...this doesn't make any sense! The first clue said to find his legacy, but this contradicts with that. His legacy is the treasure, so why would we need the treasure to find the treasure?"
"Maybe his 'legacy' wasn't the treasure in the first place," Braeburn suggested with a shrug. He hadn't expected a reaction out of his idea, and was surprised to see Daring Do freeze on the spot.
"So..." she pondered aloud. "...if that's true, then the point of the first clue was to find the key to this door...before we got this far."
Braeburn and Daring Do slowly exchanged a long look of horror. Dread filled the injured stallion's being as he craned his neck toward the ceiling of the underground alcove. The stone slide they had arrived through was shadowed in the outermost reaches of the fire's light, barely visible to his dreary eyes. The opening was a mere few inches from the stone ceiling, at around thirty feet in the air. Daring would be able to fly up there, but without the proper strength, it wouldn't be possible for her to carry him out as well. So unless she could find help outside, Braeburn was stuck, beaten and broken hundreds of feet underground.
"S-So...We need to find his legacy," he grunted, turning back to the pegasus. "Alright, no need to panic. You can fly up and outta here, right?"
"Yeah, I'm not hurt or anything. But..." she trailed off, walking towards him. The pegasus ruffled her feathers, spraying the floor beneath her with water. "What about you? I can't lift you out of here, so are you gonna be okay alone?"
"Ah'm not gonna be okay anywhere until my back loosens up," he admitted with a meek, reassuring grin. "So ya' might as well go."
Daring wore a look of uncertainty, her eyes unfocused on the stone floor between them. She fluttered her wings again, perhaps absentmindedly. The mare looked as if she wanted to say something, her legs halfway through another step toward his limp form. She stopped herself, biting her lower lip. "Alright, fine. I'll be right back."
With that, the pegasus took off into the air as quick as lightning, out of sight in the blink of an eye. Braeburn blinked a few times, bewildered. What was that? Her awkward hesitance, that sorrowful look in her eye...the earth pony furrowed his brow, attempting to ponder through his pounding migraine, but it was no good. The pain made it impossible to even think. He felt uncomfortable on the hard stone, and he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. Every nerve in his body cried out in protest, the muscles in his back inflamed with agony. Once Braeburn made it to his haunches, his lungs convulsed with the extreme amount of effort the movement took to accomplish. The earth pony leaned forward, panting heavily with his elbows rested upon his outstretched hindlegs. He shivered from the cold water that drenched his entire body, letting his cowpony hat fall from his head. The cool underground air only doubled the water's bite, making him feel sick.
Braeburn tried his best not to panic, but found it difficult despite his reassuring words to Daring. How long would she be gone? Would he ever get out of this cave alive? He knew his thoughts to be nothing more than an overreaction, but rationality was a lost virtue to his racing mind. Thankfully, the sound of beating wings distracted the stallion from his fears.
Daring landed next to him clumsily, as if she were trying out a new pair of wings. Her eyes were wider than before, her lips slightly parted. "We...have a problem."
Braeburn winced, wondering what else in Equestria could possibly go wrong now. "...What?"
Daring stepped closer to the small fire, tapping a nervous hoof to the stone. "The floor above us...closed itself. It looks like Cunning made the entrance a one-way access."
The injured stallion froze, feeling his previously-burning nerves chill with dread. His breath quickened, unable to hold back his fear for much longer. "So we're...stuck down here?"
"I can't move the trapdoor," she said, her voice cracking. She slowly pointed a hoof to the towering door in front of them. "And without Cunning's legacy...we can't get through that door."
This wasn't good. Not only was Braeburn starting to lose his cool, but the seasoned archaeologist was as well. If she of all ponies was showing fear, then what could they do? The stallion couldn't panic now; he couldn't afford to. There had to be a way out of this, and he had no choice but to rally all of his dread and shove it into the deepest corners of his mind so he could think clearly. However, he was distracted by a small sound coming from the pegasus.
Daring Do was shoving desperately at the unmoving door, uttering incoherent noises of pleading. She ground her hindhooves across the floor, only pushing herself in the other direction. The pegasus flapped her wings several times, as if it would somehow assist her cause. Something was wrong; she was panicking. The dark-yellow mare shoved relentlessly, like a frightened filly fleeing from certain death. Braeburn forced himself to his hooves, painfully striding over to her.
"Daring! What're ya' doin'?" he exclaimed, steadying her shoulders with his forehooves. The mare was shivering, as if she had escaped a blizzard in the arctic. At his touch, Daring collapsed to her haunches, leaning a single hoof to the door in front of her. Her head fell, her monochromatic mane veiling her face.
The mare whimpered, her quivering voice not directed at anypony in particular: "Not again...not again..."
Braeburn spotted a single dark spot appear in the stone between her forehooves as she gasped quietly. "Daring, what's goin' on?"
The pegasus turned on her haunches, throwing her forelegs around his neck. She buried her face into his damp mane, sobbing uncontrollably. Braeburn gaped inwardly, a look of bewilderment forming on his face. What was going on? Why was the fearless treasure-hunter breaking down so quickly and so easily? It didn't make any sense. Regardless, Braeburn exhaled, and gripped her tightly. They sat there or a while, the stallion holding the crying mare without a word. He ignored his throbbing back, sitting on his haunches and defying the pain. Whatever was bothering the pegasus, this was simply more important to him. He didn't ask any more questions, for he knew she was about to let it all go.
"We c-can't be stuck in here Brae..." she whispered, her voice cracking.
"We'll get out Daring, it's okay," the stallion whispered back, confident in his answer. "Now just tell me, what's wrong?"
Despite her hold on him, Daring gripped his shoulders even tighter, pressing her face into his chest. "Th-This...This is how they d-died Braeburn..."
"How who died?"
With a shuddering gasp, Daring Do slowly let him go. She didn't move, but only looked down to the spotted floor. His sympathetic heart urged Braeburn to do anything to help the mare. He reached out an aching hoof, wiping the tears from her brilliant rose eyes. Ignoring her noise of surprise, the stallion brushed her bangs to one side, revealing her sorrowful face in full. The pegasus only stared at him, contemplating her next words carefully. There were two different kinds of looks a crying mare could have. Some looked distraught when they fell apart, letting their sorrow distort their face. Daring, however, forced an unfamiliar pang to Braeburn's heart. He hated seeing her like this, but at the same time the stallion couldn't help but take in her natural...well, beauty. He had never noticed it before now, but the mare in front of him bore a look of sad, almost divine pulchritude.
"My..." she started, breaking him away from his temporary stupor. She broke eye contact, looking back to the floor. With a sigh, Daring prepared to share her thoughts. "...Braeburn, this is something I haven't shared with anypony, ever, and for good reason too. It's why I can't trust anypony except my godfather, and sometimes even that's hard. I...I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You don't need to worry about me."
"O' course Ah do," Braeburn replied. "Yer...yer the only pony Ah've been able to call a true friend. That means a lot to me...you mean a lot to me. Now please, let it out Daring. Don't do it fer me; do it fer yerself."
"Thank you Brae," the mare smiled, sniffing quietly. "When my father started taking me along on his expeditions, there was one temple outside of Equestria that he had been looking for ever since he was in college; the Tomb of the Sapphire Statue. After years of research, he finally had an idea of where it was. All of the clues pointed to a small, uninhabited region in the rainforest South of Equestria. My mother had recently started going with us because, well, it was fun. I loved doing those kinds of things with my parents; they were the best times of my life. The three of us contributed our minds with each puzzle and clue, and sometimes I would even figure something out by myself, even as a filly..."
Braeburn listened closely, fascinated by the story she was finally telling. He was hearing the tale of the real Daring Do, not the protagonist from a series of foals' novels.
"...After a week-long airship ride to the jungle, the three of us started our quest to find the Tomb of the Sapphire Statue; a temple of nothing more than mythology. But my father was convinced it was real, just like I was convinced that Cunning the Colt was real. However, we never found it...but we did find something else entirely. Hidden in the middle of the jungle was an ancient statue of the mythical creature; Ahuitzotl. As you may know, the creature turned out to be much more than a mere myth, but that's neither here nor there. As it turned out, the statue was a trap set by Ahuitzotl himself, to keep others from having a chance of finding the tomb. My Dad pulled on its arm, and..."
Daring choked, her eyes glazing over once again. "...th-they fell into a pit, disguised as the forest floor. Before I could go after them, a stone slab closed the opening, and they were trapped underground. I panicked, and pounded my hooves on the stone. They called out to me, and told me to go get Artemis for help. He was back at the ship, which he flew for us. I complied, but it was taking forever. By the time I got him back to the statue, it had already been over two nights. We had trekked far into the rainforest, and it took too long to get the trapdoor open. When we did...it was t-too late. Th-They ran out of air and...and..."
He didn't need to hear the rest of her sentence, for the message was clear. Braeburn felt a throbbing pain in his heart for the mare, whom had been shattered by a cruel twist of fate at such a young age. It was no wonder now why she was so fearful of being trapped here. Who could blame her? Their predicament was nothing more than a painful reminder of her broken fillyhood. The stallion couldn't imagine dealing with such a horrid tragedy himself. Would he have been able to? Braeburn shuddered inwardly at the thought, thankful now more than ever that his own father was in such good health and was in no danger of passing anytime soon. She gasped as a fresh wave of sorrow overtook her, tears spilling from her eyes once again. The riflepony went to hug her again, but evidently Daring wasn't finished with her story.
"Artemis flew me back to Equestria, and the entire time I couldn't stop crying. I had seen my parents once the door was opened...it was horrible. They were just laying there, cold and l-lifeless. Artemis took care of me the entire flight back, promising me that everything was going to be alright. When we arrived in Canterlot, he took me in. Ever since then, I called Artemis my godfather. It was appropriate, I guess. He was a friend of my parents since college, and I couldn't imagine anypony else being more fit for the position. I grew up under his care, and he couldn't have been a better guardian, even if he was a little overprotective at times. But...some part of me couldn't let the Tomb of the Sapphire Statue go undiscovered. Over the years I did nothing but review my father's notes, preparing myself to find the temple once again. Artemis never knew of it, and I made sure to keep it that way. He would've only tried to deter me from going there again."
"The day I turned eighteen and moved out of my godfather's home, I took a different airship service to the jungle, determined to find the tomb again. The rest of that story, you already know. What the book didn't say, was that there was another pony with me when I went through the tomb. At the time I was dating a colt named Dusty Trails. He was an up-and-coming novelist, and wanted to catalog my findings in the tomb. I told him that it was dangerous, but he stuck by me all the same. He even gathered the team of archaeologists from the university he attended. They were the ponies I would then work with for six years. I thought that they would be helpful, and they were, but...one of them didn't make it out alive. While the book exaggerated the interior of the temple, there were still a bunch of ancient traps to keep ponies from finding the treasure within. One particular trap almost reached me, but I was able to jump out of the way just in time. Dusty...didn't make it... The falling axe came out of nowhere, and he tripped over his own hooves in fright. I thought that seeing my parents dead in a hole was bad, but...this was so much worse. I watched helplessly as the blade came down and...s-sliced..."
Braeburn couldn't take it anymore. He leaned forward and wrapped his forelegs around her again, wincing as he felt tears of his own running down his cheeks. This explained everything about the mare; her seclusive nature, and maybe even her brash mannerisms. How could the world be so unforgiving to such an innocent pony like Daring? What had she done to deserve such pain? Her trauma was like nothing Braeburn could ever even imagine, and all he wanted to do was hold the pegasus until it all went away.
"Th-That tomb took three ponies close to my heart from me," she sobbed into his chest. "B-But I couldn't let it win, I just couldn't. I continued my search the next week, and almost lost my own life in the process. As the years went by, I couldn't find a pony that could stick by me in my quests. The other two colts I was with just left me once I told them about Dusty. But...I can't blame them, I guess. My life just never had room for them. That's why I haven't been able to let anypony in, why Artemis told you not to hurt me. I'm sorry Braeburn, I shouldn't have brought you with me in here...all I did was repeat the whole blasted process!"
"Hey now," he whispered, his voice warm. "Ah made my own choices, and Ah know we're not gonna be stuck in here. Ah'm not lookin' to be yer coltfriend or nothin', just somepony to help ya', a friend. Ah'm confident that we can find a way out. You didn't come all this way and work this hard just to die here. Ah promise."
He let her go, wiping the moisture from his eyes. The stallion didn't bother to hide it, for he wanted to make sure Daring knew that he truly cared about her, and there was no shame in that.
"Do you really think that?" she asked, her expression desperate.
Braeburn smiled. "O' course, yer Daring Do! If anypony's gonna find a way outta here, it's you."
The pegasus sniffed, a small smile of her own returning to her lips. The stallion's heart warmed at the sight. There she was again, the fearless mare with the brightest of eyes. "Thank you Brae...I don't know how I can ever repay you for this."
"Ya' don't have to do a thing," he replied. "Well, except fer gettin' us the hay outta here, o' course. Now, no more tears. Let's do this."
"Okay, but...I've got a little bit of sappiness left. Just lemme get rid of it," she whispered. Daring leaned forward and embraced him once more, as tight as she could. "You mean a lot to me too, Braeburn."
With her mind clear now, Daring Do let him go and walked out of the firelight. Before Braeburn could ask, the pegasus returned into the light with her pith hat sitting proudly atop her head. Her trademark grin had returned, and the stallion could tell that the treasure-hunter was back and more whole than ever before.
"Alright, game time," she announced, her excited voice echoing loudly around the cavern. "We need to have his legacy to open the door, maybe that's a metaphor for something. Before we can speculate, we have to consider the drawing we found over the trapdoor that dropped us in here. Could a miner have engraved that? Yes, but it seems like a huge coincidence to me. Not only was it directly above the entrance to this alcove, but part of it looked like the door in front of us. The shape next to it though...I haven't a clue of what it resembled. If I'm right, it's the key to opening the door."
Daring Do walked over to the towering steel structure, grazing a hoof around the odd, ovular indentation. She contemplated it for a few moments before continuing: "Now what can fit into here? What is the so-called legacy that will lead us to Cunning the Colt's treasure?"
While she pondered, Braeburn uncomfortably removed Thumper's scabbard from his back, placing it to the stone floor in front of him. Knowing full and well that he lacked any idea of what Cunning's legacy was, he wondered if the single cartridge in his duster was ruined after being submerged. He absentmindedly withdrew the round from his jacket, gazing at the brass in his hooves. The dark bullet seemed very well-sealed into the gold-colored cartridge, so perhaps the gunpowder inside had remained dry even in the water. He was thankful that they weren't in a situation where he would need his rifle anymore, but their current endeavor didn't seem much better.
"I dunno," came her voice. "Even with the clues we have, I'm at a loss. Heck, I'm starting to think that Thumper is...is..."
Braeburn, whom had unsheathed the rifle to inspect its condition, looked back up to Daring. The pegasus wore a shocked look of apparent realization. Her wide eyes fell upon the weapon, her jaw agape. She ran over to him, sitting on her haunches and taking the rifle in her forehooves. "Braeburn! This is it!"
"Okay...what?"
"It has the same shape as the slanted line from the picture up in the mines!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Braeburn cocked an eyebrow, lids lowering. "Daring, Ah know ya' wanna get through that door, but there's no way Thumper's the key. Ah think yer a little delirious at this point."
"But it makes so much sense!" she almost yelled, her grin brighter than her eyes. "You said Thumper was passed down your family tree since it was made, so who's to say that it didn't come from Cunning the Colt himself?"
"Yer sayin' that Cunning, the legendary Colt of the West, the most infamous criminal in Equestrian history...is my ancestor?" he said flatly, the very idea being the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "That is mighty preposterous."
"So wasn't Cunning's existence until I found the proof!" she replied, utterly convinced. "You said yourself that nopony had a clue of Thumper's true origins, so this could be the answer! It could also explain how you and your father are such talented rifleponies!"
"Daring, just hold on a second," he said, holding up a forehoof for emphasis. Yeah, Ah came from a family of orchard folk, and a family of rifleponies, but just look at Thumper! There is nothing on that gun that could fit into that door, just look at it!"
The pegasus cocked her head back, complying. She inspected every inch of the rifle as quick as she could, turning it over and over in her hooves. However, Braeburn's words being confirmed didn't deter her excitement. "Maybe there's something on the inside that will open the door!"
"Okay, Ah really, really hate burstin' yer bubble, but Ah think that Gunmetal Grey would've found something odd like that when he cleaned it. Not to mention the years of work he's done to it when my Pa owned it."
"Braeburn, please," she said quietly, her expression determined. "To be quite honest, Thumper is our only chance to open that door, so you're darned right I'm gonna take it. Just let me do this. It isn't just some crackpot idea, it's very possible. I just listed off four reasons for my theory to be confirmed, and it's our only chance outta here!"
"But there's no way-"
"Braeburn!" she yelled, her eyes narrowed into his own. "What did I say was the most important attribute of an archaeologist? Faith! Without it, we'd never know about the first ponies to exist in Equestria. We'd never know who won the wars of ancient times, and we'd never know that Cunning the Colt was a real freaking pony!"
The stallion stopped dead in his tracks, his chest deflating in guilt. She was right; this was, in every way, their only way through the door. Who was he to object her idea? It was, by all rights, plausible. Despite this, Braeburn still shivered at the thought of such an infamous bandit being his great-great-great-great...ancestor. "Alright, but even if yer right, Ah have no idea how to take that apart, let alone find somethin' that Gunmetal couldn't."
"Well, let's think of it this way," she replied, cooling down. "What part of a rifle would he never need to take apart?"
Braeburn took the weapon back in his own hooves, contemplating the question. Again, the stallion knew next to nothing about the inner-workings of a rifle, but he did have a general idea. The steel receiver in the middle held the most-intricate working parts, which would have been the first thing Gunmetal would take apart. At one end was the barrel, bound by two steel bands to the tubular magazine. Both lengths of metal were cylindrical like the openings of the door's lock, but were far too close together to be considered as a possible key. Behind the receiver was the larger rear stock, a solid expanse of wood. Where a pony's shoulder would rest was a steel butt-plate, bearing just as much dark patina as the rest of the gun. Holding the metal to the wood were a pair of screws on the top and the bottom. As far as he knew, the rear stock was completely solid, and would give no reason for maintenance. So that meant the butt-plate would never have been removed.
Curious, he asked quietly: "D'ya got a screwdriver? A flat-head?"
"Yeah, actually, I do," she replied, digging in her nearby saddlebags for the tool, which she passed to the stallion. Braeburn took it between his forehooves, pressing the tool's metal tip into the top screw. With a grunt, he started turning the ancient grooves. Once it was out, he panted from the pain in his shoulders. However, that didn't stop him from moving on to the second screw. He paused, briefly laughing inwardly at how ridiculous this entire ordeal was.
"Now Ah don't wanna sound conceited or nothin', but here comes a big Ah told ya'-"
But his jibe was ultimately short-lived as the screw came loose.
Instead of simply falling off, the steel plate flew away from the wooden stock, as if it had been shot out of a cannon. It disappeared into the darkness, a metallic clang echoing throughout the cavern. Braeburn and Daring jumped in fright, their eyes as wide as saucers. The stallion looked down to what caused the flight of the plate. He gaped as he spotted two solid bronze tubes jutting out of the wood, spaced a few inches apart. The earth pony's mind exploded with a torrent of conflicting thoughts. "No..."
Daring uttered a long gasp, ripping the weapon from his grasp and flying over to the towering, burgundy door. With a cry of triumph, she drove the end of the rifle into the indentation. To Braeburn's horror, it actually fit. "I told YOU Brae!"
"No. Absolutely not..." he spoke quietly.
The pegasus attempted to twist the weapon, but to no avail. "Do you think you can help me with this? I can't wait to shove this right in your face!"
Braeburn wordlessly complied, wearily standing to his hooves. He whispered dismissive words to himself as he slowly limped over to the door. Before he could place his hooves to the gun, Daring stopped him. "Okay, in all seriousness Braeburn, this is huge. If Thumper opens this door, then you are the descendent of what everypony thinks is a myth. If this works, then you wield the weapon that took the West from the law. If we open this door...then you are officially the coolest pony I know."
The stallion's forehooves shook as he gripped the rifle, momentarily ignoring her words. "This can't be true."
Braeburn opened Thumper's lever. "There's no way in Equestria."
He slowly applied downward pressure on the lever. "Ah can't be Cunning's descendant...It ain't possible..."
The earth pony clamped his eyes shut, and felt Thumper turn over with a click.
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Here comes the slew of "I knew its."
One word. AWESOME.
Here comes the dramatic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I was going to say it, but I think I will just grin knowingly instead.
Great chapter, with a very well-written emotional moment between Braeburn and Daring. I predict future badassery from Braeburn in the near future. Hopefully it will involve a good old-fashioned Western gunfight. The kind where the fighters stand silently, hands (or hooves) hovering over their guns, just waiting for the other to make a move.
i.qkme.me/352dvp.jpg
805649 Yes.
I knew it- okay no I didn't. xD Can't wait for the next chapter! We always need more Daring Do.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.jpg
I knew it!
I have had this in my faves a while and still have not read it, but Winchesters are bad ass!
I figured that much but what a creative way to turn that rifle into a key. Very well done.
805742 Breaburn cant have a shoot out like you say with a lever action rifle. Unless he has a pistol hidden somewhere no. lol
This was a great chapter if I ever saw one. Keep up the great work!
805742 one problem with that breaburn only has one shot left lol
Epicness in 3... 2... 1...
DUN DUN DUNNNN!
Oh Braeburn. Outlaw descendent? How naughty.
...
I hope he can maintain a law-abiding status afterwards. Biology is not necessarily destiny, and abiding by the majority of rational law is the only logical base to a stable, civilized society.
Still seeking buffalo, but there's a long way to go.
BREABURN, CUNNING COLT IS YOUR FATHER
Wait I might have gotten some streams crossed.
and you can count that as another swish in the "I knew it" basket.
Heck. Yes.
805649
Damn, wish I could say it. You caught me completely by surprise! Braeburn is Cunning's great great great great great grandson?? (Or something like that
) You've out-done yourself! AND you've made it believable.
You've done a good job. Hope to hear from you soon, either from here or dev
You know, I actually didn't see this coming. Except that I read comments in previous chapters, so I did. Thanks a lot, guys.
Can't wait for next chapter!
I wonder if braeburn's pa knew about their heritage but kept it a secret and that is why he didn't want him to go
also I KNEW IT
in all honesty, I thought the key was Thumper's barrel, but heck that was too obvious, a key hidden in the gun? now that was totally unexpected, great chapter
On the other side of the door is a note reading "Congratulations on finding camaraderie, Daring Do and Braeburn! This here should be enough to fix the farm. Good luck! PS I married a fortune teller huehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehue"
alternatively: the contents are a picture of Cunning in a tuxedo and the town sherriff wearing a veil.
My my, what a twist! I knew there was a reason I fav'd this story
+1 for dealing with the consequences of all those deadly traps you see in adventure movies killing actual characters and not just random mooks
Ahhh!
Well that was an EXHILARATING read! This was so suspenseful it had me up to about 3 in the morning! And i love the inner realationship you put between braeburn and daring!
Now i just HAVE to see the next chapter now!
I knew it, I knew it~
Doesn't make it any less OSSIM! 
Now, as for Brea and Daring.
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/288/439/222.png
Oh shit! What are they doing! You always do a search Roll first! Did they not bring a rogue?! *ducks*
807183
facepalm.
And why does that make me think of
Um,DiveBomb is it ok if i go gay for you because of this awesometacularlyawesome story ya got here k just checkin
809002 That's totally okay buddy. :D
809115 Lol, but seriously i hope after ya finish this story, you write more daring do because my god the way you write her is fan-freaking-tastic.
Also...
IMA KILL YOU IF YOU DONT
809155 why thank you! She was tricky, I'll tell you that. As far as another goes, there's an idea I'm on the fence about. We'll see what happens.
Well this is gonna look bad for brae when the whole town hears that he's the descendant of the most wanted criminal in the west
Yippee for the epicness.
809393 Yup, and with that im gay for you
And it turns out that the treasure is all in Zimbabwe dollars.
806933
I thought it would be a bullet fired into it, and that was why there was one left. I guess in some alternate world somewhere, my though killed Daring Do and Braeburn.
My bad, guys.
much better then my shitty story
809393 how is ishe tricky you just take rainbow dash add a touch of maturity and replace the wonderbolts with archeology and you should pretty much have it. and on that note I almost can't wait to see Daring Do and Rainbow Dash meet so that they can totally geek out to each other
823919 Uhh...no. I tend to stay away from forums and most blogs. I kinda just stay in my own little corner of the fandom and write stuff. Sorry though.
wait wait wait wait...wheres the next chapter
828081 WORKIN' ON IT :D
828091 to be honest i didnt think that a fic could last this long but its just such a good story, the detail, the emotion, the backstory, the way you can add a gun into MLP without adding swears, violence and gore, fantastic!
828116 Aw shucks, thanks. And oh yeah, guns in Equestria. It was implied twice in the episode "May the Best Pet Win" by Rainbow Dash ("fast as a bullet" and Tank) that such weaponry could exist, even if they were just expressions. But ultimately, guns would only be useful in towns with a majority of earth ponies, such as Dodge Junction or Appleloosa, seeing as how unicorns could shut them down without so much as a thought. Overall, I'm glad people accepted that idea instead of immediately dismissing it.
Mistakes:
"So wasn't Cunning's existence until I found the proof!" - that should be "So was Cunning's existence until I found proof!"
"Daring, just hold on a second," he said, holding up a forehoof for emphasis. Yeah, Ah came from a family of orchard folk, and a family of rifleponies, but just look at Thumper! - missing speech mark between 'emphasis' and 'Yeah.'
Anyway, ouch! Feelings!
Keep doing what you're doing Divebomb.
As well as high levels of epicness...no change there then
While I am somewhat saddened by the distinct lack of Buffalo in this here Western, I must admit I have been enjoying it greatly.
I especially love the friendshipping between DD and Braeburn. It's possible to have close friendships without romance with members of the opposite sex. A fact WAY too many authors seem to forget.
Anyways, keep up the good work!
Right. Just got back from vacation. Sixty-one unread chapters...
And this was the first one I read.
Because FUCK YEAH THIS IS BEST STORY.
Well I read from start to finish in one sitting. Now I just wait for updates. This seems to happen with a lot of stories I read.
New reader, catching up. Thoughts as I go!
Prediction: Artemis is Daring's publisher, or author, and is playing evil mastermind to get good stories for her, and probably playing with her love life to keep the books interesting. Braeburn will start to fit it together with the books he's read and sense the pattern.
-(Okay, having just read Chapter 9, that's wrong, so nevermind.)
Weird thing: every time I see "Daring", especially when Braeburn says it, I see "Darling," and it teases me EVEN MORE.
Conspiracy theory: to keep us in suspense, DiveBomb will only add the "shipping" tag once it happens in the story.
Reading Chapter 9: I AM CRYING. WHAT THE HAY.
Okay, so. Brae is CTC's descendant, but instead of embracing that - I think it's pretty obvious that he won't - he'll instead balance things out by helping enforce the law, if not officially as a deputy then by still just being awesome around town. In doing so, he ends up brining karmic balance to his family line!