Twilight smiled to herself as she enjoyed 'National Random Holiday Party Day' with Pinkie Pie and her other friends...minus Rainbow Dash who hadn't shown up yet. She had just finished sending Sunset Shimmer's latest equipment shipment through the portal (now in her basement), and was looking forward to a relaxing party without any world rocking events coming up. Her extended family had adjourned to Canterlot for an exchange of baby picture albums, and she'd decided she didn't need the embarrassment and wished them well.
As the party was getting into full swing, Rainbow Dash burst in at long last, demanding if everyone was 'excited'. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle over Rainbow's confusion, and her excitement over Daring Do. Twilight's fondness for the series extended into both her lives, thanks to Orvus, so she was glad to have a friend to share the stories with who was just as passionate. However, when she heard Rainbow's excitement over how close until the next book was released, she had to speak up. "Didn't you hear? The publishing date was pushed back another two months." She quickly raised a shield bubble to deflect the spittake this caused.
"Two more months?" Rainbow gasped out in despair. "I've been waiting so long already! I don't think I can last another two months!" She collapsed to the floor face down.
"Yeah..." Fluttershy offered worriedly. "I can vouch for that..." She glanced over at Twilight. "You've done crazy things with time. Couldn't you, um..."
"I don't play games with causality unless lives hang in the balance," Twilight replied, holding back the intensity she was feeling since it was Fluttershy who was asking. "And Rainbow's heart is in too good of condition to have a heart attack from anticipation stress." She tapped her chin. "An aneurysm, on the other hoof..."
"Umm...how about looking through time to find out why the book was delayed?" Fluttershy suggested hopefully.
Twilight furrowed her brow. "I suppose I could. I mean, Mom said A.K. Yearling didn't give a reason for the delay..."
"Wait, your Mom knows A.K. Yearling?" Rainbow gasped in shock.
"Uh, yeah," Twilight pointed out. "She runs her publishing company. But I know someone else who would know more. Gimme a minute." Reaching up, she tapped her helmet to access Aphelion's Obsidian Eye Instant Messenger. After a time, she got the message back...and her face fell. "Well, I know why Daring Do won't be coming out for two more months now," she grumbled, going over to grab a cupcake.
"You do?" Rainbow asked eagerly. "Why is that?"
"Because she can't get back to where she left the artifact yet," Twilight answered bluntly. "Great...my favorite fiction series is actually nom de plume autobiography..."
"Wait...you're saying A.K. Yearling is Daring Do?" Rainbow gasped out in surprise, making everyone else gasp in shock.
"Yup. And I have enough real adventures in my life," Twilight groused. "When I sit down to read fiction, I want fake adventure."
"But then we have to go help her!" Rainbow proclaimed eagerly. "Twilight, with all your tech-"
"You want to see this in the next Daring Do novel?" Twilight demanded, activating her RYNO Protosuit. When that was greeted with silence, she deactivated it. "Didn't think so."
"But what about all the dangerous artifacts Daring deals with?" Rainbow fretted.
"She's dealt with them on her own so far," Twilight pointed out logically. "Short of Nefarious bursting in here with a future message saying the world is going to end if we don't go help Daring Do-"
Nefarious burst into the room. "Twilight! I have a message from my future self! If someone doesn't go to help Daring Do, the world will reach a fiery apocalypse! Can I tie you down to keep you from interfering so we can conquer the wasteland together?"
Rarity promptly spat her punch all over Spike. He did not seem upset.
Twilight leveled a glare at Nefarious. "Nefarious, you know how I feel about apocalyptic wastelands. I like my conquered kingdoms with working infrastructure - like indoor plumbing - thank you very much."
Nefarious shrugged. "It was worth a try."
"Do I have to go?" Twilight whined. "I don't want to get stuck in a thinly veiled autobiography as a side character! ...can't I just send Rainbow?"
"Ooh! Send me! Send me!" Rainbow pleaded eagerly.
Nefarious tapped his dome carefully. "Hmm...operating on the assumption you did, there doesn't appear to be any follow up messages...should be fine!"
"Awesome!" Rainbow squealed out before blurring away. A few moments later, she returned. "So, uh...where am I going?"
Twilight promptly facehooved.
Twilight was glad for the relative peace and quiet that followed Rainbow's departure to assist Daring Do in the latest adventure that would eventually be turned into a book. A minor niggling worry in her mind suggested something bad might happen to Rainbow on the adventure, but the larger part was certain that she'd have made Nefarious edit the message sent back if something really bad happened to Rainbow as a result of this. As such, she simply relaxed.
"Hey Twilight!"
Twilight jumped out of her chair in shock. Damn! I've really let my awareness drop if Rainbow could ambush me so easily. She's not that quiet. "What is it, Rainbow?"
"I...thought you might want to read the new Daring Do book early?" Rainbow offered demurely. "It introduces a new character..."
Twilight frowned at the front cover, which showed Rainbow flying alongside Daring Do away from a collapsing temple. "So you're in the book. Congratu-"
"Just read it, Twilight," Rainbow interrupted. "Uh...please?"
Rolling her eyes, Twilight took the book and quickly flipped through it, using her magic to boost her time sense so she was able to read the whole thing in under a minute. However, she paused halfway through when she got to the introduction of the new character...a rainbow maned pegasus mare named Fracta. "She didn't use your real name?" she asked in surprise.
"Keep reading," Rainbow encouraged.
Sighing, Twilight lowered her gaze back to the book, reading of how Fracta had been sent to aid Daring Do from the prediction of an oracle. Good way of not mentioning the time travel...and the robot. She flipped through the next few pages...
"...Rainbow?" Twilight asked nervously. "Why does it say this 'Fracta' is Daring Do's...long lost daughter?"
Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah...funny story there..."