Every Saturday, Rainbow Dash visited Ponyville. The others claimed they had duties or were too busy and sent letters saying they would visit some other time. They all had good reasons for it too. Applejack had her hands full getting the Equestrian news to stop reporting sensationalist horse dung and tell nothing but the cold, hard truth. Her talent for rooting out lies made her ideal, but also meant her schedule was always tied up. However, bits and hired hands flowed into the farm like never before. In terms of money, she more than made up for her absence. In other ways, though, she was more missed than ever.
The others had similar duties. Twilight, of course, had a nation to run. Rarity kept the nobles at bay and redesigned the castle for its new occupant. Pinkie Pie ran a twenty-four hour a day campaign promoting Twilight Sparkle’s new imperium, throwing parties in all the major cities. Fluttershy was overseeing some project in the Everfree. And Rainbow Dash served as the new Captain of the Wonderbolts, leader of the Equestrian Air Force, and a host of other duties. All of them were busy, but Rainbow Dash never failed a friend. Or a sister.
Saturday was the day she gave Scootaloo flying lessons. Everypony knew she wouldn’t miss it for the world. And that’s just what the three rebels were counting on. They were holed up in Pinkie’s old room atop Sugarcube Corner, watching Scootaloo prance back and forth, humming happily to herself.
Doctor Whooves put down his binoculars. “Miss Daring?”
“Yeah Doc?” Daring Do leaned forward, eagerly noting every detail of the area. She wanted to be perfectly ready when the target showed up.
“I don’t mean to question your practical knowledge,” Whooves said in such a way that implied he meant to do exactly that, “But why are we trying to kidnap Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus alive?”
“Heh. Thought that was pretty obvious.” Daring smirked. “Six elements, right? Well, can’t very well use the orbital rainbow cannon if one of the pieces are missing, right? So, we’re taking one of Empress Sparkle’s pieces off the board.”
“No, no, I understand that perfectly well,” Whooves insisted, “But why Rainbow Dash? Wouldn’t Fluttershy prove a much more pliable and easy target?”
“Nah, we got this.” Daring scanned the skies. “Besides, this’ll be a cakewalk. I’ve got the perfect trap all set up. I’ll distract her, you two grab her. I’ve even got the perfect bait.”
“Oh?” The inventor leaned forward. “Do tell.”
With a flourish, Daring whipped out a hardcover novel with her picture plastered across the front. “An autographed, two-months-in-advance copy of my latest book, made out to my biggest fan and personal friend, Rainbow Dash.” She chuckled. “Yeah, this won’t be hard at all.”
Whooves nodded. “And you’re sure you can talk some sense into her? Again, I would think Fluttershy would be easier to convince than Miss Dash.”
“Oh yeah I’ll be able to win her over. Kid practically worships the ground I walk on.” Daring yanked the doctor down. “Here she comes. Hide.”
“Hey Scoots!” Rainbow Dash executed a perfect landing right in front of her little protege. “Ready to stretch those wings of yours?”
“You bet!” the filly replied. She bounded forward and wrapped Dash in a hug. The mare chuckled.
“Alright, alright. Enough mushy stuff already.” Dash pushed her away and grinned. “I got an idea so awesome, it’s sure to get you off the ground.”
Whooves leaned over to Daring. “Miss Do. Might I take this moment to remind you that not all of our conspiracy can fly? Even when Miss Hooves returns from “muffin hunting”, I don’t think the two of you would be a match for Miss Dash in the air.”
“The filly can’t fly, right?”
“Well, no. Not as such.”
Daring grinned. “Then there’s no problem. All we have to do is follow them and wait for the right opportunity.”
/////////
It was a good day.
Rainbow Dash relaxed by her favorite pond, a cool lemonade within easy reach. Sure, Scootaloo never got off the ground and, okay, the training idea wasn’t nearly as awesome as advertised, but it was still a good day. No responsibilites. No problems. No pressure. Just spending some time with her number-one-fan (and unofficial little sister) and stretching their wings. Scootaloo was an awesome filly. Even if her wings didn’t work quite right, Dash was sure that someday she’d figure out how to fly.
The only downer had been this eerie feeling of being watched. Bushes seemed to move. A tree somehow broke itself in half and shouted, “Oops!” The smell of muffins followed her wherever she went. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn Derpy was tailing her. But if that’d been true, Dash would have spotted her easy. Everypony knew Derpy couldn’t hide worth two bits.
Dash took a long slurp of lemonade and smiled. This was the life! And now, she could do this whenever she wanted. Just chillax and be awesome. She had everything she could ever want. She was a Wonderbolt. She had ponies who adored her. She had her friends. And thanks to Twilight, Equestria would be safe. Who’d challenge a pony who’s practically a goddess?
She looked up at the sky above and the setting sun. So warm. The sunlight embraced her wings, relaxed her mind, and lifted her spirits. She settled into her chair, leaned back, and let her eyes drift shut.
“How could you betray me, Rainbow Dash?”
Dash leapt to her hooves. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”
“I’m here.”
Dash turned and wished she hadn’t. Anger incarnate, the full-fury of the sun beating down on a weary, desert traveler, faced her with blazing mane and fiery tail. Her eyes were blinding to look at and the gold armor she wore melted and remolded itself constantly. The setting sun blazed behind her, the dying embers of the day beaten to new life. Dash took a step back. “P-Princess Celestia?”
“You are the Element of Loyalty.” The worst thing about her voice was how quiet it was. She’d always spoken so softly, with grace and kindness. Rainbow Dash had never been on the receiving end of her anger and it made her tremble like a filly during her first lightning storm. “You of them all should have stayed by my side.” Her mane flared. “Traitor, I name you. And false friend.”
“Twilight said--”
“I do not care what lies Twilight Sparkle fed you. It’s your own heart and conscience that should have been your guide.” The flames grew darker, smokier, and sinister. The smell of brimstone filled the air. “But since you are so loyal to Twilight, then you can burn in Tartarus with her. Forever.”
Rainbow Dash woke screaming. She fell right off her lawn-chair and landed on the sandy beach. The last of the sun’s rays bounced playfully on the water. Dash waited for her heart to stop hammering before she rose.
“Rainbow Dash. Hey Rainbow Dash!”
She knew that voice. “Daring Do?” A grin split her face in half. “Where are you?”
“Over here.”
Dash scanned the area and saw her other hero waving her over from the inside of a nearby shed. With a cackle of delight, she took off and skidded to a halt right in front of her. “Daring! What’s up? Why’re you in Ponyville? Were you looking for me? You totally were, weren’t you? How can I help? Is there treasure? Are you hiding from somepony? Are we going on an adventure?”
“No treasure this time,” Daring chuckled, “But it’ll be an adventure alright.” Her whip lashed out and wrapped around Dash’s body. It bound her wings to her sides. With a yank, she pulled Dash close until their faces were inches apart. The adventurer wore a daredevil grin. “I’ll just be taking you along with me now, alright?”
“Uh.” Dash’s mind refused to work. Did Daring Do read the fanfiction about her because this was exactly how Curse of the Amazon Queen started. Heat rushed to her cheeks and her wings. They tried to flare out, but the whip held them tight. “This is not how I thought this would go but I am still okay with it.”
Daring patted her on the head. “Be a good little pegasus and come quietly. If I’m happy with you, I’ve got this little thing waiting for you at the end.” She reached into her saddlebags and brought out the bait. Dash gasped.
“Is that…?”
“The new Daring Do book? You bet.” The mare dangled it right before Dash’s eyes. “Signed and autographed for my biggest fan.”
Dash felt her mind explode. “I am being kidnapped by Daring Do!” she cried with a huge smile on her face, “And I’ve never been happier!” She splayed her forehooves out like a dog asking to play. “Should I resist? Put up a fight? Would that make it feel more realistic? Or did you have something else in mind? We could race and I could let you catch me. We could do whatever you want.” She let out a high-pitched squeal of delight. “This is the best day ever!”
A hint of confusion crossed Daring’s face. “Uh, no. No, it’s fine if you don’t resist. Makes the whole kidnapping bit easier. Buuuut we do have to knock you out so you don’t see where we’re going.”
“Okay. Sounds cool. Makes sense and all.” Dash blinked. “Wait…”
An explosion of stars and white filled her vision and she fell to the ground. “What the hay?”
“Ditzy!” Daring snapped.
“It’s “Derpy”.”
“You’re supposed to knock her out, not just hit her on the head!”
“Whoops.” Dash’s head exploded in pain again as another blow came down right on her back. “Uh, third time’s the charm?” This time, Dash felt consciousness slipping away.
When she woke up, she was hogtied with her wings pinned to her sides in a very uncomfortable way. Daring Do stood over her, admiring her handiwork. Dash looked around. “Is this somepony’s basement?”
“No, of course not.” Daring Do glanced around at the boxes and shelves of stored goods and Hearth's Warming Eve decorations. “What would give you that idea?”
Dash fixed Daring with a silent look of judgment. She glanced to her right at a box that read “Dinky’s Nightmare Night costumes!” A muffin-shaped hat poked out the top. “We’re in Derpy’s basement, aren’t we?”
Daring picked up the nearest thing she could find and hit Dash over the head with it. The bearer of loyalty fell limp to the ground once more.
She woke up to a cold splash of water and even colder floor. She spluttered and coughed. Once again, Daring Do stood over her. “No. No we are not in Derpy’s basement,” the adventurer stated, “An abandoned warehouse. Not a basement.”
Dash blinked blearily at her. “Ya got any Ibex-profen? Because my head’s starting to hurt.”
“Good. That’ll make things easier,” Daring countered. She plopped down in front of Dash. “Here’s how this is going to work. This is an interrogation. I ask the questions. You give me an answer. One question, one answer. I don’t like the answer, I call a friend. And you wouldn’t like my friend.”
Dash blinked. A grin slowly stretched over her face. “Oooh. Okay. We’re finally starting.” She wriggled a little bit, flexing against the bonds. They held firm. “Um, let’s see. How does this sound?” She cleared her throat. “You’ll never make me talk, Daring Do! My will is iron and my body is steel! I can resist whatever tricks you try and pull on me.”
Daring Do frowned. “Dash, this is an interrogation.”
“Sure is.”
“A real interrogation.”
Dash chuckled. “Right. I getcha.”
“I kidnapped you.”
“Yep.”
“Knocked you out.”
“Uh-huh. So about that Ibex-profen.”
“You’re way too happy right now.”
“Well duh!” Dash’s eyes sparkled. “Out of all your fans, you chose me. And not gonna lie, I am pretty awesome. But you’re Daring Do! You redefine awesome and make it...awesomer!”
Daring rolled her eyes. “Fine. I can work with this. You were always a little weird.”
“Hey!”
“First question!” Daring silenced Dash with a glare and a crack of her whip. “Where is Princess Celestia?”
Now it was Dash’s turn to be confused. “I thought you were going to ask me where the Lost Gem of the Ghulmeister was or something like that. That seems more, what’s the word, appropriate? More Daring Do?”
“Why the hay would I ask you a thing like that?” Daring snapped. A thought crossed her mind. What if Rainbow Dash knew something she didn’t? What if that name wasn’t just something she pulled off the top of her head? Daring tried to adopt a casual attitude. “Unless, that is, you know where it is. In which case, I’d love to hear all about it from a purely professional standpoint, you understand. I mean, I know where it is, but I want to know if you know, you know? Not that I wouldn’t bring you along to retrieve it, of course.”
“I getcha,” Dash said, “The first question was a trick. Throw me off my guard. I’m supposed to be one of Caballeron minions, aren’t I? And you’re interrogating me, tied up and on my back, to learn what he knows.” She grinned. “And you’re going to “torture” me, right? That’s why you brought your whip.”
Daring Do’s eyes narrowed and she gave Dash a look of disbelief. “Why would you be working for Caballeron? You’re not, right?” Dash shook her head. “Then why would you think you’re supposed to be?”
“Because,” Dash said, “You kidnapped me for some reason, right?”
Daring rolled her eyes. “What, do you think this is some kind of roleplay adventure? The new and improved Daring Do Adventu-cation? What would the tagline even be? “Now you too can be a villain in a Daring Do novel for the low, low, low price of your dignity! Buy today”.” Huh. That didn’t sound half-bad, now that she thought of it.
It appeared that Dash agreed. Her eyes shimmered with excitement. “Oh my gosh, that would be so cool. Wait, it is cool, because it’s happening right now!”
Daring Do felt something snap. The past week had been too long. Too many things had tried to kill her. And then she comes home and everything is ruined. So she did the time-honored adventurer tradition when faced with an impossible problem: kinetic re-calibration. Her hooves found the most convenient thing and she lashed out at the problem with it.
Dash let out a yelp. “You hit me!”
“I did.”
“With your whip!”
“Yep.”
Dash stared at her for a long moment. Her wings strained against the ropes and she twisted to inspect her flank. “Could you do it again?”
Okay, this was getting to be a bit much. Daring took a step back. “Say what now?”
“Please?”
Daring Do had been many things in her life. Adventurer, author, part-time dance instructor (that was an episode she never wanted to revisit), and sometimes damsel-in-distress, but she’d always had a witty comeback. Always. It was something she prided herself on. Today was a rotten day in that regard.
“Oh Daring Do-oo,” Dash called, “I’ve been so bad. Done terrible things. Don’t you want to hit me with your whip? Beat me up? Bruise me? Don’t you? You can. You are very good at tying ropes and…” Dash’s form shook and she dissolved into laughter. “Oh you should see your face! Classic. I’ve never seen your cheeks turn so red and…and…” Dash blinked. “Uh, Daring? Your wings.”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Daring Do slammed her forehooves down on either side of Dash’s head and shove her muzzle right in Dash’ face. “Tell me why you took over Equestria!”
The room was silent. Dash’s mouth worked to form words, but nothing came. Daring Do’s eyes grew harder. “Talk to me, Dash. Give me something to work with here.”
“This isn’t...you actually…” Words were a good start, but Daring needed her to form coherent sentences. She slapped Dash across the face.
“Talk, Rainbow Dash!” Her anger reached her eyes and she had to force down the tears that threatened to appear there. “Why did you wreck my home? I liked it.”
“This is real, isn’t it?” Dash’s voice was quiet. “This isn’t some fan experience. You actually kidnapped me.”
“Give the genius a medal,” Daring growled.
“Why?” Panic began to fill Rainbow’s face. “I don’t want to be your enemy. You’re awesome. I’m awesome. Together we’re, uh, more awesome. Besides, your enemies are all jerks. I’m not a j…” The image of Sunny Skies’ tear-filled face flashed before her. “I’m only a jerk sometimes. When I need to be.” When Twilight tells me, she added to herself.
Daring Do leaned in close and studied Dash’s face. The blue pegasus shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, but pasted a smile on her face anyway. “You can’t seriously be this dense. The answer is right in front of you.”
“I-I mean, I can guess,” Dash said, “The whole “taking away Celestia and Luna’s power” deal? That’s why you’re angry, right.” Daring Do stared at her. “But it’s totally cool.” Cold sweat ran down Dash’s neck. “Twilight’s gonna make things better for everypony. We’re gonna defeat Equestria’s enemies and save the world and stuff and then ponies won’t have to live in fear of Tirek of rogue changelings or anything ever again.” Daring’s expression did not change. Dash shifted nervously. “Look, Twilight explains it way better than I do. She’s got all that philosophy egghead stuff. You should talk to her. I’m sure she’d love to see you again.”
“And if ponies are afraid of Twilight?” Whooves stepped out from behind a pillar. “What then, Miss Dash?”
Dash frowned. “Why would anyone be afraid of Twilight? She’s the Princess of Friendship.”
“Was,” Daring corrected, “I think “Tyrant Ruler of Equestria” fits better now.”
Dash’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say?” Her lips curled into a sneer. Defiance flamed to life in her eyes. She strained against her bonds for real. “Untie me and say that again. I dare ya.”
“Like it or not,” Daring said, “That is an opinion many ponies hold.”
“Yeah? Well they’re wrong,” Dash snapped. She tossed her head and tried to gather as much dignity as possible, despite being tied up on her back with her hooves in the air. “I’m the Element of Loyalty. And anypony who insults my friends insults me. So think real hard before you badmouth Twilight. ‘Cause you’re going to have to deal with me!”
///////////////
“The hay was that!”
Daring Do, adventurer at large, paced back and forth in the abandoned warehouse office. Her two co-conspirators watched her with worried eyes. “Seriously, what did I just witness there?” Her wings stiffened slightly, but she forced them down. “That wasn’t Rainbow Dash. Or it was, but she was…”
“Different?” Derpy offered.
“Not very descriptive, but yes,” Daring agreed. Stupid, sexy Rainbow Dash. Daring shivered. “Different.” All laid out on the floor like that, legs in the air and wings bound tight. “No, she was the same. But not the same.” She clutched her head in her hooves. “Gah! Why in Equestria does this have to be happening?”
“They are all “different”,” Whooves broke in, “Applejack would never have abandoned her sister. Nor Rarity hers.” Derpy looked down and sighed. Whooves put a comforting foreleg around her shoulders and pulled her close. “We’ll figure this out. Don’t worry.”
Derpy looked up into his eyes, as best she could, and smiled.
“Aaaaand I’m done here.” Daring turned for the door. “I’m not being near this right now. Not after…” She paused. “That thing with the whip.” She stalked towards the door. “So I’m going to go see if I can beat some answers out of my biggest fan. Don’t worry, she’ll probably love it. I could toss her into a volcano and she’d ask if this was part of a new fan experience.”
She kicked the door open and found herself face to face with a now-untied Rainbow Dash flanked by a squad of Imperial Guards. “Ya know,” her former prisoner said, “You shouldn’t use knots that you described in your books. Especially not ones that you told everypony how to get out of.”
“I’ll remember that in the future,” Daring said.
Dash rubbed the back of her head. “Also, how did we get from Ponyville to Baltimare?”
“That is an excellent question. Here’s my answer.” Daring slammed the door and braced herself against it. “We have a problem!”
“Open up in the name of the Empress!” The guards began pounding on the door.
Derpy did the only sensible thing to do when guards come pounding on your door for kidnapping a national hero and personal friend of the ruler. She took a deep breath, flew to the corner of the room, and panicked. “What do we do? What do we do? Somepony tell me what to do!” She sniffed. “Oh Dinky, Mommy’s not coming home tonight. I’m sorry, muffin! I’m a terrible mother.”
Whooves sighed and pulled the door to the closet open. The blue box lay inside, barely squeezing into the narrow confines. “We leave, Miss Hooves.”
Derpy brightened and flapped inside.
“You two go,” Daring said, “I’ll hold them off.”
“That’s really not necessary,” Whooves said, “Instantaneous travel, remember? All we need is for you to cross the room and close the door before they can grab you.”
“Hey, any other pegasus and I’d say “no problem”. But Rainbow Dash is the fastest there is. I don’t want to gamble. Plus, I’d like to try and get through to her.” Daring placed a hoof against her chest. “If there’s anypony who can, it’s Daring Do. Right?”
Whooves blinked and a grin spread slowly across his face. “Oh you are fantastic, Miss Do! Well, cheerio then. Best of luck. We’ll come get you later if things turn sour.” He hopped into the strange, blue box and closed the door. With loud pop, it disappeared. Daring Do grinned. Good going, girl. Got the side-show out of the way. Alone with bad guys. Just the way she liked it.
“Besides,” she muttered, “I get captured all the time. I’m used to it by now.” The door shook and splintered. Daring smirked. “Persistent, aren’t you?”
“Open up! This is your last warning!”
Daring Do counted to three. “Your wish is my command.” She stepped sharply aside. The door exploded inwards and four guards landed in a pile. With a nimble leap and roll, she shot past them and out the door.
The guards stared at her. “Are...are you supposed to be Daring Do?”
“Yep. That’s me.” Daring flashed a smile. “I’m a very lost cosplayer. Could you point me to the convention hall? I need to sell my bad fanfics and autograph my overly-sexualized fanart to validate my existence.” She slammed the door shut and pushed a crate in front of it. That was the goon squad dealt with. Now for the main course. Mane. Rainbow mane. Tied up. Ropes. Whip. Daring grit her teeth and began running for the exit.
She moved maybe five feet when a rainbow streak tackled her to the ground. She landed on her back and her heart beat faster. That sly, confident smirk and defiant glare stared down at her. Her hooves lay pinned above her head by a single blue foreleg. A knee pushed against her ribs, holding her down. She forgot to struggle. She forgot almost everything. Her rebellious wings tried to flare out and her eyes widened.
Dammit. Dammit all to Tartarus. This wasn’t a good sign. “You tackle all your heroes to the ground?” she asked, “Or is it my lucky day?”
Dash pressed down harder. “You kidnapped me,” she said, “Not, like, fake kidnapped me. Actually kidnapped me.”
“Eh. I get kidnapped all the time. No big deal..”
Dash spluttered. “No big deal?”
“Yeah.” Daring kept her eyes focused on Dash’s face. She could feel them try to wander. “I’ve been away for a few months. Then I come back and you six took over Equestria? Of course I wanted answers. And who better to get them from than my number one fan. You seemed pretty okay with it.”
Dash blinked. “Okay. Yeah, that’s a pretty good point.” She flapped her wings and got off of Daring. The adventurer rose and dusted herself off. The two mares stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments. Dash broke contact first and rubbed the back of her luxurious, wind-swept, mane that you could just bury your muzzle in and... Daring went over to the nearest box and slammed her head into it a few times. Ah, that’s better. Pain, the perfect counter to sexy-thoughts. “So…” Dash said with a note of concern, “we cool?”
The look in her eyes was so hopeful, so friendly, that for a moment Daring almost said yes. She took off her hat and sighed. “No.”
“No?” Dash’s eyes flickered with confusion.
Daring Do knew she was picking a fight. And maybe one she couldn’t win. But she’d taken on tougher opponents than Rainbow Dash and come out on top. She had a shot here. She uncoiled her whip. “Come on, Dashie,” she said with a chuckle, “That whole line about “the good of Equestria”? Not buying it. And you’re an idiot if you think for even a moment that this wasn’t some kind of power-grab. Convenient, isn’t it, that the “good of Equestria” put Twilight Sparkle on top, don’t you think?”
Anger appeared on Dash’s face. She lowered her head and snorted. “You better think real carefully about what you say next, Daring. I will buck you into the middle of next week.”
“No, you think Dash,” Daring snapped, “Or do I have to pull out the crayons and spell it out for you? Twilight tricked you into toppling the kindest pony there is.” She pointed a hoof at her. “You may be the Element of Loyalty, but there’s more to loyalty than blindly following. You betrayed a pony who trusted you. Can’t you see that? Wake up, Rainbow Dash! Wake up and look at the world.”
“Betrayed.” The words echoed in Dash’s ears. Traitor, I name you. And false friend. She ground her teeth. “You’re just like Con Mane,” she snapped.
“I…” Daring racked her brain. That name didn’t ring any bells. “Who?”
“Con Mane,” Dash repeated, “He tried turn me against my friends. He had this black magic mirror and stuff. Tricked me into looking into it. Then he went on this whole long speech about how I didn’t need my friends and he could make me stronger. Ha! It didn’t work. I’m the living embodiment of the Element of Loyalty. It’s literally inside me. Not even Discord could do...whatever it is he does. We’re better now. Stronger.” Dash’s face grew darker and darker.
“Dash.” Daring Do had seen many ponies get angry. Red-faced, spittle-flicking, vessel-popping angry, even. She’d seen the cold, sinister anger of a crooked collector who she’d beaten to a find. She’d faced Caballeron’s rage and endless ranting. She’d fought curses of old spirits, dodged wild haymaker swings from glaring thugs, but never had she seen this. Dash’s rage tainted the very air. She could taste it on her tongue. She took a step back.
Dash took a step forward. “I am Twilight Sparkle’s friend.” Another step. “And I will pound anyone who opposes her into the ground.” Another step. “I’m the Element of Loyalty. I’ll fight to make my friends’ dreams reality. If you stand in the way, then you are my enemy.”
Daring had been in a lot of fights. It came with the territory, after all. She’d even fought friends before. If somepony asked her, she would have said she had gotten pretty good at it. Dash was just an athlete. Her fighting style was direct. There was no form, no technique to it. Dash hadn’t been trained by the zebra mystics or meditated with the deer on crisp, forest mornings. She knew nothing of those things. All she had was her speed and her anger, anger which pushed her on and made her ignore whatever pain Daring was able to inflict.
Both pegasi shot into the air. Normally, the higher pegasus had the advantage, but Daring had picked up a few counters from studying the way earth ponies fought. Her whip lashed out and wrapped around Dash’s leg. With an expert twirl, she sent the bearer of loyalty flying into a stack of crates. It didn’t even stun her. Dash shot up. Daring feinted left and went right. Her whip caught Dash’s wing this time, right at the base. It raised a red welt, but the other pegasus didn’t even notice. She barreled forward and Daring dropped to avoid it. Altitude sacrificed for time. No space for any fancy maneuvers.
Her whip caught Dash’s leg again. She yanked and tried to pull the other pegasus off-balance, but Dash used the momentum to charge forward. She rammed Daring with her head and drove the breath from the adventurer’s lungs. Daring tottered and almost fell from the sky.
Normally, this was where she and her opponent exchanged witty remarks. It was adventurer trick number one, after all. Fighting was both physical and mental. A good one-liner threw the opponent off-balance and opened up opportunities. But she was too out of breath and Dash was in no mood to talk. She would have snorted if she’d had the breath for it. Kids these days. No respect for genre.
Daring tried to keep her eyes on Dash, but one moment she was there, the next she had her forelegs wrapped around Daring’s middle. Speed. Right. Dash was the fastest pegasus alive. She shattered the light spectrum on a whim. They flew backwards, right out an old, cracked window, and into the sky above Balitmare.
The warehouse was by the docks, as warehouses tend to be in a port. Ships moved on the dark waters below, their lights reflecting off the roiling waves. The lighthouse shone merrily in the distance, the windows of the houses twinkled, the shops put forth warm, inviting glows to entice any last-minute customers inside. A beautiful city. Daring wished she had time to appreciate it better.
Okay, she could still handle this. Adventurer trick number two: when violence doesn’t work, use better violence. She bucked and struck Dash a glancing blow to the jaw. For a moment, they came apart. Daring had lost her whip, so she pressed the attack with good, old-fashioned kicks and punches. She fell easily into Form Nine of the Zebra arts. It was the best adapted to aerial combat, since it required a lot of ducking and leaping. Good for defending from attacks above and below.
The first punch hit home and sent Dash spinning head-over-hooves. The second was kicked away. The third missed completely. A rainbow blur cut the sky in half. It curved high above her and descended with all the power and speed of a meteor. Time for adventurer trick three: dodging. If she did it too early, Dash would correct her course.
She underestimated the other pegasus’ sheer speed. Again. Dash slammed into her and she saw stars spinning before her eyes. Rage burned in Dash’s eyes. They were headed straight down and Daring was in front. She began to doubt her ability to win.
A moment before impact, she twisted and slipped from Rainbow Dash’s grip. Her wings snapped out to their full length and she tried to hit the brakes. The ground did it for her. A cloud of dust filled the air and her vision swam. Something in her left foreleg didn’t feel right. Her ears had this annoying ringing in them and everything was blurry. Oh, and when she tried to flap her wings, a burning sensation in the left made her cry out. Yep. Her braking attempt had dislocated it.
“Why is it always the wings?” she muttered. No matter, she’d spent enough time on the ground. She could handle this. First thing first, get out of the street. Find somewhere confined where Dash couldn’t use that blinding speed. In a straight punch-up, Daring was sure she could win.
“Scuse me. Pardon me. Outta the way.” Daring shoved through the crowd of bewildered and frightened ponies. But on the bright side, this was the first time she’d been in public and no one had shouted ‘Look everypony! Daring Do!’ Maybe there was something to be said for being covered in mud and bruises. “Hey! Move aside. I’m trying to outrun a rainbow here!”
“Look! Up in the sky!”
Daring cursed. Alright, new plan. Get to an alleyway. It’d take Dash a second to find her in the crowd, right? She still had time. Then, something seized the back of her collar and slammed her into the ground.
“Aw, you got me,” Daring said through a mouthful of dirt, “Guess I’m “it” then. I’ll give you ten seconds to run and hide. Make it twenty, ‘cause I’m feeling generous. Oh, wait. That’s Rarity.”
“Heh, funny,” Dash snarled, "You should write that in a book."
“That’s me. After the twentieth run-in with Ahuizotl, fearing for my life got old.”
Dash pushed her further into the mud. Daring realized she couldn’t breath. “So, you don’t like how Twilight runs things?” Rainbow Dash hissed, “You think she’s not good enough?” She glared at the shocked ponies around her. “Well, how about the rest of you? Anyone agree with her?” She pulled Daring Do’s head up and the adventurer gasped for air. “Who here thinks Empress Twilight shouldn’t be Empress? Anypony?” The crowd quickly averted their gazes and looked down. “That’s what I thought. Everypony here thinks Twilight does a great job. I’ll bet they’d even swear their loyalty to her, if I told them to. Yeah, that’s an idea. We’ll make everypony in Equestria swear that they love Twilight.” She chuckled. “Looks like you and your companions were wrong, Daring Do. ”
A filly gasped. “Did she just say Daring Do?”
“Where’s Daring Do? We want Daring Do!” a colt called.
“Daring Do! Daring Do!” they chanted.
Daring coughed and tasted copper in her mouth. “Daring Do isn’t in right now. If you’d like to leave a message, I will be happy to….AAAAH!” Dash stepped on her wing.
“Everypony get a good look,” she shouted, “Because this.” She kicked Daring in the side. “Is what happens when you try and rebel against the best pony in Equestria.” She tossed her mane. “I swear that I will hunt down anypony who rebels. I will drag them through the dirt and make sure they get exactly what they deserve.”
“Ruling by terror now? And you say you’re not evil.” Daring chuckled grimly. Dash stepped harder on her wing, but she was ready for that and didn’t cry out. Villains were so predictable. “You know, there’s an upside to this,” she said, “All my sexy-thoughts went bye-bye after the first punch.” The hoof ground against the joint. Daring’s vision blurred with tears, but she forced her trademark ‘time to taunt the bad guy’ smile on her face. “Guess this proves what they say about fan loyalty, huh? One misstep and they turn on you.”
Dash’s face grew even darker. The lights dimmed from the force of her anger. Or maybe that was Daring losing consciousness. Probably the latter. Pain tended to do that. But she wanted to get one last jab in before she was gone. “Oh, and I gave your book to Derpy.”
A heavy blow to the head sent her down, down, down into the land of nightmares.