Morning in Ponyville. Celestia’s sun was just creeping over the horizon. This was the morning that the most awesome adventure in Rainbow Dash’s life would begin. As such, Rainbow Dash was already waiting outside Fluttershy’s cottage in the full Daring Do gear that she wore the last time she went on a daring adventure into the Everfree Forest. Her gear was exactly like Daring Do’s, except the band around the helmet as well as the edges of her shirt were rainbow-colored.
Rainbow knocked on Fluttershy’s door. “Come on, Fluttershy! Daring’s probably going to be here any second!”
The door opened as Fluttershy walked out. She was wearing a blue kerchief and and a hat with a string chinstrap.
“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said. “I had to get all my animal friends ready to spend most of the day without me.”
Rainbow just looked at her with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. “What are you wearing?”
Fluttershy was confused. “You said we were going on an adventure and to dress the part.”
“You look like you’re going to watch Breezies or something!”
“Well, going on an expedition to observe the Breezies was an adventure,” Fluttershy replied with confidence. “At least I thought it was,” she added a bit more meekly.
Just at that moment, Applejack and Rarity came walking up the path to Fluttershy’s house. Rarity was wearing a pink scarf and a camouflage sun hat with a rose and pink feather stuck in its band.
“Why Fluttershy,” Rarity said, “I see you’ve made quite a stylish choice in dress today.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you, Rarity. Rainbow doesn’t seem to like it though.”
“And you!” Rainbow Dash flew over and landed in front of Rarity, impeding her and Applejack’s progress up the path. “We’re not going to a fancy garden party, Rarity!”
Rarity stuck her nose up at Rainbow’s complaining. “Just because we’re going on an adventure doesn’t mean I can’t do it in style.”
While Rarity was speaking, Fluttershy walked down the path to join the rest of her friends. Once she was there, Rainbow looked between Fluttershy and Rarity.
“Do you guys even understand the gravity of what we’re about to do here?!” Rainbow demanded. “We’re going on an epic adventure with Daring Do herself--without a doubt, the second most awesome Pegasus in Equestria! And you guys come here like we’re going to some costume party!”
“Says the filly in the Daring Do costume,” Applejack said with a smirk.
“That’s different!” Rainbow looked at Applejack with all seriousness. “Rarity specially designed this costume for going on an adventure like this. Right, Rarity?”
“Well yes, I did take into account a number of practical considerations when I made it for her,” Rarity replied.
“You see,” Rainbow said. “Me and Twilight are probably the only ponies here taking this seriously!”
“What about Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked.
Suddenly, a pony dressed as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well dropped out of sky and landed in a crouching position, startling everypony there. They all stared at this Mare-Do-Well in confusion as she crouched in silence.
“Let’s get dangerous!” the Mare-Do-Well said in Pinkie Pie’s voice.
Rainbow Dash facehoofed. “Pinkie Pie! Why are you dressed as Mare-Do-Well?!”
Pinkie Pie giggled as she stood up straight, reached up, and pulled the mask off. “Well, you were dressing up as Daring Do, so, I dressed up as Mare-Do-Well. I didn’t want you to feel bad probably being the only pony dressed in a costume.”
Pinkie then smiled brightly.
Rainbow Dash groaned. “This is just great! Now, Daring will think all my friends are lame and won’t want to be my friend!”
“But Rainbow,” Pinkie began, “don’t you remember what happened with Gilda? You stuck by my side even though she thought I was lame.”
“Yeah, if Daring Do thinks we’re lame, she doesn’t deserve to have you as her friend,” Fluttershy added. “Of that, I’m sure.”
Rainbow took a few deep breaths and calmed down significantly.
“You’re right, guys,” Rainbow said. “I’m sorry. I’m just really nervous. I really want Daring to like me, you know?”
“Well, why wouldn’t she like you?” Applejack asked. She walked right up next to Rainbow and threw her foreleg around her withers. “You’re probably the best friend a pony could ask for. She’ll be lucky to call you her friend.”
Rainbow patted Applejack’s hoof that was around her neck. “Thanks, AJ.”
At that moment, Twilight and Daring Do flew overhead and alighted before the assembled ponies. Spike was flying at Twilight’s side, still a bit slowly and clumsily, and landed a moment later.
“Hi, girls,” Twilight greeted them. She turned to Fluttershy. “Spike is ready to watch your animals today, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy turned to Spike as he walked towards her. “The animals are looking forward to having you watch them for the day, Spike.”
At the door of Fluttershy’s cottage, Angel Bunny stood with a scowl on his face and his little bunny forelegs crossed. He stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at Spike.
“Well, the feeling’s mutual, pal,” Spike retorted.
Twilight looked over at Pinkie Pie. “Why are you wearing your Mare-Do-Well costume?”
Pinkie giggled. “Oh, no reason. I was just being silly,” she said as she slipped off the costume and kicked it off to the side.
Twilight turned to her assembled friends. “Anyway, is everypony ready?”
Rainbow trotted up to Twilight. “I was born ready!”
Their other friends nodded in assent as well.
Rainbow turned to Daring. “Hi, Daring. I’m so excited to be joining you today!”
Daring looked Rainbow up and down, taking in the almost perfect replica of her own gear. She looked a bit uncomfortable with it.
“I see you… um… wore your Daring Do costume.”
“My,” Rarity said as she trotted up to Rainbow and Daring, “you two look like you could be twins.”
“I know, right” Rainbow replied.
Daring looked away, seeming a bit uncomfortable.
After a moment, Daring cleared her throat and loudly addressed the group. “Alright, listen up! If everypony’s ready, I think we should get going.” Daring turned to Rainbow. “Rainbow, you know the way to the Castle of the Two Sisters, right?”
“Oh yeah,” Rainbow nodded, holding her hoof up. “I know the way there like the back of my hoof.”
“Great,” Daring replied. “You’ll lead the way with me then.”
Rainbow nodded and clopped her hooves together in excitement. With that, Daring and Rainbow led her friends to the edge of the Everfree Forest, where they began their unexpected journey to the Castle of the Two Sisters.
The Everfree Forest even by day was still a perilous place to tread. Since the Elements were returned to the Tree of Harmony, some of the wild magic seemed to have calmed. Still, that did not mean there were not still treacherous dangers Rainbow and Daring’s group could encounter. So far, the trek into the forest had been relatively peaceful. That opened the opportunity for small talk.
“So, do you ever read Daring Do fanfiction?” Rainbow asked Daring.
“What?” Daring asked in reply.
“You know, the stories that your fans write and send off to be published in the Daring Do fanzine Tenochtitlan Daily,” Rainbow said.
“I’ve come across a few, but I generally try to avoid it,” Daring responded. “Some of those shipping stories are insane!”
“I know, right,” Rainbow replied. “I have this friend, not one of these ponies with us though, who is obsessed with shipping you and Ahuizotl. I mean, come on!”
“Yeah, the worst of it though are the ponies who ship me with Lancer,” Daring remarked.
Rainbow stopped in her tracks for a moment before trotting up again to Daring’s side. “What’s wrong with the idea of you and Lancer getting together?”
“I mean, you cannot be more wrong about us!” Daring said. “He’s immature, arrogant, reckless, entitled. He’s an insult to adventurers everywhere! I despise him!”
“I don’t know though,” Rainbow said. “Having read your books like twelve times over, I feel like there are moments where it seems like you, I don’t know, kind of care about him.”
Daring looked at Rainbow as if she was crazy.
Daring rolled her eyes. “That’s my editor’s doing. She seems to think it’ll sell more books if I drum up what she calls the ‘unrequited sexual tension’ between me and Lancer. Unrequited sexual tension. I’ve had more sexual tension with pieces of cardboard then I’ve ever had with Lancer! If you knew him like I did, you’d understand why it’s crazy to think that.”
“No, I think I understand,” Rainbow said as she smiled knowingly.
I understand how much in denial you are about being in love with Lancer! she thought. No matter what even Daring said, nothing was going to stop Rainbow from being a Dancer--a Daring and Lancer shipper.
“I know my editor does it because she knows the fans love that idea for some reason,” Daring said. “One time, I read this ridiculous story a fan using the name ‘Prismatic-Dancer’ wrote in Tenochtitlan Daily.”
“Oh, did you, now?” Rainbow replied, recalling that story, for she was quite familiar with it.
Rainbow Dash’s House, A Good While Ago
Rainbow Dash sat on her bed as she plucked away at the typewriter she had borrowed from Twilight.
Prism Rush stood between Lancer and Daring Do.
“Can’t you guys see,” Prism said while looking between them, “that you guys are in love with each other?”
Daring looked longingly into Lancer’s deep, baby blue eyes. She saw reflected back in them the same well of passion that she had been holding back in her heart for years. A passion as fiery as the fiery red mane atop Lancer’s head.
“It’s true,” Daring began. “I love you, Lancer. I’ve always loved you. I love you more than a mare has ever loved a colt.”
Lancer felt his heart explode at Daring’s declaration of love for him. But because he was so awesomely cool, he played it cool.
“I know,” Lancer said coolly. “I’ve always known.”
Rainbow clopped her hooves together as she looked over her handiwork. She felt her spine tingle over how awesome her story was. She knew for certain it was awesome. Everything she did was awesome.
“Soon, when the readers of Tenochtitlan Daily think of quality Dancer shipfics, they’ll think of me, Prismatic-Dancer!”
“Well, whoever this Prismatic-Dancer may be,” Rainbow began, “she… or he... was probably a first-time fanfiction writer who struggled to get her… or his point across about how much she… or he thought you guys were in love with each other. I mean, that’s just a guess. It’s not like I know who she… or he is or anything like that.” Rainbow smiled awkwardly.
“Right,” Daring answered wryly, smiling.
“What are you guys talking about?” Twilight asked as she trotted up next to Daring and Rainbow.
“Daring seems to think it’s ridiculous that fans think that she’s in love with Lancer,” Rainbow replied.
“Really?” Twilight asked. “You’re not in love with Lancer?”
“Sweet Luna!” Daring cried in exasperation. “You too?”
“Well, I’ve read your books a couple of times,” Twilight explained, “and I did notice quite a bit of unrequited sexual tension between you and Lancer.”
“Uggh!” Daring groaned.
“Anyway,” Rainbow began once more, “that Prismatic-Dancer story can’t be the most ridiculous fanfic you’ve ever read. I once read this story by a pony called ‘Gloaming-Glitter-Princess’. I mean, what kind of name is that?”
Twilight started laughing awkwardly. This was also a story that she was quite familiar with.
Golden Oak Library, A Long Time Ago
Twilight Sparkle sat at one of the tables in the library, tapping away at her typewriter.
Prism Rush looked up as a golden star descended from the sky. Once the star reached the ground, its light dissipated, revealing a disheveled Daring Do. Her helmet was missing and her head was drooping low. Her mane was draping forward over the top of her head.
Then suddenly, Daring straightened herself up and threw her head back, revealing something new upon her head.
It was a unicorn horn!
Daring Do had become an alicorn!
Prism Rush’s jaw dropped in shock. “You’re an alicorn! You look just like a princess!”
“That’s because she is a princess,” said a voice behind Prism Rush.
Prism Rush turned and saw that Princess Celestia was suddenly there and was now walking towards them.
Twilight nodded and smiled slightly as she looked upon her handiwork.
“Another soon-to-be classic from the Gloaming-Glitter-Princess!”
“Seriously, an alicorn princess!” Rainbow Dash explained. “That doesn’t even make any sense. Who in their right mind would think you’d become an alicorn princess?!”
“Well, it’s not like ponies don’t become alicorn princesses sometimes!” Twilight added a bit more defensively than she had intended.
“Okay,” Rainbow replied, a bit unsure as to what was bothering Twilight. “Anyway, it’s not like there aren’t any good fanfics. Like the ones Bad-Seed-LXXII writes.”
“Oh yeah,” Twilight replied, nodding in agreement. “Those are some really good stories. I wonder who that filly is, though.”
Manehattan, Also A Long Time Ago
Babs Seed was sitting on her bed in her room in her sister’s Farrier Hill apartment in Hooflyn. She should have been asleep hours ago, but she couldn’t help it. Her mind was buzzing with ideas that she had to put to paper.
So, there she was, tapping away at the typewriter her sister had got her for her last birthday. Babs had gotten it after she had mentioned to her sister that she might try to get a writing cutie mark.
Witching hour. The time when magic was strongest.
The parish lantern of the night hung overhead as Daring raced through the mean streets of Manehattan. Daring had traveled far and long on her journey. She had gone from the West and the Best to the East and the Beast. She had faced many difficulties but she finally had her prize in her possession. That was the legendary Ivory Idol. It was said to have been carved from one of the ivory piano keys of Old Scratch himself. It was a prize sought by many. That was the reason Daring raced down the street. A particularly vicious gang of ponies, who also sought the Idol, were giving her chase. They were the King’s Knights. The servants of the secret king of Manehattan. King Orange himself, Bernie Madhoof.
Daring Do turned down an alleyway, hoping to lose them, but ended up in a dead end. Her wings, tired from the day’s flight, were not strong enough to carry Daring over the wall at the end of the alleyway. Daring suddenly heard an evil chuckling behind her. She turned and saw that the Knights were slowly making their way down the alley. At their head was the gang’s leader. He was an Earth pony colt with a coat the color of blood and a mane as black as the sin in his heart. Two playing cards adorned his flank. Daring smirked as she watched the callous colt came to a stop.
“Card Slinger,” Daring called to him, “nice to see Madhoof rolled out the welcome mat for me.”
Card Slinger sneered. “Youze gonna pay fo’ stealin’ from Madhoof. Youze ain’t gettin’ away with dis. He’s the devil in pony flesh. Youze can’t imagine what he’ll do to youze. He’ll peel youze skin off like an orange.”
Babs Seed stopped typing for a moment. She stroked her chin in thought as she looked over her rendering of the Manehattan dialect.
“Looks kinda weird written out like that,” Babs pondered aloud. After a moment of thought, Babs waved her hoof dismissively. “Na. I’ll leave it. Gives it a little flavor.”
She returned to typing.
“It belongs in a museum!” Daring cried. “And away from Madhoof’s hooves!”
“It belongs in Madhoof’s museum,” Card Slinger retorted. “An’ he’ll stuff youze, mount youze, and put youze on display too!” Card Slinger pulled out a black dagger with his hoof and pointed it at Daring. “Dis youze last chance. Hand it ova!”
“Not a chance, Slinger,” Daring answered.
“Youze funeral,” Card Slinger replied as he began to step closer to Daring.
Daring crouched down in a fighting stance. Her hackles rose in anticipation of the coming brawl.
“Bring it!”
“I have to admit, Bad Seed’s stories are probably the best fanfictions I’ve ever read,” Twilight stated.
“The only thing though,” Rainbow began, “is Daring suddenly has a long-lost Earth mare cousin named Carter Blue Blossom. And Daring gets shipped with her! I mean, I can understand shipping her with another mare if that’s your thing. But her cousin? I mean, who would ever get together with their cousin? That’s weird.”
“Well, it’s not that weird,” Twilight responded. “It used to be much more common a hundred years ago. It’s always been legal in Equestria. To this day, it’s even still pretty common among the aristocracy. And just taking Daring and Carter’s situation into account, given that they’re long-lost cousins, the Westermarck effect doesn’t apply.”
Rainbow looked at Twilight as if she had grown a second head. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this have you? Like way too much.”
“Ooh, ooh! We’re here! We’re here!” Pinkie Pie called out as she skipped to the fore of the group.
They all stood at the edge of a ravine where a rope bridge crossed over to the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters.