The Legend of Daring Do

by The Red Parade


Daring Do and the Legend of Slow Burn

I end up waiting in the library for a half hour before Twilight can finally get to me. “Sorry, Rainbow,” she apologizes. “I got a bit carried away with one of my experiments.”

I decide not to question why she’s got some burn marks on her coat or why she smells like smoke. “It’s cool.”

She hesitates before continuing, “So, how are you feeling?”

I blink. “Fine, I guess. Why?”

“Well… today is the anniversary after all.”

“No it isn’t, it’s… Oh, crap. It is.” The realization hits me. On this very day, three years ago, I lost my sister. “I guess I lost track of time.” 

Twilight gives me a concerned glance. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I shrug. “Yeah. I guess reading this story has been helping. It makes it hard to forget that she’s gone, you know?”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that this is helping you,” Twilight replies. She hesitates before adding, “But if you ever need to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

“I know.”

With a reassuring smile, Twilight opens the book again. “Okay. Where were we?” She clears her throat before reading. “You and your group leave the treacherous skies of Skyfall City far behind, heading for the far west instead. Soon the lush green countryside gives way to barren desert land, with sand and dust embedding itself in the world around you…”

“I hate the desert,” Redblood mutters from my right. We’re standing in the middle of an old western town, the kind I’ve seen in movies. The streets are unpaved and dusty, with old wooden buildings lining the sides. Everypony around us is wearing cowpony hats, making us stand out.

Free Fall just laughs. “You hate everything, Redblood. I’m not surprised.” 

“She’s got a point,” Minute states. She points to a saloon on the far end of the street. “Is that where we’re heading?”

Redblood’s ears perk up. “A drink? Fine by me!” 

Daring facehoofes and shakes her head. “No, we’re not going to get a drink. Remember what happened last time?”

Free Fall wiggles her eyebrows at Daring. “I remember what happened last time.”

I laugh as my sister blushes and gives her a shove. “Shut up!”

Redblood and Minute set off towards the saloon as Daring shouts after them, “Hey! You are not doing what you did when we went to Manehattan!”

“Chill out! It’s just a few drinks,” Redblood shots back.

With a grumble of annoyance, Daring heads off after them. “Stay right there,” she says to Free Fall. 

Free Fall rolls her eyes and gives a sarcastic salute as my sister runs off after her friends.

“Should we go help her?” I venture.

“Nah. She’s got it,” Free Fall says dismissively.

I look her over again, noting all the similarities between her and Fleetfoot. “So… you and my sister, huh?”

Free Fall glances at me awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. Did she, uh, ever tell you? About us?”

“No.” I can’t help but laugh inside at how weird this is. One of my idols, acting awkward around me.

Free Fall’s eyes dip to the ground and she kicks at the dust absently. “Oh. Well, it’s kind of a funny story. When we first met, I crashed into her while practicing. It was dark, and I didn’t think there’d be anypony at the park. She kind of got mad at me, so I had to watch out for her when I practiced at night. But then we talked and got to know each other.”

“And that’s where this whole thing started?”

“Well, after a while we went out for some drinks. And, er, we had a little too much to drink--”

My wings suddenly flare out defensively. “Wait, so you’re saying you--”

“No, nothing like that! She just got really drunk and ended up kissing me! I swear that’s all that happened!”

I cock an eyebrow suspiciously. Wait, this is my idol we’re talking about. Why do I have her cowering in front of me like a filly?

Because this is my sister we’re talking about, I realize. As a big sister, this is kind of my job. “Then did you do anything after that?”

Free Fall sighs. “No. Look, after we kissed… she was scared. She said that she had a lot to figure out and wasn’t comfortable going any further. So I said okay, and that she could take as much time as she needed to figure things out.” A look of regret comes across her face. “We were just doing that when she… died. Figuring it out.”

The sad look on her face kills whatever rage I have left inside of me. My wings droop down and I sigh. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I can understand, I wanted the best for her too.” Free Fall shakes her head and chuckles. “I didn’t even trust Redblood when I first met her. Thought she was a horrible influence. Glad to see I was wrong though.”

I look around, watching some of the locals as they pass by. “She really liked you, didn’t she?”

Free Fall just shrugs. “I hope she did.”

Before she can elaborate, the saloon’s doors suddenly slam open and a black stallion comes flying out. He rolls on the ground a few times, but doesn’t get up. Then, a panicked crowd comes surging out, screaming and yelling and glancing at the door.

Redblood trots out, shaking her head in disgust. “Touch me there again, why don’t you,” she spits.

She’s followed by a laughing Minute Maker, who slaps her hard on the back. “Oh Celestia, the look on his face! That was great! We should do that again sometime!”

An angry stallion in an apron shouts after them, while Daring quickly apologizes to him. She reaches into her bag and gives him a sack of bits, which he snatches with an annoyed huff.

“One time! We can’t go out for drinks one time without you lot starting a bar fight,” she hisses as she rejoins us.

“Aw, did I miss out again?” Free Fall pouts.

Daring opens her mouth to reply, but before she can, a baritone voice yells at us, “Hey!”

A group of earth ponies in black vests and hats are trotting towards us. The lead pony’s got a black mustache and a scowl on his face. He points a hoof at the unconscious stallion on the ground in front of us. “That there’s an Outlaw you just hit!”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I ask. “Why’s he so upset?”

My sister groans in annoyance. “The Outlaws are a gang that live out here. They’re also very defensive of one another and don’t like it when you knock out one of their members.”

Redblood just shrugs. “Whoops.”

The Outlaws then rear up onto their hind hooves and draw revolvers from their belts. The townsponies around us duck for cover and scramble to get out of their way. Bullets riddle the ground and the sounds of gunshots fill the air. 

“Get down!” Minute yells.

All of us run for cover as they start shooting at us. A bullet whizzes over my head and shatters a window at the nearby general store. The nosie is pretty defeaning at first, but my ears quickly adjust. “What’s the plan?” I shout to Daring.

“Put them at range,” she shouts to Minute and Redblood. Daring and I end up on the right side, behind some barrels while Minute and Redblood end up by the general store. The Outlaws divide themselves into teams, with half of them providing cover fire while the other half reposition themselves. This definetly isn’t their first rodeo.

Minute lights up her horn and blasts one of the Outlaws square in the face. He falls to the ground, gun tumbling out of his hoof. Another Outlaw quickly goes to his side and drags him aside while two more Outlaws cover him. Damn, they’re coordinated!

Daring turns to me. “Luckily for us, these’ dolts can’t aim. We’re going to have to be fast.”

“Fast? Do you know who you’re talking to?” I flash her a confident grin. The grin falters a little bit as another bullet flies over my head.

“Right. Ready?”

After I nod, we take off into the sky. I get some altitude before glancing down. Most of the Outlaws have scattered now, taking cover from Minute’s spells and Redblood’s cannon-thingy. A few are still standing in the street and shooting with their hooves while others are shooting with their mouths. It looks like they’re still using their tactic of covering fire, making it hard for Minute and Redblood to return fire.

I set my eyes on the mustached pony, who’s in the middle of the road shouting orders at the others. With a smirk, I dive down towards him. At the last second he hears me and starts to turn, but it’s way too late for him. 

I slam my hooves into his stomach, and he crashes to the ground with a surprised yell. The revolver goes flying out of his hooves. His hoof immidetly goes to his vest, and I’m pretty sure I know why. Sure enoguh, he pulls another gun out of a hidden holster. I grab at it with both of my hooves.

We wrestle for control, and I quickly realize he’s stronger than I am. I’m able to pull it towards myself, barrel pointing away from me, but he still won’t let go. So, I do the one thing I can think of: spit on him.

Somehow it works, and his grip falters just enough that I yank it out of his hooves. I turn it around, gripping the barrel instead of the handle, and bash at his head with it. I don’t stop until I’m sure he won’t get up soon.

As I get off him, one of the other Outlaw sees me and turns his gun on me. “Shit!” I might be fast, but I don’t think I’m faster than a speeding bullet. Before I can move though, a gray blur knocks him into the dirt. The two ponies tumble around for a few seconds, cursing and swinging at each other. 

My sister’s able to get the upper hoof, trapping the stallion on his stomach. She seizes one of his foreleg and applies pressure, twisting it in an unnatural way. If you didn’t hear the snap, you definitely heard his scream. A quick elbow to the head and he stops moving. “You okay?”

“Yeah, thanks,” I reply.

Then, I realize there’s another group of ponies approaching. “Hooves in the air! Reach for the skies!”

“Everypony scatter!” one of the Outlaws yells. The remaining Outlaws quickly drop their weapons and run. Ponies in brown dusters and wearing badges chase after them, rifles and shotguns slung across their backs.

As we regroup, a yellow-coated earth pony in a brown hat and duster approaches us. “Well Ah’ll be. If it ain’t Darin’ Do herself. Never thought Ah’d see you ‘round these parts again.”

Daring tips her helmet at him. “Hey, Burn. Guys, this is Marshal Slow Burn, chief law enforcement officer of the Empty Desert.”

He nods and touches the brim of his hat. “Pleasure. And next time if you could avoid pissin’ off the local gang, that’d be mighty fine.”

Daring coughs and nudges Redblood. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Slow Burn just shakes his head and laughs. “Ain’t no trouble, at least nopony died. So how can Ah help you today?”

“We’re trying to locate the Amulet of the Forgotten,” Daring explains. “My research indicates that the final key is located in the Temple of Pentagony, but I haven’t been able to figure out where it is.” 

Slow Burn rubs his chin in thought. “Hm, reckon Ah might know what you’re talkin’ about. There’s some old ruins just west of here, ain’t nopony brave enough to go near ‘em. Ah could take you if you want.”

Before Daring can respond, I see movement from the corner of my eye. The lead Outlaw we knocked out earlier is up now, gun in hoof and aimed at us. “Die, you sorry bastards!”

It’s hard to process what happens next. In a swift movement, Slow rears up on his hind legs and draws his rifle from the holster in his saddle. Without pausing he raises the gun up to eye level and fires.

The Outlaw yelps in pain as the gun is shot out of his hooves. Two deputies then converge on him and wrestle him to the ground.

Slow just blinks like nothing happened and drops back to all four hooves, reholstering his weapon. He catches my eye and winks at me. “You only see that in movies,” he jokes. 

“Nice shot, you old cow puncher,” Minute says. 

“It’s why I’m here, ain’t it?” He chuckles. “Oh, and you folks are probably gonna have to pay for that broken window.”

“But it wasn’t even our fault,” I protest. 

Redblood rolls her eyes and turns back to the saloon. “If I didn’t need a drink before, I sure do need one now.”