//------------------------------//
// S7 E17: Daring Done? (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 12 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Although not always a part of her morning routine, Pinkie Pie had been making it more and more of a habit to pick up the local Ponyville newspaper at the beginning of each day. Ever since the Gabby Gums incident, Ponyvillians had gained just the tiniest bit more respect for their paper over the fact that it wisely avoided tabloid gossip.

Of course, sensational stories and headlines were still quite common. The papers had to have ways to lure in readers, but Pinkie Pie generally paid them little attention. The stuff buried towards the back of the papers was always far more interesting to her. "I just love to read about happy happenings. It's always good to be a pony in the know, you know? And there's so much to know!" She said to herself as she picked up a copy of the Ponyville Chronicler (the old Ponyville Express had gone out of business shortly after the Gabby Gums incident and the Ponyville Chronicler had taken its place).

Bouncing back to Sugarcube Corner, the pink party pony was prepared to read through the paper in the time she had before the bakery opened for the breakfast rush.

But before Pinkie really had a chance to read, Rainbow Dash came swooping in all but unannounced! Her eyes were as wide as they could and she looked as if she's just seen a ghost! "Pinkie!" She gasped while struggling to catch her breath! "Have you heard the news?!"

"What news? I haven't read today's paper yet," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "And I didn't think you were really into the news."

"Not usually, but today I saw a headline that caught my eye," Rainbow desperately replied. "I grabbed a copy to see if I was seeing things and I wasn't!" She quickly grabbed Pinkie's copy of the Ponyville Chronicler, skimmed through several pages and eventually pointed a hoof to one. "There, read that!"

Pinkie did so, her blue eyes scanning over the headline in a matter of seconds. "'Parasprite Infestation In Fillydelphia Eradicated'?" She blinked. "What's wrong with that? I think it's great Fillydelphia got that problem under control. You know how much trouble parasprites gave us, I can't imagine what they could do to a town like Fillydelphia."

But Rainbow shook her head, realizing her hoof was covering up the intended headline. "No no no, read the headline above that one."

"'Noodles Named Official Food Of Whinnyapolis'," Pinkie read and blinked again. "Huh, I'd have never have picked noodles as the official food of Whinnyapolis, but here we are anyway."

Holding back a groan, Rainbow insisted while moving her hoof up ever so slightly. "And the one above that one too."

Without any hesitation, Pinkie Pie did so and this time she saw a headline that definitely demanded attention. "'Author A. K. Yearling Announces Retirement'," She then gasped as she saw a picture of the famous author next to the headline! "Wait, when was this announced?!"

Rainbow swallowed hard. "Just today, Pinkie. And what most ponies don't know is that A. K. Yearling is actually Daring Do in disguise. So if A. K.'s retiring that means Daring Do is retiring! Something must be wrong, Daring Do wouldn't just quit out of the blue!" And she immediately declared! "I have to go see her! I have to make sure she's okay!"

"Why are you telling me this?" Pinkie Pie pondered.

"I would tell Twilight but she's busy planning the Friendship Festival in Canterlot," The brash speedster explained. "You're the next best option, Pinkie. None of our other friends are into Daring Do as much as you are. Besides, if something's got Daring all down in the dumps, you're the only pony I can think of who could cheer her up. Now come on, we need to get going and find her! We must find out the truth!" And without even waiting for a reply, Rainbow was off!

Reluctantly, Pinkie Pie decided it best to follow her pegasus friend. "I can't just let her rush off to adventure by herself. Besides, it might be nice to meet Daring Do face to face." She thought to herself. But what neither she or Rainbow Dash could've suspected is that Daring Do's retirement was not going to be for the reasons either of them thought. And it was going to take a rather unlikely turn of events in order to get the adventurer to change her mind about hanging it up for good.



Rainbow Dash knew from experience where to find Daring Do (or rather her assumed disguise of A. K. Yearling), at a cottage in the woods out in the middle of nowhere. And owing to the fact that she was traveling unusually fast, she was able to leave behind something of a trail for Pinkie Pie to follow.

Once the pink party pony caught up with her pegasus friend she called out. "Hey, Rainbow! Daring... I mean A. K. just retired, didn't she? Like today?"

"And your point is?" Rainbow questioned. "I really don't wanna stand around and wait if something bad happened to A. K. Yearling."

Pinkie pointed out. "Well, she's probably not in the mood for visitors, not even a friend like you. Maybe, like with Cranky Doodle Donkey, she just wants to be left alone."

Rainbow shook her head, she would hear nothing of such a suggestion. "I know A. K., and I know she wouldn't just retire out of the blue! I at least wanna make sure she's okay."

The pink party pony seemed to nod in acceptance before a thought suddenly struck her. "Hey, wait a minute. You just wanna lure her out of retirement so she'll write more Daring Do books, don't you?" She realized.

The brash speedster adopted a rather sheepish look and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "Well, maybe that was sort of my reason initially," She confessed to her friend. "But I mean it when I say I'm worried about her. If she's really retiring, I think I deserve to know why just to be sure everything's okay. After all, the newspaper was pretty vague about it. It could be anything."

The two friends then made their way to A. K.'s cottage only to find the front door locked shut, and no amount of knocking seemed to yield a reply. Immediately, Rainbow Dash became optimistic about this turn of events. "Hey, maybe she's not retiring after all! Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding from an interview, it wouldn't be the first time that's happened," She nodded her head. "Yeah, that must be it! A. K. went to the editor in chief to correct the misprinted article. A. K. wouldn't just quit out of the blue, that's not her."

However, Pinkie Pie pointed out. "Nope, she's definitely home alright."

"How do you know that? I can't see anything from here." Rainbow questioned.

Pinkie seemed to giggle in reply. "Because you're not looking where I'm looking, silly," Then she commented in observation. "Yeah, I can see her now. She's definitely home, and she's definitely sad about something. She's just sitting there looking all sad and alone."

Just like that, any hope for an optimistic outcome left the brash speedster and two time ally to A. K.'s alter ego. She began to pound on the door while loudly shouting "A. K.!" over and over again, but to no avail!

All the while, Pinkie just continued her observations from the window. A. K. wasn't any the wiser to her presence yet. "Now she's sighing with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Now she's hanging her head in total and utter despair. And now she's shaking her hoof and cursing to high heavens because nothing will ever be the same. Ooh, I think she's saying something like 'Why oh why did this have to happen to me?!'"

"What?! Oh no, something really bad must've happened! This is worse than I thought!" Rainbow gasped in horror!

But then the pink party pony noticed something and quickly called. "Oops, never mind. She was just stretching, my bad," She turned away from the window. "She seems to be taking her retirement alright, I'm sure she'll be okay eventually."

The pegasus mare with a light blue coat was anything but satisfied with that idea, she just kept wailing on the door until finally it was opened.

Although Rainbow recognized A. K. immediately, for Pinkie Pie this was her first time seeing the author in all her glory. She really did look almost like Daring Do: A light gold coat, a black mane and tail similar in style to Rainbow Dash's and even moderate rose eyes. But her cutie mark was obscured by a reddish-purple robe (which also hid her wings) and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick, red glasses. Atop her head rested not a pith helmet but a large gray hat with a light brown bow.

The reclusive author and disguised action heroine quickly brought her guests inside. "Oh, it's you again, Rainbow Dash," She sighed. "And this is one of your... other friends." She eyed Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie extended a hoof. "I'm Pinkie Pie, Miss A. K.," And she asked. "It's okay if I call you that even though that's not actually your name, right?"

A. K. Yearling nodded her head. "Probably for the best if everyone starts calling me A. K. all the time from now on. Don't think I'll ever be taking up the mantle of Daring Do anymore." It was easy to notice how depressed her tone of voice was. Whatever it was that had caused her to retire was weighing quite heavily on her.

"A. K., what's going on?!" Rainbow Dash immediately questioned once introductions were out of the way. "Has your cottage been ransacked again and some no gooder made off with an ancient artifact of doom?"

"No, nothing's been stolen," A. K. willingly confessed. "Everything is as it should be."

Rainbow then questioned. "So, is someone blackmailing you into retirement? I'll bet it's Ahuziotl, Dr. Caballeron must've tipped him off about your books or something. I knew that creep would blab eventually!"

But the disguised author just shook her head. "No, it's not that either. I chose to retire of my own free will," And she then coldly declared. "If you'd read my article in the Ponyville Chronicler you'd know everything already. I explained my motivations quite clear there."

The off-duty Wonderbolt snorted, snatching up a copy of the aforementioned newspaper and reading the suggested article in depth. "Popular and esteemed author A. K. Yearling announced yesterday that the next installment in her beloved series of 'Daring Do' books: Daring Do and the Curse of the Pharaoh's Tomb will in fact be her last. A. K. said she looks forward to her retirement and has no plans to ever return to the Daring Do series ever again," She slammed the paper to the ground. "This doesn't explain anything, A. K.! What's the real reason you're retiring?! Have you even told your editor, Twilight Velvet, about this? Does she know?"

"No, even she doesn't know all the details. It doesn't concern her," A. K. pointed out. "My decision to retire was my own. And it's going to stay that way."

Rainbow refused to leave the subject alone. She just kept on pressing. "A. K., for any other author retirement would probably be no big deal. But what most ponies don't know is that you are Daring Do! I'm one of the few who does. So if you say as A. K. that you're no longer writing Daring Do books, that really means you're no longer going to be Daring Do. And Daring Do is who you are. So why is it you won't tell me what's going on?"

But Pinkie Pie interrupted by putting a hoof between Rainbow Dash and Daring Do while nodding her head. "Of course, if you don't feel like talking about it right now, that's A-okay, A. K.! As your friends we understand," And she looked across to Rainbow while questioning. "Right, Rainbow Dash?"

Blinking for but a moment, Rainbow realized what Pinkie was trying to suggest and corrected herself. "Yeah, r-right. That's what's really important," Still, she couldn't help but comment. "If you wanna tell us, that would be appreciated. We'll keep it a secret if you want us to."

Perhaps sensing that Rainbow at least wouldn't be satisfied without an answer, A. K. reluctantly decided to confess as she brought up several newspaper articles. But these ones didn't seem to be from any recognizable or professional ones across Equestria. "Just take a look at these and you'll know the truth, as I did."

The two guests did so, read such sensational and outrageous headlines such as: "Wake Of Destruction: Daring Do Ruins Entire Village Marketplace!", "Dare Or Scare: Local Rogue Daring Do Involved In Frightful Fiasco" and "Daring Do Leads Bull Into China Shop During High-Speed Chase".

The headlines stung just as much for A. K. now as they had when she'd first heard them. "That's enough! You don't have to read them aloud!" She angrily complained before realizing she was losing her temper and reluctantly calming herself. "The point is, ponies are mad at me and rightfully so."

"But when was all of this? All on your previous adventures this has never been a problem." Rainbow questioned.

"It was on my latest journey to Southern Equestria, one of the few places not under the control of the Equestrian monarchy," A. K. explained. "I thought I was helping when my adventures led me there, but now I see all I was doing was causing more trouble than I was worth."

Pinkie was quick to point out. "They're not mad with you, A. K., they're only mad at your alter ego, Daring Do. It's a good thing they don't know that you're both one and the same."

But the soon to be officially retired author shook her head. "Except they don't sell my books in Southern Equestria. Even with my Canterlot connections I can't get them published, Southern Equestria is a completely separate country despite its name," Lament crept into her voice as she continued. "So they only know Daring Do. And it seems like she only causes trouble, more trouble than she's worth. It was one thing when it was long lost civilizations or ancient valleys nopony had ever really set hoof in, I always convinced myself it was okay as long as no one got hurt. I guess it took Southern Equestria to make me realize just how little good I'd really been doing."

Rainbow Dash was quick to chime in and pull A. K. close with a light blue hoof. "Hey, I'm not about to let a friend just give up on themselves! You've got me and Pinkie on your side now, A. K. All we have to do is go down to Southern Equestria and set the record straight. Tell them that nothing they've been told about Daring Do is true."

"But that's the thing, it is true!" A. K. protested. "I did all the things those papers accuse me of," She blushed a bit. "Okay, maybe not the actual leading the bull into the china shop, it wasn't chasing me," Then she regained her composure. "The rest though, I definitely did. I guess I've always been so focused on saving priceless relics and stopping the bad guys that I never really thought about the mess I leave behind in my wake. Bering a hero just seemed and felt right."

The pink party pony blinked. "Then I guess you're in one tricky pickle. But why is this all happening now?"

A. K. only sighed and hung her head. "I guess ponies have finally had enough, they've gotten fed up. Can't say I blame them," And she then declared. "Either way, I'm done with adventures, having them or writing about them!"

"But A. K., you can't just give up because some ponies aren't happy," Rainbow pleaded with her friend. "I'm sure there are ponies in Southern Equestria who appreciate what you do, ponies who understand what it is you've done for them," And she suggested. "Why don't we go down to Southern Equestria and to the place where these articles were written? Let's see what the ponies there really have to say."

"You're talking about Somnambula's Village aren't you," A. K. inquired of her pegasus friend. "That's where all this trouble started. And it sounds like the ponies there have already made it pretty clear what they think."

"Come on, it's at least worth a shot!" Rainbow Dash firmly insisted. "Pinkie and I can go with you. It'll be just like one of your adventures. Maybe one last one before your retirement if you still decide to go through with it."

Against her better judgement, the reluctant author agreed to the trip. At least her disguise would mean none of the villagers would recognize who she really was.





The journey to Southern Equestria took surprisingly little time in comparison to how long it took to get to A. K.'s cottage from Ponyville. Somnambula's Village was a beautiful desert based town with buildings carved from stone. The glow of the evening sun hung over the village as ponies went about their lives in relative peace.

Rainbow Dash in particular seemed impressed as she commented to A. K. "Man, this is so cool! I never knew about this place before, A. K. But it looks just like your adventure in your last book, the one where Daring Do recovers the Doomed Diadem from the Wild Bunch Gang while they chase after her through the desert!"

A. K. grinned. "Of course it looks like it. My books are always based on my adventures. And that chapter was based around my experiences here in the village," And she pointed out. "Apparently, this town is named after a pegasus mare of legend. I don't know much about it though, in my last stay I didn't get to really take in the sights."

"So what happened? I mean, you must've saved the day, right?!" Pinkie Pie eagerly asked the author, hoping for details.

Rainbow nodded and grinned. "You bet your flank she does! In fact, Daring Do thwarts Ahuizotl's latest evil plot. This time he plots to separate the crown sister relics. If not for Daring's quick thinking and 'never give up' attitude, this village wouldn't be standing! The entire valley would be cursed with eternal night and the village would've sunk beneath the sands!"

Pinkie Pie flashed a bright smile. "How could anypony not think you're a hero after all of that, A. K.? Clearing up this confusion is gonna be easy-peasy-cheesy!"

Just then, Rainbow spotted a village resident. It was an elderly earth pony stallion who had a sandy brown coat. His eyes were the same violet color as the violet displayed next to the apple on his cutie mark, and his mane and tail were a lush reddish-pink that hung loose. "This guy should be able to clear it all up for us," She whispered to A. K. and then approached the stallion as she tried to act casual. "Oh, hey there, mister. I was just wondering if you could tell me about a pony named Daring Do. I hear she's a rather awesome adventure-hero."

The stallion quickly replied. "Daring Do, huh? Oh, she's definitely amazing alright," After a pause he frowned and bitterly complained. "Amazing at destroying ponies' apple carts and priceless, sacred statues! Just look around, see what her last visit to this place caused!" He gestured a hoof, drawing attention to several overturned and smashed up carts in the market place, a statue of some ancient pony of legend reduced to pieces and countless ponies sawing wood to try and make repairs to damaged buildings.

From afar, a stallion obscured by a reddish-brown hooded robe declared. "Indeed. Daring Do is nothing but a menace who destroys everything she touches. Look what she has done to our beloved village." And several other ponies nearby murmured in agreement.

"What?! No, this is all a misunderstanding!" Rainbow protested to the villagers! "Daring Do is the opposite of a menace! She saved your village, don't you realize that?!" But none of the villagers seemed to believe her.

A disappointed and frustrated A. K. Yearling just growled as she ran off! "I tried to warn you both, coming back here was a mistake! They don't want me here!"

Rainbow refused to let the author slip away, immediately flying forward and blocking her path. "A. K., come on! That was my fault, I picked a bad example. But even so it was one angry pony."

"Two angry ponies if you count that hooded stallion," Pinkie pointed out. "Who was he, anyway? Nopony else around wears what he wears. Is he trying to keep the sun out of his face or something?"

"Well I don't know about his face but his voice sounds vaguely familiar," Rainbow commented. "I wish I could put my hoof on it, because I swear I've heard that voice before somewhere."

A. K. only protested. "It doesn't matter, bad example or not I think it's perfectly clear that I don't belong here!" She began to trot off in shame. "I never should've come back here in the first place. I appreciate what you two are trying to do but you're not going to make me change my mind about my retirement. You two should just get out of here and go back to Ponyville. Daring Do's never coming back! From this moment on I'm Daring Do no longer, just A. K. Yearling." And soon she was out of sight.

Yet even as A. K. wandered off into the distance, Rainbow Dash was urging Pinkie Pie. "Come on, we need to go after her! She's going about this all wrong."

Pinkie Pie was anything but convinced. "I don't know. It seems to me like she really doesn't want us cramping her saddle," And she added. "If she's really this determined to hang up the pith helmet, why should we try to stop her?"

"Because I've been where she's been. I wanted to quit the first time I tried to team up with her, and I almost did," The brash speedster pointed out. "It was Twilight who helped convince me that giving up wasn't the answer. I couldn't call myself a good friend to A. K. if I wasn't willing to do the same with the roles reversed. I refuse to give up on her even if she's ready to give up on herself. I know there are ponies out here who appreciate her, I just know it! And I won't rest until I see that A. K. knows it too!"

"Okay, but where are we gonna find a good example to show off?" The pink party pony questioned. "And where are we going to stay? It's getting pretty late and I didn't pack a sleeping bag for a sleepout under the stars."

The off-duty Wonderbolt simply smiled. "Don't worry, I know a place that can solve both our problems. Follow me."





Rainbow led Pinkie to a rather tall building just across the bridge over a small lagoon. The last rays of Celestia's sun vanished in the fast approaching gleam of night as Luna's moon rose high into the sky, casting a glow over the building. "Check it out, Pinkie!" Rainbow excitedly declared! "It's The Get On Inn! Daring Do stays here all the time on her adventures, it's her favorite home away from home. And that means there's got to be ponies here who actually like Daring Do. I'll bet they can help us!"

Pinkie paused, sniffing the air as a delicious, warm aroma reached her nostrils. "Mmmm," She licked her lips. "Well my nose is definitely telling me to help myself to free muffins. What are we doing standing around here, let's go inside!"

Rainbow Dash giggled. "Now you're seeing things my way, Pinkie," And she led her party planning friend inside the inn. It was rather quaint as far as inns went, especially with its smooth stone floor and sand brick walls. The two soon approached the front desk and Rainbow tapped on the bell, ringing it. But there was no reply, so she furiously tapped it several times over. "Come on, come on!" She complained.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya! I'm coming, just hold your horses!" A gruff female voice grumbled. Soon, emerging from a door and approaching the front desk was a grayish-blue coated earth pony mare with a dusty green mane and tail in a mop like style. She had amber eyes hidden behind dull blue glasses, had pearl earrings dangling on either side of her ears and a purple dress with white trim and a gold color. Around her neck was both a pearl necklace and a smaller necklace of an unknown glowing green gemstone.

"Ooh, she's fancy!" Pinkie declared to Rainbow and then whispered. "I got this, Rarity made me take those classes on how to be fancy that Scootaloo's aunt offers," She cleared her throat, trying her best to emulate the speaking pattern associated with "fancy" ponies. "A good evening to you, fair madam. We are but weary travelers who humbly wish to inquire about the status of a certain mare of intrigue taking residence here."

The necklace wearing earth pony mare snorted. "What in Southern Equestria are you on about, young lady?! My name's Mrs. Trotsworth and I'm the innkeeper here. You gonna rent a room or what?!"

Realizing that there would be no need for "fancy" talk, the pink party pony just casually questioned the innkeeper. "Is it true that Daring Do stays here?"

Mrs. Trotsworth laughed. "Ha, not anymore she doesn't! She's on the 'no service' list now," And she then complained. "She deserves it after what she did to me!"

"What did she even do? She's always been a good customer, hasn't she?" Rainbow questioned.

"Maybe she used to be," Mrs. Trotsworth began and starting complaining again. "But the last time I rented that rotten rascal a room, she was in such a rush to hightail it out of here that she didn't even pay her bill."

"But-" Rainbow tried to protest.

Then Mrs. Trotsworth snorted. "And not long after that, a whole bunch of ruffians showed up and destroyed half the rooms lookin' for her. Guess she must've made them even more mad than she made me!" She pounded her front hooves on the desk. "And now I'm all but booked solid 'cause I've had to take in almost half the town thanks to the destruction she caused."

The brash pegasus just sighed, shaking her head. "You've got it all wrong, Mrs. Trotsworth."

"Really? How do you figure, hm? Know somethin' that I don't?!" The innkeeper snorted again.

Rainbow Dash did her best to explain. "Daring Do was trying to save this village and everypony in it from the curse of Doomed Diadem of Xilati. And if she was in such a rush, it was only because she needed to get the crown back to the Tiara of Teotlale before the curse took effect. I'm sure she didn't mean to forget about her bill, she'll gladly pay it along with any damages those ruffians caused looking for her."

But the innkeeper only replied. "I ain't interested in her money. It all sounds like a tall tale to me, especially now that I know Daring Do is a scoundrel and a thief!" She looked down at the necklace of growing green gems. "Every year, ponies have come from far and wide to offer up precious glowpaz necklaces like this one to the Somnambula statue in the village square. They do it in the hopes of securing a good future for themselves. Well, that's not gonna happen this year thanks to Daring Do's destruction. And now she apparently thinks we haven't suffered enough, because that poor fella over there had his glowpaz stolen by Daring Do just yesterday."

The stallion to whom Mrs. Trotsworth was referring was the same hooded stallion that had been spotted in the village earlier. And by now he was attracting quite the crowd. "Daring Do ruined our lives, destroyed our village and now she has come for our glowpaz necklaces too," He declared, making sure everyone could hear him. "If she dares to set one hoof into this village again, we must make sure she realizes that there will be dire consequences! Anypony who's interested, meet me in front of what remains of the Somnambula statue first thing tomorrow morning." And several seemed to agree.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had spotted A. K. Yearling sulking to herself at a table. She had heard everything. "Just great," She unhappily remarked. "Now I'm getting blamed for things I didn't even do. Why would I steal from them? I didn't even know about the glowpaz until just now."

"I know, and I know you're not a thief," Rainbow reassured the author. "We just need to make sure the villagers know that too. Besides, I swear that stallion is familiar somehow. I'll just bet he's behind this somehow."

Pinkie protested. "They are super bad!" Then she nervously asked. "But we're still staying the night, right? 'Cause I already ate all the free mini muffins. I couldn't help myself."

"A. K., I promise, after a good night's sleep we're gonna fix all of this!" Rainbow vowed. "We're not leaving until we've cleared your name and gotten to the bottom of things." And that was that, all three ponies would stay the night at the Get On Inn even though A. K. really didn't want to.





The next morning, shortly after sunrise, all three ponies made their way to the location they'd heard the hooded stallion mention. And indeed, it was easy to see that there had once been a statue. The base was still intact but everything else had crumbled away, leaving the intended pony to whom the statue was erected in honor of unidentifiable.

"Ah, you all came," The hooded stallion commented as he seemed to eye the gathered crowd from afar. "Well, you see it for yourselves, don't you? This is all that remains of your... I mean our Somnambula statue. Now that Daring Do has destroyed it, tell me, where are we to hang our glowpaz in tribute and offering?"

A raspberry pink coated earth pony mare with violet eyes, a dull red mane and tail and a green shirt loudly complained. "We don't even have glowpaz now, Daring Do stole it all! What else is she going to take away from us?!" And several other villagers all shouted and booed at the same time in protest!

Rainbow Dash had had enough, she was determined to set the record straight on her friend once and for all! "You're all wrong! Daring Do is not a thief, and she most certainly doesn't set out to cause destruction!" She declared while hovering over the villagers. "It seems like none of you even realize that your village continuing to stand is because of Daring Do herself. She saved you from Ahuizotl and a terrible curse that he would've unleashed."

Several villagers chattered amongst themselves in confusion, prompting Rainbow to explain. "'Who's Ahuizotl?', you ask? He's about yea big? Long neck? Itty-bitty face? Weird claw thingy on his tail? Any of that ring a bell?"

"He's a real baddie, folks! Trust me!" Pinkie Pie declared, throwing her support behind Rainbow's attempt to sway the villagers.

The brash speedster then continued with her defense of Daring Do. "Trust me, folks, if Ahuizotl hadn't been stopped things would've been a whole lot worse for you than they are now. Without Daring Do to stop him, Ahuizotl would've gotten away with the Doomed Diadem and your entire village would have been swallowed up by the sands! That, to me, seems like a much worse fate than losing some crummy old statue here!"

But many of the villagers gasped in disbelief, and the elderly earth pony stallion from the day before stepped up to protest. "Beg your pardon, you uniformed fool, but this was not 'Some Crummy Old Statue'! It was built to honor the namesake of our town! So if you want to better understand us, first you must understand her."

"Who's 'her'?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

The stallion answered. "Somnambula, of course. And there is a legend attached to her. It's time you were told."





The legend went like this:

Long ago, the village fell prey to the wrath of an evil sphinx: A dark purple cat like creature with green eyes and with wings. This sphinx demanded most of the crops of the villagers so that it would not destroy the village itself.

Somnambula was a pegasus mare with a beautiful light scarlet coat, playful grayish blue violet eyes, and a two shaded blue mane and tail that hung down her sides. Her cutie mark was a gold necklace with two pearls on each end, similar to one she wore around her neck. She had a white head dress with a yellow band and a yellow upside down crescent on the top, and had a white robe to match it. She didn't have much in comparison to her fellow villagers, but she used what little she had to give hope to others, even going so far as to give up her pearl necklace so that another villager could buy food.

Prince Hisan, the son of the pharaoh and a not so secret admirer of Somnambula's became inspired by this display. He too was a pegasus, but he was a stallion with a bluish-green coat and green eyes. His mane and tail were obscured by the matching bluish-green vest he wore as well as a ceremonial head dress. So inspired was he by Somnmabula's display of hope (and perhaps secretly hoping to impress her), that the prince declared nopony should ever have to go hungry again.

Yet when Hisan stood up to the sphinx, the beast captured him! The sphinx then told the pharaoh that the only way to see his son again was for somepony to come to an ancient pyramid and solve her riddle. But the pharaoh found that nopony would volunteer to help. Nopony that is except Somnambula! She immediately leaped into action upon learning of what had happened to Hisan, flying to the pyramid to confront the sphinx.

Inside the pyramid, the sphinx was waiting for Somnambula and had Prince Hisan tied up on a pedestal over a pit and across a wooden plank bridge. Looking down at the mare, the sphinx laid bare her terms. "Answer my riddle and the prince is free to go. Fail to answer correctly and the prince shall remain my prisoner forever. Do you accept my challenge?"

"I do," Somnambula firmly nodded. "I am ready whenever you are, Sphinx."

And so the sphinx gave Somnambula the riddle. "What am I? I shine brightest of all in the dark. I am there and yet cannot be seen. To have me costs you absolutely nothing, but to be without me cost you everything."

As Somnambula thought about the riddle, she began to think about all the hardships her village had had to endure. Immediately, she knew the answer! "Hope!" She shouted, feeling quite proud of her answer.

It was indeed the right answer, but the sphinx was so enraged by how effortlessly Somnambula had guessed it that it seemed she might not honor her word and might refuse to let Hisan go.

"May I offer a suggestion, sphinx?" Somnambula proposed. "How about another challenge? If I solve it, Prince Hisan goes free and you go away. If I fail to do so, you can keep me as your prisoner forever instead."

The sphinx agreed and quickly settled on the next challenge. "Let's see you walk to the prince, Somnambula. If you can reach him he's all yours."

Somnambula smiled. "Ha, that sounds easy, sphinx! I quite like this little game of yours."

But the sphinx replied with a roar! "This is no game, foolish mortal! You don't really think I'll make it easy on you, do you?" She promptly put a blindfold over the mare. "You will have to find your way while blinded. And don't think your wings will be any of use to you either, I've cursed this place so that no magic besides mine can work. Still think you can cross the gap and reach the prince? That bubbling green pit isn't just for decoration you know, you wouldn't want to fall into it."

Yet Somnambula never even thought of giving up. She knew she had to make a daring leap of faith and she did. Though blindfolded, the voice of Prince Hisan was all the guidance she needed to cross the bridge and rescue him.

The sphinx roared again! "No fair! No one's ever solved my riddles and beaten my challenges before!"

Somnambula wasn't worried though. "A deal's a deal, sphinx. It is time for you to leave," And she giggled. "I believe your mama is looking for you. You have been a very naughty little sphinx."

And just like that the sphinx went away, the threat she posed came to an end.

Upon being reunited with his son, the pharaoh asked Somnambula how she had prevailed. Somnambula in turn explained that she'd never lost hope, and that hope was what had guided her through.

In gratitude for the rescue, Prince Hisan replaced the pearls Somnambula had given up with a string of glowpaz. And around her neck they shone brightly, bright enough to light up the entire kingdom.





"And so, forever after, glowpaz became our symbol of hope," The elderly earth pony stallion concluded. "And that statue of Somnambula was intended to honor that hope."

A long silence fell over the crowd even as some chattered amongst themselves about it.

At last, Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Okay, I see now that this statue was important. But you know what, if Somnambula were here right now I think she would understand that somethings are more important. So maybe half your village got temporarily destroyed, half a village is better than no village at all, right?" As several more villagers started to chatter quite audibly, she added. "Daring Do is just as much a hero as Somnambula. Somnambula would've done the same if she were here and had to stop Ahuizotl from inflicting a horrible curse. Everything you lost you can rebuild. If your village had sunk beneath the sands, you would've never gotten it back."

The hooded stallion tried to protest. "Have you forgotten that it's because of Daring Do that Ahuizotl came here in the first place? Wherever she goes, he goes. Are you implying that Ahuizotl is the one who somehow stole all our glowpaz and not Daring Do?"

"Daring Do only came here to save the village, she's always spoken fondly of it and has frequented this town's inn multiple times," The brash speedster countered. "Why would she want to ruin all that goodwill by becoming a thief now? No matter how you spin it, Daring Do is innocent. The theft of the glowpaz started before she came to town, didn't it?"

The hooded stallion reluctantly confessed. "Yes it did, I was not the first to have my glowpaz stolen. But Daring Do stole mine, she must've stolen the rest! It couldn't have been anypony else!" Yet he found that none of the villagers would believe him. In fact, all of them began to disperse one by one without saying anything.

"See? I told you we'd get this misunderstanding cleared up, A. K.," Rainbow declared as she swooped down to the disguised author. "And we never break a promise to a friend in need."

Pinkie Pie nodded. "We sure don't," And looking to A. K. Yearling she asked. "You feeling better now? Maybe ready to come out of retirement?"

"Maybe," A. K. said with what seemed like a smile. "But there's still the mystery of the stolen glowpaz. If I'm really going to clear my name and convince these ponies I'm a hero, I have to get their stolen glowpaz back. Besides, I still have to pay Mrs. Trotsworth for that overdue bill. I knew I was forgetting something from my last visit." And she scurried away to take care of the matter.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were thus left alone at the base of the statue with the hooded stallion. And Rainbow had a pretty good idea of who it was underneath the hood. "Alright, mister, it's time to drop the act! Or should I say..." She flew over and yanked the hooded robe right off, exposing a very familiar earth pony stallion with a light brown jacket underneath! "Dr. Caballeron! You needed to do a better job of disguising your voice."

Dr. Caballeron growled and hissed. "So you saw through my cunning disguise, did you?! You think you're the hero of this story because you helped Daring Do get back on her hooves?! Well you're wrong, this isn't over yet! Soon, I'll see to it that Daring Do is nothing but a memory!" He gave a whistle as several of his henchponies started to appear. "I had hoped to convince Daring to give up the game willingly. But ponynapping you will serve the same purpose."

"Rainbow Dash, watch out!" Pinkie shouted a warning as Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies surrounded the pegasus mare!

Rainbow just looked to Pinkie and told her! "Don't worry about me, go find Daring Do! I'll be fine, trust me! We can't let Caballeron get away with this!"

Dr. Caballeron only laughed. "A foolish sentiment! Daring Do won't be able to save you this time!"

Against her better judgement, Pinkie Pie rushed to find Daring Do! She hoped Rainbow could at least hold Caballeron and his goons at bay until she could get Daring to come out of retirement and come to the rescue.





At the Get On Inn, A. K. Yearling was plopping a huge sack of bits onto the front desk while chatting with Mrs. Trotsworth. She had just confided in the innkeeper to her secret (so as to have the bits accepted).

"So you're saying you've always been Daring Do and this is just a disguise you wear?" Mrs. Trotsworth blinked briefly in surprise. "Huh. I don't know why I didn't see it before, it was so obvious."

A. K. giggled. "That's the idea, so obvious nopony will ever suspect it. Besides, it's amazing what a pair of glasses, a hat and a long robe can do."

"Well, either way, I suppose this donation more than makes up for all the trouble you caused me during your stay before this stay," Mrs. Trotsworth commented as she picked up the sack of bits. "Guess I'll have to see about taking you off the 'No Service' list, if you can prove you didn't steal all the glowpaz. 'Cause if it wasn't you I don't know who it could be, because I guarantee you that the glowpaz didn't just disappear."

A. K. breathed a small sigh of relief and left the inn, now feeling better as some of the guilt had been lifted from her conscience. She still needed to find a way to make it up the rest of the villagers though, and she could start by tracking down the whereabouts of their missing glowpaz (and hopefully apprehend whoever had stolen all the necklaces).

Just as the author left the inn, she was approached by a pony clad in a dark purple outfit, a similarly matching hat and cape, and blue goggles that concealed the eyes as well as a huge "M" attached to a belt that spanned the lower regions of the outfit. "A. K.!" The mysterious pony frantically declared in an obviously filtered voice that sounded strange and otherworldly. "You gotta come back to the center of the village, Rainbow Dash is in trouble!"

A. K. stepped back in surprise and concern. "Who are you?! How do you know me?! And how do you know Rainbow Dash?!"

At that, a pink colored hoof lifted up the mask to reveal a very recognizable pink coated earth pony. "It's me, Pinkie Pie!" She declared. "This is my superhero alter ego, Mare-Do-Well, though someponies call her The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. I brought it with me because I thought you might need some encouragement from another hero."

"What's all this about Rainbow Dash?!" A. K. inquired with worry! "What's happening?!"

"That stallion who tried to make you look bad, it's Dr. Caballeron!" Pinkie Pie explained. "Rainbow Dash exposed him and now he has her cornered."

A. K. gasped! "And I'll bet he's the one behind the glowpaz theft! Of course, this was all his plan to make me lose faith! Man, he's really gotten underhoofed!"

"So, will you help me stop him? Please?" Pinkie pleaded before pulling the mask down again and reassuming her Mare-Do-Well identity. "I don't know if Mare-Do-Well's gonna be enough to save the day by herself!" And she took off as fast as her hooves could carry her!

A. K. just stood there though, unsure of herself. "Am I really ready to get back into action so soon after all that happened?" She thought to herself. "Rainbow Dash is apparently a Wonderbolt now, she can more than hold her own against Caballeron, right?"





Now fully in her Mare-Do-Well costume, Pinkie Pie rushed back to the center of the village only to find that Rainbow Dash, Caballeron and the henchponies were gone! Fortunately, they were not far ahead. It seemed Caballeron was dragging a now captive Rainbow Dash away towards the pyramid mentioned in the legend of Somnambula.

But despite her best efforts, Pinkie just couldn't keep up. She had to stop to catch her breath! "I'm... coming... Rainbow... Dash... " She panted, before suddenly she looked back and saw a familiar pith helmet wearing pegasus mare rushing up to her. Daring Do was back! "Oh, I knew you'd come!" Pinkie excitedly declared as she lifted up the mask to talk to Daring Do normally.

Daring Do was still uncertain. "I wasn't so sure myself. I mean, what if I just cause more trouble?"

"You won't, I know it," Pinkie firmly insisted. "You'd never let anything bad happen to Rainbow Dash or any of your other allies. You care too much. That's what separates you from the likes of Ahuizotl and Caballeron. Now come on, they're headed toward the pyramid! Rainbow Dash is counting on us, we can't let her down!" And she pulled down her mask once again.

The two heroes eventually managed to make their way inside the pyramid and found Rainbow tied to the same post as described in the legend. She was blindfolded and surrounded by the same bubbling green pit of an unknown substance that glowed ominously. But the bridge was nowhere to be seen.

"Pinkie Pie?! Daring Do?! Is that you?! Oh please tell me it's you!" Rainbow Dash pleaded as she struggled in vain against her ropes.

"Well, Daring Do," Caballeron called out from atop the pyramid. "I would love to stay and chat but I really must be going. Perhaps this will encourage you to take a hint and give up the hero business for good. I know how much you care for your little helper. But perhaps you should've taught her not to meddle in my affairs." And then he left.

Rainbow desperately shouted! "Daring, you won't be able to fly in here! The curse is real! That old legend must be true somehow."

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie heroically declared as she briefly lifted up her Mare-Do-Well mask. "Mare-Do-Well is here and she's got backup. With her and Daring Do working together, we'll save you and then we'll save the day!"

"Do whatever, just hurry! I think this pillar's sinking!" The brash speedster declared and she was right, the pillar was indeed starting to sink and sink fast!

"What are we going to do?!" Daring frantically remarked while looking all around! "With the bridge gone and no flying allowed, there's no way we can get to Rainbow in time!"

Mare-Do-Well wasn't so convinced. "If this is indeed like Somnambula's story, we just have to have faith and hope that we can," Then she noticed something. "Down there, there's steam geysers! If we bounce on them, we'll get to Rainbow Dash in no time!" And without waiting she immediately jumped down to the first one, managing to time the bounce just right to catch it as it spewed up hot steam.

Daring Do reluctantly followed, barely able to duplicate what Pinkie accomplished as Mare-Do-Well but still able to reach Rainbow's location and untie the pegasus mare. "Thanks for reminding me to never give up hope, Pinkie."

"Well, I 'hope' we all can make it out of here before we take a bath in that bubbling green slime," Rainbow commented. "Whatever it is it doesn't look pleasant!" The three then made it back across the steam geysers just before the platform sank into the slime completely.





Caballeron was unaware of what was transpiring in the pyramid, he was simply determined to leave the village (and Southern Equestria all together) as soon as possible to avoid being caught.

Unfortunately for the stallion, his hopes for a quick exit were dashed when he was suddenly tripped up and exposed by a well timed throw from a pith helmet! "Hold it right there, Caballeron!" The familiar voice of Daring Do shouted as she arrived on the scene with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie (who by now had shed her Mare-Do-Well costume and placed it back into storage inside her mane).

The tripping of Caballeron also caused the heavy sack he'd been carrying to open! Dozens of glowpaz necklaces spilled out, prompting shocks and gasps from all the villagers!

"Hey, you stole our glowpaz!" A villager shouted as a realization slowly began to emerge! "Daring Do wasn't a thief after all!"

"So what?" Caballeron hissed as he stood up. "She is still a menace and a danger! She causes nothing but destruction in her wake!"

"And you sought to take advantage of the destruction I caused to sully my name!" Daring Do accusingly pointed a hoof. "You were hoping to force me into an early retirement, weren't you?!"

The earth pony stallion nodded. "Guilty as charged. But you must admit, it wasn't hard to persuade the villagers that it was you who was the villain after all the trouble you caused. I saw a perfect opportunity to make them see it my way. The glowpaz stealing was just a nice little bonus when the opportunity arose."

Daring could only shake her head. "You still don't get it, do you, Caballeron? It's not about the treasures, it's about stopping bad guys like you," The adventurer then bravely declared. "I will never let you or anyone else break my spirit ever again! I'll never give up hope that I can protect ponies and ancient treasures from the likes of you and Ahuizotl."

Dr. Caballeron only growled before running off. "Fine, take back the glowpaz for all I care! But we will meet again, Daring Do! One way or another, you will pay for declining my offer to join you!"

As soon as the no good doctor had left the outskirts of the village, the village ponies erupted in a chorus of cheers for their newly found hero in Daring Do!

Daring did her best to downplay it, being the modest mare that she was it. "Okay, that's enough for now," And she then turned to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. "Thanks for helping me come to my senses and not giving up on me. You two are true friends. And Pinkie Pie, you handled yourself pretty well for a new assistant."

"Ha, I had a feeling you'd snap out of it eventually!" Rainbow declared. "That whole pyramid thing with Caballeron worked better than I thought it would."

"Wait a minute," Daring blinked in realization! "You let yourself get kidnapped?!"

"Not intentionally, but I could've escaped if I really wanted to at any point before we reached the pyramid," The brash speedster confessed. "I couldn't think of how else to get you to snap out of your funk for good. Besides, now we're even for the time you let yourself get captured and didn't tell me."

Daring Do groaned a bit under her breath. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope," Rainbow Dash commented with a grin. "Still, you were definitely awesome back there! If this Somnambula pony were here right now, I have a feeling she'd give you a big old thanks for helping out her village," And to Pinkie Pie she added. "I can't believe you actually brought Mare-Do-Well out of retirement, even just for this occasion."

"Figured she might prove useful, and she did," Pinkie said with a knowing wink before turning back to Daring. "It's good to have you back to your old, adventurer self again."

"Me too," Daring chuckled before recovering a bit. "But I'm still glad that I realized that even if you're fighting for something good, you're still responsible for your actions. That's definitely something this adventure helped me realize."

"Yeah, and if something bad happens that you didn't intend, you shouldn't give up hope or lose faith in yourself." Rainbow pointed out.

Pinkie then added. "All you gotta do is make it right. Feel free to use that in your next book!"

At that, Daring Do smiled. "You know what, I think I just might. Daring Do is back and back for good!" And she reassured her friends. "Don't worry about any of this, I've changed names before and I can do it again. We'll be the only ones who know for sure who really saved the day. And I think I'll donate the proceeds from the next book to help this village rebuild. They certainly deserve a better statue of Somnambula."