//------------------------------//
// S6 E14: Stranger Than Fanfiction (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 17 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Daring Do found herself right in the middle of another one of her incredible, death defying adventures. And as was so often the case for these adventures, she was searching for an ancient artifact that could not be allowed to fall into the possession of those who would surely use it for an evil purpose.

The brave pegasus now found herself deep in a cave, struggling to find any source of illumination as she made her way along. She had to be careful, the path she was walking on was made of rocks. And the rocks were starting to crumble and give way!

To make matters worse for Daring Do, the cave she was in was full of snakes! Though not frightened of them anymore (she very well couldn't call herself an adventurer if something like snakes were enough to give her nightmares), she was still not exactly pleased to see them. She desperately made a leap, pulling herself up to a ledge as she saw something shiny give off a faint glimmer of light in the distance.

Fortunately, Daring was able to pull herself up fully. And her eyes fell upon the treasure she'd been searching for. A smile broke out across her face, and she momentarily pushed the sound of falling rocks and snakes hissing to the back of her mind. This was the easiest part, finding the artifact. Now came the task of getting it out without losing it, and making sure it was safely delivered to a museum. With all the threats out there that would surely desire this ancient artifact, Daring Do knew she'd have to plan her next moves carefully.

As it turned out, this "adventure" was actually a story that Twilight Sparkle was reading to Rainbow Dash. All the while the brash speedster and unapologetic Daring Do fan was flying about her home, packing up her things in a suitcase that was already stuffed to the brim. Rainbow was preparing to leave for a trip she'd been looking forward to for months. "Hey, don't stop there!" She called to Twilight. "You read, I pack! That's the deal!"

Twilight sighed and apologized. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. Really," Her lips quivered a bit as she lamented. "I just can't stop thinking about all the fun you're gonna have at the Daring Do Convention in Trottingham. It's actually not that far from the Tenochtitlan Basin. You know, the place where most of Daring Do's adventures have taken place."

"What? You think I'm gonna run into trouble out there?" Rainbow retorted. "Please! I've been on Daring's adventures before, remember? You and are the only ones besides your mom who know her secret, and your mom only knows because she helps gets the books published," She delivered the last line with a knowing wink. "I can easily take care of myself if anything does happen. And I don't think it will."

The young alicorn nodded, even as she frowned anew. "Yes. But I still wish I was going with you. I've always wanted to visit a Daring Do convention, but I never found the time: As a filly, the conventions were always in far away places that my parents said were too expensive. And once I became Celestia's student, I had no time to attend any conventions, even when they might be nearby. Just my luck that I finally managed to clear my schedule for one, only to have Princess Celestia request my help with a last minute friendship summit in Griffonstone."

The brash speedster replied. "Well, maybe there'll be a convention in Griffonstone someday. Then you can always say you're going to Griffonstone on official princess business. Only you and I would know the truth," Then she promised. "But don't worry about me. I'll make sure A. K. Yearling signs your book," Folding up her suticase to the best of her ability, she then happily exclaimed! "I can't believe she's actually gonna be there, in pony! She never goes to conventions!"

Twilight sighed again, looking down at the ground and appearing to feel rather sorry for herself. The frown on her face looked like it could hang down to the ground with how big it was.

Rainbow Dash flew over, pulling Twilight in close as she tried to reassure her friend to the best of her ability. "Which, I guess, will be cool for all those other fanponies. But since you and I know A. K. Yearling personally," With a knowing wink and a hushed tone of voice she added. "And we know that she's secretly Daring Do herself, it's no big deal. Sure, the convention will still be fun and everything, but it's nothing to get too excited about."

Of course, once Rainbow had actually made it to the convention and set hoof inside the convention hall, her earlier statement to Twilight was completely forgotten! "So excited!" She happily shrieked as her eyes took in all the sights and sounds of the convention! Everything about it was themed around Daring Do and her adventures: Display stands, exhibits, even things like a ball pit and a cardboard cutout stand of Daring Do and Ahuizotl. And Rainbow Dash was, herself, wearing a custom made pith helmet designed to look like the one Daring Do always wore.

The rainbow maned pegasus then began wandering the length of the convention hall, looking around for any sign of A. K. Yearling. "I have to get her to sign the book for Twilight. I simply have to!" She vowed to herself! "If it's the only thing I do at the convention, I will get that book signed!" Little did she suspect that soon she would have far more pressing matters than a book signing to worry about. And another pony was going to unintentionally be swept up into Daring Do's latest adventure, a pony who had yet to learn of Daring's secret.



Rainbow Dash trotted up and down, admiring the attention to detail for the convention. It had gone all out to recreate Daring Do's adventures to the most faithful extent. It was like the books themselves had come to life. All that was missing was for Daring Do herself to make an appearance. And only the brash speedster knew that would be impossible.

Suddenly, an earth pony stallion of a slightly slender build stopped Rainbow right in her tracks! He had a grayish-white coat, blue eyes, a dusty blue mane and tail styled into a buzz cut, and a cutie mark depicting a yellow colored flash of light. He had a listening device in his left ear, and wore a two shaded safari green jacket with a small image of Daring Do's face stitched onto it. "Excuse me, good ma'am," The stallion spoke up in an energetic, noticeably excited tone of voice. "You look like a pony who'd be up for an all-inclusive one-of-a-kind adventu-cation, where you can get to live the Daring Do experience! But don't take my word for it:" He hoofed her a small, brightly colored pamphlet. "Read for yourself, see what you're missing out on."

Rainbow quickly turned the pamphlet back over to the stallion. "Eh, no thanks. Already did that," She chuckled, delighting in her little "secret" so to speak. Then she trotted off, hoping to find A. K. Yearling (or at least somepony who had seen her). Instead, she found a recreation of the tiled floor from the very first Daring Do book. "Ahh, what do we have here?" She questioned, and stepped onto one of the tiles. There was an audible click, and red colored streamers meant to represent lava spewed out from holes in the walls.

The rainbow maned pegasus was impressed. "Wow!" She exclaimed with wide eyed wonder. "This is the most awesome thing ever!" As she spoke those words, she became aware of another pony who had said the same thing. She turned to look at him, finding herself face to face with a sturdy and somewhat bulky earth pony stallion who seemed to be slightly taller than her. 

The stallion had an organish-brown coat, eyes a moderate sapphire blue in color, a mane and tail in alternating streaks ranging from solid black to a dusty blackish-gray, and a cutie mark depicting a speech bubble. Like Rainbow Dash, he was wearing a two shaded safari green jacket (albiet one with several white and green buttons bellow the shirt color and on the front legs), as well as a pith helmet complete with several holes in it. He was not aware that Rainbow was looking at him as he spoke. "See? Now this is something that only true fans can appreciate. The attention to detail is perfect!"

"Yeah, they even put the tiles in the correct order." Rainbow commented.

"Huh. Good catch. Didn't actually notice that," The earth pony stallion admitted, then introduced himself. "Oh, excuse me. Name's Quibble Pants, I'm from Manehattan."

Rainbow Dash extended a hoof out to shake Quibble's hoof, all the while saying. "I'm Rainbow Dash, I come from Ponyville. Maybe you've heard of me?"

Quibble put a hoof to his chin. "I think I've seen your name and face in the papers a few times. Never imagined you'd be a Daring Do fan, but I guess that shouldn't surprise me," He chuckled. "It's funny, you look a lot like her."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," The rainbow maned pegasus replied. "But I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Then she hoof bumped Quibble Pants. "Nice costume, by the way."

"Same to you." Quibble commented back.

Rainbow smiled, eager to accept the compliment from another Daring Do fan. "Thanks. You should know that the hardest part was figuring out..."

"-The right number of arrow holes," Quibble responded. "Yes, I know. I pride myself on figuring it out," With a boastful smile, he held up his pith helmet and compared it to Rainbow Dash's, all the while explaining the logic he'd used to arrive at the correct number. "It was actually pretty simple when I thought about it more," He struggled to contain his excitement as he continued. "On page eighty four of Quest for the Sapphire Statue, it describes her dodging quote 'A score of arrows, shooting forth from holes in the very walls.' unquote. But then on page one hundred and seven, Daring Do herself says she quote 'Barely made it past the traps, including the barrage of arrows.' unquote. But clearly  Daring Do is just embellishing and the correct number of arrows is..."

Rainbow Dash joined in saying at the same time as Quibble Pants. "Twenty!" And then they chuckled to themselves at the knowledge they shared.

At that, Rainbow forgot all about her promise to Twilight, instead saying to Quibble. "Well, why don't we check out what else this convention has to offer. It's not everyday you meet a Daring Do fan at a convention like this."

Quibble Pants smiled. "It's like you read my mind." And he was happy to accept the rainbow maned pegasus' offer to explore the rest of the convention hall.

The two fans thus went off together, and enjoyed spending time checking out the various exhibits. They even swung on ropes, walked across a fake rope bridge, played in the ball pit, and posed inside the cut-outs of Daring Do and Ahuizotl. The only thing that gave Rainbow any cause for concern was when she saw a display stand featuring a large pillow. Said pillow had a picture of Daring Do on the floor, tied up in ropes. Quibble, however, seemed to find it very amusing if the smile he flashed was any indication.





Eventually, the two fans stopped to get carrot dogs from a vendor, as well as some refreshment that was served in coconuts.

Rainbow Dash sighed, delighted to have a quiet moment to just talk to Quibble Pants more in depth. "Oh, I am so glad I ran into you here, Quibble. I had a friend who was supposed to come with me, but she had to back out at the last minute."

"You're talking about Princess Twilight, aren't you?" Quibble replied. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised that even royalty can admire the Daring Do books the way you and I do."

The rainbow maned pegasus nodded. "Yeah. Even though I knew this convention would be totally awesome, it's much more fun when you're with someone who really knows Daring Do."

The sturdy earth pony stallion nodded back. "I know what you mean. It's so hard to find a pony who really gets it. But I will not apologize for being so passionate. I love Daring Do with all of my heart. It's the first book series I ever read. And someday, if I ever have foals of my own, I hope it'll be the first book series they read too. You have to respect the classics."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Rainbow replied, then took a look at a paper map that showed the layout of the entire convention. Something immediately caught her attention. "Hm. That's weird. We've only done stuff from the first trilogy so far. Even if they're the most popular books in the series, they're not the only ones," And she proposed to her new friend. "After lunch, we should probably start working our way back and go through the events from the other books."

But much to the pegasus pony's surprise, Quibble narrowed his eyes and frantically insisted. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. There are no other books in the series. It's just the first three and that's it. Trust me, I know. The rest is just glorified fanfiction."

"What do you mean? They're not fanfiction, they're real!" Rainbow Dash insisted, convinced that Quibble Pants was somehow mistaken. "If you're as big a Daring Do fan as I am, you'll know them:" She began listing off the names of the books that came after the original trilogy. "Daring Do and the Trek of the Terrifying Towers, Daring Do and the Many Faces of—"

Quibble interrupted, putting a hoof in Rainbow's mouth as he used another to cover his face and groan. "Stop! P-please, please don't," He insisted in an annoyed and frustrated tone of voice. "Just don't even mention the titles. I-I'm not saying those books don't exist. I'm saying that I refuse to acknowledge them. They exist, but I don't read them."

Rainbow removed Quibble's hoof from her mouth, glaring at him as she questioned. "Why not?"

The bulky stallion insisted in a bitter tone of voice. "'Cause they're horrible! I mean, there isn't a single thing after The Ring of Destiny that is even remotely in the realm of the possible! And don't even get me started on that attempt to break Daring Do into the children's book market. I can't believe I actually read that as a foal. Even toddlers deserve better than that!"

"Hey now, it wasn't a bad attempt. I've seen way worse," The brash speedster replied. And then puffed out her chest as she boasted. "Aside from that toddler book you mentioned, I know for a fact that everything in every one of those books is one hundred percent possible!"

"Oh yeah?!" Quibble retorted with natural skepticism. "And how could you possibly know that?" He then taunted. "Are you secretly friends with A. K. Yearling or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I am!" Rainbow Dash declared, not caring if she was making a scene. "And not only that, I've been in Daring Do's adventures. You know that book where she teams up with another pegasus to stop Ahuizotl's plan to bring about an unrelenting heatwave in the basin? Well guess what?! That other pegasus is me!"

At that the earth pony stallion threw back his head and laughed hysterically. "Ha! That's a lie! I know it's a lie because even if I don't read the books, I know what their covers look like. You look nothing like that pink pegasus with a sky blue mane and tail, who is clearly just a pallet swap of Daring Do and a very uninspired original character. Her entire existence is nothing but a publicity stunt. You have no proof!"

Rainbow groaned, realizing she had no way to prove to Quibble that the pegasus he'd just mentioned was really her and that Daring Do (as A. K. Yearling) had changed the pegasus' name and appearance so as to avoid the issue of having a "fictional" character team up with a pony everyone knew was real. So she just slammed a hoof down on the table, locking eyes with Quibble Pants as she questioned him. "Why would you even come to this convention if you hate Daring Do so much? I thought you said you loved the series!"

And Quibble Pants quickly explained. "I don't hate Daring Do, not as a character. What I hate is what the series has become since the original trilogy. It's a disgrace and an insult to everything the books originally stood for! The first trilogy was smart and cool and an amazing nod to old-time serialized adventure books, that somehow managed to be self-reflective and ironic while at the same time celebrating the art form without a hint of cynicism."

"Really? I never saw it like that. I just thought they were good books when A. K. Yearling was clearly still trying to figure out where to take the series," Rainbow Dash replied. "After the first trilogy, it's clear she found the direction she wanted to go in. And with each book she became more and more confident about what she was writing and why she was writing it."

"Yeah? Well that's why I came to this convention," Quibble pointed out as he snorted. "When I learned A. K. Yearling was going to be here, I wanted to ask her muzzle-to-muzzle why she sold out and dumbed down the rest of her books into just a series of impossible action sequences! I can at least forgive that one-off toddler book. She was told to write it because her publishers thought they could make Daring Do work for a much younger audience. And it clearly didn't. But the stories in the ongoing series for ponies of all ages are the ones A. K. Yearling has no excuse on!"

At that the brash speedster rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Okay, now I know you're crazy. A. K. Yearling is awesome, and every Daring Do book that comes out is better than the last! And I'm not just saying that because I know A. K. Yearling personally. I'm saying that as a proud Daring Do fan."

"Yet you're clearly taking her side in this," Quibble retorted. "I may respect A. K. Yearling as an individual, but I don't let that blind me to the horrible writing she's been doing since the fourth Daring Do book came out!" He then stood up from the table, groaning and sighing. "I-I-I'm sorry, but I could never be friends with somepony who's willing to believe impossible stuff is possible as long as Daring Do does it. It makes me irritable. This is why I normally don't come to these conventions anymore. If A. K. Yearling herself wasn't going to be here, I'd stay at home."

"Well that's fine by me!" Rainbow roared in reply as she stood up and glared at Quibble. "Because I know I I could never be friends with somepony who's so focused on things being possible that he's willing to turn his back on the coolest hero of all time!"

And then with shouts of "Fine!", the two fans turned their backs to each other and both went their separate ways.





Rainbow Dash neither knew nor cared about where Quibble Pants wandered off to after their heated debate at lunch. She was much more concerned about trying to prove him wrong. And she was convinced there was only one way to do that, get the real Daring Do herself to show up. That would put Quibble in his place for sure.

So Rainbow trotted off, leaving the convention hall and approaching the front desk at the hotel where the convention was being held. She soon inquired about the whereabouts of A. K. Yearling, and whether the author was available for a private audience.

"Look, just tell A. K. Yearling that Rainbow Dash is here, and I need her help to convince a certain know-it-all pony that everything Daring Do's ever done actually happened!" Rainbow demanded of the clerk behind the desk. "I know her personally. So if I say it's urgent, it's urgent!"

Just then, who should come trotting up on the scene but A. K. Yearling herself? She was wearing her hat, cloak, and glasses. And for some reason, she seemed to be taking extra precautions to avoid being seen by anypony. "Rainbow Dash?" She blinked in surprise.

The rainbow maned pegasus turned around, locking eyes with the author. "A. K.!" She happily exclaimed! "Great to see you again!" Then she cleared her throat. "I gotta talk to you. It's an emergency!"

A. K. looked all around, as if fearing that somepony might be watching her. She then whispered in a hushed tone to her friend. "Not here! Let's go somewhere more secure!" She promptly led her friend away, retreating to the safety of a hotel room. After shutting the door tightly behind her, and drawing the curtains across the windows, she eyed the brash speedster and asked of her. "Okay, talk. What's going on? What's the emergency? Is it Caballeron? Did you see him?" She gasped! "Did he follow me?! I thought for sure I'd given him the slip!"

"What?" Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise. "No. I haven't seen Dr. Caballeron anywhere. I don't think he'd come here," And she explained herself. "But there is a pony downstairs who thinks everything you've written after the first trilogy is totally unrealistic and terrible. He doesn't seem hostile, but he's clearly upset with you for having, and I quote 'sold out and dumbed down the rest of her books' unquote. I told him about the time I joined your adventures, but he doesn't believe me. So I need your help to convince him that everything you do in your books is one hundred percent real," Then she hastily aside. "Aside from this one toddler book he claims you wrote. But hey, we all make mistakes, right?"

A. K. Yearling groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, that was a mistake. But I've got much bigger problems on my hooves right now than some dissatisfied fanponies," She dug into one of the pockets of her long, flowing cloak and pulled out a gold colored object in the shape of a key. "Look!"

Rainbow's eyes went wide when they saw the shiny, silvery object! "Whoa! What is that?!" She questioned.

A. K. explained. "It's the Amulet of Culiacan, and Caballeron wants it. But the amulet's only a key, it's not a treasure," She chuckled and then brought out a map, placing it down on the ground and unfolding it. It was a map of the Tenochtitlan Basin, depicting every part of it in great detail. "The real treasure is hidden in a lost temple somewhere in the Tenochtitlan Basin. The Seven-Sided Chest of Chicomoztoc," She then folded the map back up and explained. "Naturally, Caballeron wants it so he can sell it to the highest bidder. Which is why I've gotta find it first. I can't let him or Ahuizotl get a hold of it. There's no telling what evil forces they might unleash if they do!"

The rainbow maned pegasus smiled, rubbing her hooves together in delight! "Great! Sounds like another awesome Daring Do adventure! Count me in, I'll do whatever I can to help!" Before she saw fit to ask A. K. "But... what are you doing here? Why not go back to your cottage?"

A. K. explained further. "Well, since I haven't found the temple yet, this is the safest place possible for the amulet and for myself. After all, it's crawling with security, not that I think I'll need it. And besides, if I get into any trouble," She proceeded to shed her cloak and remove her glasses, revealing herself to in fact be Daring Do. "I can just blend in with all the Daring Do cosplayers. Nopony but you will ever know it's really me."

Rainbow Dash had watched Daring Do shed her disguise with excitement, then excitedly she asked. "How can I help?"

Daring Do tucked the amulet away in her pith helmet, then shoved the parts of her A. K. Yearling "disguise" under the bed of her hotel room so as to avoid them being seen or stolen. "Just keep your eyes out for anything suspicious. And if you do see Caballeron or Ahuiztol, please come tell me. Don't try to take them on by yourself! You remember what happened last time."

Rainbow sheepishly blushed ever so faintly. "Yeah, I remember. I promise, no heroics without consulting you first," She raced to the door, opened it, and rushed outside to get back to the convention hall. Though not before she peeked back into the room to ask Daring. "Does a pony who only likes your first trilogy qualify as suspicious?" She received her answer in the form of an unamused frown. She gave off a nervous laugh and replied. "Sorry, just checking." And then she took off again.

Daring Do, meanwhile, sighed as she thought to herself. "What have I gotten myself into this time?" She could only hope that hiding in plain sight at the convention would give her the peace of mind she needed to continue her research. She needed to find out where the temple that housed the chest was located, and fast!





As it turned out, Dr. Caballeron had indeed tracked Daring Do to the convention. But he'd now lost track of her amidst all the ponies cosplaying as the brave adventurer. And the only thing more annoying to him than that was how much merchandise there was on her. It seemed like everywhere he and his henchponies went, they were bombarded with fanfare and praise for Daring Do.

Tossing away a brouchre, the evil earth pony stallion groaned and muttered to himself. "All this fanfare on my arch nemesis is so... disturbing. She's really convinced everypony that she's a hero, when that couldn't be further from the truth," He trotted up to the same stallion that had talked to Rainbow Dash earlier, asking him. "And what about me? Where is the booth for the one and only Dr. Caballeron? Don't I get my own exhibit?"

The stallion with the earpiece pointed a hoof to a small stand tucked into a corner of the packed convention hall. It featured a cardboard statue of Dr. Caballeron that ponies were currently gwaking at and making fun of.

Caballeron rolled his eyes. "I do not see the likeness," Then he saw some of his henchponies approach, one of the stallions carrying a large body pillow depicting Daring Do laying on the ground, tied up with ropes. To say that the evil earth pony was not amused would be an understatement. He knocked it off his henchpony's back and berated him! "What are you doing with that, you fool?!"

"S-sorry, boss." The stallion replied.

Dr. Caballeron groaned. "She even sells her likeness and image for money. How pathetic. I guess living out your fantasy as an action hero doesn't pay the bills. But you never hear me whining about money," He put a hoof to his forehead. "Ugh, all this madness is giving me a headache! It's so sickening!" He quickly instructed to his henchponies. "Come on, let's go find Daring Do and the Amulet of Culiacan. I know she's here somewhere, and I don't want to have spend a single moment in this place beyond what I have to spend! If I ever see another Daring Do convention as long as I live, it will be too soon!" And he and his gang of stallions trotted away.

Unbeknownst to the evil group, Rainbow Dash had overheard their conversation from afar and been watching them with great concern! She gasped! Daring Do had been wrong, Caballeron had indeed tracked her to the convention! "I've got to find Daring Do right away! This is bad!" She thought to herself.

Yet the brash speedster hadn't been searching for very long when she happened to bump into the last pony she wanted to see right now. She reluctantly turned around to face none other than Quibble Pants.

"Well well well," Quibble Pants taunted with a smirk. "If it isn't the pony who claims to be best friends with A. K. Yearling, and claims she's been in one of Daring Do's adventures! Did you tell A. K. about me? Did you tell her that I wanted to see her?"

Rainbow groaned in frustration. She really didn't want to have to put up with Quibble's attitude right now. "Ugh! Not you again!" She snarled at the stallion, and said to him. "Sorry, Quibble, I've got more important things to do than argue with a pony who thinks awesome means unrealistic. Goodbye!" She promptly turned around and smacked him with the back of her tail.

Quibble was surprised by the rude brush off. Nevertheless, he trotted after Rainbow, determined to keep on taunting her about how wrong he thought she was. "No no no, wait!" He teased. "I want to hear more about how you're one hundred percent sure that in Curse of the Jungle Queen, Daring Do could possibly survive a 'sixty-story drop from the top of a waterfall after sustaining a broken wing in a category-six rapid'! Her words, not mine."

The rainbow maned pegasus groaned anew, rolling her eyes. She wanted to get Quibble off her back as quickly as possible. "Okay, fine. So maybe sometimes she exaggerates a little bit. Obviously, her wing wasn't actually broken, even if she thought it was. And further more-" But then she stopped herself, as she saw a sight that almost stopped her heart! "Oh my gosh! Caballeron!"

Unaware of what had so spooked Rainbow Dash, Quibble Pants just prattled on. "Ah, see, now that's a great character. Nothing like that horrible self-insert you mentioned earlier. He's got everything a character should need: Solid backstory, good motivations..."

Rainbow Dash made a shushing motion with her hooves, frantically whispering to the bulky earth pony stallion. "No-no-no-no! You don't understand!" She pointed a hoof. "Caballeron is right there!"

Quibble adopted a knowing smirk. "And you claim you've been on a Daring Do adventure. I can't believe you're this easily frightened. Of course Caballeron is there," He proceeded to point a hoof to several ponies cosplaying as the evil stallion. "He's also over there, over there, ooh, ooh, over there," Then he unknowingly pointed a hoof at the real Caballeron and his goons as they all trotted past, completely unaware of either Rainbow or Quibble's presence. "And of course, over there," When he saw Rainbow Dash follow the group to the exit that led out to a small back alley, he questioned. "Hey, where are you going?"

Rainbow didn't answer, instead rushing to the door in pursuit of Caballeron and his stallions, only to find that they'd somehow disappeared.

Quibble just asked. "And you led me out here because...?"

The brash speedster looked all around, frantically and desperately stating. "Daring Do told me that Caballeron came to this convention to steal the Amulet of Culiacan, and I just saw him and his henchponies come this way! They're trying to find her! I have to stop them!"

Quibble Pants rolled his eyes. "Again with that?" Then he insisted. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna head back inside. There's just a little too much crazy out here for the both of us," Yet as soon as he finished speaking, he happened to find himself facing down Caballeron and his goons. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, unaware of who they were. And it was the last thing he said before they jumped him, throwing a large sack over his entire body!

Rainbow didn't have a chance to react before she was jumped and captured too!

Caballeron cackled with glee. "Excellent! You'll make fine hostages."





A short time later, Rainbow Dash and Quibble Pants tumbled out of a large sack. They found themselves quickly surrounded and tied up with chains, a pad lock firmly holding the chains and preventing their escape. They had been taken out of the convention hall and deep into a jungle environment, lush trees and dense foliage lay everywhere.

Dr. Caballeron snarled as he eyed his captives. "If you're with Rainbow Dash, you must be working for Daring Do. Ahuizotl told me about a certain pesky pegasus who helped Daring Do track me down last time. I don't know what she told you two or why she would trust you, nor do I care. She must've told you about my plan to steal the amulet. And I'm not about to let a bunch of fan ponies like you foil my plans!"

Rainbow adopted a knowing smirk, confident that this would be the proof she needed to put Quibble Pants in his place. "Ha! Whaddya say to that, Quibble? Still think I'm lying about being friends with Daring Do?"

Quibble wasn't convinced. "Really? You think I'm that dense? I read the pamphlet too, you know. This was your big plan to prove the Daring Do books are actually realistic? You booked a Daring Do Adventu-cation Experience for the two of us?"

The rainbow maned pegasus was shocked at Quibble's ignorance! "What?! You can't be serious! Just look around you, Quibble! Henchponies, Caballeron, the jungle it took forever to get to? This is the real deal! I couldn't make this up if I tried! We're in actual danger here! We're actually being held captive!"

The bulky stallion sarcastically responded. "Right. We're actually being held captive by the actual Caballeron. Puh-lease! I know a knock-off when I see one. And this guy's accent is all over the place, very un-convincing!" Though he was quick to add. "No offense, by the way. But you should really take some lessons. You need them badly."

Caballeron was in a state of disbelief, no prisoner had ever talked to him in such a way before.

Quibble sighed, impatiently questioning. "Okay, humor me. What's the setup here? You've... kidnapped us, and taken us out to the middle of nowhere because...?"

Dr. Caballeron grinned, rubbing his hooves together. He seemed to delight in explaining his evil plan to a captive audience. "Because I know for a fact that the Temple of Chicomoztoc is somewhere in this jungle. When I find it, the Seven-Sided Chest is as good as mine! I just need the Amulet of Culiacan to unlock it."

Quibble Pants quickly concluded what seemed to him like an obvious observation, even sarcastically clapping his hooves as he remarked. "Uh-huh, and Daring Do has the amulet so you came up with this over-complicated plot to lure her into the jungle and exchange it for us. Oh, how original. Like I haven't seen that before."

The stallion with the five o'clock shadow growled. "It's not over-complicated! It's a good plan! Fool proof, even! I know Daring Do enough to know she'd never let anything happen to innocent ponies like you! That makes you the perfect bait for her."

The earth pony stallion with an organish-brown coat just replied. "Okay, sure. Whatever floats your boat, buddy," Then he demanded. "Look, I'm sorry you all got roped into this because of Rainbow Dash over here," He pointed a hoof. "But you can drop the act. I want no part of this experience. You can keep her money if you want, but I want a refund. I'm not-"

Caballeron coldly hissed, locking eyes with Quibble as he told him in no uncertain terms. "-Going anywhere. You may not approve of my plan, but I'm the mastermind here!"

"That's debatable, but whatever." Quibble muttered under his breath.

Caballeron then added. "So I say, you will stay here until Daring Do inevitably comes here to rescue you! When she does, I'll give her my demands: Your safety in exchange for the amulet. And don't even think about trying to escape to warn her. That's no ordinary lock that binds you captive."

Rainbow Dash gasped, realizing what Caballeron was referring! "No way! The Griffon's Lock!"

"Ah, so you know about it!" Caballeron said with a smile. "Then that's further proof you're working for Daring Do!"

"Or she's just read the books a lot." Quibble Pants mumbled to himself.

Dr. Caballeron then retorted. "You know what? I'm not gonna stay here to be insulted. You are the most annoying hostages I've ever had the displeasure of taking prisoner," He stomped a hoof down. "I'm going to continue my search for the temple. I will beat Daring Do to it and swipe the chest for myself! My henchponies can deal with you until Daring Do comes to rescue you, or until I get back. Whichever comes first." And he trotted away, turning his back to his two captives.

Now alone with just Caballeron's henchponies, Quibble Pants struggled in vain against the lock on the chains. So he turned towards Rainbow Dash as best he could and whispered to her. "Okay, you win. If this is all part of your scheme to get me to believe that the rest of the Daring Do books are realistic, then fine, I'll admit it. As long as it gets me out of here. Now will you kindly call off the henchpony repertory theater over there?"

Rainbow Dash snarled. "I'd love to, really. But it's not gonna work. They're real henchponies, and they actually kidnapped us both."

Quibble wished he could put a hoof to his face in response, but alas he was unable to do so due to the chains. So he had to settle for a groan and a sigh. "Oh, wow, so you're gonna stick with that script?" He reluctantly relented. "O-Okay, fine. We're, we're in a Daring Do Adventure. Which means... there's only one we get out of this." He spotted a small metal object on the ground not far from him. He leaned down, grabbed it with his teeth, and tossed it off into the distance as far as he could! The metal object made an audible clink as it did so.

"Hey?! What was that?!" One of the henchstallions asked.

Quibble didn't even bother to "fake" the emotions as he called out. "Daring Do. Thank goodness. We're over here."

Another henchpony then insisted. "We can't let her rescue them! Spread out and look for her, now!" And all the henchponies split up to do so.

Rainbow began straining against the chains, trying to lift them up. All the while, Quibble could only comment with amusement. "All four?! I mean, shouldn't at least one of them stay behind to guard us? Oh, oh, wait, the... No, because then it wouldn't be a terrible Daring Do adventure. Wow! They're just ticking off all the boxes! They've really done their homework!"

The rainbow maned pegasus then sat down, frowning as she unhappily declared. "Well it doesn't matter. We're never gonna be able to solve the Griffon's Lock before they get back. Face it, Quibble. We're stuck here until Daring Do actually comes to save us. She'll take care of those goons, no problem."

But there was no need for that, Quibble instead found it easy to use a spare key he'd spotted lying on the ground. "Conveniently", it had fallen out of the back pocket of Dr. Caballeron's jacket as he had trotted away. It took only a little bit of fumbling around before he heard a click, and the lock was picked. Just like that, he'd freed himself and his fellow "captive" from their prison.

The brash speedster found herself forced to give credit where credit was due. "Okay, that was pretty good," She admitted. "No way I could've picked the lock as fast as you did," Then she unfolded her wings. "Quick! We've got not time to waste! We have to get out of here and warn Daring Do! She probably hasn't realized Caballeron followed her yet and that he knows about the chest!"

Quibble Pants shook his head and stomped his hooves down. "Oh no, no no no. Thanks but no thanks. Just point me back to the Trottingham Grand Hotel. You can play fanpony and hunt treasure out here all day long. But leave me out of this."

Rainbow Dash groaned with frustration! She could not believe Quibble was still being this dense even after all he'd seen with his own two eyes! She really wanted nothing more than to leave him behind. But the rational part of her mind decided against it. She hadn't meant to drag him into this, she owed it to him to get him out of it. So she reluctantly sighed, deciding it best to "play along" for the time being. "You know what, let's say you're right and this is a Daring Do Adventucation that I boked for the two of us. The only way to get back to the convention is to go through it. So just follow me, and I'll lead you out of it. Deal?"

Quibble couldn't argue with that, he reluctantly replied after a moment of hesitation. "...Deal. Lead the way, oh fearless leader."

Rainbow then trotted away, knowing that it would be pointless to fly and leave Quibble to tail her on the ground. But under her breath she began to mumble to herself. "Got half a mind to leave you in this jungle. Pretty sure that would convince you."





The journey through the jungle was very difficult, especially for Rainbow Dash since she had to put up with Quibble Pants' constant blabbering and prattling. Quibble, for his part, didn't seem to care a bit. He still wholeheartedly believed they were in no real danger.

Exiting a bush, the stallion was just concluding another one of his rants about his problems with the later books in the series. "-Which would make Daring Do left-hoofed, which we know is false, and that is everything that's wrong with Daring Do and the Trek to the Terrifying Tower. Now, the problems with the next book are even-"

Rainbow finally brought up a wing to silence Quibble, more so because of what lay ahead of them rather than any desire she had to make him stop talking.

The bulky earth pony had to resist the urge to roll his eyes once again as he took in the sight of a rickety, old, rope bridge. It was suspended high in the air over a river whose waters were rapidly churning beneath. "-Oh, right. What Daring Do adventure would be complete without the precarious rope bridge?"

"Still think this is just a pretend adventure?" The brash speedster replied as she began trotting across the bridge.

"Of course. It's the most obvious cliche in the book, every Daring Do adventure has to have one," Quibble Pants remarked in an indifferent tone of voice, all the while he stepped slowly onto the bridge. It creeked and swayed ominously with every step he took. "Look, I'm all for making things feel as real as possible, but are these Adventu-cation ponies sure this thing is safe?" He questioned.

All Rainbow could say in reply was. "Why? Is it too 'realistic' for you? We wouldn't want that on a Daring Do adventure, now would we?"

The earth pony stallion just retorted back. "Hey, if this was really a real Daring Do adventure, I'm sure I'd step on the wrong plank at exactly the wrong—" As he spoke, he stepped onto a wooden plank that broke and gave away! It took everything he had to maintain his balance and not fall through the gap!

Rainbow Dash, thinking quickly, flapped her wings and flew up! She then got behind Quibble and started tugging on him via his tail, trying desperately to pull him back onto the bridge!

Quibble was not used to the sensation of having his tail be touched by somepony else, and the shock of his current situation only made him even more unnerved. All he could do was keep on talking. "H-hey, it's a good thing this is all just a pretend adventure," He insisted, sounding not unlike he was trying to convince himself of such a belief. "'Least we know all of this struggling won't make the bridge fall apart or anything."

Yet that is precisely what happened. With a loud snap, one of the ropes holding up the bridge broke! And the other rope looked likely to follow in a matter of seconds!

A horrified Quibble Pants looked Rainbow square in the eyes. All he could bring himself to say to her was. "You need to get your money back." Then, with another loud snap, the other rope broke! The whole bridge collapsed into the river below, taking Quibble with it! He screamed in horror!

The brash speedster immediately swooped down after Quibble, determined to save him! Making use of what was left of the ropes, she was able to catch up to Quibble, slow his fall, and gently glide him along the river's edge. That is, until the stallion found that the river led straight to a huge waterfall! He went over the top and began to plunge over the edge, only to find that Rainbow was able to lift him and drop him on top of a tree. The tree broke his fall, then its trunk bent and let him down safely on solid ground again.

Rainbow Dash couldn't resist the opportunity to brag afterwards! "Hah! How's that for not possible?"

The bulky earth pony stallion found himself at a loss for words! All he could do was stutter and repeat himself as he tried to process everything that had just happened! "That was... awesome! I-I-I thought we... and then you, and the flying...! Wow, and I was like, 'Hey, where are you going?!' A-a-and then you swerved, and I was, I was, I was on the water, and then just... Wow! I can't believe that all happened!"

The pegasus pony with a rainbow mane and tail smirked, taunting Quibble. "Yeah. If you read that in a book, you might even think it was unrealistic."

Quibble was reluctantly forced to accept Rainbow's point. "Okay, okay. I'll give you that one. That was a close call. I mean, it could've been worse," Then the full reality of what had almost happened sank in for him. His eyes went wide! "W-wait! I... I almost died back there! How is that safe?! W-What kind of Adventu-cation is this?! What, what the heck are these ponies thinking?!"

As if in answer to that question, a familiar sinister voice laughed. "Right now? We are thinking that we should thank you for escaping. For you have led us directly to the Lost Temple of Chicomoztoc!" And then, who should emerge from the bushes but Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies?!

Rainbow Dash gasped, jumping back in surprise as her eyes spotted a very ancient looking temple in the distance! She'd unknowingly helped Caballeron find what he'd been looking for! "You... you followed us?! How?!"

"I don't need to explain myself to a bunch of do gooders like you two!" Caballeron bitterly snapped, and then gave a whistle.

Before either Rainbow Dash or Quibble Pants could react, they found themselves once again tied up and bound. This time they were rendered captive by traditional ropes.





Caballeron led his captives inside the temple, using torches provided by his henchponies to light his way through the dark passageways. And to his henchstallions he instructed. "Make sure they are secured this time! I want no more mistakes!"

"You're not gonna get away with this!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she struggled in vain to break free of the ropes that held her captive. "Daring Do's going to come after me! When she finds you here, you'll be sorry!"

But Dr. Caballeron cackled with fiendish glee. "Oh, I'm counting on it. Daring Do would never let anything happen to ponies like you and that annoying friend of yours. She'll surrender the amulet to me, and the six-sided chest will be mine for the taking! It'll fetch a high price for sure, and I'll finally be able to afford the luxurious retirement I've always dreamed of!" Then he turned to Quibble Pants, surprised by the bulky earth pony's silence. "What? No witty remarks this time about how silly my plan is? Don't you intend to mock me again?"

Quibble narrowed his eyes. It appeared as if he'd come to a conclusion. And the tone in his voice reflected his disappointment. "Wait a minute, this isn't really the official Daring Do Experience Adventu-cation."

All Rainbow could say was. "Finally! That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Yet the bulky earth pony stallion then went on to say. "It's just some cheap knockoff run by a bunch of incompetent ponies that have no idea how to execute this adventure with any level of safety! That's what this is! How did you ever get this approved for the convention?!"

The brash speedster could only blink her eyes in disbelief, groaning as she put a hoof to her forehead. "Ugh! You have got to be kidding me!" She couldn't believe how dense Quibble was being right now.

Quibble Pants didn't care what anypony else thought about him, though. He was beyond fed up with everything he'd been through today, and so he felt perfectly content to rant on and on, listing off his grievances. "What was that with the rope bridge earlier?! We were in actual danger because of you! Do you know what could've happened?!" As he spoke, he was unaware that he was stepping on tiles and pressing them down. A faint click could be heard, and mud started pouring in from holes. "I'm totally gonna report you guys to... to... well, I don't know, actually. But it's gonna be somepony important," Then to Rainbow Dash he said. "Oh, and don't think this little 'stunt' of yours has changed my mind. This has all the hallmarks of a bad Daring Do adventure."

"Uh, Quibble..." Rainbow tried to speak up, hoping to draw his attention to what was going on around him.

But Quibble was far too occupied with his complaints to take any notice of anything else. He didn't even notice as he stepped on more tiles, causing other traps within the temple to activate with audible rumbles. "-I'm not done talking!" He bitterly remarked, and continued to talk at length. "It's so obvious: Generic jungle location – check. Overly complicated villain plot – check. Random coincidences that conveniently get us to the next big set piece – check!"

Now it was Caballeron's turn to speak up and try to scold Quibble Pants into seeing what he was doing! "Watch where you are stepping, you fool! Don't you realize what you're doing?!"

The bulky stallion snorted. "Listen, buddy, I don't take orders from some second-rate performer who learned acting from the Supervillain School of Bad Accents! You are not the real Caballeron, you're just a cheap knock-off!" As he spoke, he was unaware of a very large beast emerging from the ground behind him. Ironically, as this happened he was shouting at the top of his lungs! "The only thing this mess is missing is some giant Ahuizotl wannabe monster, and I have a feeling that would be a bit too much for you bargain-basement adventurers to pull off!"

Yet it was then that there was a loud rumble, loud enough to make Quibble turn around very slowly. What he saw was enough to nearly make his eyes pop out! It was a huge, giant crocodile with sandy yellow scales! Its teeth were razor sharp, and it did not look friendly at all. The monster promptly let out a gutteral roar.

Now the reality slowly sank in for the earth pony stallion with an organish-brown coat. He couldn't deny it any longer. "You're... real. This is real. This is all real!"

"Told you so!" Rainbow Dash replied, as she finally broke free of the ropes just as Caballeron and his goons ran off in fright! She then freed Quibble Pants, and the two ran through the temple as fast as their hooves could carry them! Mud was filling up the place, and the monster crocodile was hot on their tails! For a big creature, it was surprisingly fast.

Suddenly, a light gold blur swooped in to save both Rainbow and Quibble! It carried them up to the next level of the temple, where the mud had yet to reach. It was none other than Daring Do herself!

Once Rainbow Dash and Quibble Pants were safe, Daring Do immediately locked eyes with her fellow pegasus and scolded. "I told you not to take on Caballeron by yourself! I told you to come and get me if you saw anything suspicious! I can't keep coming to your rescue like this!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Rainbow protested. "Caballeron and his guys jumped me," She then pointed a hoof. "And this guy over here got brought along for the ride."

Quibble Pants could hardly believe his eyes! Before him stood Daring Do in all her glory! "Wha... Whoa, whoa, y-you're real!" He exclaimed, then noticed Rainbow trotting over to the adventure and wrapping a wing around her. "Wait... you're... you're actually friends with her? How? Why?"

"Long story," Daring Do grumbled in reply. "We'll have to save the introductions for later, whoever you are. Right now we need to..."

"-Get out of here! Yes, thank you!" Quibble nervously insisted.

But Daring shook her head from side to side. "No, not yet."

The bulky earth pony stallion blinked his eyes, surprised by the adventurer's statement. "What?! Why not?!'

The pegasus mare with a pith helmet explained her reasoning. "I'm not leaving without the treasure. I can't risk Caballeron coming back and stealing it. We need to get to it before our 'friend' back there gets any higher." In the distance came the sound of the crocodile roaring, splashing around as the mud continued to rise and flood the temple. Time was running out.

Quibble reluctantly sighed. "Fine. Let's make it quick." And he followed Rainbow Dash and Daring Do as they ventured further into the temple.





It didn't take long for the trio of brave adventurers (more or less) to reach the center of the temple. Pushing through a stone sliding door, they were greeted with a sight of seven doors with ancient stone carvings in bold detail. Each door had a lock that fit the key shape of the amulet in Daring Do's possession.

Daring quickly summarized what this likely puzzle was. "Seven doors, seven locks. Obviously, one of them leads to the treasure. I'd rather not think about what the others lead to. Probably something much worse than that huge monster we just escaped from."

Quibble Pants nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, it's the classic 'Pony and the Tiger' bit. And all you have to do is-"

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof, silencing the stallion. "Maybe you should let the expert figure it out?"

"Oh, excuse me, then." Quibble replied and reluctantly said nothing more.

Daring Do's rose colored eyes examined the seven doors carefully, looking for anything about them that could serve as a clue. At least twice she thought about bringing the amulet up to a door, only for Quibble to not so subtly tell her not to do so. Daring found herself fast losing all patience. "What'd you say his name was again, Rainbow Dash?" She asked.

"His name's Quibble Pants. He's that fan I was telling you about back at the hotel." Rainbow pointed out.

"Well, is he always like this?" Daring complained as she turned around to look at him.

The brash speedster shrugged her hooves while saying. "Yeah. But... he's usually right. Maybe he knows something about this one."

The pegasus pony with a pith helmet reluctantly sighed as she finally spoke to Quibble directly. "So, which lock do you think it is, Mr. Wise Guy?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Quibble Pants replied and then pointed out. "Look, each door has another door that matches:" He proceeded to point out the pairs, starting with the doors on the far left and far right. "These two both have earth ponies fighting serpents," Next he pointed to two doors closer to the center of the room. "These two have pegasi fighting griffons," Then he pointed to two doors on the sides of the room. "And these two have unicorns fighting bears," Finally, he pointed to the single remaining door. "But this one..."

Daring Do gasped as the obvious realization struck her head on! "-Has an alicorn on it! Of course, now it all makes sense!" And she wondered aloud. "How did I miss that?"

"Been asking that myself since book four." Quibble muttered to himself.

Daring blushed even as she trotted forward with the amulet. "Well, those glasses aren't supposed to just be for my disguise. But I... don't like wearing them. I can see pretty good without them, most of the time. Some details just don't stand out as good without them."

It was then that the bulky earth pony had another realization! "Wait, that means you and A. K. Yearling..." He gasped! "...It was so obvious! How did I not suspect it?!"

The adventurer chuckled. "That's kind of the point. It's so obvious, nopony would ever think of it," Then she inserted the amulet into the key hole. There was an audible click, and the door parted to reveal a gleaming, silver colored chest resting on a pedestal! Taking it into her hooves, she happily proclaimed! "The Seven-Sided Chest of Chicomoztoc! I've found it at last! Now we need to get it out before it's too late."

"Uh, that might be a problem." Quibble pointed out as he revealed that not only was mud continuing to pour in, but now water was adding itself to the mix. It had cut off the way the ponies had entered the temple, and it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Rainbow gulped. "The way out's blocked! How are we supposed to escape now?!"

Daring looked up, pointing a hoof. "There!" She shouted, drawing attention to a small opening where light was streaming down from above.

The bulky earth pony stallion could only mutter in disbelief. "Seriously, do you ever not escape out of the top of a temple?! Doesn't get it old after a while?!"

The pegasus pony with a gold colored coat and rose colored eyes snorted. "I suppose you have a better way out?" When she didn't receive a reply, she swished her tail and retorted. "I thought as much. I do what I gotta do to escape. Out of the top, through the bottom, makes no difference to me," Then another thought struck her. "But Rainbow Dash and I will have to find a way to carry you out, Quibble. Seeing as you can't fly like we can."

Rainbow Dash was more than a little bit concerned about such a task. She even gulped. "We won't be fast enough! We'll never make it! He'll just weigh us down! There must be another way!"

Fortunately, it seemed that Quibble Pants himself had an idea. He spotted some nearby reeds, and remembered Rainbow Dash's daring rescue of him after he'd fallen through the rope bridge earlier. He flashed a knowing wink at the brash speedster while telling Daring Do. "I think Rainbow Dash and I have this covered."





So it was that Quibble was towed along behind the two pegasi, both of them pulling him along by using the reeds like make-shift ropes.

Suddenly, up from the depths emerged the monster crocodile! Its fangs were beared and it was ready to strike!

A horrified Quibble Pants frantically hollered! "Go around! You can't go over him!"

Daring Do didn't hear him properly, all she heard was the words "Go over him!". She shouted back at Quibble! "What?! 'Go over him!'?! Are you crazy?!"

Rainbow Dash just replied! "If Quibble says go over him, we go over him!" And to Quibble she shouted! "Hang on tight!"

The bulky earth pony stallion screamed in fright and terror as he watched himself be dragged closer and closer to the monster crocodile! To his surprise, however, the pegasi pulling him were able to lift him up and use the beast as a ramp to propel him into the air! Soon, they all had cleared the temple, the six-sided chest safely in tow.

Never was Quibble so relieved to be firmly on solid ground once again, and he quickly removed the reeds and stood up. After taking a moment to catch his breath and get his bearings, he shouted at the two pegasi! "You two are insane! You've could've killed me!"

"Hey, you said to go over him!" Daring Do shouted back!

Quibble Pants then explained. "No, I said to go around him!"

Then, Daring's trained ears picked the sound of hooves in the distance. She made a shushing motion with her hooves and frantically whispered. "Be quiet! Do exactly as I say! Come on!"

A short time later, a furious Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies were trotting through the jungle around the outskirts of the temple. To say Caballeron was furious would be an understatement, as he could be heard shouting! "This way! Quick! I heard them! They're not getting away, not from me!"

Unbeknownst to Caballeron and his henchstallions, Daring Do, Rainbow Dash, and Quibble Pants were all hiding not too far away. They were watching from behind the safety of some thick bushes that completely concealed their presence from him.

Quibble smirked as he watched Caballeron trot past, completely unaware that the ponies he was looking for were nearby. Then he got an idea, proposing to Daring Do. "Okay, I got it. Let's create a fake treasure out of mud and rocks, give that to Caballeron, and then we—"

But the adventuer just grinned as she picked up a stone and replied. "-Not every Daring Do plan has to be super-complicated. Just watch." She threw the stone as hard as she could. It struck a wall of the temple, causing it to crumble.

Caballeron growled, kicking at the stone as it appeared in his path! "I swear I heard them!" He grumbled to himself. "Victory was in my grasp, and I somehow let it slip away!" Then he became aware of a faint roaring sound coming from directly behind him. He turned around fast and saw the monster crocodile staring back at him. It let out a roar, and chased after him and his goons! Yet even as the evil stallion was running for his life, he could be heard hollering! "I'll get you yet, Daring Do! We will meet again!" And it wasn't long before he and his henchponies were out of sight.





Quibble Pants had seen everything. All he could bring himself to say was. "Meh. Not particularly original or inspired, but it worked."

"Thanks, I guess," Daring shrugged her hooves in reply. Then she blinked. "You know, it's funny. You kind of look like me, Quibble. But I don't think I've ever seen you before in my life."

Quibble chuckled. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Are we sure you're not related to either Rainbow Dash or myself somehow?"

The adventurer adjusted her pith helmet. "Well, I might have to look into that some other time. And don't worry, I'll be sure to change names and faces for my next book. Nopony will ever know it's you."

"That reminds me," Rainbow spoke up. "I was supposed to get you to a sign a book for Twilight," Then she blushed. "But I think I left it back at the hotel."

"Not to worry, I'll take care of it," Daring Do said with a smile, before pulling the six-sided chest out from underneath her pith helmet. "I'm going to take this to the nearest museum. And I should be able to drop you two off back at the hotel on my way. After all, I have to pick up my 'disguise'," She coughed into a hoof and changed the subject. "Thanks for your help, you two. I couldn't have done it without you. Both of you."

Rainbow Dash smiled, then turned to Quibble Pants as she asked him. "So...?"

The bulky earth pony stallion reluctantly replied. "So... maybe the later books are slightly more realistic than I gave them credit for," He then added. "I still don't like them, though. That hasn't changed."

Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock and surprise! "What?! After everything we've been through together?! How can you—?!"

Yet the stallion then brought up a hoof and cautioned. "-Wait, hold on. Before we get in another fight, I-I think I've finally figured it out! I love the Daring Do that solves puzzles and uses her brain to get out of tough situations, and she did way more of that in the original trilogy! You love the Daring Do that is brave and awesome and comes out on top no matter what the odds!"

"Yeah. And...?" The rainbow maned pegasus mare asked, uncertain of where Quibble was going with this.

A smile slowly formed on Quibble Pants' face as he explained. "And that's okay! We might never agree on what makes Daring Do cool, but you... are definitely cool. I-I mean, the way you saved me on the bridge? Wow! And escaping from the temple... you, Rainbow Dash, are awesome," He then added. "Thanks for saving me, by the way. I know you probably wanted to just leave me behind on so many occasions."

Rainbow Dash replied by waving a hoof. "You're right, part of me did want to do that. But I'm not that kind of mare. And you were pretty good yourself. You know, in a brainy, egghead, puzzle-solving kind of way. After all, not just anypony could locate a treasure in half the time Daring Do can!"

The stallion then said. "I guess we don't have to agree on everything to get along. Friends?"

"Definitely friends." Rainbow nodded as they trotted off along with Daring Do, the sun slowly setting.

Yet Quibble Pants then saw fit to start talking at length. He had his own ideas about how to "improve" the Daring Do series, much to Rainbow Dash's annoyance.