I was in my room one morning, trying on a green safari shirt while staring in the mirror.
“I bought this last month,” I groaned. “I couldn’t have outgrown it now.”
Twilight knocked on my bedroom door. I let her in.
“Hey, Spike,” Twilight said. “What are you dressing up for? The gala isn’t for another couple of months.”
“This isn’t for the gala,” I said. “I’m going with Rainbow Dash to the Daring Do convention.”
“You wanted to go?”
“Yeah. I asked Rainbow if I could tag along and she accepted.” I shrugged. “Provided I packed my own items and paid for my own ticket.”
I was aware that this was when the episode “Stranger than Fan Fiction” occurred. In the show, Rainbow meets another fan of Daring Do, but he’s only interested in the first three books and disregards the rest as canon. That is until both of them are plunged into an actual Daring Do adventure.
There was nothing to change for this episode honestly, aside from getting an autograph from Daring Do which Rainbow forgot. I was more interested in attending the convention for fun, since the last convention I went to was back in my old world.
I packed my things and rode with Twilight to Rainbow’s house. Rainbow answered the second Twilight tapped on the door.
“Oh, hey guys!” Rainbow greeted us. “I’m almost done packing. Actually, I need you, Twilight!”
“Me?” Twilight asked as we walked in. “What for?”
“I just need somepony to read the rest of my recent Daring Do book while I pack. I can’t do both at the same time.”
“Okay, fine.”
Twilight and Dashie went to the latter’s room while I rested on the couch. I double-checked my items to make sure I had everything.
Toiletries, bits, spare clothing, water…just because I haven’t been to a convention in a long time doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be prepared.
A few minutes later, Rainbow and Twilight exited the bedroom.
“This convention will be fun, but it's nothing to get too excited about,” Rainbow said as she carried her briefcase. “Alright, Spike, time to head out.”
Dashie and I hopped on the train to Manehattan.
As I adjusted my shirt, Dashie tapped her hooves with excitement.
“I still can’t believe A. K. Yearling is gonna be there!” she squealed.
“Yeah, I bet it’s gonna be fun to see her,” I said. “But…don’t you think something is up?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean, if Daring Do’s author is attending a convention, which she never does, shouldn’t that raise a few questions?”
“Oh, please, Spike. Why shouldn’t A. K. Yearling have some time off from writing her books? Even I take the time from my Wonderbolt duties to talk to my fans.”
“I’m just saying the reason for her visit might be more than just seeing the members of her fanbase.”
“Just because somepony does something different for a change does not always mean something is wrong.”
Once we arrived at the Manehattan train station, we took a taxi to the hotel and checked in. After a lot of unpacking, dressing-up, and registering, Rainbow and I were finally at the convention.
Around us was nothing but Daring Do memorabilia.
“So excited!” Rainbow trotted in place like a foal in a candy store.
“‘Nothing to get too excited about,’ huh?” I asked.
I followed Dashie as she scoured around the events. I may not have been as big of a Daring Do fan as Rainbow Dash, but I couldn’t help but admire some of the decor.
That’s when a vendor pony zipped up to us.
“You two look like you'd be up for an all-inclusive one-of-a-kind adventu-cation,” he announced, “where you can get to live the Daring Do experience!”
“No thanks,” Rainbow declined. “We did that already.”
The vendor cocked an eyebrow as we left.
Our next stop was a replica of one of the traps. Specifically, the one in Daring Do’s first book with the spring-loaded traps on the ground. Even though both of us knew the pattern, Rainbow purposely stepped on the wrong tile to see what would happen. Just like in the show, steam hissed from the ceiling as yellow and red streamers popped out the walls..
Rainbow declared, “This is the...”
“...awesomest thing ever!” she and another pony concluded.
We looked to see another fan admiring the trap. He had a gray mane, brown coat, fake wings, and Daring Do clothing. This was Quibble Pants.
Quibble pointed to the tiled floor. “Now this is something that only a true fan can appreciate.”
Rainbow nodded. “They even put the tiles in the right order.”
“Good catch. Oh, I'm Quibble Pants. Nice to meet you two.”
“I’m Rainbow Dash, and this is Spike.”
After we exchanged hoof bumps, Quibble and Rainbow took turns complimenting on the authenticity of each other’s costumes, right down to the hats.
“Wow, now I’m feeling inadequate with my own costume,” I said as I took my hat off.
“Don’t sweat it, kid,” Quibble said. “Not everypony gets it right on the first try.”
Quibble joined us as we toured the event. We tried out different obstacle courses, purchased figurines, and even admired some of the artwork. Quibble himself was interested in a Daring Do body pillow, which creeped both Rainbow and me out. I wasn’t that kind of brony.
Later, the three of us relaxed at the snack bar, enjoying our delicious yet overpriced smoothies.
“I am so glad we ran into you,” Rainbow said to Quibble. “It’s always nice to meet another pony who really knows Daring Do.”
“I know what you mean,” Quibble replied. “It's so hard to find a pony who really gets it.”
Rainbow looked at a brochure. “That's weird. We've only done stuff from the first trilogy. After lunch, we should probably start working our way back through the other books.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Quibble suddenly held up a hoof. “There are no other books.”
“You got something against them?” I asked.
“I’m saying that I refuse to acknowledge them.”
“What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “What’s wrong with Daring Do’s other books?”
“They're horrible!” Quibble retorted. “I mean, there isn't a single thing after ‘Ring of Destiny’ that is even remotely in the realm of the possible!”
“Uh, Quibble?” I sat up. “‘Ring of Destiny’ is not Daring Do's third book.”
“Exactly!“ Rainbow barked. ”Plus, I know for a fact that everything in every one of those books is one hundred percent possible!”
“Okay, so ‘Ring of Destiny’ was a slip the tongue on my part, but how could you two possibly know that the modern books are still considered ‘realistic’?”
“The last time we were at A. K. Yearling’s book signing, we heard her say that she does many equations and likes to picture herself as the main character,” I lied. “It helps her figure out if the average pony can survive and make it through the traps realistically.”
“Really?” Quibble squinted his eyes. “I happened to have been at her recent book signing, and I’m sure that I never saw you nor Rainbow Dash there.”
“I meant the last signing Rainbow and I went to, not her most recent one.”
“Uh huh…”
“Why would you even come to this convention if you hate Daring Do so much?” Rainbow asked.
“I don't hate Daring Do!” Quibble rebutted. “The first series was smart and cool and an amazing nod to old-time serialized adventure books that somehow manages to be self-reflective and ironic while at the same time celebrating the art form without a hint of cynicism.”
He sure nails the over-analyzer persona.
Quibble continued, “Which is why I came here to ask A. K. Yearling muzzle-to-muzzle why she sold out and dumbed down the rest of her books into just a series of impossible action sequences!”
“I’ll admit there are some scenes where survival is almost improbable, but have you considered the reason why there’s more action in later books is because Daring Do is attracting more attention from the bad guys?” I asked politely. “It’s possible the added action is to show tension and that there’s more at stake than just collecting an artifact.”
“As if! Name one chapter from the modern books where ‘the average pony’ can survive unscathed. Trust me, you can’t do it.”
“Okay, now I know you're crazy,” Rainbow yelled. “A. K. Yearling is awesome, and every Daring Do book that comes out is better than the last!”
That’s your rebuttal, Dashie?
Quibbled sighed sharply. “Okay, yeah. 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.”
“Uh, guys, we’re drawing a crowd,” I pointed out.
Rainbow ignored my comment. “That's okay, because 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!”
Both Rainbow and Quibble split up. I went over to the bar to get a refill.
That’s another argument that didn’t tick me off.
I went to find Rainbow Dash. I caught her just as she was about to leave the building. I quickly followed after her.
“Rainbow Dash, where are you going?” I asked.
“I need to prove to Quibble that all of Daring Do’s stunts are legit!” Rainbow slipped out of her shirt. “To do that, I need help from the pony…er, pony’s author herself!”
We entered the hotel and got to the desk. Rainbow rapidly slammed the bell.
“May I help you?” the clerk pony asked.
“What room is A. K. Yearling staying in?” Rainbow asked.
“I’m sorry, but we are not allowed to divulge that information. Especially Miss Yearling since she made it clear she did not want to be disturbed by the other guests.”
“Look, just tell A. K. Yearling that Rainbow Dash is here, and I need her help to convince a know-it-all pony that everything Daring Do's ever done actually happened.”
The clerk pony stayed silent.
“Rainbow Dash? Spike?” A voice whispered.
We turned to see…
“A. K.!” Rainbow announced. “We gotta talk to you. It's an emergency!”
A. K. gasped and looked around. “Not here.”
She quickly grabbed us and escorted us to her room, which was a lot nicer than the room Rainbow and I were staying at.
“Now tell me, what's going on?” A. K. slammed the door behind her. “Is it Caballeron? Did you see him?”
“See? I knew she wasn’t here just to see her fans,” I told Rainbow Dash.
“How are you always right?” Rainbow shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. A. K., there’s a pony downstairs who thinks everything you've written after the first trilogy is totally unrealistic and terrible. And I need you to help me prove to him that it's all totally possible.”
Miss Yearling closed all the curtains and checked under the beds. “I've got bigger problems on my hooves than dissatisfied fanponies.” She then took out an amulet from underneath her cloak.
“Woah!” Rainbow gazed at the shiny object.
Yearling told us that this amulet was a key to open a lost temple. The reason why she came here was to hide from Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies. The high security and the Daring Do cosplayers here would help her blend in and keep her safe. She quickly ditched her robes and donned her Daring Do outfit.
“How can we help?” Rainbow asked enthusiastically.
“Just keep your eyes out for anything suspicious,” Daring Do said.
“Understood. Oh, before we go…” I pulled out a Daring Do book and quill. “...could you sign this real quick, please?”
Daring rolled her eyes. She scribbled her A. K. signature on the inside of the cover.
“Thank you so much,” I said.
Rainbow and I quickly left the room.
“Thanks for doing that,” Rainbow said. “I almost forgot about getting Twilight’s book signed.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what happened after the episode, but I bet Twilight was disappointed that Rainbow couldn’t get an autograph from Daring Do. At least this time it happened.
Rainbow and I returned to the convention. Instead of searching for cool shirts, we searched for Caballeron.
“Ugh! It’s hard to tell with all these cosplayers,” Rainbow hissed.
“Just keep looking,” I said.
“You know, it’s strange how you took my side back there when I was arguing with Quibble. I thought you were going to blow your whistle and tell us both why we shouldn’t argue about Daring Do’s books.”
“Well, we both know her secret, and Quibble doesn’t. I can’t always be neutral.”
That’s when both of us bumped into a familiar face.
“Well, if it isn't the pony and dragon who know impossible things can happen because A. K. Yearling ‘supposedly’ told them so,” Quibble said.
“Quibble, I understand that you believe the books to be non-canon because you don’t have all the facts yet, but this is more important right now,” I replied.
“Yeah, just stay out of our way,” Rainbow added as we left.
“No, wait!” Quibble called out sarcastically, “I want to hear more about how you're one hundred percent sure that in ‘Curse of the Jungle Queen’, Daring Do could survive a sixty-story drop from the top of a waterfall after sustaining a broken wing in a category-six rapid!”
“Obviously, her wing wasn't broke—Caballeron!”
“See, now that's a great character. Solid backstory, good motivations...”
“No, she means that there’s Caballeron,” I hissed, pointing at the group of stallions behind Quibble.
“Of course he is.” Quibble pointed around the convention. “He's also over there, over there...”
Rainbow followed the Caballeron’s gang as they went outside. Quibble and I went after her.
Quibble asked, “And we're out here because...?”
“Because there is…a group of criminals somewhere in the convention,” I replied, “and Rainbow and I need to stop them.”
“Does the word ‘police’ mean anything to you?”
Before any of us could respond, two of Caballeron’s henchponies shoved a mail bag over Quibble. With little time to react, I shoved Rainbow Dash out of the way only to find myself in nothing but darkness.
“You fools!” Dr. Caballeron’s voice shouted. “The girl’s getting away!”
The rest of the voices were muffled. As much as I wanted to get out, I did my best not to struggle.
After what seemed like an eternity in the bag, I was shoved out along with Quibble right beside me. Surrounding us was a jungle, camping supplies, and a bunch of angry henchponies. Rainbow was absent, which wasn’t really a surprise thanks to my actions.
But the real question is: where is Rainbow Dash now?
Cabelleron came to the scene.
“I do not know what Daring Do is playing at, but if she told you two fans of my plan to steal the amulet, you must work for her!”
“Really, Spike?” Quibble asked as he brushed himself off. “This was your and Rainbow Dash’s plan to prove the Daring Do books are realistic? You bought a Daring Do Experience Adventu-cation?”
“I don’t think this is part of Rainbow’s plan...if she had one,” I replied.
Just like in the show, Quibble wasn’t buying the fact that Cabelleron, let alone the entire hostage situation, was real. He tried to leave, but Cabelleron’s cronies interrupted his casual departure and chained both of us up with a Griffon Lock. Cabelleron left to search for the temple.
Quibble whispered, “Listen, if I pretend to believe this nonsense is real, will you call off the henchpony repertory theater over there?”
“I’m not able to do that.” I shook my head. “They won’t listen.”
“Oh, wow, so you're gonna stick with that script?”
Suddenly, the nearby bushes rustled violently. Quibble didn’t even have to throw a pin.
“What was that?!” One of the henchponies exclaimed. “Fan out! We can't let Daring Do rescue these two!”
Everypony ditched the campsite, leaving Quibble and I alone.
Quibble chuckled. “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.”
“Just hurry up and solve the Griffon Lock,” I sighed.
Within a few clicks, the chains unraveled around us.
“Thank you,” I said. “Now, let’s get out of here!”
Quibble grudgingly replied, “No kidding. Just point me to the hotel and you can play fan-dragon and hunt treasure out here all day long.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Okay, listen. If you believe that this is a fictional adventu-cation, that’s fine. But in order to get back, we’ll have to play along for now.”
Quibble groaned. “Fine.”
We snuck out of the campsite and into the jungle.
As we traversed through the greenery, Quibble went on about how the recent Daring Do books were inferior compared to the older ones. Honestly, he made Cinemare Sins sound like Cinemare Wins.
“...and that is everything that's wrong with ‘Daring Do and the Trek to the Terrifying Tower,’” Quibble concluded.
“While I admit that Cabelleron’s motive in that book was kind of vague,” I said, “you can’t deny that the artifact at the time was better off in Daring Do’s hooves.”
“Hmph, how so? Cabelleron’s idea was to sell it for money, while Daring Do’s was to put it in a museum, which produces money.”
“But the museum also produces knowledge of pony and non-pony history as accurately as possible.”
Plus, I don’t know if Cabelleron’s story about his museum is true or not.
“And yet the end result would still be the same. Money is earned from the artifact. There is no difference.”
“Then let me ask you this. A thief steals a diamond and then sells it to somepony for money. A miner digs up a diamond, gives it to a local jeweler, and gets paid. Even though they both earn the same amount of money, would you say they’re the same kind of pony or non-pony moral-wise?”
“That’s…er…I…” Quibble frustratedly tried to find a counter-argument, but I could tell he couldn’t find one.
Quibble and I approached a gorge, and the only way across was…
“A precarious rope bridge,” Quibble snarked. “What Daring Do adventure would be complete without one?”
“Since we’re one pegasus short, we’ll have to cross it,” I said. “Be careful.”
I scooted inch by inch while Quibble ambled behind.
Quibble pointed out, “If this were really a real Daring Do adventure, I'm sure I'd step on the wrong plank at exactly the wrong—”
CRUNCH!
“Quibble!” I shouted.
Quibble’s front hooves dangled underneath the bridge. I hurried over and pulled him up by his shirt collar.
“Good thing this is all just a pretend adventure,” Quibble reassured me. “Least we know all of this struggling won't make the bridge fall apart.”
I retorted, “Quibble, don’t tempt…!”
SNAP!!
“…fate.”
The bridge dropped a few feet. Quibble got a hoof over the hole.
“Grab my hand!” I barked.
Quibble obliged just as the bridge split in half. I grabbed one of the boards as we slammed onto the other side of the gorge!
“You're awfully strong for a preteen dragon!” Quibble called out.
“Save the compliments for after our brush with death!” I looked around. “Rainbow Dash! Daring Do! Where are you?!”
Quibble grabbed another plank with his other hoof, straining to keep himself up.
“You just had to cut gym class at school, didn’t you Quibble?!” Quibble said to himself.
All of a sudden, a bruised Rainbow Dash appeared with a rope.
“Guys! Grab onto this! Hurry!” Rainbow cried.
Quibble and I did just that, and Rainbow dragged us down to the river.
“Hold on to your potatoes!” I shouted.
Rainbow tied the rope to a tree just above a waterfall, hoping to slow our momentum. I managed to grab a branch, but Quibble’s end of the rope snapped off, causing him to tumble into the jungle. He bounced across three trees before sliding down the fourth one unscathed. Rainbow flew me to him.
“You alright, Quibble?” I asked.
“Y-yeah…” Quibble breathed. “I’m, I’m f-fine.”
“How's that for not possible?” Rainbow questioned.
“Not a good time, Rainbow,” I retorted. “Anyway, thanks for saving us. So what happened after Quibble and I got captured?”
“After you prevented those guys from abducting me (which I kinda thank you for that), I went to find Daring Do to tell her what happened. She told me there was a temple somewhere in this jungle and that Dr. Cabelleron’s campsite wouldn’t be far away from it. When I found you, I distracted and fought those henchponies while you two escaped. After that, I nabbed a rope from one of their tents, since I had a feeling it would come in handy when I found you two.”
Quibble then praised Rainbow for her skills. Rainbow pointed out that if it happened in the book, he would’ve passed it off as being unrealistic. Quibble admitted to that, but he came to a dawning conclusion.
“We could have been done for!” He exclaimed. “W-What kind of Adventu-cation is this?! I mean, that's just, that's just bad business! What, what are these ponies thinking?!”
“Right now?” A voice called out.
Dr. Cabelleron emerged from the bushes, followed by his minions, who looked a lot worse for wear than Rainbow.
“We are thinking that we should thank you for escaping,” Cabelleron boasted. “For you have led us directly to the Lost Temple of Chicomoztoc!”
Despite their injuries, the henchponies immediately tied all three of us up. They then led us into the temple.
“Make sure they are secure this time!” Cabelleron commanded. “We can't have them escaping again.”
The scene played out like in the show. Quibble concluded that this wasn’t a Daring Do Adventu-cation, but rather a poorly thought out knockoff with no safety measures. He released himself from the ropes and ranted about how not only the “staff” had no regards for our well-being, but also how the entire adventure didn’t persuade him from altering his opinion on the Daring Do books.
In Quibble’s fulmination, he indiscriminately triggered a trap in the temple, causing mud to spill out everywhere. He didn’t notice this mistake until a huge creature known as a Cipactli appeared from behind him. Cabelleron and his stallions dashed away.
“Y…you’re real…” Quibble whimpered. “This is real…”
Rainbow and I quickly grabbed him and sprinted away.
“This is real!!” Quibble repeated.
“I’m pretty sure that has been acutely acknowledged!” I replied as I removed the ropes from my torso.
Rainbow, Quibble and I raced to the end of the hallway, but Cabelleron slammed the doors shut in front of us. Just when I was about to fire a fireball at the Cipactli out of instinct, a figure swooped down and grabbed all three of us.
We all landed on a platform three stories high. Quibble’s jaw dropped at who saved us.
“When you said these two were in trouble, Rainbow Dash,” Daring Do said as she unraveled the rope around Dashie, “I didn’t think this would be the trouble.”
“Y-you're real!?” Quibble sputtered. “You-you-you're both friends with her?!”
Only in this world where meeting a book character is more surprising than meeting a pegasus and a dragon who have saved the world multiple times.
“We'll have to do introductions later.” Daring removed Rainbow’s wing from her back. “Right now we have to—”
“G-Get out of here, yes! Thank you!” Quibble cried.
“Actually, no.”
“WHAT?!”
“We can't leave without the treasure. And we should probably get to it before our friend gets any higher.”
Daring pointed over the ledge at the Cipactli swimming in the rising mud.
“Then let’s hurry,” I said.
We rushed down the hall. Daring Do pulled a lever at the end, spinning the wall around until we were in a room with tons of doors.
“Seven doors, seven locks,” said Daring. “One of them leads to the treasure. I'd rather not think about what the others lead to.”
“Yeah, yeah, the classic ‘Pony and the Tiger’ bit,” snarked Quibble. “All you have to do is—”
Rainbow put a hoof in front of Quibble. “Um, maybe you should let Daring Do figure it out?”
Just like in the show, Daring Do checked the doors, and through Quibble’s “subtly” dropped hints, she found the correct one.
“It's the only one without a match!” Daring declared. “How did I miss that?”
“I've been asking myself that ever since book four,” Quibble said under his breath.
I rolled my eyes.
How is this the same guy who voiced a cute French rat?
Daring inserted the key and opened the door, revealing a small, shiny, gray chest on the podium.
“The Seven-Sided Chest of Chicomoztoc!” Quibble exclaimed.
Daring snatched it just as mud formed beneath our feet and hooves. We returned to the flooded room just to see the entrance submerge underneath the opaque liquid.
“The way out is totally covered!” Rainbow cried. “How are we gonna get out of here?!”
“There!” Daring pointed up at the hole in the ceiling.
“Seriously, do you ever not escape out of the top of a temple?” Quibble asked.
“You call it a cliche, I call it a common theme,” I replied.
“How are we going to get all four of us out?” Rainbow asked. “Spike can ride on our backs with no problem, but we won’t be fast enough with Quibble.”
“Guys, I think Rainbow Dash and I have this covered.” Quibble tore some vines off one of the walls.
Quickly, we wrapped the vine around Quibble’s torso. I hopped on Rainbow’s back. Both her and Daring Do took off flying with Quibble dragging behind like he was on waterskis.
All of a sudden, the Cipactli popped out of the mud.
“Go around!” Quibble shouted. “You can't go over him!”
“Go over him?! Are you crazy?!” Daring Do retorted.
“Around! Around!” I yelled. “He said go AROUND him!”
“Around it is!” Rainbow replied.
Not making the same mistake as Indy and Elsa, Daring and Rainbow pulled to the right. The Cipactli dove for Quibble, but the sudden turn left the creature with nothing but mud in his mouth.
“Now’s our chance!” Daring announced. “Brace yourselves!”
Once the two pegasi got up to speed, they launched Quibble up in the air and through the hole. We then flew to the jungle and landed in a nearby clearing.
“That was intense,” I said.
“We’re not out of the woods, yet,” said Daring Do. “Figuratively and literally.”
We hid in the foliage just as Cabelleron and some of his henchponies passed us.
“Okay, I got it,” Quibble whispered. “Let's create a fake treasure out of mud and rocks, give that to Caballeron, and then we—”
Daring interrupted, “Not every Daring Do plan has to be super-complicated.”
Daring tossed a rock at the temple wall. She then gave us wide reeds and dove for the nearby pond. We quickly followed suit.
Even underwater, I heard the rock crumbling followed by the sound of Cipactli roaring. Once the hoofbeats dissipated into the distance, the four of us emerged from the water.
Sorry for that, Caballeron.
“There's some stairs on the other side of the temple that lead out of the ravine,” Daring pointed out. “I suggest you three take them and head west.”
“What about you?” Rainbow asked.
“I've gotta get this to a museum.” Daring pulled out the tiny chest. “Thanks for your help. I couldn't have done it without you. All three of you.”
Daring then flew off. Quibble, Rainbow and I followed her directions out of the woods.
“So...” Rainbow began to say.
Quibble replied. “So... maybe the later books are…slightly more realistic than I gave them credit for. Still don't like them.”
Rainbow stopped in her tracks. “What?! How can you—?!”
“Wait, hold on. Before we get into another fight, I think I finally figured it out.”
Quibble then went on how they both liked Daring Do in their own way. Quibble liked her for her puzzle-solving skills, while Rainbow enjoyed her actionpacked bravery. While I wasn’t a huge fan, I liked both aspects.
“I guess we don't have to agree on everything to get along.” Quibble held out a hoof. “Friends?
“Friends,” Rainbow and I said as we did a hoof bump with him.
As we left the jungle, Quibble rambled on about the possibility of Daring Do getting him to be the writer, as he made a fan fiction regarding her stories.
After a couple days at the Daring Do convention, Rainbow and I returned to Ponyville with nothing but Daring Do mementos. Rainbow dropped me off at the castle.
“Oh, you’re back!” Twilight exclaimed as I entered the castle. “How was the convention?”
“As what Rainbow would say, ‘Awesome,’” I replied as I removed my backpack.
“That’s great to hear. Were you able to get an autograph from A. K.?”
“Yep. The book’s in my backpack.”
As I got undressed, I thought about this episode. I didn’t do any major changes (aside from preventing Rainbow’s kidnapping), and I didn’t need to anyway. Rainbow needed to learn that some ponies have different opinions, while Quibble need to learn that Daring Do was real.
“Hey, Spike?” Twilight uncomfortably rubbed her hooves. “I know that you’re at that age where you start to get…certain feelings for others...and it’s normal for those your age to get something to help with those feelings, but…”
“What on Earth are you talking about?” I asked.
“I’m talking about this.”
Twilight pulled out a giant pillow. She flipped it around, revealing a picture of Daring Do tied up.
“That is not mine!” I waved my hands.
Twilight pulled a sticky note from the pillow. “‘Gotcha! Signed, RD.’”
“Rainbow Dash!” I shouted. “I’ll get you for that!”