Chapter 21:
Contrived Convolution
When the three mares finished the chapter, they all shared a bit of a laugh. Daring Do and Twilight both chuckled a little while Rainbow Dash was forced to the ground in a fit of guffaws.
"Well, what do you know? Tailspin managed to get her act together," said Daring, a tinge of relief seeping into her voice. "Took her long enough."
"D-did you see how she took down that airship?!" Rainbow Dash said between laughs. "That was both awesome and hilarious! Oh man, I can't stop— Bwah ha ha ha ha!"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Come on, Rainbow. It wasn't that funny," she said.
"Y-yes it was!" Rainbow giggled, her voice cracking as she wiped tears from her eyes.
Just then, the elevator jerked, and the doors opened.
"Looks like this is our stop," said Daring, passing the book back to Rainbow. "We should get moving."
"R-right," said Rainbow, catching her breath. "J-just give me a minute."
"That's actually a good idea," said Twilight. "We don't really know where to go next. The changeling didn't leave us any clues."
"Didn't you want to check things out at the Canterlot Archives?" Daring inquired.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how that would help now," said Twilight. "This is obviously not a typical changeling we're dealing with. Unless this kind of thing has happened before, which we have no way of knowing, I doubt any books on changelings the Archives might have would tell us anything about this."
Daring frowned. "Well, that leaves us in a bit of a rut, doesn't it?" she mused.
"M-maybe we can ask around," suggested Rainbow, finally composing herself. "Ponyville isn't the only town with copies of Daring's books. Maybe somepony here knows something."
"Or they could be just as confused as we are," said Twilight.
"Normally, I'd say that it couldn't hurt to ask around," said Daring. "However, judging by previous reactions, I think we're gonna see a lot more fainting ponies if we share our intel."
"Hmm. Good point," said Rainbow, stroking her chin with her hoof. "Well, maybe you can just hide nearby while Twilight and I do the talking."
"Maybe, maybe," said Daring. As the three continued to ponder their dilemma, a large, imposing shadow hovered over them. Daring was the first to notice. "Or, that could be rendered academic."
"What do you—? Oh."
The trio of ponies found themselves in the presence of a grey unicorn stallion dressed in the golden armor of the Royal Guard. The guardsman looked down at the three with a cold expression for a time. Suddenly, as if by magic, a warm smile crossed his face.
"Oh hey, Twilight," he said pleasantly. "Out for another late night stroll around Canterlot?"
Daring and Rainbow looked over at Twilight, giving her a blank stare. Twilight herself was equally bewildered.
"Um, yes?" she said with a shrug.
"Oh, don't be so modest about it," said the guardsman. "We already know how you like to sneak into the Royal Archives late at night. It's been that way ever since you were a foal, and you moving to Ponyville hasn't changed that habit one bit. Though what you're doing at this old place, I haven't the foggiest idea."
"It's a long story," said Rainbow sheepishly. "Hey, sorry if this sounds random, but has anything been happening in Canterlot lately?"
The guard raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"Oh, I don't know. Books disappearing, ponies forgetting the awesomeness of Daring Do. Any of that ringing any bells?"
The guard became quite puzzled. "Um, I don't know anypony named Daring Do."
"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow. "She's standing right— Ah!"
Rainbow pointed to where Daring was standing, only to see barely anything there. From what she could make out, Daring looked uncomfortable.
"Oh no, oh no!" she said, reaching out for her favorite literary heroine. Her panic increased when she found that her hooves passed through thin air. The guard became even more perplexed.
"Twilight, do you have any idea what your friend is talking about?" he asked.
"I, don't think you'd believe me if I told you," said Twilight, rubbing the back of her head.
Just then, Daring's body returned to its solid state.
"Brrr. That was, ugh," she groaned, gripping her forehead and shaking herself.
"Daring, are you alright?" asked Rainbow, placing her foreleg around Daring's shoulder.
"Y-yeah. I'll be fine," said Daring.
"N-now wait a minute!" said the guard. "Where did she come from?!"
"Again, you wouldn't believe us," said Twilight. "Listen, we should get going."
"Oh, right. Of course," said the guard, clearing his throat. "Before you do, though, I just want to give you a heads-up."
"Hmm?"
"If you plan on browsing the Archives, try to avoid the Clover the Clever Wing. That area has been sealed off since early this evening, and nopony knows why."
Daring smirked and adjusted her pith helmet while Rainbow and Twilight shared a nod and a wink. It seemed as though the three of them knew their next destination.
"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you, good sir," said Twilight with a bow. "Have a good night."
"You too," said the guard as the trio of mares headed off. The guard shook his head. "I have got to stop doing these late-night shifts for Holy Lance," he muttered to himself.
***
"Hey, Daring?"
"Hmm?"
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Daring gave Rainbow a smirk as they made their way through the Canterlot Archives. "The silence is getting to you too, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Rainbow with a nod.
Daring shrugged. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but there's not a whole lot on my mind right now. I'm just pondering the wonders of non-existence, or lack thereof."
"Oh," said Rainbow, flattening her ears. "Sorry I asked."
"Hey, it's fine," said Daring. "This might be one of the worst messes I've ever been in, but I know I'm gonna get out of it. After all, I always do."
Rainbow's expression brightened, and she gave a lighthearted chuckle. "Darn right you do," she said, giving the olive-colored pegasus a playful punch in the foreleg.
"Alright, here we are," said Twilight, stopping before a large wooden door marked with a clover. On the door was a mysterious-looking panel that obviously didn't belong. The buttons on the panel were the same sea pony runes as before. "Looks like our hunch was correct. The changeling has been hiding itself in here."
"And that panel looks like the same code combination I saw in Argoats," Daring added. "Stand back, you two. I'll handle this."
Twilight and Rainbow complied as Daring approached the door. She observed the runes carefully before tapping them in a precise order with her hoof. Just like in Argoats, the runes flashed a multitude of colors before settling on a steady green. There was a click, and the door creaked open.
"Well, shall we?" said Daring.
Twilight and Rainbow nodded in response as the three of them made their way inside. The inside of the room was almost pitch black. Only a few scattered light sources provided any kind of illumination. Suddenly, an angry voice echoed from within the chamber.
"H-how did you find this place?!" it bellowed in bewilderment. "I-I didn't give you any clues!"
"We're painfully aware of that," said Daring, folding her forelegs. "Let's just say we have a few friends in high places."
"B-but this isn't how it was supposed to go!" the voice complained. "You and Rainbow Dash were supposed to fall for my trap, I was supposed to give a big speech, and then if you did escape, you were going to decipher said speech to find me!"
Daring was flabbergasted. "Well, gee. That's, needlessly complex. Seriously, Ahuizotl doesn't make me jump through that many hoops!"
"And even if everything didn't go according to your wacky plan, we still found you," Rainbow chimed in, pounding her hooves and cracking her neck. "And now, you're gonna get it!"
"Oh, don't count me out just yet, Rainbow Crash," said the voice. "You may have survived the Canterlot Caves of Catastrophe, but don't expect the same results from my Library of Doom. I assure you, it is far less pleasant."
The door behind the three mares slammed shut, and several green flames burst from several torches lining the walls. The torches illuminated a large and complex labyrinth of bookcases
"Find me if you can," said the voice, cackling maniacally before fading out.
"Okay, I don't know about you two, but that thing is starting to get on my nerves," said Daring with a snort.
"Ditto," Rainbow concurred.
"Same here," said Twilight. "Alright, let's get going. The changeling has to be here somewhere."
"And I'm betting we can't just fly over the maze and find it that way," said Daring.
"Let me test that," said Rainbow with a complacent sneer. She took off into the sky, only to find that the bookcase walls grew to match her. She flew back down and heaved a great sigh. "Okay, looks like we're hoofing it."
"Told ya," said Daring with a playful smirk. "Now, let's go find ourselves a changeling!"
With that, she galloped off into the maze, the other two mares close at her heels.