//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Daring Dash and Rosetta Sparkle in the Jungle of Perils // by elPossenreisser //------------------------------// Chapter 3 And it stayed black. “Um. Twi?” Rainbow’s voice finally asked into the impenetrable black void. “Is that what’s supposed to happen?” “Hmm. One of us should be able to access the controls”, Twilight mused. “Go!” she shouted, but nothing happened. “Rainbow, say ‘Go!’ decisively. The device is controlled by emotions, and saying it out loud should be a good focal point.” “Um, not that I’m complaining or anything, but why am I in control and not you, since you built this thing and know how it works and all?” “I wonder about that myself”, Twilight admitted. “The only reason I can think of is that the narrative parser recognized you as the author and thus put you in command. That’s a really interesting feature, don’t you think?” “Well, I am totally gonna ace it”, Rainbow stated with her usual self-confidence. “So I say ‘Go!’ and the story starts and we watch it?” “We will be able to freely navigate through the world, and we will know, well, a lot about what’s happening. We will definitely share all knowledge of the narrator plus everything the interpretative unit adds to flesh out the world. We can look around, follow the main characters and experience their emotions as we go. The only thing we won’t be able to do is interact with the world. We are simply observers.” “Aw”, the pegasus’ voice replied disappointedly. “Okay, but it’s still gonna be pretty rad, being in a Daring Do novel like this. Are you ready?” “There’s one more thing!” Twilight hastily said before the pegasus could start the machine. “Since we won’t have bodies in the story’s world, we’ll have to talk like we do here, just with our minds.” “What’s that supposed to mean, ‘talk with my mind’? That’s like ‘flying with your hooves’!” Rainbow remarked, uncomprehending. “You just think of speaking to me. Like you do now. Don’t think about it too much, it should all come very natural.” A little skepticism remained as Rainbow said, “Uh-huh. Ready?” Before Twilight could interrupt her again, she yelled “Go!” *** Without so much as a blink, Twilight found herself standing in bright sunlight. After the velvet blackness of that non-place they’d been in before she had to squint her eyes to tiny slits; and at first she couldn’t discern anything. She heard the hoof steps and mumbling of a large crowd of ponies, and also the faint rustling of waves. The air smelt of salt and seaweed. Wherever she was, it was probably a large square right at the coast. She only wondered – “Rainbow? Are you here? I can’t see anything in this light!” she squealed with a much squeakier voice than she had intended. “I’m here, Twi”, Rainbow Dash reassured her from somewhere in front of her. “Where is ‘here’, anyway?” Twilight asked. Her vision slowly cleared; she could now see lots of fast-moving shades trotting through her field of vision, and some larger shapes in the distance that set themselves apart against the blazing horizon. “Gotta be Marenagua”, Rainbow answered. “Probably that great square just off the river, what’s its name again…?” “Plaza de la Libertad”, Twilight promptly recounted, “the main square of Marenagua, just between the sea and the mounds of Rio Marenagua. The name is Alpacan and means ‘liberty square’.” She interrupted her flow of words. “Why do I know that?” she asked with a slight hint of panic in her voice. “I don’t speak Alpacan!” Rainbow didn’t answer, but at least Twilight’s vision cleared more and more. She blinked a few times, hoping it would help. She could now make out more of her surroundings. She was in fact standing on Plaza de la Libertad, facing the sea, where a beautiful esplanade with carefully hatched palm trees and baroque lanterns lined the shore. As she looked around, her gaze fell upon the town hall, a classic colonial building painted in bright yellow, which flew the flag of Neighcaragua. Next to it she saw the Marenagua Grand Hotel, a huge neo-classical building with intricate lion head stonework adorning the façade. A liveried page was standing in front of it under a sunroof with red and white stripes. The remaining buildings lining the square were mostly held in neo-classical style as well, most of them painted in bright pastel colors and in impeccable state. In the center of the square, on a huge pedestal, stood a statue of Simon Coltivar, the heroic founder of the country. The sun was high up in the sky and burning down relentlessly; it was probably close to noon. A lot of ponies and alpacas were hastening across the square left and right. At last, she looked at the pony standing in front of her, and she gasped in surprise. Rainbow Dash wore an olive-colored vest and a pith helmet, just like Daring Do, and some tan-colored saddlebacks embroidered with Daring Do’s cutie mark, a compass rose. “You look almost like Daring Do”, Twilight stated with a shaky voice. Rainbow chuckled. “And you look like Rosetta.” Twilight quickly checked herself. She ran a hoof along her mane and found it wrapped in a tight bun. Now she also realized that her vision was girdled by black frames – Rosetta’s glasses. She too wore saddlebags which were embroidered with a white rose. The only detail missing was the lab coat, but she supposed that it wasn’t the best piece of clothing for an expedition to Neighcaragua. She hung her head. “I don’t get it. We should be observers, not the main characters of the story!” she moaned. “How is this supposed to work? What are we even supposed to do?” “You see, there’s this mine in a place called Malatierra, a little mining outpost upstream”, Rainbow explained unflinching. “They found some ancient Alpacan temple, and the ministry of mining suspected it might be something important. So they got in touch with us, and we did some research and figured it might be where the legendary Golden Alpacan Princess is hidden. They invited us over here, and we just arrived here.” “I know all that”, Twilight retorted impatiently, “but what are we supposed to – wait. Why do I know all that?” she whispered. “You’re Rosetta”, Rainbow simply replied. “She knows that. Hay, I don’t know anything about ancient Alpacan temples, but Daring does, so now I do too. At least that’s what would make sense, kind of, right?” Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. This was true; Rosetta would know these things. And apparently she was Rosetta, at least for the time being. She quickly probed her mind for unexpected knowledge and found that she now possessed extensive knowledge about the colonial history of the Southern Equestrian continent as well as some of the indigenous tribes that lived there, like llamas, alpacas, and the lost civilization of the Donkans. She also knew quite a bit about the topology of Neighcaragua in general and the area around Malatierra specifically, and she was aware of several scientific theories about the Golden Alpacan Princess, its mythological significance, and its current whereabouts. So at least knowing what to do would probably not be a problem. Still, this was not how the machine was supposed to work. She had not designed it so that they would take the parts of the main characters. And speaking of which – “I don’t know why you get to play Daring anyway”, she mumbled. “What? Who else?” Rainbow asked back. “Wait a second. You wanna be Daring? But Twilight! How does that even make sense?” “What, you mean I can’t be the heroic, erm, heroine?” Twilight snapped, but immediately started chuckling at her own loss of words. “No, seriously Rainbow. When I read those books, I see myself as Daring Do. I get to do all the cool stuff. I save the world. Well, I’m sure so do you…” “Well of course!” Rainbow replied enthusiastically. “I mean, look at the facts, Twi. I’m a pegasus. Daring’s a pegasus. I’m not afraid of anything. Daring isn’t afraid of anything. We’re like the perfect match!” “But so am I!” Twilight objected. “Daring is a professor of archeology, a scholar – so am I! Daring solves problems with creative thinking and sometimes even with solid planning – so do I! Well. That last one may be a bit of a stretch. But still, I never see myself as Rosetta, the dorky sidekick!” “Well…” Rainbow started and scratched her head. “But only one of us can be Daring, anyway. And I think you’re not giving Rosetta enough credit. She’s pretty awesome, and I think she kicks some serious flank in this story.” At this, Twilight’s ears perked. “Wait, you think she kicks flank? But you wrote the story! You of all ponies should know this!” “It’s funny, Twi, I don’t remember too much of what happens in the story”, Rainbow admitted sheepishly. “I mean, I was kinda sketchy on the details with all the lack of proper sleep, but now I hardly know anything anymore, and what I know is just random bits and pieces. All I know now is why we’re here and that we’re supposed to meet a certain Copper Star from the ministry of mining. They arranged our trip, as they want the temple examined properly before the miners destroy invaluable cultural goods. He should meet us here about, well, now.” “That’s strange. I don’t remember installing a component that would actively alter our memories”, Twilight mused, again tapping her chin with her hoof. “So, do you think it’s gonna be a problem? Like, should we stop this?” Rainbow asked carefully. “Not that I’m scared, but you’re the expert on, well, all of this. If you say it isn’t safe…?” She trailed off. “Oh, I’m still sure it’s safe. After all I checked that on the checklist”, Twilight replied distantly. She was still busy taking stock of her new and unfamiliar knowledge. “And what about that other thing? Are you okay being Rosetta in this story?” Twilight thought about this question for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure. I guess it isn’t too far-fetched. You’re right, obviously only one of us can be Daring Do, and I guess when we look at it objectively, you are actually the better fit.” She grinned. “Hey, it’s probably going to be a cool adventure! I can’t wait to explore that temple! I hope we really find the Golden Alpacan Princess. This is going to be really exciting!” She clapped her hooves. “Okay then”, Rainbow chuckled. “Let’s see if we can find Copper Star. If I remember correctly he has a bright red mane, so he should be easy enough to spot.” She started. “Huh, seems I at least remember some bits.” Instead of an answer, Twilight started to fumble at her – or Rosetta’s? She wasn’t quite sure – bun, trying to open it, but Rainbow interrupted her with a hoof on her shoulder. “You can’t take it off!” she protested. “You have to be as much Rosetta as possible! Just like I wear the helmet and all!” She examined Twilight’s mane with squinting eyes. “’Sides, it looks really good on you.” Just as Twilight was about to answer, and possibly keep her cheeks from flushing at the unexpected compliment, a dark brown stallion with a bright red mane and a mustache stopped in front of them. “Señorita Do?” he asked with a slight Neighcaraguan accent. Rainbow giggled, her eyes gleaming in excitement as she was addressed as Daring Do. But she soon found back her confidence and replied, “The one and only. You must be Copper Star.” “That’s right. I welcome you in Neighcaragua on behalf of the Neighcaraguan government and the ministry of mining.” He bowed slightly, his attention almost entirely focused on Rainbow Dash. “I have taken the liberty to reserve a table for a belated lunch right now, in case you haven’t eaten yet. There we can discuss all further arrangement.” As a response, Rainbow’s stomach gave an audible growl. “Yeah, something to eat would be awesome”, she replied, grinning sheepishly. “Then please follow me, señoritas”, Copper Star requested and began walking towards the impressive stone hulk of the Grand Hotel. “Did you have a pleasant journey?” Copper Star asked politely. “Yeah, yeah, it was alright”, Rainbow replied cheerfully. Twilight suspected that Rainbow had as little memory of the actual trip as she had, and that she was just spinning a tale. “Are we eating at that hotel?” “Sí, señorita. The ministry is providing you with a room there for tonight, so it is most convenient”, the stallion explained. “Wait, but aren’t we supposed to get to Malatierra as soon as possible?” Twilight interjected. “Why do we spend a whole day here?” Copper Star shot her a slightly indignant look before he turned to Rainbow Dash and explained, “The only way to get to Malatierra is by a river boat. The next boat departs tomorrow morning, so you couldn’t start your journey any sooner. This also leaves us convenient time to prepare everything.” Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, sure, sounds great. Now can we please get something to eat? A great archeologist doesn’t run on air and ancient artifacts alone, you know?” Twilight rolled her eyes, but Copper Star just smiled politely and led them towards the Grand Hotel. “Grand Hotel, sweet”, Twilight suddenly heard Rainbow’s voice resonating very clearly in her mind. “Wonder if their hay fries are any good.” Twilight started and almost stumbled, but then she remembered what she told Rainbow about communication while they were inside the story. Apparently, it still worked, even though they now did possess bodies. “Hey, it works!” she thought towards Rainbow. “We can talk without talking!” “Yeah, cool, but I’m really hungry now!” Rainbow turned around while walking and winked at Twilight, which brought a giddy smile to her face as she winked back. If Copper Star had noticed anything of this, he was too well-behaved to make a remark. Lunch was very pleasant. The cuisine of the Grand Hotel was as good as the place looked classy. Copper Star discussed some details of their upcoming travel with them and told them the name of the boat that would take them upstream to Malatierra. The Sea Stallion was captained by Capitán Flujo and was set to sail out of Marenagua the next morning at ten. The journey would take a day. He gave them a reservation for a double bedroom in the only hotel in Malatierra, and a letter for the representative of the ministry in Malatierra, an alpaca by the name of Vedeja de Cuarzo. The representative was, on paper, bearing the authority of the ministry, but Copper Star explained them that in reality the big mining companies that ran remote mining colonies such as Malatierra often agreed to just anything the ministry told them, only to go on doing whatever they pleased. They would not go so far as to actively keep them from the ruins, but their status as authorized by the ministry would most likely not be enough to earn them special treatment. After Copper Star had taken care of the check-in to the Grand Hotel, he wished them a pleasant journey and asked them to drop by at his office in the ministry when they returned so they could discuss their findings. Twilight made a note, since she feared that Rainbow might not even have listened, and the red-maned stallion bade them goodbye, leaving the two ponies in their spacious two-bed hotel room. “It’s very nice of Copper Star and the ministry to give us all that help, don’t you think?” Twilight commented after he’d left. Rainbow Dash was lounging lazily on her bed, her eyelids drooping suspiciously. “Yeah”, she replied and yawned heartily. “Gosh, I’m tired. That jet lag is killing me!” “Erm, I’m sure you don’t mean jet lag. Jet lag occurs when somepony travels very fast and into a different time zone. Some of the early intercontinental fliers first discovered the phenomenon and – “ She stopped talking and giggled as she noticed that Rainbow was just staring at her with glassy eyes. “Whatever, Twi”, the pegasus replied good-natured. “It means that you badly need a nap, and that’s what I have right now. Aren’t you tired?” Twilight wanted to reply, but had to stifle a sudden yawn. Whether it was the sudden change in climate, the frantic working the days before and the consequential lack of sleep, or just the excitement of being in a Daring Do adventure, she suddenly felt very tired too. She climbed on her bed. “Sleep well, Rainbow”, she said, but the pegasus was already fast asleep. Twilight followed suit only minutes later.