//------------------------------// // Dare // Story: A Figment of Her Imagination // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// The Golden Oaks Library was packed with ponies of every sort. Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns, all eager to see the latest spell Princess Twilight was to perform. It was no ordinary spell, though, and she wasn’t at all sure she could pull it off. This was why Twilight – in a side room away from the crowd – was shooting her friend Rainbow Dash a dirty look. “You told them.” Rainbow tried to hide her anxiety with a grin, rubbing the back of her head. “Eheh… Yeah?” Twilight groaned and rubbed her head with both hooves. “That is exactly what I told you not to do!” “I know, but I was just too excited,” the pegasus admitted with a blush. “I mean, if it works—” “I don’t know if it’s going to work!” Twilight rocked her head back on her shoulders with a sigh. “This magic is highly experimental. I don’t know for sure what’s going to happen!” Rainbow waved dismissively, working hard to maintain her bravado. “Meh, you’re a princess. I have every confidence in ya.” Her friend’s lips pursed as she attained the glare that typically signified a coming lecture. “Rainbow…” Rainbow knew better than to dodge any longer, and clapped her hooves together as she spoke. “Okay, I’m sorry! I only told one or two ponies, and it sorta got outta hoof. I didn’t mean for things to get this way, I swear!” “Umm, Twilight?” They both turned to see Spike peering through the doorway, a thick book under his arm. “Everypony’s getting antsy. What are we gonna do?” He closed the door and approached, hesitantly offering the book to her. Twilight sighed and took the book with her magic. She cast one more glower at Rainbow before heading for the door. “I guess I might as well try it anyway. But you and I are still gonna have a little talk about secrets, Rainbow!” “Yeah, sure,” Rainbow acknowledged, waiting until her friend was out of the room to wipe her brow and sag in relief. One lecture avoided! “Whew,” Spike muttered, “that was close.” He grinned up at Rainbow. “So are you as excited as I am?!” “Are you kidding?” Rainbow lifted off to pose with a grin. “This was my idea in the first place. You bet your scales I’m excited!” “Yeah, me too,” he declared, balling his claws as if not knowing what to do with them. “There’s so much I wanna ask her, like why she’s so attached to the hat!” “Or what it was like visiting Chicomoztoc,” Rainbow added. “And don’t forget the biggest question of all,” Spike pointed out. They shouted in unison: “How did she know to go through the third door?!” “Yeah,” Rainbow admitted, tapping her chin, “that one always bugged me.” Spike threw his arms up in exasperation. “It bugs everypony! Come on, Twilight could be starting at any moment.” They went back to the main room of the library together, Rainbow carrying Spike over the crowd of ponies. They found Twilight standing before a pedestal, the book resting on it and opened wide. Rainbow set Spike down next to Scootaloo, who was dressed for the occasion in a brown shirt and safari hat. The filly was grinning ear to ear, and was quick to hug her mentor once Rainbow landed next to her. Rainbow returned the hug, though she made a mental note to lecture her later about keeping secrets. Not that she had any room to talk. Twilight cast her gaze about the room, ears laid back and chewing her lip. She made it a point to fire one more dirty look Rainbow’s way; Rainbow blushed and averted her eyes in response. “Come on, do it,” somepony in the crowd called. “Yeah, hurry!” “You can do it, we know you can!” “Alright already!” Twilight snapped, effectively silencing them. She cast one more look around, as if daring somepony else to speak, then turned to the book. The ponies waited with bated breaths, and Rainbow realized she was leaning forward. She kept her eyes glued to the book as Twilight began to focus her magic. A pale aura slowly reached out from Twilight’s horn, engulfing the book in its glow. Rainbow could feel her heart beating faster at the mere idea of the spell's purpose. She barely registered the need to breathe… Seconds became minutes as Twilight struggled with the spell, grunting and cringing with effort. While the crowd watched in awe, the violet aura began to take on a physical shape. Gradually the shape grew taller, more definite. Just as it took on the form of a pony, though, the transformation began to slow. Rainbow glanced at her friend and saw Twilight covered in sweat, her horn sparking violently as she struggled to keep up the spell. No, she had to finish! “Come on, Twilight,” Rainbow called, flying up into the air. “You can do it!” Other ponies began to call out their encouragement, and soon the entire room was chanting the Princess’ name. Though she didn’t dare break her concentration, Twilight’s smile was enough to make it clear that she appreciated the gesture, and she redoubled her efforts. The pony-shaped aura began to solidify, and then to develop color. Twilight collapsed as her aura faded. The spell was completed; a golden-coated, greyscale-maned mare stood before the enraptured crowd, her eyes closed. Rainbow, torn between her excitement and her commitment to her friend, flew down to Twilight to help her up, but couldn’t take her eyes off the newcomer. It worked. It really worked! The pony – dressed in a jungle-green vest and safari helmet – took a deep breath before opening her magenta eyes. Silence filled the room as she gazed at the crowd, almost as if she didn’t know what she was looking at. Her head rolled about, eyes studying the library, then she turned her attention back to the rest of the ponies. “W-where the hay am I?” Twilight, wiping the sweat from her brow, shot Rainbow a triumphant grin before stepping up to the pony. “Miss Do, I’m—" “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” Rainbow literally knocked Twilight aside in her rush to get close to her hero. “It’s really you, you’re really here! This is so awesome!” Daring Do leaned back, eyes wide and shifting back and forth as if in search of an escape. “Umm… Thanks?” “Rainbow!” Twilight, just getting up off the floor, shot her friend a heavy-lidded glare. “Huh?” Rainbow glanced at Twilight, then at Daring, and blushed. “Oh… I mean… Uhh…” Her words were drowned out by the abrupt cheers that filled the room. An instant later, all the ponies were crowding forward, talking and asking questions and rushing to be the first to meet the storybook hero, Daring Do. Rainbow and Twilight were knocked to the floor – an “Oh, come on!” from the latter – and soon lost the adventurer in the crowd. “What the...?” Rainbow looked about the mass of legs with ears lowered. “A little self control, guys!” She noted Twilight’s piercing gaze and turned her eyes away with a quiet cough. “Who the buck are you ponies?! Leave me alone!” Rainbow was just able to make out Daring Do flying above the crowd, and she didn’t look at all happy to be surrounded by adoring fans. Heck, she looked more like she felt threatened. Realizing that things were getting out of hoof very quickly, Rainbow managed to grab Twilight and help her fly out of the crowd. “What do we do, now?” “Get her out of here,” Twilight snapped. “Find her a place to lay low until we can calm everypony down!” “Got it!” Utilizing her superior wingpower, Rainbow easily shoved her way through the pegasi crowding around Daring. “Come on, let’s get out of here!” “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Daring shouted, following as Rainbow turned to dart off. Twilight raised a hoof, eyes going wide. “Not through my—!” Too late; Rainbow smashed through a window and was out in the cold winter air, Daring following close behind. Rainbow paused as Daring flew on. Turning around, Rainbow found the crowds pouring out of Twilight’s house to pursue. This wasn’t going at all like she’d hoped… “Guys, slow down! Give her time to think!” But they ignored her, all too eager in their pursuit of a literary star. Rainbow cursed under her breath and flew as fast as she could after Daring Do, trying to think of what to do in this situation. She’d only wanted to meet the adventurer, not see her mobbed by adoring fans! Why had she gone and mentioned this to anypony? She should have listened to Twilight! What was supposed to have been an awesome moment was totally ruined, and she had nopony but herself to blame. She was able to quickly catch up to Daring, who was not as fast as Rainbow had expected. Once she was flying next to her storybook hero, she called out, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think they’d ambush you like that!” Daring paused, shoulders sagging as she took a moment to catch her breath. “W-what… W-what the buck is going on? Where am I? Who are you?!” “I’ll explain everything later,” Rainbow assured her. “But first, we’ve got to find you a place to lay low until they calm down!” She looked about frantically, and quickly spotted a surefire hiding spot. “This way, come on!” Daring followed, for which Rainbow was grateful. Under the circumstances, she doubted Daring had any reason to trust her. The poor adventurer was probably acting out of instinct, just like Rainbow. They landed before the familiar cottage, Rainbow banging on the front door before her hooves even touched the ground. “Fluttershy, open up! It’s an emergency!” She glanced back to see pegasi approaching from town, and felt her heart sink. “Fluttershy!” The door opened, and Rainbow immediately thrust Daring through. Fluttershy let out a surprised squeak at the abrupt home invasion, eyes going wide at the sight of the stranger. “Rainbow? What’s going on?” “I promise both of you I’ll explain later,” Rainbow insisted, turning back to see the pegasi coming closer. “Just keep her here while I distract her fans!” And she was off, trailed by a rainbow that everypony in Ponyville could readily see…and follow. The stranger flopped down to her belly and sucked in a deep, recovering breath, while a completely miffed Fluttershy watched as Rainbow disappeared to the North. She was promptly chased by a small cloud of pegasi. “What in Equestria was that all about?” She closed her door and turned to the stranger, who sat up with a sigh. She looked curiously familiar… “Umm… Hello?” The pony adjusted her helmet before turning to glower at Fluttershy. “I don’t suppose you know what’s going on, do you?” Fluttershy shook her head, even as she took a step back at the stranger’s aggressive demeanor. “Figures.” The golden pony walked to the window to glare outside. “Where the hay am I?” Fluttershy knew the question had been rhetorical, but she felt she should answer anyway. “Umm… This is Ponyville.” “Ponyville?” The stranger rubbed her chin for a few seconds. “I think I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it somewhere near Canterlot?” She glanced at Fluttershy with a raised eyebrow, and the pink-maned pegasus nodded. “But…that doesn’t make any sense! How could I be back in Equestria?” The pony wasn’t making any sense, either. Fluttershy tilted her head slightly and asked, “So where were you, before?” “Saddle Arabia.” Fluttershy leaned back, eyes going wide. “What? But how is that—?” “—possible?” the stranger finished for her with a sneer, throwing her hooves high. “How should I know?! One minute I’m searching the deserts for the Ancient Pyramid of 1000 Curses, and suddenly I’m here getting ambushed by ponies!” “P-Pyramid of 1000 C-Curses?” Fluttershy shrank a little. “Why would you want to find someplace with a n-name like that?” “So I can get the Eyes of Nehkbet, duh.” The stranger rolled her eyes. “I’ve gotta get them before Sobek does. There’s no telling what that scaly rockhead’s gonna do if he gets his claws on ‘em! But if I’m in Equestria, there’s no way I’m gonna get to them.” She sat and thought on the matter, leaving Fluttershy to stare with a clueless gape. Who was this pony? But then… The Eyes of Nekhbet. That sounded strangely familiar. The stranger stood, eyes hard and jaw set. “I’ve gotta go back to where I first showed up here. Maybe I can figure out how I made such a ridiculous trip so quickly, and get back just as quickly!” Fluttershy watched her move for the door, still trying to piece things together, but then snapped out of her stupor and ran to block the stranger’s path. “W-wait! Rainbow say to stay put, didn’t she?” “I don’t care!” The stranger shoved Fluttershy aside. “There’s too much at stake. If I don’t get back to—” She opened the door, paused, then immediately slammed it closed again. “Ahh crud, it’s that alicorn again! I’ll have to find another way out…” Alicorn? Fluttershy went to the door just as she heard a knock through the wood. “There’s only one alicorn in Ponyville,” she noted as Daring backed away with a sneer. Sure enough, she opened the door to find Twilight standing before her. “Hey, Twilight. Did Rainbow send you?” Twilight lowered her head, ears flat. “Tell me Daring’s still here.” “Daring? You meEE—!” Fluttershy was knocked aside by the stranger, who raised a hoof threateningly at the princess. “How do you know my name? Did you have something to do with bringing me here, huh?!” “Oh, thank goodness!” Twilight waved for the pony to step back, glancing around with fretting eyes. “Hurry, back inside before somepony sees you!” “What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, picking herself up off the floor. “Yeah,” the stranger snapped. “Did you bring me here? You’re not in league with Sobek, are ya?” Twilight closed the door with a relieved sigh before turning to Daring. She offered a weak smile. “I am so sorry about all this, Daring Do, really. It was just supposed to be me and Rainbow Dash present when I summoned you.” Daring let out a shout and jumped, hovering a few feet in the air and glaring daggers. “I knew it, you are responsible for this! You send me back right now, or I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!” “Daring Do?” Fluttershy asked, the pieces finally coming together in her mind. “But I thought she was just a character in a book.” “She is,” Twilight replied, shooting the hovering pony a meaningful look. “A book?” Daring straightened, eyebrows rising in disbelief and anger. “What book? What are you talking about?” Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn glowing. A moment later, a book poofed into existence. Tiny purple clouds faded as she displayed it to the two pegasi. “This book, to be specific.” Fluttershy and Daring drew close to read the title: Daring Do and the Eyes of Nekhbet. The cover showed Daring racing to climb to the top of a gryphon statue with a vulture head, a strange crocodile-like creature giving chase. The statue’s eyes, a highlight of the cover, were shining red jewels. “What? Give me that!” Daring snatched the book up to peer at the cover more closely. “What is this? Since when were ponies writing books about me? Who does this A.K. Yearling think she is? How does she know what I look like? Or about the Eyes of Nekbhet?!” Fluttershy turned a questioning look Twilight’s way. The princess blushed and waved at the adventurer. “Umm… You might wanna take a seat for this.” “Buck that!” Daring chucked the book against the wall. “What’s going on?! Come on, out with it!” Twilight sighed and rubbed her forehead, but answered anyway. “Daring, you really are just a character from a book.” Daring’s lips twisted into a dull frown, legs hanging loosely. “Right. And I suppose ya brought me here just ‘cause you’re a fan and wanted to meet me, is that it?” Twilight blushed and offered a sheepish smile. “Well… Yeah.” Daring landed before Twilight so hard the floor shook. “Get real! Sobek is on his way to the temple right now, and if I don’t get there first—” “—Sobek will use the Eyes of Nekbhet to control time itself,” Twilight interrupted. “There will be nothing to stop him from conquering the world.” Daring’s jaw dropped. “How do you know that?” “It’s in the book.” Twilight’s horn shined, and the book came floating over from where it had fallen. It flipped open and hovered just before Daring’s muzzle. “But what neither of you know is that the Eyes were being used to seal a powerful demigod within the statue of Nekhbet, who will be a major villain in the next book.” Daring took the book, this time slowly. Her eyes roamed the page, then she began to flip back to the beginning. As she read, Fluttershy glanced at Twilight. “You created her from the book?” Twilight nodded, beaming proudly. “Wow, that’s impressive! But why did Rainbow have to bring her here?” Twilight’s lips pursed in a tight frown, eyelids lowering. “Because Rainbow went and told some ponies about it, and now all the Daring Do fans in Ponyville – and a few from beyond Ponyville – have come to meet her! She’s got to keep hidden until we can calm them down.” “Oh, my,” Fluttershy said, covering her lips. “Is it really that bad?” Twilight raised her head and smiled. “I’m sure they’ll all come to their senses soon and behave reasonably.” Her expression drooped, her smile becoming unsteady. “Well, I hope so…” Daring’s head rose from the book, her eyes wide. “Th-this book has my thoughts. I remember thinking these exact thoughts.” “That’s because A.K. Yearling wrote them,” Twilight insisted. “You really are a character from a book, Daring.” But then Twilight beamed and took an eager step. “I am a huge fan, you have no idea! And I have just a few questions about some things you did in the first few books. Like—” The door burst open, and Rainbow came darting in to land atop Twilight, knocking her to the floor. “Is she still here? Tell me she’s still here!” Her eyes locked on Daring, who dropped the book and took a step back at Rainbow’s huge grin. “You’re still here! Oh my gosh, I am so excited!” She flew forward and into the adventurer’s alarmed face, wings flapping wildly. “You and me are gonna hang out, and it is gonna be so awesome!” “Oh dear, are you all right?” Fluttershy went to help Twilight up. Twilight lifted her face from the floor with eyes swirling. She shook her head to clear it as she accepted Fluttershy’s aid. Mane akimbo, she lifted her head to cry out: “Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow jumped and jerked about. “Oh, hey, Twilight. What happened to you?”