Daring Do pulled the blanket off her head. The air was getting kind of stuffy. She shivered a little, and took a deep breath. Dinky's letter was really cute, but the adventurer knew she could not go to visit them. That was another cost of the life she lived. If she went, that might put them in danger. She should get up and burn the letter, to make sure it did not fall into the wrong hooves. Maybe write back a little something, tell them that she was okay, but that was all Daring could do.
Too dangerous. That's your excuse? You've visited before. Yes, but that was then. This was now. The golden mare glanced down at the freshly-written letter for that Filly Scout. Even something as innocent as a reply might put the kid in danger. Should she burn that too?
Daring Do was a heroine, a larger-than-life legendary figure. When she was on an adventure, she knew who she was and what needed to be done. Yet when she came back to civilization... it seemed more alien than the ruins of a temple built with non-Euclidean geometries. She pulled her blanket back over her head and wondered, not for the first time, if this was what it felt like to be truly alone. To have ponies you cared about, but be unable to spend time with them.
Enough of that thinking. She picked up the lantern in her mouth and trotted into the other room. Inside her duffel was a change of clothes and some dye. Another identity, that of a mare who could have some fun at one of the town's nightclubs, would be the work of a few minutes. She could afford it, having earned a tidy sum from her most recent expedition. Daring unzipped the bag and rummaged around inside, shivering a little. She could become just another pony in the background, and forget about all her cares for one night. Hmm... do they even play DJ-P0N3's albums anymore? The stars alone knew. She would have to play it safe for a little while, hang on the outskirts of the crowd until she could blend into the pulse of society. That was part of the thrill for her.
When she came back from a really rough quest, a warm shower was all the reward she needed. The safehouse did not have a shower, but she had cleaned up after the big sale. Now she just had to stay under the radar for a little while. First she would party a little, then she could start work on the next book, or maybe even some nonfiction. It had been a while since the golden mare had published any historical research, and the Miskatonic University was after her for an update on some of her findings... but that for another day. She felt cold, not just on the outside but in her heart as well. The kind of cold that could only be chased away by the sound of other ponies' voices.
That was why she was staying away, to protect them. As long as she knew they were safe, she would always have a little spark of warmth in her heart. She was keeping her distance because she was not strong enough to lose them. Especially not if it was her fault. The pegasus had chosen to walk this road and live this dangerous life. That meant she had to give up certain things, like coming home to a loving family. Daring Do adjusted her pith helm and stared down into the duffel bag. She had a fantastic life, plenty of money, fame, and good health. Lots of ponies would give anything to be her, even just for a day. And they'd slap me for moping around like this, too. She needed to put on the disguise, go out, and enjoy herself.
Slowly, very slowly, the golden mare reached into the bag. Her hoof was trembling. Well, I could stay here and shiver under a blanket. That's an option too. She was free to go out and party, she had earned this, why was it so hard? Daring looked over her shoulder, toward her bed where the letters lay, then down at the fireflies in the lantern. They buzzed, happily fulfilling their purpose in life. Why can't I be happy like that? Just go on the adventure, smile big, come back home, party, and do it all over again?
The adventurer looked up, toward the lone window. She knew why. Because that was as fake as the scam letters sent to her cover identities, an excuse to stay away from another big part of her life. Daring Do was more than just a living legend with grand stories and wild adventures. She was somepony's aunt, and that responsibility could weigh on one's mind just as heavily as the fate of the world itself. Daring walked toward the window and fluttered her wings, then pressed her nose against the glass. The sun was going down. Soon, Luna would raise the moon.
Let the legend rest for a little while, Daring. Go visit your little sister. The pegasus bit her lip. If she was going, she would have to go soon. Should she go today, or tomorrow? It was cold outside, probably best to wait for the morning. What day is it, anyway... The mare reached inside her vest and drew out her chronometer, then tried to read it in the fading twilight. She stared at the timepiece for one full tick of the minute hand, not quite believing what it told her. Slowly, Daring Do fluttered to the ground. She put the chronometer away, and walked back to her duffel bag to draw out a sweater. With a sigh of resignation, the pegasus picked up her scarf. According to her timepiece, today was Hearth's Warming Eve.
Daring shook out her saddlebags, leaving two small mounds of relics, treasures, and ration wrappers on the floor. She stuffed a few pretty trinkets into them, then as an afterthought she trotted into the other room and picked up the letter for that Filly Scout. Might as well have sis mail it from a fake address. The dead-drops for correspondence had been her idea in the first place, after all. A pair of colored contact lenses and an overcoat completed the disguise. If she had time, she would have dyed her mane and fur, but this was good enough. Misdirection was often more effective than complete camouflage. One could fool a fool by keeping his eyes on a bag of bits rather than the face of the buyer, and one could fool a crowd by becoming just one more mare in the herd.
The adventurer looked around the room once more, and pulled on her saddlebags. So what if it's dangerous. What's life without a little danger? A wry smirk crossed her face as her spirits rose. "Heh, yeah. I'd like to see ol' Ahuizotl try an' kidnap sis."
An image of the dog-like villain tying up her sister danced through her head, followed by his nutty cultists carrying her off to one of their sacrificial ziggurats. One raised the ancient bloodletting knife above his head and brought it down... just to the left of the confused grey pegasus. The knife hit a cracked spot on the altar, which widened a hairline fracture that expanded with a ominous crack.
To the horror of the cultists, the altar crumbled completely, large hunks of rock tumbling down the sides of the ziggurat. The blonde mare, still tied up, slid off and smacked into another pillar... which was very sturdy and in absolutely no danger of breaking. However, the stonework above it had not been maintained well, so the sudden impact to its base was more than enough to send it toppling down. Her sister managed to free herself and, bless her heart, tried to help one of the cultists who was trapped under a fallen rock. Unfortunately, when she shifted the slab of stone to one side it smacked into a lever that had been hidden in a compartment beneath the altar.
That lever had, of course, been labeled Danger: Self Destruct. Do Not Touch! in some long-forgotten language. The entire ziggurat collapsed as completely as a sandcastle beneath a tidal wave. All that remained was a heap of rock chunks, dust, and one very confused pegasus. After a long moment of hovering and coughing, she put on a sad expression and said, "I just don't know what went wrong!"
Daring giggled as her fantasy faded away. "He'd be begging me to take her back." She knew such a thing was unlikely, of course. A flicker of doubt fluttered in her heart again, and the golden mare stepped back from the door. Then she reached into her duffel bag and pulled out a thick ushanka. The adventurer tugged it on over her pith helm, snuggled her overcoat a little tighter, and stuffed the two important letters into her warm hat. It would be worth the danger.
She reached down to put the loyal fireflies back to sleep. A wry grin crossed her muzzle as she saw her reflection in the glass, and she held up a hoof in salute. "Goodnight, comrades. A.K. Yearling is going to visit her family, da." The golden mare puffed into the lantern, and the fireflies snuggled back into its base. She set it in a safe corner, unbarred the door, and marched out.
Daring Do circled down toward the little town of Ponyville. The sun was nearly set, but the warm light overflowing from each home was more than enough to guide the adventurer. She landed right in the town center, in front of a large oak tree that hosted a library according to the sign out front. The golden mare adjusted her ushanka and smiled neighborly at a pair of ponies who trotted past. She had nothing to hide, and no reason to linger in your memory for longer than it took to exchange a pleasantry. This was the holiday season, the time of the year when family traveled across Equestria to spend time with one another. A few new faces were nothing out of the ordinary.
Although she knew where she was going, the mare was careful to duck through a side street or two before looping back around onto her path. It helped her seem the slightly disoriented tourist a little better, and also kept her away from a certain pink earth pony she had tagged as trouble years ago. Daring Do had no wish to meet the welcome wagon.
Fortunately, she made it to the right street without incident. The sun had just set, and the moon was beginning to rise. She glanced at the pale orb and shook her head. Too few of Equestria's citizens truly understood what cosmic energies the Princesses wrangled to bring the heat of day and coolness of night to their land. The pegasus adjusted her overcoat and shivered a little at the evening chill. That was not her concern. The world was safe, for the moment. Her sister's house was just ahead, just as brightly colored and welcoming as all the others around it. A small thrill of fear ran up her spine as she walked up to the edge of the circle of light cast from the window on the front door. What do I say?
Daring took a deep breath, then noticed a lovestruck couple wandering past in the corner of her eye. She quickly pulled out her neice's letter and acted as though she was making sure this was the right house. Something moved in the second story window, but when she glanced up all she saw was a drawn curtain. The golden mare looked down at her hooves. Should I go around to the back? No, too suspicious. What if somepony sees me going in the front door, and then they ask questions, and... and... The adventurer breathed in slowly. Relax. It'll be fine, sis and Dinky have the cover story all figured out, remember? A smile worked up the side of her muzzle. They were family. She could trust them.
She walked up the steps to the door, rubbed her front hooves together, then knocked softly. Three times fast, then two times slow, then once more firmly. That was the secret knock. No use hammering on the wood like a drunkard and drawing every eye on the street. The golden pegasus waited a moment, then leaned back. Maybe nopony's home. They might be out and just left the light on to keep burglars away. That was worth a smirk. According to sis, the last burglary that got everypony talking was a crazy fan pilfering one of her books from the local hospital. Daring knocked again, a little louder this time, and heard a noise from inside.
The door tugged open a few centimeters, but was held back by a sturdy chain. Daring knew that the hinges were also reinforced, and the entire door could probably withstand an elephant charging into it. A small yellow eye looked up at her through the crack. She smiled back and opened her mouth, but her tongue was suddenly dry again. Though she wanted to speak, wanted to say something, her mind had gone completely blank. To that little eye, she was not a mighty adventurer. She was just auntie. Daring had never been good at thinking like an auntie.
The little yellow eye glanced around, then back up at her. "What's the passphrase?"
And just like that, Daring knew what to say. She threw a conspiratorial look over her shoulder, then leaned down. "Far from the shore stands the gray lighthouse."
A gleam of white teeth appeared beneath the little yellow eye. "Out of the South it was that the White Ship used to come," she took a breath, filling her small lungs with the air to continue, "when the moon was full and high in the heavens." One her age should not even be able to read such things, let alone memorize them from reading them again and again, but the little unicorn had long been a voracious consumer of books. Daring supported this wholeheartedly, and not just because she was an author.
"Very brightly," replied Daring with a dramatic wave of a hoof, "did the moon shine on the night I answered the call, and walked out over the waters to the White Ship on a bridge of moonbeams." She smirked as the door shut and the chain clinked off to allow it to be opened fully. On the other side of the doorway stood a little unicorn filly, her blonde mane almost covering a small horn. Her eyes shown bright with childlike joy.
"Heya, kiddo," her auntie winked. "Ready for the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant?"
The little pony blinked, then looked down at her hooves.
"What's wrong?" Daring leaned down, for a moment forgetting all about cover stories and disguises. "You... you got the part you wanted, right?" The pegasus flexed her wings nervously. Think, girl, think! Why's she sad? Her mind floundered, she had never been good at this. Pretend it's a mural of a crying filly, and the only way to get the treasure is to... aha! She stepped closer and wrapped a wing around the young girl. "Hey. I'm proud of you, okay? You wanted it, and if you gave it your all, I'm proud of you. That's all that matters, Dinky. I'm just happy to see you, and know you're safe."
With a slow nod, the filly looked up at her. "A-Auntie. I did get the part." Her mouth twitched ever so slightly.
The adventurer beamed. "Awrright!" she said, but softly. The door was still open. "So what's to worry about?" A look of panic crossed her face. "Wait, wait, where's your mom? Is she-"
"Fine. Mother is fine," Dinky took a deep breath. "But, auntie... you're not going to like what I have to say next."
Daring Do smirked. "Kid, as long as you're fine and your mom's fine, ain't nothin' in the world that can ruin my mood. It's Hearth's Warming Eve, and I'm here with you two." Where is sis, anyway? Sheesh, I hope she's not working late, I know the holiday mail rush is killer, but... eeeh...
One day, of course, the mare would learn to stop saying things like that. Dinky Doo took a deep breath. "Auntie... the pageant was yesterday."
"Oh." Her face fell a little. "T-the school had it a day early, huh?" The adventurer shut her eyes for a second, then forced them back open. Her contacts were starting to irritate her. "Sorry, Dinky. I... I couldn't get here any sooner. I just read your letter this afternoon."
"No auntie." The filly shook her head. "This is Hearth's Warming Day. Hearth's Warming Eve was yesterday." She reached up and scratched her blonde mane. If one looked in her little yellow eyes, one could almost see the little gears spinning away inside her head, searching for a rational explanation.
And just like that, Daring did not know what to say again. She mumbled something incoherent, then stood up and fumbled awkwardly inside her greatcoat. The mare bit back a rising tide of panic as she patted the pockets of her vest to find her chronometer, then fished it out as though by showing it she could somehow turn back the march of history. Standing in the doorway, she stared at the timepiece, then showed it to Dinky. "N-no it's not! See, it's Hearth's Warming Eve."
Dinky nodded. "It certainly looks that way..." The filly scratched her mane for a few ticks of the second hand. "Ohhhh."
Daring winced.
"Auntie, you were on an adventure, weren't you?"
Daring nodded.
"And you were certain to set the time correctly when you returned to Equestria, right?"
The golden mare nodded again. "Yeah, I know it's right, because I had to keep changing the time as I flew around the world. I was chasing the mad Doctor Icha-" She pressed a hoof to her mouth and glanced out the doorway, then smiled. "Tell you later. I was extra-careful to make sure it was right when I got back, I was off by an hour or two from local time." Her eyes widened. "Wait, there was that... oh no." She swallowed hard.
Her niece tapped her front hooves together and bit her lip, too shy to interrupt her auntie's explanation.
"Dinky, you don't think that I traveled through time somehow, right?" The golden mare narrowed her eyes. "Because there was this really weird... I mean..." The adventurer looked down at her niece. It was a lucky thing indeed that the street outside was clear, for neither of them was paying enough mind to it. "But... that's impossible, isn't it?"
"Well..." Dinky's gaze shifted to the side. "Auntie, I don't think you have to worry about that. I think your problem is that the earth is round." She pressed down a smile, remembering how the girl portraying Chancellor Puddinghead had almost forgotten that line in the middle of the performance.
Daring leaned her head to the side and blinked.
"In your most recent adventure, you traveled around the world. Am I correct in this understanding?" The filly ran a hoof through her mane. That spark was back in her eyes, but this time it was a spark of intelligence rather than joy. Her aunt nodded. "Then I believe you lost a day, or rather, shifted it."
The adventurer's eyes widened. "Buh... but... I..." She bit her lip and glared down at the chronometer, as though it was somehow the clock's fault. "I... I wouldn't have..." Daring's head drooped. Her niece was right. Though Celestia raised the sun and Luna the moon, the world was still divided into time zones, and still had a date line that demanded a traveller subtract a day from her calendar when she crossed it in one direction, or add it if crossing in the other. Daring Do, adventurer extraordinaire, was late not because of some sinister time-mangling scheme, but a recordkeeping error. "I'm... sorry, Dinky. I'm so sorry." She stepped backward and slumped against the doorframe. "I... I messed up."
Dinky stepped forward, and pressed the side of her head against her aunt's front. "Hey."
The pegasus tried to force a smile. "Hey?"
"Did you want to be here for Hearth's Warming Eve?"
Daring nodded. "Y-yeah, I did. That's why I came, because... I wanted to be here for you, Dinky. I know you're not much on the spotlight."
The little filly blushed. "You wanted it, and if you gave it your all, I'm proud of you, auntie." A smile crossed her muzzle. "I'm just happy to see you, to know you're safe."
"But... I wasn't here when you needed me." Daring's ears drooped inside her warm hat.
"You're here now, auntie. We left the decorations up." She hugged the adventurer fiercely. "Could you have been here any sooner, even if you had known?"
"N-No..." her conscience was clear on that, at least. She had come as soon as she could, rather than stepping out to party or giving in to sleep.
"Okie." The unicorn filly smiled. "But you're here now, and that's what matters."
The pegasus hugged her niece tight, and felt the warmth of her little body. "I love you, Dinky."
"I love you too," the filly's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "Daring Do." A happy moment passed between them. "Now... can I close the door before mommy gets back and grounds me for letting all the heat out of the house?"
Daring winced, then stood up and helped swing the sturdy door shut. Dinky clambered atop a stack of books on a table to hook on the chain, then turned back to her guest with a smile.
"So," the adventurer smiled back. "Where's your mom anyway?"
The unicorn filly shrugged. "Oh, she said she'd be back in a few centuries. Usually that means a quarter of an hour." Dinky jumped back down to the floor and beamed up at her aunt. "You just missed her. So, how was the latest adventure, aside from disorienting?"
"Well, I had to chase..." Daring blinked. "Wait, what do you mean, back in a few centuries?" Visions of her dear little sister with a walker and a mane even grayer than her coat flickered through the adventurer's mind.
"Not centuries for her," the little girl clarified, further confusing her aunt. "Centuries for the rest of us. She needed a certain kind of flower for a proper dinner."
"I'm still lost, kid," her aunt admitted. Then a smile crossed her face, and she took off her overcoat.
"I'll explain in a moment," Dinky assured her, then hugged the golden mare again. "It's so good to see you."
"And you'll have to tell me all about that play, too!" The pegasus hung up her coat and furry cap, then checked to make sure the door was secure. With that done, she let her niece drag her into the next room, where a warm fire crackled in the stone hearth. Daring took a deep breath, then shivered a little as the heat seeped into her body. The house was humble, without fancy decorations or delicate knick-knacks, but all the more charming for it. She sat down in front of the fireplace and wrapped a wing around the filly. Dinky snuggled her head against her aunt's neck. Neither said anything for a long moment, then the little girl felt an odd tremor running up and down the adventurer's throat.
"A-auntie... are you crying?"
Daring Do coughed. "No, no, it's... ah... I'm just really proud of you, Dinky Doo. It's liquid pride."
The unicorn raised her head and smiled. "You look kinda lost."
With a nervous twitch of her wings, the golden mare nodded. "Yeah... I feel kinda lost." She swallowed hard. "I sorta forgot what being home feels like. But... I'd rather be lost here than anywhere else in the world."
Dinky nodded smugly. "I know. That's why I wrote you in the first place." She nodded to the crackling fire. "Everypony should have a home for Hearth's Warming Eve. Even legendary adventurers."
The pegasus adjusted her pith helm. "Kid, you're gonna go far. Even if I have to push you half of the way." A smug grin crossed her face. "You got one of the leading roles, didn't'cha?"
"Yes," the little unicorn nodded, an impish grin on her muzzle. "I was Clover the Clever."
Daring gave her niece an affectionate noogie. "Biggest part in the whole show, and you had me worried for a minute there that you'd only tried out for the third pony on the left or somethin'! Hey, did your mom get any pictures?"
The unicorn nodded. "I'll have her show you when she gets back." She sighed happily. "Oh, she'll be so happy to see you, and there's somepony special you need to meet."
"Ah," the adventurer's smile froze. "Somepony special?"
"Don't worry." Dinky said quickly. "He's not like my daddy."
Daring Do swallowed hard and took a deep, slow breath. "No little girl should ever have to say that." The memories sprang into her mind again, unbidden as always, of her little sister falling in love. It could have turned into something beautiful, two hearts completely devoted to one another, but... well, one had not been very devoted at all beneath the surface. You can't trust anypony these days. Still, Dinky had come of it. The golden mare leaned down to kiss her niece's poll. "I love you, Dinky Doo, never forget that."
"An' I love you too, Auntie Daring," the little girl affirmed. That was all there was to say, for the moment at least. She relished the warmth of her aunt's wing, and together they watched the fire dance.
This was better than a night at a club, or even a shower after a year on the trail. This was a place to call home. "You're the best Hearth's Warming gift I could ever hope for, Dinky."
The filly nodded, then looked up slyly. "And so are you, auntie... but you did bring me cool stuff, right?" She glanced at the bulging saddlebags.
Daring Do laughed, a long, soothing rumble that cast the last of the chill from her bones. "Wait 'till your mom gets back, scamp."