//------------------------------//
// Duplex Fields' "Badass Waterwheels" (Horse Voice's "The Writing On The Wall") 
// Story: Never The Final Word (Vol. 1) 
// by horizon 
//------------------------------//

 


Rainbow Dash looked up from the cornuscript, puzzled.  "I don't get it."

Twilight Sparkle sighed.  "The tomb wasn't a tomb, except for those who invaded it.  Her crew dies of radiation sickness over the next month."

"Woah, woah," said Rainbow, taking to the air, "You're telling me this isn't a curse?"

"No, it's a natural physical phenomenon.  Mare-ie Curie discovered-"

"Too much science," interrupted Rainbow, "Talk smaller."

Twilight sighed.  "There are rocks which are constantly shooting out invisible fiery poison."

Rainbow landed again.  "In real life, or just in your story?"

"In real life.  In fact, the math says that if enough of these rocks are gathered together, they'll make enough heat to boil water and turn a turbine."

"Huh.  So the ancient civilization made these badass waterwheels and toasted themselves?"

"Pretty much."

"So how does Daring escape?  Does the doctor know of an antidote that she has to find in a crumbling temple?"

"No."

"Can she find a cure in the writing on the walls?"

"No."

Rainbow grimaced.  "You're telling me that Daring Do.... dies?  That's horrible!  How can you do that to her, Twilight?"

"It's not canon," said Twilight, annoyed.

"Well of course she doesn't get hit by a cannon, she dies of fire rocks that you put there to kill her.  Why would you kill Daring Do?"

"It's just a story, based on a story," said Twilight, now exasperated.  "Write your own if you want her to live."

"What?" said Rainbow, wings flared, "I can write my own Daring Do stories?"

"Sure.  And if you join the fan club, you can get them published in our mailing.  You'd like the other stories," Twilight said, pulling a mimeographed stack of papers from a shelf of her reading parlor.  "They're mostly adventures with good endings.  I just went with the death angle for a haunting tale."

Rainbow flipped through the stack quickly.  "Um, Twilight?  Why is Daring Do kissing Ahuitzotl in this drawing?"

Twilight blushed.  "That's fan art, and not all of it is like that."

Rainbow flipped through a few more pages.  "Too bad.  I kinda like it."