Appledashery

by Just Essay


Dammit, Do

The moment that Rainbow Dash flew out of Twilight's Library, she was alerted by a loud throat clearing behind her. She spun around and glanced up to see a curious sight. “Uhhhh...” Rainbow squinted, tail flicking. “H-how...?!”

“All things considered, you're not a hard pony to track.” Daring Do dove, flipped, and landed in a low squat. “Your tail is all the colors of the spectrum. You leave explosions in your wake. And there's absolutely nopony... nopony in all of Equestria whose voice cracks like yours.”

Rainbow frowned. “So is that what you stalked me to my hometown to do?” She grumbled, “Poke fun at me?” She craned her neck. “How'd you even get here so fast, anyways?”

“I've got an even bigger question.” Daring smirked. “What are you going to do with the shard?”

Rainbow blinked at her.

“Or... have you already... done something with it?” Daring raised an eyebrow beneath the brim of her hat. “Eh?”

“I... uh...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted. “I-I've no idea what you're talking about.”

Please...” Daring tilted her pith helmet back and paced around the pegasus. “I may not remember anything about Dredgemane, but I remember what I was sent there to do. And, fact of the matter is, I never found it. I'm willing to bet that you did.” She swiveled to a stop, hooves scuffing, and stared intently at Rainbow. “You... who's been filling in my loyal spot for Noir these days.”

Rainbow gulped. “You don't say...”

“Although, quite frankly, I don't know why he sent me. You've obviously got it covered.” Daring's muzzle hung open as she looked Rainbow up and down. “...unless Noir has a reason for me not to trust you any more than he does.”

“And what would you do if you suspected something, huh?” Rainbow Dash glared. “Do I even look like a chaos lord to you?”

Silence.

“Hmmm...” Daring smirked. “You know what, kiddo? No. No, you don't.” She leaned forward. “And if you did get your hooves on the shard, you could have done a gazillion things to have flattened Dredgemane to dust, and yet you didn't... did you?”

“What about the wheels shattered all across town?” Rainbow smirked. “Couldn't those have been my doing?”

“Pffft... naaah.”

“Why not?”

“Totally not your style.” Daring pointed. “You strike me as a pony who likes to throw herself at crap, even if it means breaking her spine to get something done.”

“Some of us just don't know any better.”

“But they know enough.” Daring took a deep breath. “And it' a heck of a lot to bear on your shoulders. I've only one question. Do you think you can handle it?”

“I've been handling it pretty well so far.”

“Of that, I've no doubt.” Daring's eyes narrowed. “But how long can you keep it going?”

Rainbow was momentarily speechless.

“I'm not blind, y'know.” Daring tapped one of Rainbow's knees. “There's more to you that's vulnerable. More than you let on.”

Rainbow stumbled slightly, wincing in her attempt to recover from the otherwise light gesture. “Wh-what, are you a pscyhiatrist now?”

“I'm an entrepreneur of many things.” Daring smirked devilishly. “But more than anything, I'm observant. I'm observant of clues... observant of ancient treasures... observant of character...”

“And is what you observe enough to let me off the hook in good faith?” Rainbow asked.

Daring took a deep breath. “You know what? Sure.”

“And why's that?”

“Because I'm not convince that you could have gotten the shard completely on your own. Pinkie Pie... her deadpan sister... that snobbish unicorn...” Daring cocked her head to the side. “We were all your partners in crime, weren't we?”

Rainbow slowly, slowly nodded.

Daring's nostrils flared. In a dull tone, she murmured, “Anypony who's willing to put up with me as long as they have without killing someone deserves a medal.” Her ears twithced. “They'd might as well win an ancient chaos stone.”

Rainbow shifted on her hooves. “You're...” She cleared her throat. “You're... y'know... not that bad, Daring.” She shrugged. “In many ways you're like... looking in the mirror.” She smiled gently.

“Heh...” Daring chuckled. “As if I was that clingy.”

Rainbow's brow furrowed. “What the hay is that supposed to mean?”

“Hmmmf...” Daring trotted by, pausing to ruffle the mare's mane. “You'd ask such a thing, champ.” Fwooosh! She lifted up in the air on mustard wings. “I'll be watching from afar. For Noir's sake, y'know. Like I'd give a crap how many walls you run into.”

“Heh...” Rainbow smirked. “I don't doubt that for a second.”

“Check out one of my books sometime.”

“I don't do reading.”

“Yeah, but you do adventure. And I'm willing to bet—from the looks of things—you do it pretty darn well.” The mare winked, tipping her helmet forward. “Y'know, kiddo, all it takes is a little bit of daring, and you can make your life even more awesome. Trust me.”

“Heh. Fine. I'll give reading a try.”

“Pfft. I stopped talking about 'reading' two sentences ago.” FWOOSH! And like a page out of a book, she was gone.