//------------------------------//
// Acquaintances on a Train 
// Story: Daring Do and the Tiny Tornado 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//

"I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU~!"

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle as she watched Pinkie Pie chase after the train.  It was an over-the-top reaction that she'd come to expect from her extroverted friend, but expecting it didn't make it any less ridiculous.  After all, she was only going to be gone for the day.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, she departed into the train car.  After a pause, she squealed with delight.

"Ooh~!  I'm so excited!" she whispered to herself. "The rarest, most adorable creature in all of Equestria, and I'm going to see them with my own two eyes!  I-it's like a dream come true!  I—"

"Um, ma'am?"

Fluttershy snapped out of her reverie when a stern voice called out to her.  She looked up to see the conductor standing over her, with an eyebrow raised.  Looking around, she noticed that the other passengers were also staring at her.  Blushing profusely, Fluttershy reached into her saddlebag with her wing and gave the conductor her ticket.

"I'm very sorry," she whispered. "I-I just, um...  Sorry.  Sorry."

The conductor rolled his eyes and continued on his way.  Fluttershy let out a sigh and massaged the bridge of her nose with her hoof.

"Whoa, girl.  You look pretty psyched.  Like, ease up a skosh."

Fluttershy turned her head as an unfamiliar voice called out to her.  The voice belonged to a green Earth Pony with red dreadlocks and a tree with a heart on it for a Cutie Mark.  She was wearing a pair of rose-tinted shades, as well as a satchel that was filled to the brim with all sorts of miscellaneous trinkets, including binoculars and a canteen.

"A-again, I'm very sorry," said Fluttershy sheepishly. "I-I didn't mean to cause such a ruckus.  I-I'm usually not this, disruptive."

"Nah, it's all gravy," said the stranger. "Enthusiasm is like chocolate for the soul, y'know?  It's good to have it, but don't have too much."

"Right.  I'll keep that in mind," said Fluttershy. "Um, my name's Fluttershy, by the way."

"I'm Tree Hugger," said the stranger, extending her hoof. "Really digging your vibe, Fluttershy.  Blessed be."

"Um, thank you," said Fluttershy, hiding her face behind her bangs.

"So, what's got you all psyched up, girl?" Tree Hugger asked.

Fluttershy's expression brightened. "Get this. The Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures actually invited me to observe the cutest, most adorable magical creatures in all of Equestria!"

"The breezies?"

"Yes!  How'd you know?"

"'Cause, like, that's where I'm heading, girl."

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Wow.  Small world."

"Totally.  It's like the stars have aligned," said Tree Hugger with a wide grin. "I heard the ESPRC was inviting some sort of celebrity this time around, too.  Really far out, y'know?"

"This time around?" asked Fluttershy, titling her head. "You mean you've seen the breezies before?"

"Oh, fer sure, girl.  Fer sure," said Tree Hugger with a nod. "It's a pretty long trip from my home up in Wooddock, but it is totally worth it.  Where're you from?"

"Oh, me?  I-I'm actually from Ponyville," said Fluttershy.

Tree Hugger lowered her shades. "Ponyville, huh?  I heard that place is pretty chill."

Fluttershy blinked. "Chill?  Um, it's not actually that cold there.  Except during the winter, but—"

Tree Hugger cut across Fluttershy with a laugh. "No no no.  Not chill as in cold, girl.  Chill as in cool."

Fluttershy rubbed the side of her head. "I, still don't follow."

Tree Hugger laughed again. "You're a pretty funny girl, Fluttershy.  And pretty lucky, too."

"Lucky?  How so?"

"I heard on the grapevine that the breezies are gonna be heading through Ponyville this year as part of their migration."

Fluttershy's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"That's the word from the ESPRC, girl," said Tree Hugger. "I remember when they flew through Wooddock last year.  The whole place was, like, alive.  Blessed be."

Fluttershy trembled as she did her best to contain her excitement. "Omigosh omigosh!  This is wonderful!  Now all of my friends back home will get to see the breezies!  Eee~!"

Tree Hugger chuckled. "You're really psyched about this, huh?  Right on.  But keep in mind, the breezies don't respond well to that kinda thing.  It, like, bums them out big time.  You need to be quiet and calm, y'dig?"

"Huh?  Oh, of course," said Fluttershy meekly. "Anyway, I'd actually love to learn more about the breezies.  Is there anything else I should know?"

"Nothing our official tour guide won't be able to enlighten us with," said Tree Hugger with a shrug. "Hey, how's about you sit with me?  We've got a whole train ride to gab, and I'd like to hear more about you."

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, that's very nice of you, Ms. Hugger—"

"Please, girl.  No need to be so uptight," said Tree Hugger with a shake of her head. "C'mon, sit down and set a spell.  I insist."

Fluttershy brushed the back of her foreleg sheepishly. "Well, you really do seem like a nice pony.  I guess I could—"

"EEK~!"

A shrill shriek interrupted Fluttershy's train of thought.  She turned around and saw a high-class unicorn couple sitting near the front of the car.  The mare was standing on her seat, shaking in fear at something on the floor, while the stallion held a rolled-up newspaper with his magic and was poised to strike.

"It's hideous!" the mare yelled. "Kill it, kill it!"

Upon hearing these words, something stirred in Fluttershy's heart. "Please excuse me, Tree Hugger.  There's something I need to take care of."

Before Tree Hugger could say anything, Fluttershy flew over to the couple.  As she landed, she spotted something skitter along the floor.  The stallion drew back his newspaper.

"Wait!" Fluttershy cried, jumping in front of the stallion. "There's no need for this."

"B-but that thing!" the mare exclaimed, pointing with her hoof. "It shouldn't be here!  This car is infested with insects!"

Fluttershy turned to where the mare was pointing.  It was a small, light green tarantula, scurrying along the floor aimlessly.  Fluttershy turned back to the rich couple and raised an eyebrow.

"First of all, that's not an insect," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's an arachnid.  There's a difference."

"I don't care what it is!" the high-class mare screamed. "It should not be on this train!"

"Well, maybe he has a good reason," Fluttershy argued, turning back to the tarantula. "Isn't that right, little guy?"

The tarantula looked up at Fluttershy and tilted his head.

"Don't worry, little fellow," Fluttershy cooed, holding out her hoof. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Madam, what exactly are you doing?" asked the gentlecolt. "This is none of your business."

Fluttershy completely ignored the stallion. "What's the matter, little guy?  Are you lost?"

The tarantula shook his head.

"No, it's okay.  You can trust me," Fluttershy insisted.

The tarantula stroked his chin and furrowed his brow, letting out a few barely-audible rasps.

"Your master?  You mean you're somepony's pet?" Fluttershy inquired.

"Preposterous," huffed the gentlecolt. "What sort of deranged pony would keep something like that as a pet?"

The tarantula hung his head.  Fluttershy shot the gentlecolt a glare.

"You didn't have to go and hurt his feelings," she scolded, turning back to the tarantula and petting him. "There, there.  He didn't mean it.  I'm sure you're a wonderful pet."

The tarantula nodded and saluted.  Fluttershy giggled.

"Well, aren't you a brave one," she said. "C'mon, boy.  Let's go find your master.  He must be worried about you."

The tarantula rasped indignantly.

"Oh, sorry.  She.  My mistake," said Fluttershy sheepishly.  She then scooped up the tarantula in her hooves and placed him on the brim of her hat. "Just tell me when you see her, okay?  Okay."

With that, she trotted over to the next car.  The rich couple shared a look of bewilderment.

"Um, what just happened?" asked the gentlecolt.

Tree Hugger's jaw dropped as she watched Fluttershy leave. "Whoa.  Far out.  I'm really digging that girl's vibe."


***


"Ugh.  I am so bored~."

Daring Do pretended not to hear the groan coming from seat across from her.  She simply continued to lie back, her legs sprawled out and her pith helmet draped over her eyes.  Sitting across from her was an agitated yellow pegasus with lavender eyes and a silver aviator's medal for a Cutie Mark.  The younger pegasus snorted, flexing her wings and constantly readjusting the flight goggles that sat atop her brown aviator helmet.

"Give it a rest, Tailspin," Daring said, not even looking up. "You're the one who insisted on joining me, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know it would be this dull," Tailspin grumbled. "Seriously, why aren't we flying?  That would've been so much cooler."

Daring sighed. "I thought I made this abundantly clear, Tailspin.  This is my vacation.  I have every right to kick back and relax."

Tailspin folded her forelegs. "You didn't say it was this kind of vacation, though.  If you did, I wouldn't have bothered to come."

"Well, what did you expect when I said I was taking a vacation?  An epic adventure?" asked Daring.

"Yes!  Exactly that!" Tailspin cried. "That's always what happens!  Whenever you tell the class that you're going on vacation, that's code for 'I'm going on an epic adventure!'"

"That doesn't happen every time," Daring snarled defensively. "Sometimes I legitimately need a vacation, Tailspin.  Didn't you see what happened to me on my last adventure?"

Tailspin deadpanned. "You mean the one where you admitted that having partners is a good thing?"

Daring lifted her pith helmet and narrowed her eyes. "Hey, I never said partners were bad.  I just don't like putting other ponies in danger."

"That's not what you said in the book."

"I was very stressed out at the time, okay?  Defending a destructive relic from a egomaniacal maniac while a fangirl pesters me is not exactly what I'd call therapeutic."

Tailspin said nothing, but instead turned away.  Daring sighed and sat up.

"Look, Tailspin.  This has nothing to do with my attitude towards partners.  The fact of the matter is even I need to recharge my batteries every once in a while.  Now, I know I promised I'd take you on my next adventure to give you extra credit for my class, and I plan on keeping that promise.  But this isn't my next adventure."

"You could've fooled me," Tailspin muttered bitterly.

"And you could've avoided all this by not jumping to conclusions," Daring retorted. "Face it, we're both to blame for what happened, and we can't change it now.  Let's just put that aside and try to have a good time."

"That's gonna be pretty hard to do if all we're doing is sitting around looking at fairies," said Tailspin.

"Oh, don't be such a grump about it," chided Daring. "You need to learn that there's more to life than risking your neck."

Tailspin opened her mouth, but decided that it was useless to force the issue. "I can't believe Daring Do of all ponies is lecturing me about this."

"Well, somepony has to," said Daring with a snicker.  She readjusted herself and tipped her helmet over her eyes.  Just as she was about to go to sleep, she heard somepony clearing her throat.

"Um, excuse me."

Daring snorted indignantly and lifted her helmet.  Her eyes went wide as she saw a vaguely familiar pegasus staring at her.  The pegasus was equally surprised.

"D-D-Daring Do?" she squeaked.

"That's my name; don't wear it out," said Daring, arching an eyebrow. "Huh.  I feel like I've met you somewhere before.  You're one of Rainbow Dash's friends, right?"

"Um, yes," said the pegasus, hiding her face behind her bangs. "M-my name is F-Fluttershy."

"Ah.  Well, nice to meet you, Fluttershy," said Daring, holding out her hoof.

Fluttershy whimpered sometime unintelligible and averted her eyes.  Daring let out a warm chuckle.

"Hey, easy there.  I don't bite," she said.

"O-oh, sorry," said Fluttershy. "I-I just didn't know you, well, you know."

Daring tilted her head. "Uh, no.  I don't know."

"W-well, why are you traveling like, that?"

"Like what?"

"Aren't you afraid of exposing your secret?"

"Wh—?  Oh~!  That's what you mean," Daring said with a laugh. "Don't worry about that.  My secret's safe."  She then took a quick look around and dipped her voice. "Ironically enough, I get more attention when I dress up as A.K. Yearling."

"Oh?  Why's that?" whispered Fluttershy.

"'Cause most ponies out there know that there's an actual pony named Daring Do," said Daring. "They just don't know that she's the same pony as the one in the books.  Outside of that world, all I am is an eccentric archeology professor with a horrendous attendance record."

"Um, oh," said Fluttershy. "I didn't know that.  Uh, anyway, does this belong to you?"

She reached up to her hat and showed Daring a small green tarantula.  Daring smiled.

"Recon, hey!  I was wondering where you went!" she laughed. "Come here, you little troublemaker."

She took the tarantula from Fluttershy's hoof and deftly placed him in her pocket.  The tarantula poked his head out and brushed his head with his foreleg.

"Oh.  His name is Recon?" said Fluttershy, leaning in with interest. "He's really cute."

"Not just cute.  Smart, too," said Daring, petting Recon. "Seriously, I owe this guy my life."

Fluttershy's eyes sparkled. "Wow.  How did that happen?"

"Sorry, that's a spoiler," said Daring with a wink. "If you wanna find out, you'll have to read the book like everypony else."

"Oh.  Okay," said Fluttershy.  She paused and brushed the underside of her foreleg sheepishly. "Um, Ms. Do?"

"Please, call me Daring," said Daring.

"Oh, sorry," said Fluttershy. "A-anyway, um, Ms. Daring, what exactly are you doing on this train?"

Daring shrugged. "Well, after my last adventure, I thought it'd do me some good to get some R&R.  And between you and me, there's nothing more relaxing than a breezie safari."

Fluttershy did a double take. "Wait.  You're going on the breezie safari, too?"

"Oh, don't act so surprised," said Daring, rolling her eyes. "I'm allowed to enjoy things that don't involve high-flying adventure.  Besides, the host of the expedition just so happens to be a fellow colleague of mine at the Royal Canterlot University."

"Th-that's not what I meant," said Fluttershy meekly. "I-I was surprised because that's where I'm going, too."

"No kidding," said Daring. "Huh.  Small world, isn't it, Tailspin?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Tailspin, looking over at Fluttershy. "Oh, pardon my manners.  I'm Tailspin, Professor Daring's student and soon-to-be partner."

Fluttershy tilted her head. "Soon-to-be?"

"It's a long story," said Daring. "Basically, Tailspin has always wanted to join me on one of my adventures.  I've, always been hesitant about taking her along, though.  For her own safety, y'know.  I don't like putting other ponies in danger if I can help it."

Fluttershy blinked. "Is that why you told us you work alone?"

"Amongst other reasons," said Daring somberly. "That's part of the reason I'm taking this vacation.  I need some time to unwind before I snap like I did back then."

"Mmm," Fluttershy hummed with a nod. "Well, I suppose I can understand that."

"I just wish she was more direct about it," Tailspin mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

Daring sighed and shook her head. "You'll have to forgive Tailspin.  She thought I was going on another adventure, so she insisted on tagging along."

"I swear, she never mentioned anything about ruddy breezies," said Tailspin.

Fluttershy gave Tailspin a quizzical look. "You don't like breezies?"

"Nah, nothing like that," said Tailspin. "I was just hoping for something more, stimulating."

"Trust me, Tailspin.  Once you get a good look at the breezies, that's not gonna matter," said Daring. "This'll be good for you, I promise."

Fluttershy awkwardly brushed the back of her foreleg. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Ms. Daring.  I should probably go find a seat.  I actually haven't gotten a chance to sit down yet."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea.  Dodge Junction isn't exactly close," said Daring. "Oh, and thanks for finding Recon for me."

"Oh, no problem.  I'm glad I could help," said Fluttershy with a smile. "I do hope you and Tailspin enjoy the safari."

"That's the plan.  I guess we'll be seeing you around then."

"I guess.  Well, goodbye."

With that, Fluttershy trotted off.  Daring turned to Tailspin and shrugged.

"Well, that was interesting," she said.

"Meh," Tailspin said with a shrug of her own.

Daring sighed. "One of these days, Tailspin, you're going to need to learn how to relax.  Remember, if you lose your head figuratively, you're gonna lose it literally."

"Except for the fact that I'm not really in danger of losing my head in a breezie safari," Tailspin retorted.

"You know what I mean, Tailspin," Daring said sternly. "Look, I'm worried about you.  I know you like dangerous adventure and stuff, and I'm not gonna fault you for that.  I like it, too.  But my life doesn't revolve around it, and the same should go for you.  It's not healthy."

With that, Daring promptly lowered her pith helmet over her eyes and fell asleep.  Tailspin let out a long sigh.

"I just want to go on an epic adventure with you, Dare," she muttered under her breath. "Is that too much to ask...?"