//------------------------------// // Read It And Weep // Story: Shisno Chronicles: Friendship is Magic // by nightelf37 //------------------------------// Read It And Weep Daytime, outside Ponyville… Skyla watched over Rainbow Dash in the cloud she was hiding inside as her target began to do a series of tricks. She could recognize a number of them as advanced techniques only the top ones (herself among those) are able to perform without risk of spraining and/or crashing. This worried the undercover Wonderbolt; at this rate, Rainbow's chances of receiving an injury as a result are increasing. Sure, as a stuntpony, that's an occupational hazard, but since Rainbow isn't a Wonderbolt yet… She also saw Pinkie Pie and Rarity watching their friend from below, and Twilight Sparkle was joining in. "Hey, Rarity. Hey, Pinkie Pie." Twilight greeted her friends as she then gazed upward. "What are you looking at?" "Rainbow Dash!" the earth pony stated. "Isn’t she the most daring devil—I mean, the most devilish darer—I mean—" "She’s dazzling!" "Ooh, yeah, that’s a good word. She’s dazzling!" The next couple of maneuvers almost give the ponies on the ground whiplash. Pinkie's neck began to twist in highly unnatural positions as she followed the pegasus's flight pattern before her body corrected itself by twisting in the same manner, leaving the earth pony disoriented for a moment. Cheering ensued the entire time, though admiration quickly gave way to terror. "Oh, no…oh, no…oh, no…" Twilight. "Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay!" Pinkie. Skyla was also on the verge of panic and was seriously considering charging in, but that would blow her cover. The predicted injury wouldn't even cripple Rainbow, but that didn't mean Skyla wasn't concerned. The maneuvers of Ponyville's weather manager were getting very erratic and out of control. Before anypony knew it, there was a crash on the ground. After Skyla surveyed the damage, she immediately sped off to the Ponyville Hospital to contact the paramedics. It pained her bad to leave her, but she knew Rainbow Dash won't be permanently grounded, and keeping her identity a secret was paramount (though not life-critical) to her as an undercover Wonderbolt talent scout. You're among the best I've seen. You better make it out all right. TS—RD—R—PP—S—TS—RD—R—PP—S Later, at Room 12 of the Ponyville Hospital… All of Rainbow Dash's friends were around her bed, which had curtains framing it to keep other patients visually undisturbed. Aside from the four who watched her crash, also with them were Fluttershy, Chronicle, and Applejack. The patient's condition was pending, but what could be seen was that Rainbow's right wing was splayed by the bandages wrapped around its base, a bandage was stuck over one eye, and of course she was in a green johnny as per hospital regulations. "Is she gonna be okay?" Applejack asked. "She's tough," answered Skyla. "She'll be okay." "Oh, I’m so worried!" expressed Fluttershy. "We all are," Chronicle shares everypony's concerns. "Is her face gonna stay that way?" wondered Pinkie. "Now what kind of question is that?" By this point, the patient has woken up and opened her eyes. Upon realizing the extent of her injuries, she tried to work the injured wing around a bit, but quickly gave up with a loud moan. Behind the visitors was a doctor levitating an X-ray of the wing to examine the broken bone it displays. Aside from being a unicorn, bearing medium blue eyes behind spectacles, a white shirt with a dark gray necktie, a white lab coat, a stethoscope around his neck, and an EKG (electrocardiogram) screen cutie mark, he looked just like Caramel. "How is she, Doctor Stable?" Twilight asked him. "She’s going to be fine. Luckily, she has friends like you who got her over here in a jiffy." Rainbow groaned impatiently. "How long do I need to lie here? I’ve got things I need to do!" "Well, that all depends on your recovery, but I’d say a few days minimum." "You guys have gotta get me outta here!" She pleaded to her friends. "I’m gonna climb the walls!" "Ooh, just like a spider!" Pinkie turned to the doctor. "Did the crash somehow give her super-duper spider powers?" "Nn-no, nor did it give her amazing healing powers," the doctor replied dryly as he turned away and walked out, Pinkie falling over in the process. "She needs to stay in bed for a few days." "Few days?" Rainbow fell back onto her pillow. "Might as well be a few months, or a few years." Applejack and Fluttershy approached her. "It’s not so bad, Rainbow Dash," assured the latter. "I bet the chow in here is hoof-lickin’ good," added the former. "And the hospital gowns…" Rarity—standing near the window—added as she levitated a johnny. "…they match the curtains!" She ended with a big grin. she was telling the truth; they were the exact same drab shade of green. "And look!" Pinkie whisked away the dividing curtain to expose the occupant of the next bed: an earth pony stallion who had more broken bones than sound ones, if the casts and bandages were any indication. He was Ponyville's resident fireworks specialist (and Firelock's and Firecracker Burst's father), Skyrocket; he also wasn't as good at his line of work as he would've liked. "You have a roommate!" With his face almost totally covered, he can only acknowledge Rainbow with a few eye rolls. The less-than-excellent news prompted the downed pegasus to turn over in bed and pull the blanket over herself. Applejack directed a puzzled shrug at the other six visitors, who glanced uneasily at each other before all eyes shifted toward Twilight, now deep in thought. Except for Skyla, who was deep in thought herself. A squeaking noise drew attention to the open door, through which a library cart loaded with books was pushed into view. The noise came from its wheels, and the one nosing it along was a freckled pink earth pony mare with a violet/white striped mane tied in a bun, a similarly-colored tail hanging loose, deep blue eyes, and the same cutie mark as Nurse Redheart. She wore a white nurse’s cap whose design—white cross, four pink hearts tucked in the corners, red circle background—matched the hospital's insignia. If Chronicle remembered correctly, her name was Nurse… something-Heart. Nurse Sweetheart? He wasn't sure. He also knows of a Nurse Coldheart (whose unfortunate name fits her just a little bit), but her coat was a shade of pale yellow. Twilight galloped toward the door and returned a moment later, levitating a book over to the bed. This was used to poke Rainbow gently a couple of times, then set down by her pillow. She regarded it with the clearest loathing. "What’s this?" She lifted the volume up. The cover depicted a pegasus dressed in a khaki bush shirt and pith helmet, swinging on a vine over a river full of very hungry alligators, and carrying a blue jeweled figurine. "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone." She lowered it partway as Twilight leaned close, Skyla courteously closing the curtain showing the injured fireworks specialist. "This is the first story in the series," Twilight said as the book was lowered away. "I own all of them." This was followed with a big squeaky grin. Rainbow threw the proffered story away. The curtain has been closed again to block off Skyrocket. "No thanks! I so don’t read. I’m a world-class athlete. Reading’s for eggheads like you, Twilight." Chuckle. "No offense, but I am not reading. It’s undeniably, unquestionably uncool!" She ended this by being dismissive expression and crossing her forelegs behind her head. The sulky reverie was swiftly broken by the laughter of five ponies, the remaining two looking offended. "Is she serious? Who doesn’t like to read a bang-up tale from time to time?" said Applejack. "Why, a good book is almost as magnificent as silk pajamas on a Sunday morning." Rarity. "Reading is for everypony, Rainbow Dash." Twilight floated the book back to her. "Yeah! I love reading!" Pinkie began to jump in place. "And my head isn’t even close to the shape of an egg." She even outlined it, then started goofing again. "It’s more the shape of an apple, or maybe an orange, but a big orange, more like a grapefruit really?" The descriptive digression ended when she realized that seven very puzzled sets of eyes have trained themselves on her. Well, one of them was less so and just had a raised eyebrow. "Do you believe the Wonderbolts don't read either?" Skyla then orally prodded. "My line of work has more athletics involved and is a lot more serious, yet I still have the time to read, too," said Chronicle. "That's because you're a unicorn," Rainbow brushed him off. "Of course you read. It's the only way to learn more spells aside from tutors or mentors." "That's racist." Just then, there came the sound of approaching hooves. Nurse Sweetheart stood there. "All right, my little ponies," she said. "Rainbow Dash needs her rest." One by one, the visitors began to leave. "You’ll have to come back tomorrow." "I think you’d like Daring," Twilight said as she walked out. "She’s a lot like you—adventurous…fierce, and undeniably, unquestionably unstoppable." With that, she was out the door. "One-third of my savvy-ness comes from adventure books like Daring Do, you know," stated Chronicle as he followed, Skyla trotting past him. "You're never too cool to read." And with that he was out of the room as well and he shut the door. C—TS—A—RD—R—F—PP—S—DS—S—NS The following events occurred in the span of a single minute: The bedridden flyer bounced a ball off the far wall and the floor so that it returned to her. After a few cycles, though, it hit the bed’s footboard and rolled to a stop on the floor. She hung her head in resignation. It was then mealtime. The food tray resting on the blanket held a cube of gelatin, a glass of juice, and a green wad of Celestia knows what comprised this repast. Rainbow eyed it with obvious disdain; Applejack’s guess at the food quality was nowhere close to the mark. She nipped the edge of the glass in her teeth and drank, but got the whole thing stuck over her snout. It resisted her attempt to pull it off, but then fell loose on its own, leaving her face temporarily stretched to resemble that of a Saddle Arabian horse. The disaffected convalescent was impatiently switching her bedside lamp on and off, her face back to normal. She stepped up the pace after the first few jabs at the button, but soon slowed down again. Rainbow was telling a joke to Skyrocket, but his lack of enthusiasm—or any verbal response, for that matter—sat badly enough with her to make her close the curtain between then and hunker down in bed. She lay weary, the circles under her eyes attesting to the physical/mental fatigue that has set in. The wall clock’s ticking made itself heard loud and clear. She glared up toward it, and realized just how little time has passed as the minute hand clicked ahead one notch. Rainbow’s jaw dropped almost to the blanket in sheer disbelief. She then reeled it in for a frustrated growl and sigh. Her next idea for passing time was to bang the back of her head against the bed’s headboard a few times. Boredom—or the realization that such activity might worsen a head injury—prompted her to stop, and she unwillingly swiveled her eyes to the book on her nightstand. She turned her back to it and crossed her forelegs resolutely…and then she glanced back toward the nightstand while the book just sat there…and then she started to think very, very hard. As the book continued to be a book, she sighed heavily and picked it up. Holding it at foreleg’s length as if it were an old stick of dynamite sweating out nitroglycerin, she eased the cover open. When it failed to explode, she settled down to start reading. RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD Just like Chronicle 'records' the adventures of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and their friends, there is a pony who accompanies Daring Do in her adventures, and the writer was convinced to exclude her presence. "What about the Daring Don't episode, where—" Shh-shh-shh! Falling out. Guidance from the shadows. That's all I'll say. "Okie-dokie-lokie!" Okay. Now it's time for our second line of the story. Shisno Chronicles: Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM "As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing in the jungle had injured her wing, and she was grounded for a few days. Few days. It might as well be a few months, or a few years. The mosquitoes buzzed loudly. The macaws cried from the high trees. Yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of the predators following her every step…" Climbing over a fallen tree were two ponies and eyed the area as growls floated up behind them. One of them was a pegasus dressed in a khaki bush shirt and pith helmet. Her coat was light orange, her eyes magenta, and her hair are striped in six shades of gray and black. Her cutie mark was an eight-point compass rose. Her name is Daring Do, and she's an adventurer archaeologist. Her right wing was tightly wrapped in a bandage. The other was a unicorn dressed in a turquoise top, light brown shorts, and pair of plain saddlebags colored like Daring's coat. Her coat was a military shade of green, her eyes hazel, and her dark blond hair was kept in a short bob. Her cutie mark was an orange circle with an open book inside of it. Her name is Green Account, and she's the Story Crew Field Operative covering Daring Do's adventures for 'retelling' at client worlds outside of this world; Daring also published her adventures around here (under an alias, of course). Just as the two ponies turned around, they found themselves (well, Daring at least) nose to nose with one very angry tiger that tried to bite her head off. The two jumped clear, but turned to find a panther moving in to cut off their retreat. Unfortunately for Account, unlike the Timer-Aidem branch of the extended Timer Family, her family isn't known for great combat prowess or expansive repertoire of spells. The only combat spell she know that'd be of use is the 'magic shot', the 'panel barrier', and a small-scale 'sphere barrier' (which she can also use to deprive someone of oxygen), but they still wouldn't do much. A glance in a third direction disclosed a lynx, while a leopard moved in from a fourth. The explorer and her sidekick stood on the tree trunk as the four big cats closed in. And then there came a fifth contender; a very small and fluffy white kitten. "Now's our chance," advised Account. While she didn't have much to contribute in terms of combat, she was just as athletic as her pegasus companion. The two ponies leaped nimbly over the little furball as it yowled angrily and the other four charged past it to give chase. They galloped through the jungle, pursued by all five felines—the kitten hanging onto the panther’s back—and stopped short upon reaching the edge of a broad chasm. The snarls from behind them tell just how little time there was to make a decision. "I got this," said Account as she saw a far-off hanging vine. Luckily for her, she has an abnormally extended telekinetic range as its end was enveloped in a leaf green hue. Most unicorns can only pull from three to four pony-lengths at most, and would need to concentrate real hard to reach farther, but Account can grab from such ranges with ease. "Go!" Daring immediately jumped for the vine and grabbed it, followed by Account as she grabbed onto Daring. This prompted all five pursuers to slide to an incredulous halt and run into each other as their prey swung to the other side. Daring flipped a mocking salute to the predators before coming down beyond their reach. Safely landing on the other side, Daring and Account finally allowed themselves a moment to breathe, the former flipping her helmet back from her eyes. Their rest ended abruptly as they turned around to find themselves face to face with the long-lost temple that they had sought tirelessly for over sixty days and nights. The entrance was a flight of steps leading up into the mouth of a large stone diamond dog's face with two ruby jewel eyes. They eyed it wonderingly as they began to mentally prepare themselves for what they had to do next. DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA "I hate to admit it to myself, and would really hate to admit it to my friends, but…" Rainbow Dash smiled broadly at her hospital bed. "…I love this story!" She held the book at length. "I… I…" She hugged it to herself. "…I love reading!" She fell back onto her pillow, dislodging a few feathers that waft down around her visage. Rapture then gave way to panic in less time than it took to say “pulp fiction”. "I’m an egghead," she shortly realized in horror. RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD Eyecatch (picture-type) - A shot of the cover of the book Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. However, it now also has a yellow box reading "Shisno Chronicles" on the upper left, and Green Account is now present, nervously standing on top of an alligator's closed jaw and with her aura around the tip of another vine different from the one Daring is currently on. The show's logo is seen on the lower left. RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD—RD Daring Do and Green Account gingerly climbed the steps to the temple together, entering the dim hallway it led to, the only light coming from braziers carved to resemble the canine figure that framed the entrance. Once at the top of the stairs, Daring sniffed the air, eyeing the dark passage beyond the braziers. The smell of decay and danger hit Daring Do as she peered into the dimly lit entrance of the ancient temple. Her composure and confidence restored, she moved ahead, and Account prepared a spell to scan the surroundings. Ancient temples like these were rife with booby traps, somehow still in working operation even after it's been centuries. DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA The two adventurers walked through a bug-infested stretch of rubble and bleached bones. Account's eyes widened as Daring took a step onto a small patch of floor that sank slightly under the weight of her foreleg, followed by the sound of a mechanism kicking into gear. It had already been too late to warn of the trigger, but not too late to alert of the incoming danger. "Axe to the left!" she warned as Account and Daring ducked, barely avoiding the three axes that whistled across the hallway and through the space where their heads used to be. They wound up embedded in the wall, but Account already sensed the next trap. "Fire pit!" A hidden joint in the floor slid apart beneath Daring's hooves, throwing her into a very uncomfortable spread-eagle position, and she vaulted ahead just in time to avoid a blast of fire from below. "Gators from above!" Next, several alligators dropped from the ceiling to snap at her; they were suspended from there, forcing her and Account to crawl ahead. To be fair, Daring already knew how do dodge every possible ancient trap, but Account's heads-up was more for the unicorn's own benefit and it didn't disturb the pegasus at all. They vaulted over a pendulum blade, weaved past a volley of darts (blocked against them in Account's case), and as Daring leaped ahead a series of spikes that popped up from the floor, Account already scanned their timing and started running, successfully avoiding them and getting ahead of Daring for once. And there was a good reason for that, a stone slab at the far end of the hallway was beginning to descend toward the floor. Daring quickly galloped after her sidekick through the spikes and slid to a stop on her back—with her head directly beneath the dropping monolith. Seeing her companion's head about to be pasted, Account immediately grabbed Daring (physically) and pulled her in the clear before it slammed down to cut off their retreat. Daring stood up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Phew! Thanks, Green." "We're not out of the woods yet," warned Account as another mechanism kicked up, stones and dust falling from above. Daring let off a frustrated groan as the two evaded the next set of traps, and eventually made it past the next doorway before it too could slam shut in front of them, closing the distance with a roll. The only casualty, if one can call it that, was Daring's helmet getting pierced by darts. She promptly brushed those away and put it on again. A look around this chamber revealed a round hole in the ceiling, through which a dusty shaft of light filtered in. This began to move across the chamber and eventually picked out a figurine on a pedestal at the far end. Its blue jewels cast blinding shafts of radiance. Two dog figures sat back to back, holding a large gem at their feet. That was the Sapphire Stone they were looking for. Their mouths curved into a wondering smile. It's one thing to read about artifacts, mused Account. It's another to see it with my own eyes. DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA Back at the hospital… Rainbow Dash wore that same smile, positioned partway underneath her bed’s blankets, eagerly hunched over the book, before a knock at the door threw a scare into her. As the knob began to turn, she frantically stuffed the book under the blanket and struck the best nonchalant pose she can. An instant later, Chronicle, his charge, and his marefriend burst in. "Hi, Rainbow Dash!" all three greeted. "Uh…hey, guys," she greeted in return. "We thought we’d come and cheer you up," said Fluttershy. The sight of a boxed board game being levitated nearby threw the patient off balance. "We brought your favorite board game," said Twilight as it was plunked down and set up on the end of the bed. Two folding displays were placed back to back, with various figures set up on the lower portions. Chronicle remembered this game; it was Equestria's version of Battleship, but with clouds and pegasi instead of naval vessels. "We know how much you like to win." Rainbow cast a sideways glance down at her bed and nudged one edge of the blanket down to hide the book from view. "You go first, Rainbow," Chronicle invited. Their hospitalized friend forced a chuckle. "No, no. You first." The three traded skeptical looks. "Right…" the stallion added with a touch of snark, then turned to his charge. "Twilight. You make the first move." "All right. Uh…Cloud-Three." "Aw, shucks. You rained on my cumulus. Heh. Go again." Fluttershy decided to make the move this time. "Um…Sky-Five?" "Whoa!" Rainbow held up a game piece. "You found my seagull." and then she tossed it aside. Uh…Cloud-Two?" Twilight again. "You zapped my weather pony!" "Canopy-Six." Chronicle. The bedridden pegasus chuckled. "You stung my bumblebee!" "Cloud-Nine?" Fluttershy again. She let off a groan. "My thunderbolt!" "Ground-Zero." Chronicle again. This got his two friends confused for a bit, as that spot doesn't even exist in the game, but the patient seems to have missed it as she removed her last piece. "Aw, and that’s my last cloud." Rainbow then smiled hastily. "You found it. Guess you guys win. I lose." She shifted her emotions without a clutch again, giving a pout and huff, and snatched the game away. "But, Rainbow Dash, you…you didn’t even get a turn," said Fluttershy. Rainbow was feverishly cramming the lid back on the box, but caught herself and smiled. "You win some, you lose some." An even bigger grin failed to placate Twilight. "But you don’t lose some. I don’t think you’ve ever lost a game of—" The unicorn mare was cut off as the patient dropped the game, stretched, and yawned. "Thanks for coming." "But yesterday you were desperate for things to do!" Rainbow picked it up and shoved it to Twilight. "Do? Who said anything about Daring Do?" This puzzled her three visitors, though one already came to a conclusion. "I told you, I’m not interested in reading." She then switched off the lamp and let out an obviously fake yawn. "It’s nap-time for me!" The technicolor-maned head hit the pillow as its owner let go with some very loud and very inauthentic snoring. "Glad we could…cheer you up?" Fluttershy said as she and her coltfriend walked out. Twilight meanwhile aimed a critical eye at Rainbow, who opened one of her own and yawned even louder. Now the unicorn headed for the door. "All right, then." Once they closed the door and walked away from it so that their shadows couldn't be seen from inside the room, Chronicle decided to speak. "Now girls, be honest. Was anybody fooled with that facade of hers?" "Nope," his charge responded. "Mm-mmm," his marefriend answered. "It's quite obvious that Rainbow Dash has taken a liking to Daring Do, and just doesn't wish to show it to anypony." "So if it Spike it's fine?" joked Chronicle. "You know what I mean." "Right. Of course." He sincerely understood, though his tone was a bit playful. "You really like pointing those out, don't you?" "Sub-par grammar can lead to poor communication, which can kill. And many of the previous problems we've face could've been solved easier and earlier with proper communication." He 'took out' his white glove and used it to count them off. "Pinkie and us when the parasprites attacked. The buffalo tribe and Appleloosa. You and Spike when Owlowiscious first came. Applejack and you and me during Applebuck season. You and the rest just before the Smarty Pants incident." He turned to his marefriend. "You and Rarity, with Twilight being blocked by a Pinkie Swear. The whole Mare-Do-Well incident. Pinkie Pie during Nightmare Night. Applejack when she left for Dodge Junction." After that, his face turned solemn. "And me just post-Discord. These mistakes have been happening more times than I'd like, and sometimes it feels to me like you never learn. So I have to keep doing it, not only to hammer it in to ensure it sticks, but to ensure it keeps on sticking." His two friends stood there taking this in. No matter how often he 'bashes' at them—no, he really does care, which is why he keeps doing it. But before they could say anything else, a light yellow nurse mare came over. She was an earth pony, had the same cutie mark and cap as Redheart and Sweetheart, bore green eyes, had a two-tone light blue hair with the mane bound in a hairnet, and a markedly less sunny disposition. This was Nurse Coldheart, and she didn't look happy to see dawdlers in the halls, and told the three so, after which they politely left. C—TS—RD—F—NC—C—TS—RD—F—NC—C—TS—RD—F—NC Back to the other story… “Daring Do stood at the entrance to the central temple chamber.” Daring and Account straightened up with a shining-eyed smile as they stared at the jeweled figurine in the fore. Although the latter was getting very sweaty for some reason, and she quickly cast a spell to alleviate it. “At last, she was face to face with the legendary Sapphire Statue!” Directly in front of them was a grid of floor tiles, each marked with a picture of a jungle animal; lion, tiger, rat, wolf, and raptor (bird of prey). Daring lifted one foreleg to step ahead, but quickly yanked it back, remembering the gauntlet of booby traps set off earlier. A glance off to one side disclosed a battery of holes in the wall, indicating a set of hidden darts ready to fire. As Account already got to work on analyzing the place, Daring looked around, spotted a rock on the floor, and kicked it onto the grid. Once it comes to rest, its weight caused the tile to sink slightly. The darts flew across the chamber, embedding themselves in the wall to form a pony-shaped pattern, which put a quizzical expression in Account's face as Daring hunched down to study the tiles. "Hmm…there must be a pattern here," the pegasus mused to herself. "What do all these animals have in common?" I can't block that many shots at once. If only Daring brought her bullwhip, Account thought as she 'picked up' the rock Daring threw and tossed it to the side of the grid; it looked wide enough for the two to cross and skip the puzzle entirely. But she got the feeling that the temple had a trap to catch such 'cheaters', even though there were no skeletons to prove any have attempted to do that. Just then, inspiration lays Daring a good one over the pith helmet. "Aha! These animals are all predators, except…rats!" This got Account back on track and she was quick to stop her companion. "Hold on a second! There's another thing these animals have in common." She pointed at one tile. "These are all mammals… except raptors! Besides, even rats are predators to certain animals." Daring was a tad skeptical. "Do you really think the trap designers thought that deep?" It bothered her a little that Account was decidedly a little more competent than her, yet was humble enough to not be included in her stories. But Account was the one who came to her, and had proved herself time and again to be reliable. "Only one way to find out." Account turned to Daring. "You first." One hoof was lifted and placed ever so gently on a rat tile… and absolutely nothing happened in response. Daring had squeezed her eyes tight shut, but opened one of them to peek through the rivulets of sweat oozing down her face. "Phew!" Getting all four hooves onto this tile, Daring jumps across the grid to zigzag her way from one rat to the next. "Well, no trap has ever had more than one right answer." Account followed Daring's lead, watching both her hooves and the path ahead. Soon, they were at the base of the steps leading up to the Sapphire Statue’s (not Stone, turns out) pedestal. Daring threw a savage grin back at the obstacle she had just conquered and climbed up to the prize, Account catching up with her shortly. The helmet came off and the sparkled play in Daring's eyes as she regarded it with genuine awe. Putting the headwear back on as soon as her sidekick was with her, she got down to business. The two inspected the pedestal from various angles, waved a foreleg above it to check for wires, knocked on the pedestal for hollow space, wiped the sweat out of their manes… And just as Daring rubbed her front hooves together, Account procured a large pouch of soil, raised a hoof to pause Daring from just taking the Statue, and analyzed the two items for relative weight. "On my signal, I take the statue while you replace it with the pouch," said Daring. "You sure you got the weight correctly?" "As much as I can from a first glance," Account replied as she took out a bit from the pouch. "This isn't a museum robbery where I can analyze the treasure before taking it." "All right. On three, and not after two, okay?" Daring's sidekick nodded and the two got ready. "One… two… three!" Just as Daring snatched the Statue in her teeth, Account set down the soil pouch in its place. Unfortunately, as the pegasus got down to ground level to remove her helmet so she can drop in the Statue, a peg began to extend itself upward from the pedestal. "Um, Daring?" Account called as she saw her soil pouch get pushed up. "What?" asked the archaeologist as she put her hat back on and turned around, shortly realizing what was happening. "I think I forgot to account for weight distribution." The then peg suddenly dropped back into its hidden groove and the ceiling began to cave in. "Time to go!" Before Daring can take a step onto the floor grid, the tiles crumbled away to expose a lake of steaming lava underneath. "Cripes!" Luckily, the spell Account had cast on herself was 'designed' to shield her from its searing heat and blinding glare; without it, she would've been toast long before the tiles crumbled and blinded the instant they did. As for Daring, she possessed a small artifact she once found on an adventure prior to Account joining her that performed the same thing. She keeps it in her bush shirt's pocket at all times; one never knows when a temple utilizes lava in the same way, and it saves up on Account's magic. Several of the columns lining the walls toppled into the molten rock as the liquid surface rose inexorably to swallow the pedestal’s lowest steps. Daring scrambled up to the top and urged Account to get on top of her, looking desperately for a way out of this mess. She then let her glance rove from the tumbled columns to the chamber’s ceiling hole. The unicorn immediately jumped from the pedestal and onto one of the still-standing columns, casting a spell as the reached it with her front hooves. The spell was the "climbing claw", which conjures such things out of magic from her hooves and dug themselves into the stone. She then proceeded to scale the column; with effort, she can climb the ceiling with this too. They're not really suited for combat, though. As for Daring, she grit her teeth, then jumped from the pedestal and got herself balanced on one broken end of a column just as the pedestal was engulfed. She almost slipped as she reached the highest it can go. Sweating profusely, and her hooves getting hot because of the lava, she got ready for another jump. Just before that was swallowed up as well, she leaped high and snagged the edge of the hole with her mouth, where Account was already journeying toward via the ceiling with her 'climbing claws'. Daring then scrambled her forelegs to get herself out of the hole and into the surface (that is, the temple roof). Just as Account made it out as well, the two ponies were flung skyward by a sudden burst of steam, and the lava overflowed through the hole. Thankfully, the two were sent flying in the same direction and thus weren't split up. The dazed explorer did a graceless belly flop onto the forest floor, the Statue falling out of her helmet to land a few feet away. And the sidekick crashed though a couple of branches on the way down and landed in a bush, getting several tiny cuts in the process. It also left her on the verge of unconsciousness. A purple-furred forelimb ending in a lighter-toned hand slammed down in front of Daring, and she looked up to see who had arrived. This thing rested on all fours, with huge, gorilla-like arms and a dog’s hind legs. The underbelly was the same lighter shade of purple as the hands, as were the muzzle and the extra hand at the end of the long slender tail. Gold circlets ringed the forearms, tail, and neck, and the eyes were set at the end of a long snout above a mouth filled with cruel teeth. Two dog ears stood straight up from the head, showing gold piercings. This was Ahuizotl, Daring Do's main nemesis throughout most of her adventures, though she's also had her share of mundane antagonists, among them cultist groups, bands of thieves, and one earth pony she couldn't name at this moment. DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA Hospital… "Hel-loooo, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie greeted from outside the room. A panicked Rainbow Dash looked up from her book to see the poofy pink party pony at the door. She, Applejack, Rarity, and Skyla entered the room, giving Rainbow barely enough time to hide the novel under the blanket. "How’s our patient doing today?" asked the fashionista, eliciting a sigh from the farmpony. The foalsitter/undercover Wonderbolt noticed Rainbow sweat heavily. "We need to get some fresh air in here," said Applejack. "You’re lookin’ sweatier than a pig wrangler on a summer’s day." Rainbow stammered a bit. "Uh…well, guys…thanks for visiting, but—" At this point, Nurse Coldheart entered the room, pushing a cart with a dinner tray. "Okay now. Dinnertime for Rainbow Dash." She then deposited the cart by the bed before leaving. The patient grabbed the tray off it and feigned enthusiasm over the unappetizing food. "Oh, just in time. I am sooo hungry." "Oh, well, don’t mind us, Rainbow Dash." Rarity. "Yeah, just go ahead and eat up." Applejack. Finding herself hemmed in by these two on either side, and Pinkie and Skyla at the foot of the bed, she had no choice but to dig in. Which she proceeded to do in the most ill-mannered, uncouth, and just plain messy fashion possible. The horrid display, and the particles of flying food that accompanied it, are enough to send three of the four visitors toward the exit. "On second thought…" Rarity said as she shuddered. "Uh, we’ll see you tomorrow, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie bid farewell with an uneasy laugh. After the door was closed, she still continued chewing upon realizing that Skyla was still in the room. After thirty seconds, the bedridden pegasus decided she couldn't take it anymore and quickly spit out the mouthful over the side. Once sh e came up with a clean face, the white pegasus spoke. "You may think you have fooled your friends, but you haven't fooled me. I've had my share of foals who've tried to hide stuff from me, and I know you're hiding the Daring Do book." "H-h-how—" The two haven't really interacted much apart from occasional encounters at the cloud factory. And while Skyla didn't know it, Rainbow has noticed the foalsitter spying around while she practiced her tricks, though she never found a good time to confront her about it. And now didn't seem to be a good time, either, for some reason. "If you really weren't interested, you would've just left the book on the side undisturbed, and not under the blanket." Skyla pointed an accusing hoof at the protrusion it was making beneath the sheets. "But I'm no tattletale. Sooner or later, you're gonna have to come out of the closet." And with that, Skyla made to exit the room. Just before closing the door, she said, "I'll leave it to you, then. Just don't end up making a ruckus of it, okay?" Once Skyla was gone, Rainbow waited for a few seconds before slowly retrieving the book and plunging back in. A—RD—R—PP—S—NC—A—RD—R—PP—S—NC Story… From Green Account's impromptu hiding place, she heard Ahuizotl speak. Personally, she found his voice sounded like Dracula’s South American second cousin, whatever that means. "You thought you could evade me and capture the relic for yourself, but you were sadly mistaken, Miss Do,” he said, holding the Statue in one main hand, and a small gold kitten figure in the one on his tail. "And now, you shall meet your doom!" As the half-dazed adventurer archaeologist struggled to rise, he brought the kitten figure up to his lips and blew into the tail, generating a shrill whistle. Right on cue, here came the tiger, panther, lynx, and leopard, each with a weapon in its teeth: spiked flail for the tiger, club for the panther, coils of rope for the other two. The white kitten then emerged with a meow from behind one of the tiger’s hind legs and rubbed happily against it. Ahuizotl uncorked a long, crazed laugh to the heavens, and Account could do nothing but watch as the felines tied up Daring; she wasn't a fighter, she was too tired to do anything anyway right now. Don't worry, Daring Do, she thought. I'm gonna rescue you. DD—GA—A—DD—GA—A—DD—GA—A—DD—GA—A "You're not gonna do the whole trap thing? Or the other thing?" The whole process of watching Rainbow Dash get back to the book all without anybody seeing it was mind-numbing stupid to watch the first time, and the first process was too clichéd. Daring Do is the only reason I didn't skip this chapter altogether. Although on second thought, I think I'll do the trap thing right now. DD—GA—A—DD—GA—A—DD—GA—A—DD—GA—A After Account reached wherever Ahuizotl planned to trap Daring, she lay low before accessing her Surveillance. Like every other Field Operative, hers has been updated so that she can see (and hear) what her camera on Daring is seeing without taking it out. From what she can make out at the corner of her vision where the Surveillance camera's 'footage' was at, Daring was inside a chamber. A large gold medallion was hung on the wall near ceiling level, with the image of a menacing animal face worked into it. Daring’s heaving breath. The explorer was lashed to a stone table on her back, heaving heavy breaths as the four jungle cats stood around her. "You won’t get away with this, Ahuizotl!" Daring said. "But I already have," he (clichédly) replied as he stood by a lever on a wall and holding the Statue in his tail hand. He then pulled the lever and the machinery started up. "Not again!" The whole crew bailed out and the door closed as spikes emerged from two opposite walls, which began to grind slowly toward each other. Daring struggled against her bonds to no avail. Meanwhile, spiders crawled out along the spikes, cobras slithered from a hole in the gold medallion, and spouts on the walls began to dispense… "Quicksand!" As Daring kept straining as all four perils gradually converged on her, the table starting to sink into the muck, Account could only wait for Ahuizotl and his minions to be far away enough from the chamber as possible before going in to rescue her companion. Before long, they were out of her sight. Unfortunately, just as she thought she was clear, she heard a growl right next to her. Risking a tilt of her head, she saw the leopard, ready to make a meal out of her. Knowing may also try and report her to Ahuizotl, she decided to fight; maybe she's not as good as the Timer-Aidem branch, but helpless is not what any of its members are in a pinch like this. Her first move was to block off the feline, then forge a sphere bubble around its head, and then made a break for it; because she wasn't normally a fighter, she trained a lot in dodging, which also helped against ruin traps. As she weaved around the forest, evading the leopard's claws, she made sure to keep as close to Daring's chamber as possible and last long enough before the leopard began to lose oxygen. As the seconds ticked by, as Daring continued to struggle from her bonds, the big cat's movements began to become sluggish. Before long, it finally lost breath and needed to catch it. But because there was so much carbon dioxide in the barrier around its head, it finally passed out, after which Account dispelled the barrier. Like every Field Operative before her, killing was an option; she just lacked many lethal means to enact on that option, and she wasn't cruel enough to kill by oxygen deprivation. Also, Daring wouldn't approve, as the first time Account was about to do the deed on a treasure thief who almost got them killed, the explorer stayed her hoof. "Now for the door." She was thankful the fight wasn't long; she can't dally when a friend is in need. DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA Eyecatch (picture-type) - A two-way vertical split showing Rainbow Dash's face on the left and Daring Do's on the right, juxtaposed so that each can be regarded as half of one bigger picture, and both showing adventure-ready expressions. This image then fades to a similar image depicting Chronicle and Green Account, expressions grim as if entering yet another battle. The show's logo is seen on the lower right. DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA Nighttime in Ponyville… He should've been asleep, but the prospect of what Rainbow Dash might be doing regarding her guilty pleasure was just too tempting, so as Twilight Sparkle and Spike slept peacefully, Chronicle accessed Surveillance and watched the events around their recently-discharged-from-the-hospital friend. He plans on telling off the doctors for not making extra sure their patients are 100 percent A-OK and making them leave when it won't guarantee recovery and might instead lead to injury again so soon. Unfortunately, he Surveillance was inaccessible via the dreamscape for checking in on 'current events'; the images he and Blue Diary showed Twilight once in the dreamscape were at least more than a day old, which is when Surveillance allows him to access them. And so he was awake in a sitting position facing his pillow, where he rested Surveillance and watched Rainbow enact her plan to retrieve the Daring Do book. At present, she was hiding in a bush at one corner of the hospital, dressed in a dark gray, full-body hooded sweatsuit that leaves only her face, wings, and tail exposed. Not very stealthy. She really should hide her tail. Can't tell her now. Once all the lights in all the windows have been snuffed, the amateur housebreaker jumped out and slunk toward the front entrance—a standard set of double doors, only to find herself standing in a slit of light issuing from between the double doors. She immediately jumped for the portico above the entrance as the security guard—a blue-eyed khaki earth pony stallion dressed for the job, his grizzled gray hair cut short in a military style, a silver badge cutie mark, and the end of a flashlight in his teeth—stepped out of the hospital interior to make his rounds. Rainbow then glanced upward to an open upper-story window, and promptly snuck in from there. Inside the hallway that bore the door to her room (and those of other patients), she zigzagged her way down its length, peeking out from one bit of cover before instantly appearing behind the next; prior to the heist, she had snuck into Tricky Books's workplace and stole a potion for short-range silent teleportation. Unfortunately for her, it doesn't work when she's being watched (though Surveillance humorously doesn't count), and lasts for only an hour. After waiting for a patrolling Doctor Stable to pass by, Rainbow slipped into the open, looked around, and found a beam of moonlight shining through an overhead grate to pick out the closed door of room 12. A big, squeaky, calculating grin stole across the intruder’s face. Inside the room, whose door was now opened, Rainbow peeked in and stayed low while easing past the still-in-bed Skyrocket in full-body traction. When she reached her former bed, her face registered sudden surprise; it was now occupied by a sleeping yellow earth pony stallion whose mane has been shaved down to stubble; a cancer patient, most like. A few furtive glances here and there informed her that the object of her search was lying underneath the bed, and she hunkered down there to get back into the story. As she read, Chronicle mused that Rainbow could've easily decided to sneak into the library, though with him there, that would be inadvisable. She really should leave now and read it at her own leisure inside her house. On an unrelated note, Pinkie's living quarters in Sugarcube Corner had been hit by…something and was being cleared up. In fear it might affect downstairs as well, the Cakes decided to (take their babies and) stay with some relatives for the time being, while Pinkie stayed at Skyla' residence, because the party planner already figured out that she was an undercover Wonderbolt and wanted to know more about her. Of course, the white pegasus made her Pinkie Promise to keep it a secret until Rainbow tells Skyla that she knows (without it being a bluff), and that she can share it with Chronicle, who was actually the first to know. All of a sudden, the patient above her cried out, "Help! Burglar! Burglar!" This caused Rainbow to start so violently that she banged her head against the bed frame and knock herself silly for a moment. "Someone’s trying to steal my slippers!" Out she came, book in hoof, finding the bald stallion sitting up in bed. "I’m not trying to steal your slippers!" she corrected as she eased away from the bed. "I’m trying to steal this book!" And she nearly caught a lamp upside the head for her trouble, flung at her by the annoyed patient. She made it back into the hall, only to be confronted by Nurse Sweetheart. "Stop, thief!" From two other directions came Nurse Coldheart and Doctor Stable, ready to throw some hooves. The next contender was either an intern or a junior staff member; a white, pink-eyed earth pony filly with curly black hair, and the same cutie mark and cap as the two nurses. Rainbow took to the air and flew over this last, but a sudden cramp or re-fracture in her right wing sent her crashing into the library cart. She looked wildly about the scatter of books in search of the right one, but a buzzer forced her to clear out ahead of the squad, now well provisioned with flashlights and with the addition of the security guard. Outside, she burst from the front doors and galloped down a hill littered with stumps, rocks, and other nasty obstacles. Her four pursuers were hot after her, and a dog’s barking did very little to calm her spirits. (As she was too young, the intern stayed behind, as did Coldheart.) As they spread out, Rainbow could see that the guard, Stable, and Sweetheart had lights. The fourth can only be discerned as a silhouette with a badly disheveled mane and tail. As Rainbow galloped through Ponyville, the three beams of light slashed past the shuttered upper-story window of Skyla's house. Pinkie popped her head out from this, wearing a pink nightcap. "Hey! Nopony invited me!" Rainbow paid no mind and raced on, her face registering mind-blowing shock before she skidded to a full stop; she had reached one bank of the stream that bordered Ponyville, and a vine hung down above it. As the four hunters closed in, she took the big leap and caught the vine to swing safely across the water, throwing a mocking salute back in the process. However, her heroics were for naught, as the group simply charged over the nearest bridge to stay after her. Pfft! What an idiot. She's taken into Daring Do a little bit too much. The chase took a hairpin turn around the Carousel Boutique, all of whose lights quickly came on before Rarity opened the front door to glare out with a disgusted cry, wearing a flowered bathrobe. "Hasn’t anypony heard of beauty sleep?" As Rainbow led her pursuers back and forth past the library, he heard his charge and Spike wake, immediately hid away Surveillance, and made her way down the steps with them as the lights were turned on. Twilight opened the front door to take in the scene, her untidy mane and the circles under her eyes pointing to the very sound sleep she was no longer getting. As Chronicle joined her, Rainbow jumped to a crouching stop before them. "Rainbow Dash, what in the world is going on?" interrogated Doctor Stable, the guard and Sweetheart right behind him. "Why are you stealing slippers?" The fourth member of the crew was now seen in close-up as the pink nurse cast a light over her. It was a light blue earth pony mare, with rumpled gray hair, dark red-violet eyes that pointed in opposite directions, a screw cutie mark, and dressed in the white johnny of an insane patient; she was already like this before Discord's attack, and she, rather than an actual dog, had been generating the barks heard during the entire chase. "Hey, get back to the hospital!" the doctor ordered, and she galloped off obediently, the guard following her to ensure her safety. Fluttershy and Rarity then arrived on the scene, the former clad in a white bathrobe with lavender trim, and are quickly joined by Applejack and Skyla. "What’s all the ruckus?" asked the farmpony before Pinkie popped up, without her nightcap. "Mmm—I’d say it’s more of a fracas than a ruckus." "It's a ruckus, Pinkie," Skyla corrected. "A fracas is a noisy quarrel. A ruckus is the act of making a noisy disturbance, which this was." Now the pegasus was cornered, and her hood was lowered, with Twilight and the doctor glaring at her. "What’s going on, Rainbow Dash?" the former asked. Chronicle was tempted to say that everypony has already suspected, but suspected that wouldn't do any good. Sweat trickled down for a long moment before Rainbow sighed heavily and hung her head. "I’m an egghead." "Pardon?" asked Rarity. "See, I was trying to get back into the hospital to finish the last chapter of—" Twilight finished her sentence with a smile. "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue!" "You got me." "Hey, wasn't it Stone, not Statue?" Chronicle wondered. "One of the two turned out to be a publishing mistake," explained his charge. "Oh." "Wow. I knew the book was good, but I didn’t know it could drive a pony to petty theft!" "Good? Try awesomely amazing!" Rainbow then gave a fierce smile. "That book is undeniably, unquestionably un-put-down-able!" Her enthusiasm shortly faded into regret and the doctor’s face went slack with surprise. "But then I had to put it down. I was sent home before I could finish it." She gave a sheepish smile at the end of this. "Well, I’m glad that’s all this is about." "There’s no reason to go around causin’ a ruckus—" Applejack began. "Fracas!" Pinkie corrected. "It is ruckus, but you're gonna make it a fracas," Applejack rolled her eyes before continuing "—causin’ a fracas just because you like to read." To keep legal matters from complicating things, Chronicle bribed the doctor and nurse to keep this incident to themselves. He wasn't above such things, and will even take them depending on the situation, though he will never betray his charge for money. As a matter of fact, he has taken bribes from Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara's father, when he told him to lay off when Chronicle tried telling him to get his daughter to at least behave or else he won't stop countering her when she acts like a bully to the Cutie Mark Crusaders (or Dinky Hooves on occasion; her mother's pitifully easy to ridicule). He always accepts the money, but also always warns them of the consequences, because he won't take crap from even a filly. C—TS—A—RD—R—F—PP—S—DS—NS—SL Inside the library… "Like I said, I have every book in the series, and you can borrow them all anytime you like," Twilight said as she levitated out a book from a particularly full bookshelf and floated it down to Rainbow, who had stripped off the stealth gear. Everypony else has returned to their homes, and the pegasus and the library residents were presently in the upper-story room, the baby dragon taking a break from sweeping up. "Thanks, Twilight," said Rainbow. "I’m sorry I made such a big deal about all this. I thought reading was just for smart ponies like you." Twilight gently reproved her friend. "Rainbow Dash, just because you’re athletic doesn’t mean you aren’t smart." She ended this with a tap on her head with a hoof. "Yeah!" agreed Spike as he flexed one arm. "Just look at me!" He then kissed his bicep, but got no love from the two mares, so he grumpily snatched up his broom to get back to work. "You've seen me be athletic with my training, and you've seen me reading books," said Chronicle. "How would you reading be different? And if you say 'because I'm a unicorn', I'm pulling on that sprained wing of yours." This got a mild scare from the pegasus. "Reading is something everypony can enjoy, if they just give it a try," Twilight continued. "Yeah, I get it. I shouldn’t knock something until I’ve tried it." "That’s a great lesson, and it would make a great letter to the Princess." Rainbow leaned over to Spike. "Did you get all that?" "Yeah?" he replied uncertainly. "Surveillance has it all covered just in case," Chronicle assured, though that won't be necessary. "Great!" The pegasus zipped away. "You write the letter, I gotta finish this book!" A lightning-fast nip put it in her teeth and nearly took off a hank of Twilight’s mane. Unicorns and dragon shared a knowing smile after her departure. C—TS—S—RD—C—TS—S—RD—C—TS—S—RD Back to the story… While Green Account tried to find the door's opening mechanism, which only Ahuizotl apparently knew, Daring Do was still in her unenviable jam on the stone table, which the former was still able to see via Surveillance. After a few groans and a bit of thrashing, she flipped her head forward so that her helmet ended up lying on her belly, brim up. Casting her frantic eyes about the room and noting the position of every detail, she hooked one rear leg into the helmet, snagged the brim in her teeth, and pulled back as if trying to launch a slingshot. When she lets go, the helmet was flung across the room to bounce off one spike. It whirled around the edge of the gold medallion on the wall, then ricocheted crazily between several other spikes. Daring sucked in a huge breath and held it as the quicksand enveloped her face, the animals already retreating—and on its last bounce, the helmet banged into the lever Ahuizotl pulled to start this engine. It flipped up, causing the spiked walls to retract and the table to rise above the surface of the draining sand. Now free of her bonds, Daring heaved for breath and knocked a few grains out of her ears. At around that time, Account had located the hidden switch and used it to open the door, which began to slide open as Daring stood up with helmet in hoof. "Another day…" she said as she put it on. "…another dungeon." A flick of one hoof got it adjusted at the proper rakish angle. "Sorry, Daring Do," Account caught her attention. "I came to your rescue as soon as I could. I had a hard time looking for the switch to the door after holding off one of Ahuizotl's cats." Daring hasn't even thought of her sidekick in her escape attempt, and didn't really think of blaming her anyway. "Where is it now?" "Knocked it out. Now let's get that Stone back!" "Right!" DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA Elsewhere… Ahuizotl sat on a stone throne set up in a stone courtyard, holding the Statue in his tail hand. The tiger and panther nap on either side, while the lynx dozed on top of the headrest. As for the white kitten, it was sitting on Ahuizotl’s lap and purring as he stroked it and laughed. "With Daring Do out of the way, the world will suffer mightily at my hands!" he said exultantly. "I am victorious!" He then laughed wildly for a few seconds, but a blur of khaki, light orange, and monochrome rainbow stopped him in his tracks. It also leaves his tail hand holding a whole lot of nothing. "I’ll take that!" Daring called, holding the Statue in one foreleg and gripping a vine in the other to swing away. "What?!" Ahuizotl stammered as his nemesis landed on a high ledge where her sidekick was waiting and released the vine. "NOOOOOOO!!" Daring then tucks the Statue at one of Account's saddlebags before taunting, "Better luck next time, Ahuizotl!" She then gave her helmet a nudge and the two galloped away. "CURSE YOU, DARING DO!!" he cried out before wailing. The duo were soon out of the jungle and back into civilization by sunset, where they would deposit the Sapphire Statue, rest and recuperate, and where Daring would write her book under her alias and have it published with the help of a Mrs. Velvet. After that, it won't be long before their next adventure. “And so, with Ahuizotl defeated and the Sapphire Statue secured, the world was safe and sound once again—thanks to Daring Do!” The End DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA—DD—GA Somewhere else, before the book was published… "So… what do you think, Account?" After checking out the pages, the unicorn nodded in approval. "I think that'll be a best-seller, Daring." "I still don't understand why you don't want yourself to be included in my stories." "Trust me, you're gonna appear more awesome doing all those stuff alone." And I'm not allowed to be featured, anyway. "If you say so."