The Royal Canterlot Family

by CartoonNerd12

Sunset Meets Daring Do

Author's Note:

My sister, KidatHeart5 wrote this oneshot. Thanks Sis!

It was another glorious weekend for the cousins. They were in Canterlot once again to visit Fire Spark and Starling. They were playing in the bedroom their mothers once had when Twilight opened the door.

She told them, "Kids, guess what? Aunt Sunset's here!"

The kids cheered as they raced out of the room, "Aunt Sunny!"

Twilight yelped as she barely moved out of the way.

Meanwhile, Discord hummed as he balanced a dish on his nose. Suddenly, he heard stampeding and immediately flew up to the ceiling. The dish spun in midair for a few seconds before he grabbed it. He saw the kids cheering and charging down the hallway.

He asked, "What's got you so excited?"

Then he heard somepony chuckling, "Hi, guys! It's been a while!"

Discord slunked down from the ceiling a bit to see Sunset Shimmer embracing her nieces and nephews. He muttered, "Oh, right."

The kids were chattering away while they and Sunset went to the foyer.

"We want to hear your adventures, Sunny!"

"Yeah! Tell us where you've been!"

"Have you been to Prance? Appleloosa? Ooh! How about Manehattan?"

Sunset chuckled, "All right, all right. Settle down. I'll tell you everything."

Discord, who was now leaning against the doorway, said, "Funny. You never told us about how you met Daring Do exactly."

The kids, sans Screwball and Apple Jewel, were agape by this new development. They then began asking questions to Sunset.

To quench their thirst for answers, Sunset held up her hoof and smiled, "Okay, settle down, everypony. Yes, Daring Do is real and I was very lucky to meet her. But it didn't happen the way you think…"

About a year ago, Sunset Shimmer traveled across Equestria with the friends she made at the manor. They had their first taste of fun ever since Starlight hired them. They had just recently enjoyed themselves at an amusement park in Las Pegasus.

Party Favor chortled, "Woo-hoo! I can't remember the last time I had fun like that!"

Sugar Belle agreed, "Me, too! I loved the merry-go-round! Ooh! And the cotton candy!"

Sunset chuckled, "I know who'd love that." When she thought of Pinkie Pie, her face became downtrodden.

Double Diamond asked, "Hey, Sunset? Are you okay?"

The unicorn sighed, "I don't know, guys. It's just…Did I make the right choice going on adventures instead of staying with my sisters? I mean, I've been away from them for so long and now I'm apart from them again."

Night Glider said, "You were holed up at the manor for so long. No one can blame ya for wanting to stretch your legs out. I'm sure your family is totally fine with it."

Sunset said, "Well…here's the thing. I was never really raised to act like a princess. Even if I stayed with my family, I would never feel like I could fit in."

Sugar Belle pieced it together, "Ah…That's why you want to roam around Equestria. You want to find the one thing that fits who you are."

Party Favor suggested, "So why not go on adventures like Daring Do? She is one awesome Pegasus who can take on cats, boiling pits of lava, and can always get out of the tightest scrapes!"

Troubleshoes asked, "Um, are ya sure that's what Sunset should do? I mean, it's awfully risky. Ya don't need me to slow ya down."

Sunset said, "Oh, come on, Troubleshoes. You're our friend. You won't slow us down. And besides, Starlight always said I had an adventurous streak in me." She chuckled at the memory of playing Jungle Pony with the bed sheets, toys, and furniture.

Night Glider got a newspaper and said to her friends, "Hey! Check this out!" When the others saw the article, the Pegasus read aloud, "'The next Daring Do book will be delayed for another two months.'"

All six shouted, "WHAT?!"

Sunset asked, "Does it say why?"

Night Glider continued reading, "'The publisher has stated that the author A.K. Yearling has gone...'"

All six shouted again, "MISSING?!"

Party Favor fretted, "We need to find her! She could be in trouble!"

Sunset said as she used her magic to take the newspaper, "Don't worry. If we go to the last place she was at, maybe we could search for clues."

When they read where Yearling was last seen, they cringed. Double Diamond pointed out, "That's a long way from here."

---

Thanks to Troubleshoes' stamina, the six of them reached the area where the author was last seen.

Sunset wondered, "That's strange…Why would she live in a remote part of Equestria?"

Night Glider remarked, "No wonder she went missing. A pony could get easily lost in here."

Troubleshoes stopped and said, "Found it. But I don't think you're gonna like what ya see."

The six saw the house and were shocked to find it ransacked.

Sugar Belle gasped, "Oh, no! What happened here?"

Double Diamond said, "Looks like somepony got to A.K. Yearling before we did."

Sunset knocked on the door, but it fell right to the ground. The friends all peeked inside to see that the inside was just as trashed as the outside.

Troubleshoes remarked, "Whoever the trespassers were, they really tore this place apart."

Sunset vouched, "No kidding."

Night Glider asked as she and the others searched the place, "Do ya think there was a struggle?"

Sunset shook her head, "Not even remotely close. I've read detective stories, and a scene of a struggle would have feathers lying about if a Pegasus was involved."

Party Favor asked, "What would there be if it was a unicorn or Earth pony?"

"You don't want to know."

The blue Earth pony shuddered, "You're right. Maybe I don't."

Just then, a voice from the doorway said, "What are you all doing here?"

When the pony stepped through the doorway, the six exclaimed, "A.K. Yearling!"

Sugar Belle exclaimed, "Thank goodness you're all right!"

Party Favor said, "We were all worried about you!"

Yearling asked, "'Worried'? About what?"

Sunset explained, "When we learned that you went missing, we went out to look for you. We thought you might've been in-"

Yearling interrupted her as she searched through the house, "What have you done to my house?"

Troubleshoes said, "We didn't do this, miss."

Double Diamond said, "Yeah. We're just glad you're in one piece. The house is a total mess!"

Suddenly, she pulled a book from under Double Diamond, causing him to crash into assorted things. She then pressed the three rings on the spine of the book and they spun to each show a circle sign. The hoof on the cover glowed white and Yearling put her hoof on it and twisted the emblem to the left. The rings of the spine unlatched and the spine split in half, allowing a golden ring to slide out.

Yearling took the ring and sighed, "It's safe." She then tucked it in her cloak and began putting books away.

Sunset said, "Well…Now that you're back safely, I guess we should be going right now."

The friends began to go, but Party Favor stayed behind, holding a paper and asking hopefully, "Can I have your autograph?" When Sunset used her magic to pull him by the tail, he said, "Okay! I'm going! I'm going!"

As the six of them walked towards the wagon, Night Glider said, "I guess that's it for this adventure. It ended before it even…" Suddenly, they heard a window creak. They then turned to see three brawny stallions jumping in the window. Night Glider trailed off, "…started."

Meanwhile, Yearling was still tidying things up. When she angled the broken mirror, she saw the reflections of the three stallions. She turned to face them, even though she was surrounded.

She said to them, "Looking for me?"

She threw off her cloak, hat, and glasses to reveal herself as…Daring Do! The six of them had been looking through a window and were astonished by what they saw.

Night Glider breathed, "Whoa…"

Sunset said, "I don't believe it…"

Sugar Belle said, "Who would've known?"

Troubleshoes remarked, "Well, I'll be darned."

Party Favor blurted, "A.K. Yearling is Daring Do?! My mind is officially blown!"

When Daring Do faced off against the thugs, the six couldn't help but watch.

Double Diamond breathed, "Amazing."

Sunset said, "Incredible."

Night Glider said with awed eyes, "My awesomest dream come true."

Daring Do continued struggling with the thugs until Sugar Belle shouted, "Daring Do!"

The tan Pegasus was completely caught off-guard by the shout and almost immediately, the thugs swarmed her. The golden ring fell out of her grasp and landed on the doorstep. Just then, a grayish-brown Earth pony stallion grabbed the ring.

He told his archenemy, "Many thanks, Daring Do. As you probably surmised, our earlier search for the treasure was…unsuccessful. So kind of you to find it for us."

Daring Do tried to get up, but she fell back to the ground on account of her broken leg. She ordered the stallion, "Give it back, Caballeron!"

Obviously peeved, he corrected, "That's Doctor Caballeron to you."

Night Glider said to her friends, "He's from Book 4: The Razor of Dreams."

Double Diamond smiled, "Oh, right! He wanted to partner with Daring Do on her adventures!"

Party Favor said, "Yeah, but she refused! Can you believe it? We're actually seeing the real Daring Do, and the real Caballeron!"

Daring Do slowly rose from the floor and said, "So let me guess: Ahuizotl has put you up to this. You're stealing the ring to give to him so his hold on the Fortress of Talicon will be good for eight centuries as foretold by prophecy."

Caballeron, who had just walked up to her, said, "Close, but no. I'm going to sell this to him, make a bundle, and retire from archaeology in splendor."

Daring Do panted as the thugs held her back, "Caballeron, you fool! You're dooming the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting heat!"

Caballeron remarked, "To market, henchponies!"

The thugs released her as they followed their boss. Daring Do tried to pursue them, but her broken leg prevented her from doing so.

Sugar Belle said, "Maybe we should go in and help her now."

As Daring Do tied up her leg in a cast, Sunset asked, "Are you okay, Daring Do?"

The Pegasus grumbled, "I'm fine, no thanks to you all."

Party Favor said, "We're really, really, really, really sorry about that."

Double Diamond said, "We didn't mean for you to lose the ring."

Daring Do explained as she stood up, "That wasn't just any ring. It was a Ring of Scorchero."

Night Glider said in shock, "Wait. Ring of Scorchero? Weren't the rings scattered across the four corners of Tenochtitlan to prevent the prophecy from coming true?"

Sunset said, "Yes, but they could've been reassembled again to restore the dark tower and its cruel hold on Tenochtitlan!"

Daring Do said, "And that's precisely what I think has happened. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to do this alone." She then flew off until she was out of sight.

The six of them just stood there until Sugar Belle asked, "We're not letting her do this on her own, are we?"

The rest of them shook their heads and said, "Nope."

---

Thankfully, Daring Do's leg had healed, so Sunset thought she was in a better mood. The unicorn called after her, "Daring Do! Daring Do!"

The Pegasus stopped and turned to face her. "Oh, it's you again. What do you want?"

"My friends and I are really sorry about what happened back there."

"You should be." She continued as she started walking again, "Now why don't you and your pals just go back to wherever you came?"

Sunset walked with her as she said, "I know we made a mess of things, but we want to help you get the Ring of Scorchero back."

"Thank you kindly for the offer, but I have three words for you: I. Work. Alone."

"That's what you said to Caballeron and look what happened. He's now working against you."

"Caballeron is a greedy treasure hunter and only in it for the money. He wants to rob every place he's in of the valuable treasures that should just remain where they are. Besides, my work always involves secrets, and since you can never know who to trust, it's best never to trust anypony."

"I know how you feel. Secrets are what kept me from my family in the first place."

"Wait, what?"

Sunset sighed, "There was this pony who raised me in her manor, but she was keeping me from going out into the world. She was also the one who stole me from my family when I was very little."

"Who steals a baby and gets away with it? That is just sick."

"I know, but my father stole a phoenix from her just so my mother could be healed."

"Well, I call kidnapping you disproportionate retribution."

"Still, I don't think locking up my former guardian is any different from when she locked me up all those years."

"So how did you manage to escape?"

"At first, I slipped out of the manor because I found a music box and a necklace in Starlight's trunk. I knew she was keeping those things from me for a reason, so I went to Canterlot to find out. Believe it or not, I met my twin sister Twilight Sparkle there, even though I didn't know it at the time."

Daring Do stopped in surprise and said, "Wait. You're the twin sister of Queen Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yep."

"Wow. I never knew I had a princess with me."

Sunset chuckled, "I'm hardly a princess. I wasn't raised like one compared to my sisters."

"Maybe you're not like those kinds of princesses. I think you might be the adventurous type. You can use your royal title to help those in need while traveling the world for adventure."

Sunset realized that she was right. Maybe that's what the answer had been all along. She told the Pegasus, "You know, Daring Do? You're right. I was never meant to serve behind palace walls. I want to get out there and get my hooves dirty. I feel a lot better helping ponies hooves-on instead of just saying the word. And I think I know who to help right now." She gave her a smirk.

Daring Do sighed, knowing she couldn't deter the princess even if she tried. "All right, Your Highness. You and your friends can help. But you have to do exactly as I say."

"Thank you. You can count on us."

---

Luna had just raised her moon and nighttime fell in the jungle. Caballeron and his henchponies were eating hay in their camp while Daring Do, Sunset, and her friends peeked behind the bushes.

Double Diamond whispered, "I guess they decided to eat an early dinner before going down the hill to the marketplace in town."

Daring Do said, "All right, here's my plan…" She huddled them in a circle and whispered her plan.

After she finished, Party Favor whispered, "Are you crazy?!"

Sunset said, "It's the only option we've got."

Daring Do said, "And besides, we can handle it."

She scooped dirt from the ground and smeared it all over her face. Then, she put leaves on her face in the shape of a beard. The Pegasus, along with Sunset, walked up to the ruffians while the others watched from behind the bushes.

Caballeron and his henchponies looked at the girls in great curiosity until Sunset said, "I understand you have a valuable item in your possession. We can offer a large sum of money for it." She then dropped a bag of royal bits on the ground.

Caballeron said in interest, "Ah…I did have another buyer in mind, but he is not here at the moment. However, I think we can arrange this sort of deal, Miss…uh…"

Sunset nodded her head once as she said, "Princess Sunset Shimmer. My family is very wealthy, so I can pay handsomely for it."

"You're a princess, huh? I've had my share of princesses, though I can say my experiences with them were…far from pleasant."

"How so? Did you offend them in any way?"

"Oh, much worse than that. For the crime I had committed, my henchponies and I were sentenced to rowing boats for a long time. But we used it to our advantage and escaped, leaving all of Marendelle to assume that we were lost at sea. A bit of dramatic irony, considering what I almost did to their now-coronated queen."

Suddenly, Sunset put two and two together. Her eyes widened and she asked, "Were you the pony who tried to kill my sister Sweetie Belle?"

Caballeron was shocked to hear that Sunset was Sweetie Belle's sister, but he didn't have time to respond when –

"RAAAARRR!"

The thugs ran away at the sound while Caballeron and the girls just stood still. The ground shook and trees fell before Ahuizotl emerged from the forest!

He shouted, "CABALLERON! THE RING!"

Caballeron ran away from the beast and grabbed the bag of money, dropping the ring in the process. Daring Do immediately grabbed the ring and her leaf beard came off. Ahuizotl growled before lunging at her. Sunset ducked into the bushes with her friends as they watched the fight.

Sugar Belle fretted, "Will she be all right?"

Night Glider said, "Of course she'll be all right! She's Daring Do!"

Ahuizotl was now on his fours, creeping slowly towards Daring Do, who was walking backwards with the ring in her mouth. The creature said, "The ring, Daring Do. Give it…" She leapt as he pounded the ground. "…to me!"

Daring Do smirked, "Now, Ahuizotl, you know I love you. But I can't give you the ring till I've properly proposed."

Party Favor gagged, "Gross! She's got a thing for Ahuizotl?"

Sunset face-hoofed, "It was witty banter."

Ahuizotl chuckled as he sat upright, "Interesting, because my friends here have a proposal of their own." He snapped the fingers at the end of his tail and a bunch of wild cats – including an angry housecat – emerged.

Troubleshoes asked, "Are ya sure we shouldn't be helpin' them?"

All five of his friends hissed at him, "No!"

Daring Do backed up against a rocky rise as the cats crept towards her. She then assumed an attack stance and said, "Bring it!"

To the six friends' amazement, Daring Do managed to take on every cat she faced. Unfortunately, though, she was eventually overwhelmed by the cats and bound in ropes.

Ahuizotl chortled, "Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha! I have you now, Daring Do! And this time, I will make sure to get rid of you once for all!"

The six ponies couldn't do anything but stand by and watch the laughing beast take Daring Do to his fortress. They knew it was part of the plan, but at that moment, they wanted to take on Ahuizotl and his feline gang with their own bare hooves. Still, they had to wait until Celestia raised the sun before venturing towards the Fortress of Talicon.

It was still dark out while Sunset whispered, "Come on, Mom. Raise the sun. Raise the sun. We need now more than ever."

Her wish was soon granted when the moon lowered and made way for the rising sun. Night Glider said, "That's the signal! Let's go!" The six ponies then made their way to the Fortress of Talicon.

---

Deep within the dark fortress, Daring Do was chained to a wall flanked by spiked pillars on both sides. There was also water filled with piranhas below her. Despite the danger she faced, she said, "Surrender now, Ahuizotl, or I'll be forced to take you down!"

As she struggled to get free of her bonds, Ahuizotl emerged from the side passage and laughed at her futile attempts. He said, "Oh, Daring Do, I will so miss your amusing laughter-jokes. Now, I must leave to commence the ring-placing ceremony to unleash 800 years of unrelenting, sweltering heat!"

He then pulled the chain-cord and released massive amounts of water from the circular opening below him. He laughed maniacally as he left Daring Do in the chamber, which was filling up with water quickly. Daring Do mustered every bit of her strength to free herself from the bonds. However, she managed to loosen the stones that held her bonds with her hooves still in them. When she finally loosened the four stones each hoof was fastened to, she could barely fly upwards with the tremendous weight of the stones. Luckily, Night Glider swooped in and carried her upwards.

The dark blue Pegasus grunted, "Don't worry! I got you!"

Once they reached the passage, Daring Do smashed the rocks under her hooves. She smirked, "I don't seem to recall saving me as part of the plan. Did Sunset put you up to this?"

Night Glider smirked, "She also wanted me to give you this." She said as she gave Daring Do her hat, "You might need it."

After Daring Do put on her hat, she said as she and Night Glider raced down the corridor, "Come on! We've got a ceremony to thwart!"

---

Inside the main chamber, Ahuizotl performed the ritual as two rows of tribal ponies rhythmically pounded their spears. Just then, Sunset and the rest of her friends peeked from the doorway. Ahuizotl's laughter was interrupted when Sunset ordered, "Drop the ring, Ahuizotl!"

When the five ponies charged at him, Ahuizotl commanded the two ponies holding the ring, "Place the ring - quickly!"

It wasn't long until Party Favor got ahold of the ring and it was passed along to each of his friends. Daring Do and Night Glider then leaned against the doorway and looked up to the pillar with the rest of the Rings of Scorchero on it. Daring Do told the Pegasus, "Come with me!"

As Night Glider's friends were still trying the get the last ring away from Ahuizotl and his gang, she and Daring Do went up to the pillar. The tan Pegasus told her, "Help me get all these rings off!"

The two Pegasi then grunted as they got several rings off. Daring Do then told Night Glider, "If we can remove the giant ring at the bottom, the whole fortress will collapse!" As they lifted the giant ring, Daring Do grunted, "I didn't count on *ungh!* how heavy this ring would be. I guess having a little help can be handy sometimes."

By the time, Ahuizotl got ahold of the small ring, it was too late. The fortress began to crumble as Daring Do and Night Glider lifted the giant ring from the bottom. He ordered, "STOP HERRRRR!"

Sunset shouted to her friends, "Guys, run! This place is going down!"

Thankfully, as the Pegasi lifted the giant ring from the pillar, the golden column dissolved into sparkly dust. Daring Do, Night Glider, and the five other friends made it out of the fortress before it collapsed into a pile of rubble. Ahuizotl emerged from the rubble, shouting, "DARING DOOO! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

When Daring Do and Night Glider threw the ring onto the ground and destroyed it, they landed next to the other ponies. Daring Do smiled, "Thank you, everypony. I could never have done it without you."

Sunset nodded in respect, "We were just glad to help you when you needed it."

"I'm sure I might need you and your friends on my adventures sometime, princess."

Sunset smiled, "Please. Call me Sunset Shimmer."

Daring Do hoof-bumped with her as the tan Pegasus said, "Sure thing, Sunset. Right now, I've got a book to finish!"

The six ponies all waved Daring Do goodbye as she flew off into the sunset…

---

The kids were all wide-eyed from the amazement of their aunt's first adventure with Daring Do. They all said, "Whoa…"

Discord crossed his arms and remarked, "Well, I must admit you had quite an adventure with the one and only adventurer, Sunny."

Sunset pulled out a book as she said, "Yep. And I've got the book to prove it."

The kids all gasped and started clamoring for the book.

"I wanna read it!"

"No, me!"

"Me, first!"

"Yeah, right!"

Just then, Discord grabbed the book and said, "I say let Sunset read it to you. After all, she was there."

The kids sighed, "Good point."

He then grinned mischievously, "Just kidding. First dibs!"

As soon as he quickly zipped out of the room, the kids and Sunset ran after him, shouting for him to stop and give them the book.

Comments

[Skye Mist]

Only Discord!

[Godslittleprincess]

The blue Earth pony shuddered

Umm, isn't Party Favor a unicorn?

[Godslittleprincess]

This was great. I was wondering when you guys were going to post a Sunset-centered oneshot.

[Godslittleprincess]

Wait a minute. Sunset knew that Caballeron was still alive. Did she ever report him to the authorities? Where is he now? Is he coming back for his revenge on Rumble?