Check out the custom-made theme music created by The L-Train here!
Have you ever kept a secret from somepony?
How about an entirely different life?
Twilight Velvet has definitely been less than honest with her family and friends, but now, so many years later, somepony stumbles upon the truth. Adventures long done, friendships that have withered to the barest of sparks—what will resurface as Twilight's true life is uncovered?
Rated Teen for blood, profanity, suggestive themes, and violence.
Volume 1 of
Daring Did: Tales of an Adventurer's Companion
A subseries of the revised Modern Equestria Project.
By Seriff Pilcrow and AdmiralKew.
Daring Did: Tales of an Adventurer's Companion is a fanfiction series that aims to breathe new life into a once-popular headcanon: that Twilight Velvet—Twilight Sparkle's mother—was directly involved with Daring Do and her adventures. Travel with Daring Do and Twilight Velvet across Equestria and beyond as they discover treasures of old, battle dangerous foes, and unearth the knowledge the world’s past has to offer. Drawing inspiration from real-world archeology, locales, and cultures; auxiliary MLP material like the IDW comics and G.M. Berrow chapter books; and standard action-adventure fare like Uncharted and Indiana Jones, Daring Did combines all of these elements into a witty, yet deep narrative that captures a spirit of exploration and exhilaration.
Editing and long description by Dreams of Ponies.
Preread by Edukas, Hubris Von Ego, Magic Step, Nailah, pertinax, and Sparkle Cola.
With feedback from PonyJosiah13, I Thought I Was Toast, and Wing.
Cover art by VanillaGhosties.
Chapter art by Tillie-TMB, Celestial-Rainstorm, Redahfuhrerking, and Little Tigress.
Logo and reference sheets by L1nkoln.
Featured on March 19, 2018; April 23, 2018; June 25, 2018; August 27, 2018; October 8, 2018; November 19, 2018; January 28, 2019; May 20, 2019; September 2, 2019; February 24, 2020; May 4, 2020; January 18, 2021; May 9, 2021; January 24, 2022; October 4, 2022; and May 15, 2023.
Featured on Equestria Daily on February 10, 2021.
Oh sweet, it's finally here!
Fully semiautomatic? What?
8336716
Yes.
In that part of the story, Velvet is not exactly…knowledgeable in firearms or firearm terminology.
8336898
Alrighty, sorry
8337288
No need to apologize.
8336480
Yeah, after one year of planning, one year of scrapping those plans and rebuilding new ones, and eight months of laying out the first story in the series, I hope it'll be worth the wait!
Looks interesting. Not a lot of stories I say that to nowadays. I'll be following this story.
Holy hell, that is good shit right there. Tracked, upvoted, and eagerly waiting for the next chapter!
missed a spot
8345251
Oh, thanks for pointing out!
Dang, this is exciting! Keep it up!
Hit me up when the next chapter is ready for edits
8342289
I'll try to get the next chapter up sometime in mid-August.
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8347469
Glad you three like it!
Spicy time....
Hah
8378884
Yup.
There's probably a raunchy story with the same title out there already, detailing the time Twilight Velvet committed infidelity with Coriander Cumin. /s
8379062
You're killing me XD
Okay... first orders of business. Have a like, fave, follow, and squee.
Next order of business: this is easily one of the most under-viewed reads I have ever come across during my time on this site. Thus far, this story is fantastic. Your combat writing is to-the-point. Even in the theatrical scenes, there is great choreography, and the creed of the swift finish is noticeably, and appreciably present. The hooks with Velvet and Twilight are absolutely glee-inducing. I can see the layers already. There is so much potential with this story, and if it were not 3 AM here right now, I would probably go about leaving you a longer comment. Keep it up.
8392693
I know I'm replying to you really late, but in all honesty, your comment was one of the most heartwarming ones I've read. And that's coming from someone who's not into mushy stuff.
Oh, thank you for the kind words.
If it makes you curious, I'm planning to make some "behind-the-scenes" blog posts detailing the creation behind this fanfic. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them.
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And I meant every word. :P I pretty much stopped what I was working on and threw this link at a few friends. Obviously, if I stopped what I was doing, they also had to stop stuff and read.
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Because in my view, the story isn't that Dark or Gory.
"Dark" describes the story's tone. Dark stories consistently put their characters through despair, oppression, and hopelessness. Violence usually accompanies dark stories, but not always.
The tone of Spectrum of Lightning (and Daring Did as a whole) is closer to a PG-13 action-adventure movie or T video game than something like, say, Fallout Equestria. While Spectrum of Lightning has its "unfortunate" moments, I don't plan to make the whole story gritty and depressing. Thus, I opted not to put the Dark tag.
You have a point with the "Gore" tag, but I'm not going to place one because as violent as I plan Spectrum of Lightning to be, it's not going to be gory.
If you've watched gameplay from the Uncharted series; any of the Indiana Jones movies; or the Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig incarnations of James Bond, you have a good idea on what the violence in Daring Did is like. That said, none of the those movies / video games are considered "gory," one or two exemptions aside. They are violent, yes. Many people (bad guys, usually) die, yes. Blood is spilled, yes. But as far as violence goes, they don't quite make the mark for gore. There are far bloodier movies out there.
Tl;dr: If you want to know if Spectrum of Lightning is for you, watch the following scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark (the first Indiana Jones movie, rated PG). If you can stand them, then you can stand Spectrum of Lightning.
Well, that's what I'd call a beginning of an adventure story
Great dynamic pacing, detailed descriptions, action, even a few spots that gave me a laugh. I'm curious what the next chapters will bring!
One thing I noticed though:
I can't help feeling that this sounds a little out of place in a non-human story
So far, so good. At first, the present Twilight Velvet seemed a little too rough and brash, compared to how her children behave. However, Twilight seeking her father sort of explained who was the one raising her, so no problem
I really like your way of writing tensed moments, as well as the detailed descriptions (including the realistic ventures into the more taboo things of ordinary life) and originality in times of relative calm. Velvet's tinkering was a great touch indeed, I like it that she's a bit of rebellious, cunning character. Also, given how much attention you put to her body physique now and then, I believe she'll have to endure a lot...
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Well, I'm certainly enjoying this and wanting to see more. I always love it when authors go that extra mile with their fics, either through art or audio/video.
Why doesn't this story have a dark tag?
8414873
Hey there! I try to make it a point to reply to comments (unless I really can't think of anything to say), so I apologize for not giving you're the same treatment months earlier. Medical school can be a reeeeeeaaal hog when it comes to free time.
That said, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far…and that opening scene!
Funny story behind that opening scene: when JackRipper (my pre-reader) was reading it in a Discord voice channel along with me and Dreams of Ponies (my editor), he came across this line…
He remarked, "As opposed to a pleasant skull fracture!"
Boy, we all had a laugh at that one. As Dreams would say, "Good times."
Also, yeah, Dreams and Jack complained about that "man down" thing, but I didn't listen.
I changed it now, though.
8415975
That's…actually an interesting way of interpreting the dynamic between Twilight Sparkle and her parents. It wasn't my intention—I was just going for a simple personality clash, but now that you mention it, your way of thinking makes sense!
Glad you like the details that I put in the calmer scenes!
I do that because in my mind, the characters have lives beyond what the story shows, so it would be nice to have some of those extra details "leak out," so to speak, in the narrative.
As for Twilight Velvet's personality, I tried to make it her portrayal in this story more distinct from her usual fan characterization. She's usually portrayed as something of a demure "good parent" archetype, so I decided to shake things up a bit by giving her a personality befitting of an action-adventure story (and judging by "Once Upon a Zeppelin," my characterization seems to be vindicated, at least in one way or another). Velvet's technological skill is basically a way to ease in the reader to the alternate universe of the Modern Equestria Project, although how much I have succeeded in that role, I'm not entirely sure. I've talked it over to my co-author, and we're planning to give out some explanation behind the modern Equestrian technology in the future chapters.
And of course Velvet would have a slightly chubby physique at that point of the story. She's part of the Canterlot upper class; I don't expect her to have a particularly physically active lifestyle…yet.
Boy, now I can imagine a scene in a future Daring Did story where Night Light caresses Twilight Velvet's firm body muscles, acquired after training herself physically for the athletic rigors of adventuring with Daring Do, and reminiscing to the time Velvet had a soft pillow of fat for a belly. Of course, he wouldn't mind. He likes a mare who takes good care of her body.
Hope you enjoy the next chapters!
8532954
Thanks! If you want more stuff related to Daring Did, you can check out my YouTube and deviantART for stuff related to it. I have short audio plays and SFM art from back in the day.
I actually have plans for an audio play adaptation of the first five chapters (complete with an original soundtrack), but I still have to see if I have the time and resources to make that without sacrificing the process of creating the actual fanfic.
8544984
I explained it in a reply to an earlier comment, but the gist of it is that the Dark tag is for stories with a consistent tone of hopelessness and oppression. It's the difference between Uncharted and Tomb Raider 2013. Even if the latter weren't bloodier and gorier than the former, the difference in tone would still be evident. Since I'm aiming for a tone closer to Uncharted in this fanfic than Tomb Raider 2013, I opted not to put the Dark tag.
Trust me, this was not easy for me to figure out. I went back and forth with my co-author, editor, and pre-reader about it multiple times, and sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision, so I understand your reservations.
Glad to see a new chapter! Wow, this is some good stuff, really looking forward to future chapters. Though one does wish for the chapters to come out faster...
That said, absolutely fantastic work. Cheers, and on to the next!
8414873
) You are welcome 
No problem, we all have something holding us from writing (Why didn’t Fimfic notify me about your reply?
Yeah, if you have a good team of pre-readers/editors, finalizing a chapter is a great fun
Wow, this was quite an action packed chapter! At first it was rather slow, like a lazy Sunday afternoon, but the chase escalated very quickly
Also, is it common for motorbike-lovers to check up on their vehicles like that?
8556408
Once again, thanks! The chase was one heck of a scene to write, but in the end, I think it was worth it!
As for whether motorcycle-lovers caress their vehicles and talk to them and whatnot, I'm kind of the wrong person to ask
. I'm a medical student, not a mechanic.
8547312
You and me both. I'm naturally a very slow writer, and real-life, non-pony obligations don't help matters
.
But you're in luck! In just a few minutes, I'll be posting the next chapter!
Hope you like it!
8559383
You’re welcome! I think it came out really great
Oh, I see. I’m a biology student myself, so the idea is just as vague to me... Though sometimes I talk to my centrifuge
Good to see a Train-fight scene that actually takes into account the other passengers.
Also, why haven't I heard of this story before now? I just randomly found it in the Recently Updated list on the home page. Between the cover art, cover-page synopsis, and quality of writing this story has all the hallmarks of something that Should see a lot more traffic and maybe even a Feature eventually, but it's apparently been out for almost half a year now and only has 33 Likes and no Dislikes and not even a full page in the comments-feed...?
Seriously, it's obvious you've taken the time to plan out and polish this story in advance, it just seems like it should be getting more attention than it apparently is.
Oh, a new chapter that quickly? That’s spoiling your readers!
It was really great to see more action, along with these two together. Also, I can stop wondering how did they meet each other now.
And of course, many Indiana Jones references, including the knife-wielder
One small thing I noticed though; there is a point where Velvet mentions the princesses (and their cereal). Given the timeline, I believe the only princesses present in Equestria as of now are Celestia and maybe a very young Cadance. In the show, Luna seemed to be forgotten and transformed into a mere legend. Maybe the ponies treat some other, long dead princess (There had been quite a lot of them...) as a deity as well?
However, this is what sent me laughing on the floor despite all the gore:
Though I wonder if Daring has a ticket of her own
8560067
In my experience, most train action scenes in film take place in cargo trains or on trains commandeered by the villains, so it make sense that passengers wouldn't be present.
But hey, glad you like the story so far!
And yeah, as happy as I am with the reception my fanfic has accrued, I wish I knew how else I could promote it aside from adding it to FiMFiction groups and advertising it on Skype and Discord.
8559887
Heh, that reminds me of the times I had to stay late at night at the lab to tend to bacterial cultures. Normally, I have my tablet at the side, reading fanfics out loud with a text-to-speech program. I bet all those germs hate me now for forcing them through all the various fan adaptations of Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet.
Oh dear, you caught the "Talk to your Lab Equipment" bug, too?
8560534
There's a lot to talk about when it comes to the development of the chapter, so I'll just pick what I can fit into a reasonably-sized comment. If you want to know more, just tell me!
Glad you like this chapter!
The first time I wrote Twilight Velvet and Daring Do's first meeting, the fanfic had a very different tone—gritty and depressing like Tomb Raider 2013 rather than pulpy, over-the-top, and irreverent like Uncharted. It was set on an airship rather than a train, and the other passengers and crew? Almost all of them were dead by the end of the chapter.
There's more to that knife-wielding mare than just an Indiana Jones reference. I took Krav Maga classes a few months ago—mostly out of fascination, and partly to enhance the fight choreography in Daring Did. In one session, the topic was defense against a front knife slash. The instructor then told us that this somewhat elaborate technique is only for instances where someone approaches you at arms' reach and suddenly draws out a knife. In cases where someone draws out a knife several meters away and charges at you, no special technique is required.
Kick them in the nuts.
As for the "Princesses' cereal bit," Dreams of Ponies made that. I raised the issue with him and he quickly whipped up an alternative.
You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out!
8573080
I have to try that text-to-speech feature when I’m alone in the lab someday. My dead frogs hopefully wouldn’t mind
Those are really interesting bits of background information! Also, is it just me or do almost all self-defence techniques contain kicking the oponent in the nuts and/or sticking fingers in their eyes?
No, I can’t wait to know!
8573006
Irony: You replying to my comment the same morning this shows up in my notifications feed:
As for better promotion, I've already added it to my user-page, but I don't know how much traffic that gets overall. I also left a subtle link in my original comment to a Fimfiction blog regarding the best times to post/update stories to get the most traffic, in case you hadn't found it.
8573255
Well, if you use iOS, I can teach you how to perform that text-to-speech thing. I’m not entirely sure how to do it in Android, but I think the principle is the same.
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I did have to do some extra calculating myself since I don’t live in the US. But ultimately, I discovered that the best time to post chapters is 7:00 am Monday, to coincide with a 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm time zone in the US. Thanks for the help!
Whelp, sure didn’t see that link before.
Also, that’s an interesting video. Now I gotta have a scene where Daring uses a whip like that…
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I was thinking more along the lines of maybe Velvet, since she's the one who seems to like jurry-rigging things so much.
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Thank you for the offer, but given I usually carry a laptop with me instead of tablet, I think you’d be just wasting time. Still, thank you!
8588396
Now there’s an idea!
Although I can’t really see Velvet using the whip—perhaps more like creating a whip from paracord and giving it to Daring. I don’t want Velvet to be a carbon copy of Daring, after all.
8589190
TFW when you realize a MLP story is what you'd get if you crossed over Indiana Jones and MacGyver...
Also, I've been looking into it more and that whip is a "quick and dirty" DIY whip. There are ways to actually make fully pleated Paracord whips that are of the same quality as a rawhide whip. I'm even considering trying it myself come spring.
Finished first chapter looks good so far
Now this is something I did not expect to see
...consider my interest peeked!