Indeed, I Dare!
Boltsinger squeed internally. Had he been in his usual state of mind instead of landing from one of his flights, he would be bouncing more than Pinkie Pie when somepony new arrived in Ponyville. Standing before him was the protagonist of one of his favorite adventure novel series, Daring Do! And the best part; He had just landed here from a flight that told him that he was needed by somepony nearby!
“So, I know this is going to sound strange, Miss Do, but…” Boltsinger tried to relax his wings, but they wouldn’t move. He took a breath to continue.
“I need your help!” Daring interrupted. “If you know Rainbow Dash, then she’ll believe you when you say that I need her!”
“So, you need me to deliver a message to Rainbow?” the stallion asked. “I can do that, I think. Only took me half a day to get here this time.”
“That’s great! Do you know somepony named Quibble Pants as well?” she asked. “Normally I can handle puzzles, but I’ve received a threat from Ahuizotl saying that if I don’t meet his challenge, he’s going to lay siege to the nearby villages with an army of feline warriors!”
“Army of feline warriors? But doesn’t Ahuizotl only have five hench-cats?” he questioned. “Anyway… I don’t know anypony named Quibble Pants, but... “ He brought a hoof up to his muzzle, thinking on what to do. “If you need a smart pony, my girlfriend is the smartest pony around!”
“Somehow, he’s managed to find a large number of cats to obey his command, and he’s got them trained on the village of Somnambula right now!” She explained. “If that girlfriend of yours really is as smart as you say, bring her along as well!”
“Right. I’ll go get them!” His stomach growled in defiance. “Riiiiiiight after I get some food.”
“So, what’s your name, anyway?” Daring asked as the two made their way inside. “You must be coming from Ponyville if Rainbow Dash is your flight coach.”
“Oh, my name is Boltsinger.” he told her, gesturing to himself with a foreleg. “And you’re right, I moved to Ponyville a while back. But these wings of mine take me all over.”
“I see… Well, I’m glad you’re not just squealing like a rabid fan.” Daring stated as the two sat down at one of the tables. “That’s the normal response I get when somepony finds out my secret.”
“Oh, if I had arrived under different circumstances, I would be.” the stallion confirmed. He scarfed down a multitude of the complimentary muffins, sliding a few into a bag he had pulled out of his mane. “Well, I’m gonna go and deliver your message! I’ll see you soon!” With that, electricity sparked from his wings as he ran outside, where there was a sudden thunderclap. Daring ran outside to investigate, seeing the Pegasus she’d just met flying off to the north.
At Rainbow Dash’s house, the resident pony was rocked out of her nap, hearing the sound of thunder just outside her door. She ran outside, looking around frantically for the source of the sound. She looked at the electrified hole in the ground below her house, seeing a particular orange stallion standing shakily in the hole, looking up at her.
“Bolt? What are you doing here?” Rainbow said, flying down next to him. “Twilight just told me you had taken off! How’d you get back here so fast?”
“Well, I’m technically still on the job. Otherwise I’d be way more excited that I just met Daring Do herself.” He jumped out of the hole and turn to Rainbow Dash. “That was the secret you were talking about, right?”
“Wait, the pony you’re helping this time is Daring Do?!” Rainbow inquired. “Then... why are you here?”
“She wants me to come get you. I’ve just got one other stop before we go to the inn.” Boltsinger told her, turning towards the castle. “I’ll be at the castle! Get your things ready to go, because Ahuizotl seems to have something huge planned for Daring!” He flared his wings and took off, leaving Rainbow Dash to wonder just what was so urgent that Daring Do needed her help.
Twilight was in the kitchen, looking through a cookbook to see what she wanted to make next as the door to the kitchen swung open with a burst of wind. She jumped, turning around to see Boltsinger standing in the doorway, his wings and Cutie Mark still crackling.
“Boltsinger, what are you doing back so soon? And why are you still surging like that?” She wondered, running up to the stallion.
“I need your help!” He said, pulling her towards him. “Or, more accurately, Daring Do needs your help! Rainbow is on her way here, and I was told to look for a smarter pony as well. You’re the smartest pony I know, so you’re it! Come on!” He ran out the door, leaving a dumbfounded Twilight to look at the determined stallion.
She shook her head and facehoofed, snapping herself out of it. “Right! I’ll get my things!” She flew off to her room, gathering everything she might need for a high-stakes adventure. As she turned to exit, she nodded to herself, floating the book with her special somepony’s Cutie Mark emblazoned on the cover into her saddlebag, taking off after him.
Back at the Get On Inn, Daring Do was waiting as patiently as she could, which meant restlessness had set in several hours ago. She looked over a note that she had received in her home that bore several claw and tooth-marks, as if delivered by a big cat.
Daring Do... She read to herself in the voice of her foe. Prepare yourself! I have concocted a challenge for you, and if you don’t show up, I will unleash my feline army upon your cherished village of Somnambula! If you survive, I will call off my attack, of course. But that is unlikely! You are welcome to bring those accursed ponies that interfered with previous encounters. All the more to complete my vengeance!!! She didn’t bother to read the last part again, as it was covered with scratches and fang marks. Plus, she was pretty sure it was just Ahuizotl writing his own evil laughter into the letter, as her arch-foes often did.
“I hope Boltsinger gets back with Rainbow Dash and their friend soon.” She said. “I know I can take Ahuizotl on, but would he really stop his attack on the village?” She looked at the sky with a determined face. “I’ve gotta have a backup plan!” She turned to enter the in again as the ground shook, a thunderclap signaling the arrival Daring was hoping for. She excitedly turned to the source of the sound, seeing Boltsinger in a rather unceremonious position, with Rainbow Dash and a familiar lilac Alicorn piled on top of him.
“Are you okay?” She asked, cantering up to the ponies. “That looks like a rough landing!”
Boltsinger worked his way back up to his hooves. “I’m fine.” he leaned in next to the Alicorn. “You all right?”
The Alicorn opened her eyes with a bit of a wobble to them, raising a foreleg in proclamation. “I’m fine, Boltie-boo, you just make sure my magick-y thing isn’t all floppy!”
“Floppy?” He wondered, putting his wing under her to help her up. “Twilight, why would your horn ever be floppy?”
Twilight shook herself from her crash-induced daze, looking away with a hint of red showing itself on her face. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s not like I’ve had any Poison Joke, after all!”
Boltsinger cocked a confused eyebrow. “Poison Joke?” He repeated. “I’ll ask for details later.” He turned to Rainbow Dash, who had already recovered from the landing and was trotting over to Daring Do.
“What do you need us for, Daring?” the Wonderbolt asked. “Bolt told us that Ahuizotl was planning something. Do you need us to head in and take him out while you retrieve a sacred artifact?”
Daring held her letter up to Rainbow, letting it unfurl before her. “Read it for yourself!” Rainbow did as directed, her eyes widening as they reached the bottom of the page. “As much as I’d like you to help me against Ahuizotl himself, I just can’t trust that he’ll let the village go when I beat him!” She took the letter and stuffed it back in her pocket. “So I need you three to get the villagers to safety. I’ll be taking on Ahuizotl on my own.”
“Are you sure you wanna face him alone?” Rainbow inquired, looking to the distance. “You know we have a better chance of beating him if we’re together.”
“Trust me, I can handle Ahuizotl.” the explorer stated with confidence. “Besides, once he’s taken care of, there’s one more thing I’ll need help with. That’s why I asked for... “ She took another look over at Twilight. “Wait a minute… You’re Princess Twilight, aren’t you?”
“Yep. That’s me!” Twilight said, trotting over to Daring. “It’s wonderful to see you again!”
“Likewise.” She smiled at the Princess, looking between her and Rainbow Dash. They turned to head towards the village, thinking on the pony that had just brought her much-needed help. “Wait a minute…” She moved over beside Boltsinger. “You said that your girlfriend was the smartest pony around… But you brought me the Princess of Friendship… Was your girlfriend not available or something?”
Boltsinger gave Daring a confused look. “What do you mean? That’s exactly who I brought! Besides, we’ve got bigger concerns.” He cantered ahead, catching up with the mares as they came closer to the village of Somnambula.
Daring Do looked at them for a second. Wow. Some ponies really can surprise you! She nodded to herself, catching up with the group.
In the village, Daring Do and her compatriots stood by the renewed statue of the Pillar of Hope and namesake of the town. Many of the village ponies were gathered around, giving the visitors their undivided attention.
“Ponies of Somnambula, you need to listen to me!” Daring began, stepping forward. “I know you’re still reeling from the last time my adventures brought me here, but I’m afraid I have to bring a warning! The dreaded Ahuizotl has returned! And he’s threatened your village…” The townsponies gasped in fear. “But you have no reason to panic! I will face him myself! And my friends here are going to ensure your safety in the meantime!” She flew above the statue. “You have nothing to fear!”
Twilight stepped forward, wings flared and head held high. “All right, now, if everypony will listen to me, I have instructions for you to follow in case of emergency!” She floated a long list from her saddlebag, reading off various steps for them, ranging from staying indoors to escape routes. The townsponies all commented in mixed responses. Some would refer to Daring Do’s last visit to the village, thinking of how this is the third time she had brought danger to their home, where others would step in and defend her.
As the Princess kept going, Daring turned to Rainbow Dash. “I need you to scout ahead for me. Make sure everything is prepared so that we can get everypony out and keep the town itself as safe as possible. Can you do that?”
Rainbow nodded, spreading her wings. “I’m on it!” She took off, heading for the outskirts of town.
Daring turned to Boltsinger, noting his still stiff wings, sticking straight up. “Are… you okay? You look like you’ve got a bit of a… problem there.” She pointed at his wings with her foreleg. “You sure you can handle this?”
“I’m fine. Whenever I’m… I guess the best word is ‘working’... My wings are like this all the time, unless I need to use them.” Boltsinger explained. “What do you need from me?”
“The Princess tells me that you have a few skills to offer in a pinch.” She told him. “Something about good wind control?” Boltsinger nodded in confirmation. “Okay, then…” She put a wing up in front of them and began to whisper in his ear.
“Oh?” Boltsinger started, hearing the instructions the adventurer had for him. “Uh-huh… I like that. Okay, got it.” Daring moved back, looking at him sternly. “All right, then, you can count on me.” He trotted over to Twilight, placing his wingtips on her flank and lingering for a moment as she finished her instruction and turned to him. “Hey, you be safe, all right?”
Twilight smiled and turned to face him fully. “I’ll be fine. It’s not my first time in a dangerous situation. I’m more worried about you.”
“I’ll admit, this is a bit of a first for me.” He admitted. “Only time so far that I’ve had to face real danger was in the Crystal Empire. But it was to help the most important ponies in the world to me. I would gladly face any danger if it means my friends are all safe.” He looked confidently at Daring Do as Rainbow Dash returned. “I know that now more than ever.” He turned his gaze back at Twilight, looking her squarely in the eye. “We’ve got this.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss, quickly turning and flying off towards the northern part of town.
Several hours later, as evening made its approach, a cacophony of cats of every breed and size gathered in a circle, a large blue monkey-like creature with a hand on the end of its tail stood. It had dog-like hind legs, with gorilla-like arms. Its hands, belly, and jaw were all of a lighter blue than the rest of its body, and it wore golden jewelry on its arm, the wrist of its tail, neck, and one of its elongated ears. Its head was surprisingly elongated, but where one would expect to find the nostrils of such a creature, its eyes were situated, a beady little nose sitting just above the large, fanged mouth. The creature walked to the center of the circle on all fours, pounding the ground with every step of its arms as Daring Do flew in, making a hard landing on the ground before the beast.
“Ah… Daring Do.” The creature said through an intelligible yet unidentifiable accent. “You’ve finally arrived! And alone, I see! Did you not wish to see any other ponies harmed because of your accursed heroics?”
“You’re surprisingly frank, today, Ahuizotl.” Daring retorted in a mocking tone. “What’s the matter? Have I gotten under your skin?”
The creature shook with anger and pounded the ground in front of the pony. “YES! I have grown so weary of your constant thwarting of my every scheme!” He got up close, towering over her. “Now, it is time for us to finish this!” He reared up, banging his fists against his chest. “Time for you… TO BE DESTROYED!!!” He slammed his fists down, attempting to squash the Pegasus in one strike. As he moved his fists away from the impact, she was gone.
Daring Do came from behind, flying full bore into the beast’s back and headbutting him with a large impact. Ahuizotl reeled forward, catching himself and looking back at his nemesis. He flicked his tail, reaching his third hand towards her and gripping her tail tightly. With one swift motion, he slammed her into the ground behind him, flicking her around on the ground like a ball on a string multiple times. Having had more than enough of that treatment, Daring flared her wings and fluttered them in a circular pattern, lifting herself slightly in the air as a gust of wind came through the area, knocking Ahuizotl off balance and lifting Daring Do higher into the air as she extended her wings. Her tail slipped from the beast’s grasp as she landed in the circle across from her rival.
“I wouldn’t have to interfere with your schemes, Ahuizotl, if you didn’t have such nefarious plans for everypony!” She ran under the beast, sliding on her side to trip up his hind legs. “But this time, you made one mistake!” She bucked him in the rear, sending him falling on his face. “Normally, I don’t have a reason to stay and fight, because there’s always some relic or magic that needs my attention more than you do… But not this time!” She flew up above him, then performed the circular fluttering once more. Another gust of wind sent her rocketing into the monster’s back, making him cry out in pain. “You’ve got all of my attention now, and that means you’re going down!”
Ahuizotl fumed, pounding the ground below him as he threw himself off the ground to face the mare once more. “You say that so easily, Daring Do, but you forget!” He snapped the fingers on his tail. “I did not come alone!” He pointed forcefully at her. “ATTACK!!!” The big cats that encircled them all lunged forward, making to pounce at the equine that menaced their master. Daring Do smirked, taking to the air once again and turning towards the desert.
“You’ll have to be able to reach me first, Ahuizotl!” She began to fly towards the desert.
“Daring Do, if you so much as flap in any direction away from this, I will unleash my warriors on the village!” the blue beast threatened. “Every stallion, mare, and foal will become food for my pets, and all because you were a coward who did not stay and fight!”
Daring stopped, looking down at the beast that would boast to best her. “Okay… I won’t fly away…” She came in for a landing behind Ahuizotl, looking back and flashing a smile. “In that direction!” Flaring her wings once more, she made the same circular fluttering motion as before, and a gust of wind pushed against Ahuizotl and the felines beside him, preventing them from moving forward as the adventurer flew off towards a nearby pyramid, followed from above by an orange streak with a blue lightning bolt inside of it.
Ahuizotl roared, running after his hated enemy with his felines in tow. Inside the pyramid, Daring Do stood in front of an empty pit, a challenging smirk on her muzzle as he glared back.
“Coming in here was a mistake, Daring Do!” He declared, making ready to charge. “This place’s magic prevents you from using your precious wings! And now you are at my mercy!” He ran recklessly at Daring, shaking the ground with every step.
Daring Do made one more circular flutter with her wings, and a gust of wind blew at Ahuizotl and his warriors from the entrance of the pyramid, more powerful than any wind before it. She ran at Ahuizotl once more, skidding under him and tripping him up as the wind blew him forward into the pit. Looking back as his feline warriors fell in with him, he grabbed for the ledge, only just barely latching on with the hand on his tail. Just outside the entrance, he saw an orange stallion whose wings were spread, looking fiercely at him with a jolt of electricity in his eyes. Daring Do walked to the edge, looking down upon her enemy. “Truth be told, Ahuizotl, I didn’t come alone! If I didn’t take measures to ensure your defeat, I knew the village would be doomed!” She bucked the hand that grasped the ledge, sending the beast plummeting into the pit.
Landing with a loud thud, Ahuizotl got up, shaking a fist. “The joke is on you, Daring Do! For the village is doomed either way! If my army does not hear from me in the next five minutes, they are ordered to attack, and leave nothing in their wake!” He raised his hands as if clutching the air around him, bursting into maniacal laughter. “And when I get out of here, I will dedicate my every waking moment to hunting you down! YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE OF ME!!!”
Daring Do gave her foe one last, cold look. “That’s why I led you in here. Because I can make sure you never leave!” She made for the exit, leaving the beast in the pit with his felines. Slowly, the telltale sound of the movement of heavy stone signalled the closing of the entrance, locking them in. Ahuizotl jumped up, grabbing the ledge with his arms and pulling himself out. He ran for the door. Such a trifle couldn’t possibly keep one as strong as he trapped. He pushed against the stone, finding it sturdier than he expected. He pounded on the door furiously, without a single budge to it.
Outside, all of the strongest Earth Ponies of the village were gathered, piling stone after stone over the entrance, with several more piled atop the roof opening. Daring Do flew between the groups, inspecting the quality of the work and nodding in approval. Boltsinger flew up next to Daring, looking concernedly at the village in the distance.
“I know we were expecting this, but I’m still worried.” He told the mare. “Twilight’s magic is great, but her protection spell isn’t quite as strong as her brother’s. If those cats break through, she and Rainbow are gonna have one hay of a fight on their hooves. I’m gonna head back, all right?”
Daring Do nodded as the two took off for the village. When it came into view, a large force of big cats was scratching at a sizeable barrier that surrounded the town. Twilight and Rainbow Dash hovered in the middle of town, where the Princess was straining to keep the barrier up as the assailants rammed into it, cracking further with each impact. The two Pegasi outside the barrier closed in as the cracks reached the top. The spell shattered, and an exhausted Twilight fell to the ground, Rainbow Dash rushing to her side and holding her up. The felines charged into the town, pouncing at the first thing they saw. Several food carts were destroyed, stalls wrecked with their stock consumed or shredded.
Twilight looked on at the onslaught of claws and fangs headed her way, standing up and planting her hooves. She flared her wings and lowered her head, magic welling up in her horn as she dragged a forehoof along the ground. Rainbow Dash landed next to her friend, ready to charge in if need be. The two snorted hard as the felines ran for them, beginning a charge of their own. As they charged, a loud yell could be heard in the distance.
“I WON’T LET YOU HURT THEM!!!” The voice screamed. With a ground-shaking thunderclap, Twilight and Rainbow reared back, stopping their charge. There, Boltsinger stood, angrily bucking away an oncoming tiger. “You all right?” He asked. He turned around, giving his wings a good, hard flap, which sent three more incoming felines flying farther away. “I’ve got your backs!”
Twilight nodded, galloping over to the stallion and blasting a pouncing leopard with her magic. “And we’ve got yours!” Rainbow Dash and Daring Do came up on either side of them, both looking ready for a fight. They charged forth, meeting the army of felines head-on.
After an hour of holding off a throng of big cats, four winged ponies slowly walked over to the statue of Somnambula, collapsing. All through town, their opponents lay unconscious on the ground. Boltsinger rolled over onto his back, looking over at Twilight. “So… that happened…” He said.
“I’m just glad we had everypony evacuated as quickly as they did…” Twilight replied. “It’s a lot easier to protect empty houses than it is the ponies that live there…”
Daring Do sat up, looking at her friends. “Thank you for helping me to make sure they all had homes to come back to once this was over.” She got up and walked over to Boltsinger. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did, I’m not sure I would have been able to come up with this plan. Thank you.”
Boltsinger sat up, his wings and Cutie Mark finally back to normal. “It’s an honor to be of help.” He laid back again, still finding the idea of moving around difficult for the time being. “Can I stop moving now?”
Daring let out a chuckle, sitting back and leaning against the statue. “For now. Soon we need to get back to the inn. I’ve got some glyphs to track down, and I’d like to get a good night’s sleep in before I get back to that.”
Twilight, Rainbow, and Boltsinger’s eyes all immediately shot open, sitting up and looking at Daring with wonder. “You mean the ancient Pony-glyphs?!” Twilight inquired.
Daring looked at the ponies, rolling her eyes with a smile on her face. “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.” She started the walk back to the inn. “I’d go into more detail, but I’m just too hungry to concentrate right now.”
Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other with an excited squee as they all got up to follow their hero. The sun began to set, and the two mares shared an extensive and deep conversation theorizing as to what the nature of the Pony-glyphs might be.
Daring Do looked fondly at the fans chatting behind her, rolling her eyes as she directed her attention forward. “Well, that’s going to be a story for another time…”
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8712572
I see you got my reference. Yeah, the Pony-glyphs will make a return. I just need to figure out how I want to write that story.
A book with Bolt’s cutie mark? Could this be Twilight’s research notes about MC’s cutie mark phenomenon?