In Search of a Rainbow

by Aswad Zeev

Chapter 1 The end of one book and the beginning of another

In Search of a Rainbow

Chapter 1: The end of one book and the beginning of another.

A light gold Pegasus sitting in a house deep within in the forest finally transcribed the last few words of her latest manuscript. Just then came a knock at the door. She smiled and turned around. It seemed the mail mare was right on time today. She could do without so much fan mail. But there was one special letter she was expecting to hopefully, finally arrive today.

She'd been expecting that letter for the last three days, and it still hadn't arrived yet. So today was the last day it should have turned up. This was to be the latest in a series of letters between herself and the sender. The letter she was expecting would be from a close friend who, since their adventure a year and a half ago had changed A.K Yearlings life forever. She was expecting a letter from Rainbow Dash.

She had last seen Rainbow two month ago at a convention where they had accidentally had another adventure together. For you see, A.K Yearling was no normal writer. Very few ponies knew the truth that A.K Yearling was the real Daring Do from her own best seller books. The latest book, the same adventure they'd had at the convention (Ironically a Daring Do convention) was now finally transcribed.

The two, now close friends, had been privately exchanging letters since their first adventure. It would be wrong to say it was a regular correspondence. Between her double life as author and adventurer archaeologist, Daring (her real name) could only respond to letters when she had precious free time between her University work and seemingly endless adventures. This meant she was normally lucky to get the time to write a letter to Rainbow Dash once or twice a month. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, while equally busy was able to find the time to respond to Daring's letters between times, since she was always only a short flight from a post office.

Although Rainbow Dash had kept her regularly informed of her own adventures of saving Equestria, and her time with the Wonderbolt's. Out of respect, Rainbow only wrote back in serious detail when she got a reply from Daring that let her know the mare was free and between adventures to read the extended details.

Daring had written to Rainbow Dash a week ago and today was the day she was expecting to have the time to sit down and immerse herself into Rainbows crude but effective style of storytelling. It always surprised Daring that since joining the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash still managed to find the time in her own busy schedule to write.

It was with that gleaming hope that Daring opened the door and the grey, cross-eyed mail-mare stood at the door carrying her 2 usual mail bags for Daring.

“Mail Delivery,” said Derpy the Mail Mare with a smile.

One mailbag was always overflowing with fan mail and the other, a much smaller bag which was marked personal. Daring quickly relieved Derpy of the 2 bags and emptied them into 2 piles on either side of the room before handing the bags back to the grey Pegasus.

"Thanks again Derpy, same time next week?"

"Sure, will do A.K" as the mail mare tipped her hat before flying off, carrying the now empty bags back to the mail depot.

Glancing at the large pile of fan mail Daring shrugged, that could wait. She could deal with her fans letters later, right now there was a more important pile of mail she had to deal with first.

As she searched through the personal letter pile, there were a couple of bills, the two usual letters from Celestia. Which she already knew what they were going to say. (One asking why Daring had not replied to her previous letters and another, yet again offering her a Grand Galloping Gala Ticket.)

There was also a black but sparkly envelope from Princess Luna, which Daring also recognized which would be expressing the Night Princesses thoughts on various matters. Something that Daring always thought of as odd. Why would the princess of the night have a special interest in her? Still, it was posted as personal, so someone must have thought it was important. But there was no Rainbow colored lightning bolt sealed envelope from Rainbow Dash. It was missing!

She puzzled, then looked back at the large pile of fan mail. Surely, they couldn't have mixed Rainbow's letter in with the fan mail again? They had only done it the once, but thinking back, she almost felt sorry for the sorting mares as she remembered her own fury when she berated the mares at the mail office. Still, she started sorting through the other pile just in case.

5 minutes later, tossing each of the fan letters behind her as she went through them. As she did so, she muttered various things regarding letters she recognized from fans writing before.

"Nope, nope, no, hell no you weirdo, why do you keep writing? No, nope.. please be the one?"

Daring picked up the last letter on the floor she hadn't already sorted by tossing them aside and turned the envelope over to look at the seal. Still not the letter she was looking for. "Damn it Rainbow Dash, where are you? Why haven't you written?"

"Right," Daring said to herself. If Rainbow won't write to me, I'm going to find out why!"

Daring grabbed her adventuring hat and the manuscript. She made a mental note to herself as an excuse she could use. “she supposed she could, 'maybe' give Rainbow a surprise visit and let her a sneak peek at the book on her way to the publishers. Rainbow Dash was in the book (again) after all, although under a pseudonym Daring had made up.

She left the house, locked up behind her and hid the key in the usual place. A hole, hidden inside a nearby tree. Finally, after checking she had everything she took flight and headed in the direction of Ponyville.

A few hours later, she eventually arrived at Rainbow's house, which was floating in the clouds above the town. Daring landed on the porch and knocked on the door. Daring was actually familiar with the town, having passed through it between train journeys when she was not in a hurry and either on publishing or actual occasional university business.

She waited for a few minutes, but no answer or any indication of sound could be heard inside. Very cheekily and out of curiosity, since Rainbow had once broken into her place (and because Rainbows house was made of clouds), she “broke” into Rainbows house to have a look around.

Daring climbed through the window next to the door and into the living room beyond. She found herself in Rainbow Dash's living room. Pretty quickly it became apparent while looking around. Rainbow's obsession with both the Wonderbolts and pictures of Daring's books attacked the eyes from the posters hanging seemingly everywhere on the walls. Exploring the place, she went upstairs and saw Rainbow's complete collection of Daring Do books lined up on the bookshelf, next to a side table covered in all of Daring's letters.

The manuscript had been actually quite heavy to carry all the way here, and so she idly put the manuscript down next to the letters while she snooped around. Then, having found no sign of Rainbow. Daring left the house and went down to the town below, where she knew Rainbow's friends also lived. She hadn't gotten to know Rainbows friends names properly from their joint adventure, some 18 months ago, but she had pretty much worked it out from Rainbows descriptions in her letters about who they all were and where they all lived.

Not wanting to cause a scene with her unexpected arrival in town as either a writer or as a cosplayer out of convention season. She slipped in through the front door of the Castle unnoticed. This Crystal Castle was, after all, the local library and was run by one of Rainbow's friends. Twilight was also apparently the most organized pony in Ponyville. If anyone had a chance of telling her where Rainbow was, This Princess Twilight something-or-other would probably know. (Daring didn't care much for politics unless it was something to dig up.)

She found herself in a large open hallway, It followed around a bend with a few doors on either side. None of them seemed to have anyone behind them or any sign of a library. She called out but got no answer. Halfway down the corridor, a purple mare walked out of the door Daring was about to check. The other mare was looking behind her and nearly walked right into Daring.

“Oh hello,” exclaimed Twilight. What can I do for you? Are you looking for the Library? It's that door there.” she pointed across the hall to the door she seemed to be heading to.

“Err, actually no, I'm looking for Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight stopped and looked at Daring properly, blinking a few times at the pony in front of her, taking in the compass cutie mark and adventuring hat.

"A.K. Yearling? It's really you? What are you doing here?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Your name is Princess Twilight?" Daring tried to recall, hoping she remembered correctly, noticing both the horns and wings of the Alicorn.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. We sort of met in your adventure of the Ring of Destiny, a good book by the way. One of Rainbow's favorites."

“Yeah, I remember. I was actually looking for Rainbow Dash. I had some free time and was sort of passing through. Aaaand, I'm waiting for a letter from her.” Daring scratched the back of her head. “So, I thought I'd just drop in to say hi on the way past to see the publishers. But she's not home. I was hoping someone could tell me where she was?”

Twilight blinked a few more times and replied "Rainbow didn't write? That's not usual of her. I mean, I'm the only one in town that knows she writes to you. She asks me to spell check some of her longer letters for her sometimes. I know that she went off to pack after our lunch together. She said she had to do some training with the Wonderbolts. That was two days ago, and she should have been back by now. I know, why don't you go back to hers and wait around for a bit. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you waited inside, and if she comes to town first, I'll let her know she has a guest waiting. You might have to excuse all her posters of you though."

“Yeah,” Daring said guiltily. “I've already been inside. But it was only to make sure she wasn't at home.”

Twilight laughed. "Don't worry about it, the number of times Rainbow crashed into my old Treehouse while she was practicing one of her stunts, I've wondered about casting a cloud walking spell on Pinkie Pie, to see what she'd do unsupervised to Rainbows place. But in all seriousness, I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you."

Twilight followed up by asking. “Is there anything else I help you with A.K Yearling?”

“No, it's fine. Thank you Princess Twilight. And just call me Daring, there no need to pretend with the people who know is there?”

“Well it's just Twilight, I'm still not really into the whole being called Princess thing. Now if you'll excuse me."

Twilight trotted across the hall, opened the door, and summoned a book with her magic.

"The rest of girls are just in there if you want to say hi." She gestured to the door she first came from.

“Thanks for the offer Twilight, but it's really just a passing visit to see Rainbow Dash, and I'd rather not interrupt anyone. It is a library after all, and I've been kicked out of them one too many times.”

Twilight laughed, “Your record at Canterlot Library doesn't count here. But if you do want to borrow a book, you'd better remember to return it! Now, get going before you miss your chance to surprise Rainbow.”

"Thanks," Daring smiled and trotted back to the front door.

She heard Twilight behind her call into the room. "I'm sorry girls, the book took me a little longer to find than I thought, I'll be right there."

Twilight stood there watching Daring leave and wondered a moment about Daring's next adventure.

With that, Twilight trotted back into the room with the book floating beside her.

Back at Rainbows home, The place was exactly as she'd left it 20 minutes earlier. Daring had taken the scenic route, taking a wander around town on the way to the castle. She took the direct route back, however. Then she tried knocking on the door again. Receiving no answer once again, she broke in and was wondering how best to surprise Rainbow Dash. Just as she got halfway across the room, the door burst open, and there stood a Brilliant Gold Pegasus with a Fire like mane and a yellow lightning bolt of a cutie mark, wearing a Blue Wonderbolt uniform.

"RAINBOW DASH, WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU'LL DO A MILLION LAPS OF THE TRAINING COURSE!"

Author's Note:

This is my first MLP fic (and the first fic i've sucessfully written and compleated in about 13 years). I didn't have much responce posting it on D.A. so i thought i'd share it here while i'm working on a second MLP fic.

Comments

[56]

I like the premise, but the sentences don't flow together and it lacks punctuation.

[Aswad Zeev]

8941716
Thanks for the feedback. I previously had a couple of friends proof read it and none of them picked up on that. I will have another read through and see. (its been a few months so it will be kind of freash). This kind of feedback is incredibly useful for my next fic that i'm currently working on. That one is an entirely different kind of story telling.

[56]

8942342

I hope your writing improves. I do like your story where there aren't errors. To give you a few examples -

For you see A.K Yearling was no normal writer.

Comma after "see."

The two now close friends had been

Needs commas around "now close friends."

“Mail Delivery” said Derpy the Mail Mare with a smile.

Comma after "Delivery."

Still it was posted as personal

Comma after "Still."

training with the Wonderbolt's

Wonderbolts is plural here, not possessive. No apostrophe.

why don't you go back to hers and wait around for a bit.

Question ending in period.

(Daring didn't care much for politics unless it was something to dig up)

Needs a period at end of sentence.

[Aswad Zeev]

8942385
I've gone back over chapter 1 and made some corrections. I will start on chapter 2 shortly. I am not sure that i have everything right, but certainly i can see some of my punctuation mistakes. Punctuation has always been one of my greatest weaknesses when writting. So thank you again for highlighting it, so that i can correct it.