Daring Do and the magic lamp

by Andy Ray

Chapter 3. Wrote herself into an adventure... inadvertently

...He was subjugated and sentenced to confinement in a prison, where he could not escape from. But chances still remained, that he would be let free under certain conditions restricting his freedom...

---

Daring Do heaved a sigh: she'd been writing, and that wasn't something done easily. Indeed, how does a pony hold a quill with their hooves? And if they don't, what do they do?

Perhaps, some ponies did manage to overcome this difficulty -- there couldn't be any other reason otherwise... How Daring Do did that -- nopony had yet asked. They might, however, have wondered: for Daring was a writer, and writers do tend to hold a quill a bit more often, than other earth ponies or pegasi.

Yet Daring had become a successful writer, and that must have meant, it might have been easy for her. Well -- no!

"Ah-h-h! -- she exhaled. -- Yeah, this shall do".

Pleased with her end product, she called for the genie:

"Gee!"

Yes, they had decided together the genie should have been called a name, and what a name had he? "My name, -- had explained the genie, -- may come as a difficult one, since you can only comprehend the three-dimensional world and only think of events yet to come -- and about those past you can only speculate! But, nevertheless, -- continued he, -- my name is..."

Here end the words, for they can't do the justice to the genie's name's sound. In fact, had Daring listened to this name one more time and a bit more carefully, she would have not contained the picture the name would have painted, and her life would have ended for sure!

"But, of course, -- sighed the genie, -- seeing it, as you can't even stand my name... I shall be nicknamed".

"Well, then: how about "Gee"?" -- offered Daring.

The genie frowned, trying to paint the picture this name... hadn't inspired.

"I... am not sure it even is a name..." -- he said thoughtfully.

"Why?" -- enquired Daring.

"Well, it doesn't even work for a fake name!"

"But what's wrong with it? Don't you like it?"

""Like it"? -- cried the genie, perplexed. -- That's not a name!"

Daring fell silent, confused. For some reason the genie had an issue with names...

"A name, -- went the genie on, -- is what establishes a clear image of the being called it. Take your own name, for example, -- he closed his eyes, inhaled, picturing what Daring's name had in itself, and then nodded, reopening his eyes. -- It means the shape you are..."

"I am not sure, -- interrupted him Daring, -- my name quite means my shape".

"Well, -- harrumphed the genie, as if insulted, -- you are shaped to be Daring!"

A pause followed. Then:

"Hey! -- Daring exclaimed. -- Was that a pun?!"

The genie only huffed again:

"To my knowledge, about EVERY creature in this world is punnamed".

"Is what?" -- asked Daring, having not gotten it.

"Pun-na-med, -- repeated the genie, trying to pronounce it more slowly and clearly. -- Like "nicknamed", but after a pun".

Daring "oh"-ed and nodded her head in understanding.

Then an idea struck her!

"Genie, -- said she to him, -- that's actually a GREAT idea!"

"What is?" -- asked the genie, not following.

"When in Rome, as they say... -- she tried to hide her smirk, but failed. -- You shall be named!.. -- she paused for more effect. -- ...Gee!"

The genie blinked.

"Again: that's not a name, -- he replied, irritated. -- Why, with a name like this I might be any shape, almost! What, can't you name your genie? like a real man? Or rather... mare?"

Daring let the stealth pun go unnoticed, trying her best not to grin:

"Oh, Gee, how could I possibly please you!"

Then silence followed.

...Some time passed. The genie noticed finally there was something just not right with the way his mistress had said that last part...

"Wait! -- he realised. -- Have y... Ha-... have you actually punnamed me??!" -- he cried with an incredulous look.

"Aw-w-w! -- groaned Daring Do. -- Come on! You'd said yourself, about everypony in Equestria is, -- she made "quotes" with her hooves, -- punnamed!"

"First, I'm not a pony! -- retorted the genie indignantly. -- Second, even if I were a pony -- am I not a creature from another world?!"

"Well, you look pretty much like a pony, anyway..." -- mumbled Daring under her breath. The genie only sighed and shook his head.

"What?! You have a temper!" -- exclaimed Daring, defending her point of calling the genie "Gee".

The genie said nothing.

---

Apparently, he had after all agreed to be named Gee. Who would have thought it would only take Daring Do sighing and whispering (after many attempts at picking a satisfiable name for the genie) in desperation: "I just wish he picked a name already! What's wrong with any name I've come up with?!" Naturally the genie had appeared at her side and, his face grim, requested to clarify, what name Daring wished for him to pick; to which she up and wished simply for his name to be what would strike her the most.

And, well, "Gee" it turned out to be, in the end... Sue her for being uncreative.

---

"Gee!"

Silence.

"Your master is calling you!"

Deafening silence.

"...I wish, if you can hear me, you were here!.."

Smoke appeared, and darkness enveloped the room. A lightning, complete with thunder, flashed. Where it had struck, appeared a silhouette of somepony blindingly white. The silhouette flashed once more, from which Daring winced and made to shield her eyes, -- and before her appeared a creature...

"Who is calling my name?! Who dareth to summon me from The Kingdom Of Darkness?!"

"Gee-ee!" -- warned Daring the genie.

"Thou, who hath summoned me! -- seemed he to pay no heed. -- Show thyself!"

With those words said the smoke cleared away, and the room lit with regular day light.

"Thou! -- proceeded the genie with his act. -- Answer me: why hast thou summoned me and interrupted my rest?! Knowest thou not, that no one must disturb me in my sleep?! How! DAREST! THOU?!!"

"Gee! -- grumbled Daring, unamused. -- I require your assistance". With that she took the papers off the desk she'd been sitting at and approached the imposing being with them: "Could you, please, take a look at these? And say what you think of it?"

The being stood, or rather hovered, unmoving.

"I... just wish you could..." -- mumbled Daring, either intimidated by the creature, or not very assertive, or be that whatever it was...

"Well! Why saidst so thou not?! -- exclaimed the genie happily, not quite dropping the act and keeping "ye olde (not so butcherede) Englishe". -- Show me thy work, and I will gladly offer my thoughts regarding that!"

Daring only rolled her eyes in mild annoyance and hoofed him the papers.

"Well, let's see here", -- proceeded Gee to reviewing Daring's creation.

He was reckless and regardless. He thought himself above all. He couldn't tolerate disrespect... and so he rebelled.

His rebellion didn't go unnoticed, nor was it left forgiven -- he was fought, and the battle was not an easy one: attacks were exchanged, defences were raised... until finally his defences were dropped... and his attacks -- overwhelmed. His challenges were not answered, however, and he kept his arrogant attitude and did not concede.

He was subjugated and sentenced to confinement in a prison, where he could not escape from. But chances still remained, that he would be let free under certain conditions restricting his freedom. Could he wish for something better? Perhaps. Might he, though? No.

Under these conditions he might not have access to his full powers. Those authorised to grant him such access were restricted as well: only those, who entered an agreement with the access-rights-granting authority, might, pursuant to the terms and conditions set therein, allow the prisoner to access his powers fully and to any extent they deemed fit. The agreement's terms and conditions were solidified and engraved in print on the walls of the prison, and those, who durst to question the authority of those, who had passed the judgement on, were to face the judges' wrath.

But who would bypass these terms, if they were not so burdening? In fact, there had been found one, who had declared the injustice in such an imprisonment and demanded, that the prisoner should be kept among those inferior to him, to the judges and to their peers: for said peers would abuse the terms without any regret or remorse -- the fact deemed unacceptable!

The plea was satisfied, and the prisoner, still in his prison, was transported to a world, where no one might enter on their whim. This was the world of simple beings, who did not wield the power to distort the very fabric of reality, who learnt the ways of the nature and could not help but comply with them.

This was the world, where genies did not exist... up until now...

"...Well?" -- asked Daring eagerly.

The genie was hesitant about what to say.

""Reckless"? Perhaps. "Regardless"? Hm-m-m... This sounds somewhat... accusing, don't you think?"

"Oh, but!.. but of course! That's what they all thought of you! See, the reader must know, why they did what they did! You call yourself a hero -- they call you a villain. Had they not confronted you -- you wouldn't have ended up in the lamp".

"You see, -- continued she her explanation, -- there never are a "good" guy and a "bad" guy. All there is is a conflict: at least two parties clash and don't agree one with the other... and then one wins -- and the other may either join the winning party, or refuse and remain a villain for some more... Well, until there is no villain. Either he gets reformed... or... it's disposed of him..."

"So... -- spoke the genie after a moment of silence, -- ...I was the villain?.. and they -- the "good guys"? Hm-m-m..." -- he fell silent, then resumed:

"...And... I either concede... or flee to make another scheme... Or I... lose the battle and can never win? Huh..."

"Or you flee to make a return, where you get to win, -- added Daring helpfully. -- Then you may try to spare your enemy... or to end them... Which... erm-m-m, is... quite common throughout the literature... but, um-m-m... You see..." -- the words wouldn't come to her. It might seem, there was no reason to spare one's enemies, seeing it, as they would just come back and try to win over, perhaps, even kill...

But Daring was never the type to finish her "prey": if she won an argument or just reached her goal, leaving her adversary losing, she offered them a peace treaty. Sort of, anyway: she might not care for what the having-lost party would do, or she actually tried to convince them to stop confronting her.

Yet... They would never learn, would they?.. Especially Ahuizotl!

"Yes? -- Gee wanted her to continue despite the silence she had fallen into. -- But what?"

Daring snapped out of her trance:

"Huh? Oh, w-well... -- she was unsure of what to say. -- I... I-I actually wish I could explain..."

"Say no more!" -- replied to her Gee, once again feeling that pleasant power filling him, along with the joy of using it afterwards!..

---

One explanation later... Daring was seated at her writing desk and scratching the paper so fast it might have caught on fire! After she had accidentally wished she could have explained her mercifulness toward her adversaries... inspiration had struck her! Suddenly everything had become all so clear! That would be a tale of friendship -- and bullying! Of hurt and broken hearts! Of the power of determination to overcome any difficulties! Of seemingly heartless jerks -- and why they were the way they were...

Long ago two races ruled Equestria: ponies and vamponies. One day war broke out between the two races. After a long battle the ponies were victorious. They banished the vamponies far away, and a magic barrier was erected, so they could never return back. Over time they were forgotten by the pony kind.

But many, many years later...

---

The Everfree forest, nowadays. Legends say, that those, who manage to traverse the forest, never return, despite having survived in it...

---

"Welp, -- uttered Gee, -- my story has been set aside, apparently... Wow, what a twist!"

He peeked inside the room Daring was scribbling in. She hadn't left her place since yesterday!

"And here I hoped to inspire something... Oh, well. Things are sure to get pretty boring, if this goes on like this..."

He scratched his chin in thought. Granting Daring her wishes, so she could stay writing from day to day, wasn't promising any real adventures. The boredom seemed imminent.

"...But what, if I?.."

---

"Phew! Wow! -- exclaimed Daring Do, taking in a breath. -- Boy! I might want to take a vacation from writing!"

She stood up and stretched. If inspiration intended to come hitting her like that again, she might really consider retiring... The latest outlet had been exhausting!

"Now... -- she said, as she finished. -- Should I take a walk?.. Or, perhaps, even a flight?.."

Stretching once again, she headed for the exit...

"Say, Mistress", -- spoke to her a suddenly appearing out of nowhere genie...

"Ga-ah!" -- yelped Daring and jumped almost all the way up to the ceiling, only to realise, it was Gee.

"...it appears, -- continued he, as if he didn't notice her being scared at all, -- as though life has been lacking a..."

"What are you?! INSANE?!!" -- all but roared Daring, trying to prevent her heart from jumping out of her chest to go explore the outside world, never noticing the heart's muffled attempts at demanding from its owner to let go of it, "you heartless, soulless, no-loving jerk!" -- as the heart was apparently trying to say to her.

She glared at the genie some more, all the while trying to contain her misbehaving heart, but, alas, no shame seemed to be present on the creature's face. Only eyes, it appeared... or were they just stealing attention from anything else there was, and there was some shame present?.. It was really hard to say for certain.

The silence had been stretching, and Gee decided to cut it short:

"Ahem-km. As I was about to say..."

"You should really be ashamed!" -- fumed Daring Do, still mad at him.

The genie let the remark go by.

"...there appears to be a significant shortage of thrill in our life", -- he continued.

"That's no reason to try and SCARE me like that!" -- retorted Daring angrily. She snorted, her nostrils letting out some smoke.

"Then what are we waiting for?! -- exclaimed Gee, brimming with excitement. -- Let's go find a danger and attempt to make it alive! Or, you know? try to find treasure! No! We should definitely go unravel a mystery! Or two! Or!.."

Daring sighed in concession and stuffed her hoof into the genie's mouth, or what constituted for one, anyway:

"Gee".

The genie shut up promptly and directed his glance at her, full of attention.

"It's been a very little while, since I set off for an adventure, -- she said tiredly. -- Let's... not spearhead forward".

"Well! What do you propose for us to engage in?" -- asked Gee, overexcited, to which Daring only sighed:

"I propose, we should just take it easy, pal, -- she turned her gaze at her writing desk. -- One adventure is quite enough".

"Your adventure isn't over yet! -- exclaimed Gee. -- You have braved the jungle, confronted your adversary, experienced a deadly threat, reached the lamp and got a genie -- me! -- at your disposition! Your adventure has only begun!"

"Gee, -- said Daring wearily. -- I am not Aladdin".

"No! -- agreed Gee. -- You are "Daring Din"! Or rather... should it be "Dalaring Din"? Uh... "Daladdoo"?.."

"Gee! Stop!" -- whined Daring, annoyed.

""Aladdare"?.." -- tried Gee one more time, before trailing off awkwardly and setting his eyes upon her attentively.

Daring sighed once again, and then continued:

"I know it's all... surreal... but, well... could you wait, until I finish my story?"

"Which one? -- enquired Gee drily. -- As far, as I know, you have at least two of them going".

"Well, -- made Daring to share her plans, -- actually there are that of you, that of... Uh... Never mind! -- and she shook her head. -- But you shouldn't worry: I am so prolific, my books have usually to wait for the craving fans to get to them! And have you as much as the faintest idea, how insatiable they may be?!"

"No idea", -- replied to her Gee and shook his head no.

"That's the thing!"

A pause settled between the two for a while.

"Well, then... -- interrupted Daring it. -- How about we take a walk and... uh-h-h, entertain ourselves? You know, not quite an adventure, but... nevertheless..."

The genie never took his eyes off of her, as if expecting her to change her mind... but then drooped comically in concession:

"All's better, than going insane", -- those words said, he snapped his "fingers", and the lamp swooshed from afar and into Gee's "hand":

"Hold this, -- he extended his arm to Daring. She did take the lamp after a bit of hesitation. -- Now. Here we go!"

And with that he disappeared in smoke. "I am inside now, -- announced he to a stunned Daring from within the lamp. -- Take me to the end of the world and bring me back. I'll be taking peeks from here".

"Uh-h-h, -- let Daring out unsurely, -- are y-you sure about this?"

"It's for your own good, -- re-assured her the genie. -- Wouldn't want you to get mangled at the fan mob's feet!" -- he added, somewhat snarkily.

Daring rolled her eyes, realising, Gee had probably meant, if he got seen, he'd get stares for sure. But, she thought, of course it would be better for her to hide the genie's presence, as well as the lamp, from the eyes of publicity.

With that in mind she got her saddlebag and stuffed the lamp inside, then equipped it and trotted outside of her house.

A walk awaited her ahead... as well, unbeknownst to her, as an adventure... Yes, she might not believe it then... but her lamp adventure wasn't over yet. Quite far from that, actually...

Author's Note:

Does Daring describe stealthily this story's author's state?
...
Partially. But I, unlike Daring, am determined to lead this tale to an end.
The power of determination... it lets me proceed... persist... not abandon this story.

More is promised, and more will be delivered. Don't miss the next chapter and do stay tuned!

A delightful adventure is blossoming!

Note to myself: 3121 words per chapter... For some reason I feel... weak ... Can't I fit more?.. Or is it quite enough? (By the way, no actual spoilers here .)