Chapter Five
Chapter Five
As far as dangerous, cursed, and/or haunted forests went, the Everfree Forest was hardly the worst place that Daring Do had ever visited. If anything, it would rank third in ‘most dangerous forests’, right behind the unsettling Haunted Shales, and the dangerously misleading Peachy Meadows. She could die a happy mare if she never had to set a hoof in that horrible Peachy Meadows again. Considering the Everfree Forest’s lack of vampiric jackalopes, Rainbow Dash felt a great deal less troubled by the challenges that lay ahead of her.
It took the pegasus about a quarter of an hour before she realized that, in her haste to retrace her old steps, she had left behind her traveling cohorts. A more sensible pony might’ve doubled-back in order to find them so that they could carry on their mission to find this Zecora character, but Rainbow Dash felt something drawing her in a new direction. She wasn’t sure if it was instinct, a residual memory, or something deeper, but she knew she had traced these steps before. Thoughts of Twilight Sparkle or Applejack were at the back of Rainbow’s mind as she pushed forward, driven by her insatiable need for answers, and to unravel the mystery within her mind.
“They’ll catch up eventually,” Rainbow reminded herself. Worst case scenario, she will have wasted a few hours chasing a wild goose. It wasn’t as if she could get lost since all she needed to do was fly straight up until she could get a clear view of Ponyville.
Slowing her pace, Rainbow took a bit of time to take careful consideration of her surroundings. To the common pony, one tree may look the same as the next, but every rock, tree, and shrub painted a picture that would, in turn, unfold into a map.
“I swear, I’ve seen that tree before,” Rainbow commented as she trotted past a rather ghastly-looking part of the forest. In poorer lighting, she might have mistaken the tree’s twisted bark for some kind of grim visage, but the idea of being scared by simple trees just made the pegasus chuckle to herself. Now treants were something worth being scared about, but the Everfree Forest was hundreds of miles away from their normal habitats. Plus if there had been any treants, they would’ve tried to take a swing at Rainbow Dash the last time nature called.
Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash had been so fixated on the tree that she had neglected to watch her step. It wasn’t a cliff, but the pegasus failed to notice the small drop in the forest floor until she had almost tumbled down face-first. Only quick reflexes and the use of her wings kept her from falling into the flowerbed below her. For a few brief seconds, the pegasus hovered with her face just inches from the blue blossoms and with her hooves sprawled to the sides to keep any part of her from making contact.
“Too close,” she silently sighed. The pegasus dared not to even breath in case the puff of air knocked a pedal loose or kicked up some pollen. As cautiously as possible, the pegasus flew up to a safe distance from the flowerbed, and then landed in a clearing on the other side of them.
Rainbow Dash was about to carry on when she paused for a brief moment to look back at the flowerbed. Once again, she found herself wondering where the source of the familiarity came from. She had seen these flowers before, and even though she could not put a name to them, she knew they were dangerous. For a brief instant, she had flashes of a tiny pony, spit flying everywhere, and something involving a witch’s brew. These weren’t the memories of Daring Do, so the only logical conclusion was that they belonged to Rainbow Dash. But why was she getting flashes of another pony’s memories? None of it made any sense to her, especially the evil dances, so Rainbow Dash pushed those thoughts out of her mind.
“Focus, Daring!” Rainbow reminded before giving herself a sharp slap across the face to focus her thoughts. If she was going to reclaim her life as Daring Do, she couldn’t allow herself to be saddled down by doubt and second-guessing. Her instincts had already carried her this far through the Everfree Forest, and Rainbow was determined to follow them, wherever they might lead her.
Though uncertain of where her path may lead, Rainbow Dash continued forward through the Everfree forest. The thick canopy overhead made the sun almost a distant memory, and left foreboding shadows at every corner. Her once steady pace had slowed to a careful trot; her eyes darted from side to side in constant vigilance for the forest’s many threats.
Suddenly, she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. It may have been her imagination or a trick of the light, but she heard a rustling in a nearby bush, as if something had just dove into it. Was she being stalked? There may not be any vampiric jackalopes, but the Everfree forest had plenty of other dangers to be mindful of. At the very least, she knew it wasn’t a timberwolf since she would have smelt it coming from at least twenty yards away, if not more.
Keeping her gaze fixated on the bush, Rainbow Dash crouched low and crept towards it. After a few moments of careful watch, she was about to dismiss the whole issue to a wayward breeze or her imagination, but then she saw the bush rustle once again. There was definitely something in it!
“I know you’re in there!” Rainbow called out. “You may as well just come on out if you want a piece of me!” If someone was following her then chances were it would either step forward or be frightened off, either of which would solve Rainbow’s immediate concerns. At first, nothing happened; Rainbow decided to take another step forward. “This is your last warning! Come on out, or I’m going in after you!”
Finally, the source of the commotion revealed itself as a tiny, violet creature emerged from the brush. It looked like some kind of insect with a round, colourful body, large wings, and big beady eyes that gazed up at Rainbow Dash with a look of curious wonder.
“Hey there little guy,” Rainbow said. Her previous tension subsided as the adorable critter put her worries at ease. As Daring had no experience with parasprites before, the pegasus watched in amusement as the small creature fluttered over to her. It made a curious purring sound as it sniffed at Rainbow’s outstretched hoof. “Heh, you’re kinda cute, you know that? What’s an adorable little thing like you doing in a scary place like this?”
The parasprite did not answer, obviously, as it flew over to Rainbow’s wing and nestled itself within the feathers. Within a few seconds, it seemed to have fallen asleep in its new makeshift bed.
“I guess there’s no harm if you tag along for a little while,” Rainbow said with a quiet chuckle to herself. She felt a little guilty knowing that her adventures would inevitably disturb the slumbering critter, but until then she figured she may as well indulge it. It was reassuring to know that even in a place as dark and dangerous as the Everfree forest, such colour and peaceful creatures could still thrive. Just as Rainbow was about to leave, however, she heard another familiar coo coming from the bush. A moment later, a second parasprite popped its head out from beneath the brush.
“Oh! You have a little friend,” Rainbow commented as the second parasprite began to inspect the pegasus in a similar fashion as the first. “You guys probably live in colonies, huh? I bet that’s how you ward off larger predators.” Were she not so busy trying to reclaim her lost memories, Rainbow would’ve enjoyed taking time to study these creatures. With the second parasprite taking refuge in her wing, Rainbow was beginning to feel like a mother duck. Maybe she could take them home so she could study them further.
However, before that thought could settle in her mind, Rainbow heard yet even more noises emanating from the bush. The next thing she knew, a half-dozen more of the strange creatures had emerged and were now swarming around Rainbow. The cute factor had worn off in short order, and the pegasus was now trying to shoo the creatures away.
“Okay, that’s enough!” Rainbow shouted, swatting at the parasprites. The ruckus she created must have alerted others because more of the colourful pests came flying out of the bush. “Shoo! Shoo! Leave me alone! You’re not cute anymore!”
Unfortunately, the parasprites appeared to be neither threatened nor dissuaded by Rainbow’s remarks. They would part way only briefly to avoid the flailing hooves before attempting to cozy back up to her. And so it was that the intrepid explorer, who had braved ancient tomes and cursed ruins, was reduced to fleeing like a scared filly as a multi-colour cloud of parasprites followed in close pursuit like a swarm of bees. Rainbow Dash wasn’t certain what the creatures wanted, but she was uncomfortable with the idea of so many of them wanting something from her at the same time. All of a sudden, timberwolves seemed like a pleasant alternative; at least she knew how to deal with those.
Retracing her steps became a distant concern as Rainbow Dash tried to put more distance between herself and the parasprite swarm. She tried darting through the trees and using the foliage to mask her trail, but the parasprites stuck to her tail like Pumpkin Cake to a rubber chicken. Her last resort was to fly up and out of the forest and use her superior speed to lose the parasprites, but that meant losing all her progress through the forest. If she could survive a buffalo stampede, she was not going to be scared off by a flock of polka dots!
Rainbow Dash didn’t want to think what those things would do to her if they caught up, but as the situation began to look bleak, she spotted a river up ahead. With any luck, the parasprites wouldn’t be able to follow her if she dove into the water.
The one thing Rainbow hadn’t counted, however, was the possibility of something even bigger being in the river. As the pegasus was about to dive into the cold embrace of her new sanctuary, something else came out of it; something big. Eclipsing the afternoon sun, the creature sprang forth from the river like the fury of the untamed seas. Its long and scaly frame towered over Rainbow Dash for a few brief seconds before a mighty roar shook her to the core. Rainbow skidded to a halt just inches from the riverbed while her mind reeled at the sheer size of the monstrosity. The parasprites, thankfully, were frightened off and flew back into the relative safety of the wooded areas.
“Oh my,” Rainbow gulped as her eyes craned upwards to try and get a full glimpse of the monster. She could see little more than dark shadows and bared teeth, but it was definitely looking down upon her.
“Ha! Got’cha!” the creature said before bursting into a hearty laughter. The creature began to sink back into the water, allowing the daylight to reveal his grinning visage and orange, slicked-back hair. “Oh, you should have seen the look on your face, Rainbow Dash; I got you good that time!”
“A sea serpent?” Rainbow was still left stunned when the realization dawned upon her, and it took several more seconds to notice that the river creature was addressing her by name in a friendly tone. “He-heh, y-yeah, you totally had me fooled” Rainbow said with a nervous chuckle.
“My acting coach says I still need to work on my resonance,” the sea serpent continued as he began to lounge in the riverbed. “Be honest with, Rainbow, did I rattle your bones with that?”
“Definitely. I thought I was going to be shaken out of my horseshoes,” Rainbow replied. If there was one thing that the adventures of Daring Do had taught her, it was to be flattering when a giant reptilian creature asked you a question.
And sure enough, the sea serpent was elated to hear the glowing review. “Oh, that’s just wonderful!” he said while clasping his hands together. “You have no idea what this means to me! The audition is only a few days and I have been working ever so hard for the role of the villain. I had hoped for the lead role, but that would’ve needed to shave off my moustache, and that just won’t do!”
“Right, of course.” Rainbow Dash hadn’t the slightest clue what the serpent was going on about, and she opted to just smile and nod in the meantime. As with any new contact, Rainbow was hesitant to reveal her current condition.
“So what brings you down this way, hm? I haven’t seen you since I took you and Applejack on that sunset cruise along the river.” The serpent let out a contented sigh as his eyes seemed to light up at the mentioning of the cruise. “Oh, we simply must do that again. It was just so romantic the first time around, and I promise you that I can do a much better job serenading the next time. My acting coach has said that I make an excellent tenor.”
Talks of river cruises and serenades made the pegasus wonder about the kind of romantic life Rainbow Dash had led. It was definitely a colourful one if she had managed to get a sea serpent to sing serenades for a date. It even made the love life of Daring Do seem rather quaint in comparison. Granted, Daring Do’s romantic pursuits had always been muddled by whatever escapade she had undertaken, and relationships built upon adrenaline were often unstable once the danger passed.
“Just out for a stroll, sort of,” Rainbow explained, maintain her current strategy of telling half-truths when uncertain of the other party’s loyalty. Romantic serenades, while pleasant, were no measure for trustworthiness. “I think I may have gotten a bit lost, though. Is there anything...important around here? You know, like old ruins or a burial ground?”
“Only the old castle,” the sea serpent answered with an uncertain shrug.
Old castle? Now that sounded familiar to Rainbow. “Which way?” she asked with an eagerness that betrayed her once calm composure.
“Over that way, of course, though I don’t know why you’d want to go back there,” he said as he pointed to the far side of the river. Fortunately for Rainbow Dash, the sea serpent did not pry for the pegasus’ reasons.
After bidding a quick farewell, Rainbow continued on her way into the Everfree forest. Her thoughts, however, remained fixated on the prior conversation. It would appear that the true Rainbow Dash led a very colourful life: a casual friendship with a sea serpent; romantic cruises, a prior visit to an old castle ruin, and a close friendship with an alicorn princess. While it didn’t measure up to a world-famous archaeologist and globetrotter, it did make her sound more and more interesting. Perhaps once she was back to being the proper Daring Do, she’d pay the pegasus a visit. Perhaps Rainbow Dash would be interested in a future in archaeology.
With the idea of potential partnerships on her mind, she contemplated the possibility of making the suggestion to Twilight Sparkle instead. She had the wits and magic to make a great archaeologist, and she was no stranger to the perils of the outside world. Rainbow made a mental note to broach the subject the next time that she saw the alicorn princess, assuming Twilight ever caught up.
As tempting as it was to take to the sky to find the old castle, Rainbow still clung to the hope that retracing her steps by hoof would help her memories. A temporary stop at a rickety rope bridge brought back a sense of deja vu for the pegasus. As usual, it only left her with more questions, but at least she knew she was on the right track.
“I wish I had an idea of where I was going,” Rainbow commented after touching down on the far side of the bridge. “If only there was some kind of sign.”
Rainbow’s lamentations came to an abrupt halt when she noticed a tree that was not quite like the others. In fact, it wasn’t a tree, but rather a wooden signpost; or rather it used to be given that it appeared to have been roughed up. It sat at a slight angle and had extensive claw markings all over it, but the writing was still legible with an arrow pointing back across the bridge with the words ‘Ponyville’ next to it.
“I wonder what happened here.” A cursory examination of the signpost didn’t reveal any obvious tells, but when she caught a faint odour of a very familiar stench, her questions were laid to rest. “Hmm...smells like timberwolf,” she murmured. With that in mind, she didn’t want to think about what fate may have befallen the signpost.
As she was about to continue on, the same familiar odour graced her nostrils once more, but it was far more potent. It was the kind of pervasive stench that rammed its way up one’s nostrils and set up camp in the back of the throat. Rainbow came close to gagging, but managed to hold her composure. The only thing stronger than the stench was the dread that came with knowing what that kind of odour meant.
“Smells like something curled up and died,” Rainbow said with a shudder. Her eyes followed the trail of the scent until she spotted its source - a timberwolf that was creeping out from the thick brush. “Not quite, but ugly enough to be mistakened for death,” she quipped.
Unfortunately, Rainbow’s pithy remarks were ignored by the lumbering beast. On any other day, Rainbow Dash would have just left the timberwolf in the dust without a second thought. However, she had just finished running away from a flock of overly-affectionate pixies, and almost had her heart stopped by a sea serpent with a pompadour; the time for running was over. Digging her hooves into the earth, Rainbow stared down the approaching timberwolf. A part of her wished that she had Blondie at her side to help tackle this threat, or at the very least, Blondie’s trusty rifle.
However, Rainbow was armed with more than just her bare hooves: she still had her wits about her. After scanning her surroundings, she spotted some nearby hanging vines. The pegasus grabbed hold of a sturdy vine and pulled it free. Just as the timberwolf was ready to pounce, Rainbow took her new length of vine and gave it a sharp flick of her fetlock. The loud crack of the vine-whip caused the timberwolf to recoil back for a brief moment, as if startled by the pegasus’ sudden display of ferocity.
“Come on, you oversized piece of kindling,” Rainbow said with a daring grin, “let’s dance!”
************************
“Twilight, could you take your muzzle outta that book for one second? You almost walked into a branch again,” Applejack warned as she held the aforementioned branch to the side. While the distracted alicorn was not proving to be too difficult to watch over, Twilight’s fascination with her book was keeping the pair from maintaining a steady pace.
“Sorry!” Twilight apologized despite not heeding her friend’s advice. “If I can just finish this chapter, I might be able to figure out where exactly this ‘secret’ is that Rainbow is looking for.”
Under normal circumstances, Applejack might have appreciated Twilight’s more cerebral approach to solving their problem, but she didn’t want to waste precious time with a book while Rainbow was continuing to put more and more distance between them. What was the use in knowing what Rainbow was looking for if the pegasus was gone long before they ever got to the castle? Applejack and Twilight had gotten lucky in getting directions from the sea serpent, but there was no telling how far ahead the pegasus still was.
“How about we worry about that once we’re inside the castle,” Applejack suggested, but to no avail. Her friend remained plastered in her reading, guided only by the sound of Applejack’s own hooves. “Anyways, I think Rainbow’s been through here recently.”
“What makes you so sure?” Twilight asked despite not prying her eyes away from her reading. Her distraction also meant she failed to notice Applejack roll her eyes in annoyance. It wasn’t until Applejack physically pushed Twilight’s face in the necessary direction did she see what the farmer pony had been referring to. There was a timberwolf just ahead of the pair, but rather than a dangerous, snarling beast, the creature had been bound. All of its limbs and it muzzle had been secured with vine, while another piece kept the beast tied to a nearby tree. What had once been a terrifying stalker of the Everfree forest had been left whimpering and fruitlessly struggling against its bindings.
“Wow, I never knew Rainbow could do that,” Applejack commented after taking another moment to admire the scene.
“What? Take down a timberwolf?”
“No, tie a constrictor knot. That is some fancy rope work.”
Despite the surprising quality of Rainbow Dash’s knotting skills, Applejack and Twilight decided to keep moving before the timberwolf found a way to free itself.
“Have you found anything useful in that book yet?” Applejack asked out of idle curiosity as she resumed her position as point-pony. Since she could not convince her friend to lay the book down for a few minutes, even if to avoid a low-hanging branch or two, she figured she may as well pick the unicorn’s brain for information.
“Not yet,” Twilight replied. “I lost my place when I almost fell into the river. Do you know if the Everfree forest was before or after the escape from Canterlot?”
“Beats me.”
“Well doesn’t Rainbow usually read it out loud? Surely you must’ve overheard something.”
For a brief moment, Applejack was thankful that her friend was still too busy combing through the pages, or else she might’ve noticed the faint shade of red that swept across the farmer’s face. “I was...usually busy when that happened,” she explained with a satisfactory half-truth. With her friend’s muzzle buried back within the Daring Do book, Applejack fell silent.
Fortunately for the pair, but more so for the preoccupied princess, the rest of the journey was free of timberwolves, manticores, flimsy rope bridges, poison jokes, and other pitfalls that normally made any journey into the Everfree Forest a dangerous proposition. The ancient castle ruins stood before them like an old grave, cold and haunting. In her pressing need to find her love, Applejack raced ahead to the castle and discovered the main door already open. Judging by the state of the timberwolf they had passed, Applejack figured that the wayward pegasus couldn’t be too far ahead of them.
“Okay, let’s go find that silly pegasus so we can drag her to Zecora and get this whole mess finally fixed,” Applejack announced. They had only explored a small section of the ruins when they first came to the place in search of the Elements of Harmony, but the empty chambers and stone corridors would be easy to search in a hurry. It was tempting to suggest splitting up, but there was no telling what forest denizens might have taken up residence since the castle fell to ruin. On the bright side, the ruins felt a lot less imposing than Applejack remembered, but that probably due to Nightmare Moon’s presence the last time.
The pair ventured deeper into the keep, calling out Daring’s name in hopes of coaxing the pegasus out. Actually, it was only Applejack who did the calling, as Twilight was still too busy reading. The earth pony felt weird using Daring’s name, but she feared that Rainbow might not respond to her forgotten name.
“You could try helping,” Applejack remarked when she noticed the absence of her friend’s voice.
“Just give me a few minutes, I’m almost to the castle part,” Twilight answered without even batting an eye away from her book.
“Would it kill you to stop reading for five minutes?”
“No, but it might save us five minutes if I can figure out where Rainbow’s memories would be leading her.”
Applejack just rolled her eyes once more and left Twilight to her page-scouring. She reconciled with herself that a second voice wouldn’t change the outcome anyways. Their continued search seemed to be in vain—between the years of decay and the exposure to the raw, uncontrolled elements of the Everfree Forest, there was barely anything left of the castle but worn stone and overgrowth. Whatever secrets may have existed in the castle, there was a good chance that they were long gone by now. A speedy pegasus like Rainbow could have scoured the entire castle in a few seconds and left already.
It was beginning to feel like an exercise in futility when Applejack caught a glimpse of moving shadows out of the corner of her eye. “Rainbow!” she blurted out without even thinking. If it had been their missing pegasus, she was being more obtuse than Twilight as the only noise to respond was a distant echo. Not wanting to let Rainbow slip away again, Applejack dashed off down the corridor. “Come on, Twi!” she said before sprinting off.
The movement she had seen moments earlier had only lasted a second: a flicker of a shadow that disappeared beyond the next corner. Fueled by a need to find her love, Applejack reached the next corner just in time to see the same flicker at the next corner further down the hallway. Spurred on, she raced to the next hallway with even greater speed, but with every corner turned, her quarry seemed to be just finishing the next.
After several turns and bends, and even a flight of stairs, Applejack started to feel a bit winded and frustrated. “Oh for crying out loud,” she growled in her growing contempt, “I think these dang shadows are just playing tricks on me now. Tell me you’ve had better luck with your book, Twi.”
But when Applejack turned to consult her friend, she found herself standing alone in the corridor. There was not even the sound of stomping hooves of an alicorn princess trying to keep up, which meant that Twilight had been so busy with her book that she didn’t even notice Applejack run off. A part of her wanted to be frustrated with Twilight again, but Applejack realized that she should have known better than to run off without making sure her friend was following.
Just as she was about to start tracing her steps back with the hopes that Twilight had, at some point, noticed Applejack’s absence, she caught the sound of hoofsteps coming from further down the hall. “Rainbow?” she called out with a faint flicker of hope in her voice.
No answer.
“Twilight?” A long shot, but it was the next likely possibility. Again, however, there was no answer.
Applejack was about to dismiss it as yet another trick on her senses when she heard the hoofsteps once more. This time around it was much clearer, obviously coming from a closer source, but it came from a different corridor. Since any movement was a possible sign for Rainbow Dash, Applejack went in search of the source, albeit at a more cautious trot. While she did not consider herself to the easily intimidated type, Applejack would have been lying if she said she wasn’t feeling a bit anxious. The unknown made her twitchy, and ancient, run-down castles in the middle of the most haunted woods in Equestria just made the situation worse.
At least it wasn’t a timberwolf since all she could smell was stale air and dust.
On a whim, Applejack tried something a little more desperate. “Daring? Are you out there?”
Still nothing but frustrating silence.
On the bright side, the corridor soon dumped Applejack into what appeared to be the old throne room of the castle. A crumbling throne lay before the earth pony, flanked by the eroded remains of marble busts. She may not have been much of a history student, but Applejack could get a sense of the splendour and significance of where she stood. Once upon a time, it was the heart of Equestria, and, if the stories were to be believed, where the two Royal Sisters confronted each other, ending in the banishment of one.
After trotting up to the throne, Applejack took a few moments to cast a wary eye about the room. There was no sign of Rainbow Dash or Twilight Sparkle. It was disappointing, but not surprising given how nothing else had worked in her favour thus far. As she turned to leave, she flinched when she stepped upon something. Lifting up her hoof, she saw a small silver bracelet on the ground, protruding from between two tiles. Judging from the dust it had gathered, the piece of jewelry had been stuck there a long time.
“I wonder where this came from.” Upon closer examination, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the accessory: it was made of two intertwined silver threads, linking together around a small, jeweled crescent moon. She concluded that it must have once belonged to Princess Luna. Figuring the aforementioned Princess might want it back, Applejack pried it free from its stony vice and stashed it away in her hat. Even if it didn’t belong to Luna, she figured that Rarity might like it.
Just as she was about to leave, she heard those same familiar hoof steps...coming from directly behind her.
“What was that? Who’s—”
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Wuhuu! It's back!....and over again, all too soon :/
On the one hand, this is a very unfortunate occurrence. It would appear as though Applejack is about to become captured. On the other hand, if Rainbow Dash / Daring Do was also caught unawares by this mysterious presence, then this heightens the chances of Applejack finding her. Not exactly under the ideal circumstances, but we can worry about that later.
Damn you
Daring DocliffhangerHoly mother of update!
You mean Pumpkin Cake?
Another great chapter! But as with every great chapter..... a cliffhanger......
BLARGH! Cliffhanger!
But we just got you baaaaack!
Not bad; decent pacing, everyone is fairly in character, and plenty of humor in the right spots, so not bad at all.
I just have one small complaint that I think could help; you use the Third Person Subjective for your voice, we get a world from from the subjects perspective and thoughts but are limited to only one person at a time, but when we are following Daring, in Dash's body, you contently flip between calling her Daring Doo and Rainbow Dash. In order to keep things consistent, whenever we are following Dash around you should be referring to her as Daring. Yes, even though it is really Dash she thinks she is Daring and we are getting things from her perspective.
The repeated references to Dash, from Daring's view point, kept jarring me out of the narrative.
Feel free to keep the change over whenever you are following someone else, but just remember that when we are following them that they should be referring to things as they see them and not necessarily how they actually are.
OK, I'll shut up now. And just so you know, I really enjoyed What Would Daring Do? and I am was already following this one, so I know you have it in you to write really well. Just keep an eye on those pesky details and it will only help things to improve. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us.
And since everyone else is already commenting on it, cliffhangers are the enemy of all fans and the guilty pleasure of all writers. Enjoy the feeling while you can, you have got to run out of those things eventually!
3153884
That is done intentionally, with purpose and method behind when and how Daring's name is used in the narrative. I can understand how it can seem...odd, but there is method to my madness.
3154224
If you say so, then we have no choice but to trust you. I'm just a big believer in the flow of a story and this seemed to be a big disruption to it.
Now I'm interested in seeing what this method you mentioned is.
i dont mean to be rude or anything but you keep saying "girlfriend". Now i understand that u dont have time to look back and see u made a mistake or anything but it just rlly makes me frustrated that ur not using mare.
but its cool or whatever 
3172704
I do not recall a single instance of 'marefriend', or any other ponified variant of the term, being uttered in the show. 'Girlfriend', however, has been used in the show, and it will be continued to be used here.
Chapter five yaaaay! Its been so long, due largely to the AppleDash contest you mentioned, but good things come to those who wait, yes? Or at least that is what they say. Coincidentally, I don't think I've actually read any non-smut fanfics since chapter four of this story. So I am looking forward to some 'wholesome' entertainment.
Starting off with a chuckle, I have to tip my hat to the 'Peachy Meadows' joke. Of course, now I'm less confident in my trip to Orange Blossom Acres next week, but that's beside the point.
Oh and I must present you with a formal guffaw! of mirth at the ghastly tree. Maybe I'm reading further into it than I ought, but having Dash recognize one of the frightful trees from Season 1 Episode 2 and then chuckling at it seems like quite the hat-tip to the series, and for that I give you applesauce! Or applause! Whichever you prefer.
I was a tad confused by the "treants" reference. For a moment I thought it was "tree ants" but later on, when you mentioned them 'taking a swing' at her, I started to picture Ents from Lord of the Rings, but more violent. Possibly like those rude trees from The Wizard of Oz? A little more explanation there would have been more helpful than hindering I believe.
Yay! More memory references to earlier episodes! I figured Daring Do would know what Poison Joke was when she was about to fall into it, but having her be unfamiliar and using Dash's memories as a bleed-through bridge (This is assassins creed! omg! haha) for the knowledge is much more enjoyable.
Hrm...is this a parasprite that has found her? Why, yes it is! The parasprites cometh! Hahaha. I'm normally rather put off by frequent repeated references to past episodes, but you are making them quite enjoyable. I am chuckling even now as Daring Dash flees through the forest to evade their cuddles.
When the beast emerged from the water I thought you were bringing back the ol' Hydra. But it appears to be Steven Magnet though I cannot say I've seen mention of purple or well quoifed hair. Oh, there is the mustache remark. I withdraw my earlier comment and replace it with a hearty, Fluttershy-esque yay!
Awww, Dashie and AJ went on a cruise with Magnet. That's so sweet. Thank you for sprinkling that little tidbit in. And I can't help but snicker at Daring Dash's thought about Rainbow Dash being potentially interested in archaeology. I can't possibly see that happening, haha.
Damn, if I knew this chapter was going to have so many references to the past, I would have made a drinking game of it and taken some shots. Of course, that would make this comment far less readable as the story went on, but that'd be your problem and my liver's. Not mine.
Hahaha! Having AJ and Twilight find the timberwolf already taken care of was a stroke of genius! I almost dropped my laptop laughing, hahaha. You made it even better by having Applejack compliment the knot-work.
HAHAHAHA! Oh I almost forgot about the, *ahem*, amorous activities that AJ and RD were up to during the book readings. But you have very graciously reminded us all in as clean a way possible.
The party is spit and all three mares are now out in the wilderness alone. I wonder what AJ is going to find. I presume AJ is going to find something in the throne room since she is the only one not looking for anything besides Rainbow Dash, and the ones not doing the seeking tend to be the ones to find what everyone else is looking for. On that note, I expect Twilight to find Rainbow Dash first. *Puts two bits on the table* In fact I'll bet on it.
Hmm...ancient bracelet found in the floor and hoofsteps from behind.
I CAN"T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! <3 ! <3