Ever since Twilight introduced her to a certain book series, Rainbow Dash doesn't go out as much, she doesn't see them, and every Hearts and Hooves day goes by without a special somepony. Her friends got a plan, but what will happen if it backfires?
Ever since Twilight introduced her to a certain book series, Rainbow Dash doesn't go out as much, she doesn't see them, and every Hearts and Hooves day goes by without a special somepony. Her friends got a plan, but what will happen if it backfires? --- Co-work with the silly duck Edits by Donny, Forgotten, Lunatone and PanzerBrony --- This plays BEFORE the episode with the real Daring Do!
It was a cold and lonely night, plagued by lightning and rain. As another beam of light flashed through the air, a large building was illuminated in the brief flash. a variety of ropes could be seen tangled around it, and in front of it stood a shadow, his face hidden, in his hoof a scepter. He was pointing towards the building with it, causing lightning to strike at the top.
The building shuddered while the top opened, revealing a small monument shaped like a crystal. The shadow approached, each step accelerating until he reached it. His dark, cold hooves stretched to grab the ancient treasure. His expression turned into a wicked smirk as a laugh came from his unseen face, sounding even deeper than the thunder around them. He had achieved his goal, the sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.
Just as he cheered his victory, a sudden swipe of gold passed him, and his hooves were suddenly empty. Angrily, he looked around, just to see a certain pegasus standing on a hill next to him.
“Better luck next time!” The mare teased him and sprinted down the other side, followed closely by the shadow.
The shadow howled his anger, coming closer and closer while the mare tried to escape with all her power. As soon as she realized that running wouldn’t be enough to get away, she unfolded her wings and shot into the air, just to be grounded seconds later by trails of lightning searching for her wings. Flying was not an option.
Looking at her side, Daring Do noticed her blackened wing tips, making flying impossible even if the sky were clear. As she looked back, the shadow came closer and closer. Her escape would fail unless she had an idea in the next few moments.
Daring tried to gain more speed, looking around for any way to escape or possibilities for a distraction. To her left was the decrepit, ancient temple that usually protected the small monument that was now in her saddlebags. To her right was the endless jungle. In front of her, nothing besides a wide range of desert. Behind her was the shadow, howling his anger after her while coming closer.
While running through her options in her mind, she decided that the labyrinth of halls and traps inside the temple would be the best way to get rid of the shadow. Daring turned to the left and focused all of her power to approach it as quickly as possible. She entered the temple and stopped for a second, noticing that something was wrong.
It was too late, however. The entrance closed behind her, trapping her inside. Daring pushed and pulled, but to no avail. A thick, heavy stone block was halting her access to freedom, and the laugh that followed caused her fur to stand up. The shadow had planned this. With a hiss, the torches along the wall ignited, revealing a straight path to follow. It would lead into another trap, the golden mare was sure about that, but she had no choice, and started her way, slowly walking and watching out for any traps.
As she inspected the ground, she found a somehow familiar pattern. A pattern that was too familiar, and Daring gasped, knowing who the temple likely belonged to.
“Great, another job without a correct description! This is one of Ahuizotl’s temples. Just great! The damn predator pattern on the ground is the same, and that means that sneaky villain is not far away. What luck,” she muttered, stomping onto the ground.
“Ohh, ho ho ho. I don’t think that you could describe any of this as some luck, Daring Do,” came a voice behind her, and the pattern under her hooves blurred, revealing a cage that slid up and trapped her.
“Argh, damn it! I knew that you would join this game, Ahuizotl!” Daring shouted, bucking against the wooden bars of the cage, but they held.
With an evil laugh, Ahuizotl jumped down from the column he was hiding on, starting to pace around the cage.
“Oh, Daring, there’s no need to be so prudish. After all, I saved you from my shadow,” Ahuizotl said, grinning noticeably.
“Your shadow?” Daring gasped, “You used the scepter! Are you mad? You just opened the portal to things that are even worse than this shadow!” The golden mare growled, “Great, just great.”
“Do you think I am a fool? Of course, I added some security measures to ensure that the shadow was the only visitor, and he gets enough food as a reward, trust me,” Ahuizotl laughed and turned, his gaze meeting Daring’s, “I would really like you to meet him, but unfortunately you will not be among the living in a few more minutes. This temple will destroy itself once I take the eternal crystal from it. Another relic you are searching for, I presume? Die well, Daring Do.”
Ahuizotl bowed awkwardly and neared the cage, grabbing for Daring’s saddlebags and ripping them from her body. He opened them and took the monument out of them, smiling evilly. After making sure that it was the real crystal, he turned and left, leaving Daring alone in the cage, still trying to escape. Looking around, she found nothing to unlock the cage. No lever, switch, nothing.
“Urgh, I guess he learned from last time. He hid it for sure!” Daring muttered, looking closer at the surroundings.
It was no use. Time ran by, and soon she could hear a rumble as the destruction began, the temple slowly tearing itself apart. Daring desperately tried to buck her hind legs against the cage, but it held.
The columns around her creaked and began to fall, one after another. It was Daring’s luck that one column decided to fall on the side of the cage, smashing the wood, and Daring was free.
Looking around, she hastily made her way in the opposite direction from whence she came, knowing the entrance would still be closed. Maybe there was another way out of the temple and she just had to find it. While running, she noticed that most of the traps were deactivated, and she was glad for that. However, she soon reached a dead end.
Daring Do tried to gather herself, despite the walls and ceilings crashing down next to her. She found a source of light rather quickly, jumping for it over the crashing columns until the sun greeted her.
“Uhm, Rainbow Dash? Are you in here?” the sun slowly greeted her and…
Rainbow jumped off her bed, being startled by the yellow pegasus next to her, touching her gently.
“Excuse me, Rainbow, but we were searching for you all day,” Fluttershy said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“What? Oh, Fluttershy, it’s you,” Rainbow scratched her head with her hoof, “I was in the middle of reading, can’t it wait?”
“Please don’t take it personally, but you keep hiding in here every Hearts and Hooves day. Twilight wants you to come to the library as soon as possible,” Fluttershy said before backing out of the cyan mare’s bedroom.
Rainbow looked out of the window. It was true, she nearly spent the whole day reading. A bit of flying would also do well for her wings. She marked the passage in her Daring Do book and closed it, laying it down on her nightstand.
I guess I could take a look at what the egghead is up to.
With a frown, Rainbow stood up and left her cloudhome, wings unfolding and heading for the library distinctly shaped like a tree.
Rainbow glided through the sky, enjoying the warm evening breeze on her wings ruffling through every single feather. It was truly her element; not even Daring Do could compare to the feeling of freedom in the sky.
Slowly, the library came closer and Rainbow sighed. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for another meeting with Twilight yet. Last time she knocked half of the bookcases over and created a dusty mess. She had never seen the purple unicorn driven into such a rage before.
Something I don’t want to have to do again, Rainbow thought bitterly.
The cyan mare knew that she couldn’t delay it, so she glided down and landed in front of the library. She didn’t even have the chance to knock before the door opened.
“Oh, Dash, it’s you! You’re already here? That was quick,” Twilight stated before stepping aside. “Come in.”
Rainbow hesitated, but stepped in, noticing that all her friends were there, except Fluttershy.
“Hey there, partner. Glad ya poked yer head out of that cloud of yours,” Applejack chuckled.
“Agreed. She has been hiding there for long enough, I say,” Rarity added.
“Uh, guys? What’s going on here?” Rainbow asked, scratched her head.
“Rainbow, I can’t say I’ve seen all of this myself, but Fluttershy and the others told me that you keep hiding in your home every single Hearts and Hooves day. You even ignore your weather duties!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Hey, what’s wrong with that? Maybe I just need some free time on that mushy holiday,” the cyan pegasus pouted.
“Alright, what she’s trying to say is that you need a special somepony, darling. You need a stallion to keep you in shape, just look at your flank. It will get all… well… unmuscular if you continue like this,” Rarity said.
“Alright. Just because I read all day and enjoy the silence doesn’t mean I need a stallion-”
Rarity interrupted her, “Then maybe a mare?”
“Whoa, sugarcube, hold on a second. Let’s not go too far ahead of ourselves here,” Applejack cut in.
“We’re getting off topic!” Twilight yelled. “I don’t want to talk you into a special somepony. You avoid us more and more lately and I’ve got an… interesting offer for you, Rainbow.”
“What could you offer that I’m interested in, egghead?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
“Special enchanted Daring Do books,” Twilight clapped her forehooves excitedly.
“Enchanted? Twilight, you can’t just mess with Daring Do books!”
“Dash, relax. I just enchanted them, nothing harmful done to them,” the purple unicorn smiled.
“And what exactly did you do to them?” Rainbow asked before facehoofing as Twilight beamed a smile, “No, no explanation in egghead, just the easy version please.”
Her smile vanished in a second. “I won’t tell you until you agree to go out more often again. Just us, having fun, doing something. Maybe going to eat together.”
“Uh, I don’t know…” Rainbow hesitated.
“Oh, come on! This will be fun, fun, fuuuun,” Pinkie Pie chimed, hopping around the pegasus before Twilight stopped her.
Rainbow looked around, just to see every single one of her friends smiling at her, waiting for an answer. She had two options. Her first one was to fly back into her cloudhome, fill every single door and window with the fluffy mass and hide until her friends forgot the idea. Her second one was to simply bear with it and maybe getting the most awesome Daring Do books in history. It wasn’t a hard choice.
“Alright, deal,” the cyan pegasus mumbled.
“What was that, sugarcube? Ah can’t hear ya!” Applejack snickered.
“I said deal!” Rainbow growled louder.
Twilight clapped her hooves again before lighting up her magic and, in a flash, a book with a slight blue glow appeared in front of Dash’s hooves.
“Daring Do and the Mysterious Treasure of Mareopolis?” Rainbow read out loud.
“Yes! It’s one of the newer ones and I’m sure that you’ll love what I did!” The unicorn smiled before teleporting another book to her. “Look at this one.”
“This is the same,” Rainbow said before the book opened to a random page, revealing cool purple letters instead of the usual black. “What the hay? ‘As the moon sunk low, Daring Do and Twilight Sparkle? waited for the perfect opportunity to start their journey into the deepest caves of Mareopolis’.” She stopped and blinked twice. “Why are you in this story?”
“Technically, I’m not. But I enchanted your book just like mine. If you start to read it, the book opens another dimension, taking you into it. You will be in the story and everything you do changes it,” the unicorn squealed.
Rainbow simply blinked. “That…. is…” she stopped before swooping up and doing a loop. “Awesome! How did you even learn a spell like that?”
“It was easy, to be honest. I searched for a place to be undisturbed in my studies for a long time, and thanks to Luna, I found such a place. This is basically an altered dream-dimension, just that I use a book as hook instead of a pony. That way, the book becomes real and we can change and live everything in it,” Twilight exclaimed.
“That’s... Ah don’t know what exactly it is, but it sure sounds impressive, Twilight,” Applejack said.
“It was nothing,” Twilight blushed.
"No, seriously, Twilight! I can finally experience some of the best adventures at Daring Do's side!" Rainbow cheered.
“But think about our deal and your promise, Dash. I don’t want you to continue spending your free time locked in your cloudhome. Especially not now with that book,” Twilight winked. “If you keep to your word, I might prepare another one for you.”
“Yeah yeah, Twilight,” Dash said, waving a hoof dismissively at her, hardly hearing the studious unicorn. “So are we done here or what? I kinda wanna take a look at this book.”
“Dash-”
Rainbow cut her off, “Awesome! See ya!”
“Darling wait! You should show up at my boutique. You could really use some more… flair if you want to impress the stallion of your dreams,” Rarity said with a smile.
That stopped the cyan pegasus. “What?”
“Rarity, Ah don’t think we should put the cart before the pony, here.. Ah’m not sure she’s interested in any of that girly-smirly stuff,” Applejack snickered.
“Well, somepony may think of it as ‘girly-smirly’ but a true lady should never have to be alone on such a heartwarming holiday,” Rarity retorted with a smug look on her face.
“Girls!” Twilight jumped into their banter before it could continue any further. “We already got Rainbow to agree to come out with us more, let’s just give her a chance to live up to her end of the deal before we go forcing her on dates with… some stallion she’s not really into.” Twilight said that last bit with a sigh.
There were several nods from all the ponies in the room, agreeing with Twilight’s request. These were all quickly followed by a burst of cold wind and the slamming of a door.
“Rainbow, does that wo—” Turning around to where the cyan pegasus once stood, she saw only an empty space.
“Ah think she’s already gone sugarcube,” Applejack pointed out with a laugh.
“If she would just always be that eager and fast when it came to actually getting the important things done,” Twilight sighed.
***
Dash raced to her cloudhome, the book safely in her hooves. She just couldn’t wait to read this story, to see everything Twilight had changed. Cruising through the skies over Ponyville with the wind rippling through her feathers she let out a squee of joy.
Not that she would ever let anypony else see that, but she was relatively certain that, at her speeds, nopony else would ever know.
She was about to get to meet her idol, her hero. Daring Do. THE Daring Do. She would get to meet her! Looking around once more, she let out another squee at the thought.
She hit a literal wall. The wall of her cloudhome to be precise. That wall gave in to the careening pegasus, letting her crash through it and into her living room, coming to a stop on her back. “Ugh, ponyfeathers,” she huffed. Quickly flipping over and to her hooves, she went to grabbing the table and all the items she had sent haphazardly through the room with her impact.
Finally, with everything back where it was supposed to be, she settled onto her couch, the new Daring Do book in hoof. I feel like I’m forgetting something. That thought was quickly replaced as she went to open the cover.
“Dash? Hey, Rainbow Dash! You in here?”
Buck me. The wall. Rainbow looked over her shoulder to see a light purple pegasus mare with icy-blue two-tone mane poking her head through the hole she had—only moments before—left in, and neglected to fix, in her wall.
“What do you want Cloudchaser?” Rainbow growled. “I’m busy.”
“Well, get unbusy. The mayor wants the scheduled rain, and she wants it now. You’re late. Again,” Cloudchaser glared at her.
“Rain on Hearts and Hooves Day?” Rainbow blinked. “What?!”
“Just kidding. Wanted to know if your head still works after that crash,” Cloudchaser chuckled. “There are too many clouds over Ponyville. We have to clear them.”
“Now?”
“Yeah...”
“Buck me…”
“No thanks,” Cloudchaser blew her a raspberry. “You coming or do I have to drag your fat flank there?”
“Alright, Alright,” Dash huffed with a glare at the pegasus and a longing gaze at the book. “Let’s make this quick.” Dash placed her new book on the table and shot out of the hole in her wall. “And my flank is not fat!”
Cloudchaser blew her another raspberry as she followed. “Looks like it from here,” she said with a wink. Causing Rainbow Dash to blush.
“I, but what… huh? Stop staring at my flank!”
Cloudchaser caught up to the cyan pegasus at the first cloud. “You’re too easy to ruffle up, Rainbow, you really need to lighten up. Have you ever thought about finding a stallion or special somepony?”
Rainbow facehoofed. “Aargh, not you too! Can we just get these clouds cleared so I can go home?”
“Why so against the idea? Afraid you’ll find somepony more awesome than you?”
“I’m not interested in a special somepony,” Rainbow glared and sped up, making it difficult for Cloudchaser to keep up. “Besides, there’s nopony more awesome than the Rainbow Dash.” Well, Daring Do may give me a run for my bits, but she’s not real, so that doesn’t count.
“Someday you might find one.”
“Yeah, keep dreaming,” the cyan pegasus laughed.
The two worked quickly with the rest of the weather team to clear the skies over Ponyville. Joking and ribbing continued back and forth between the two mares as they worked, and several contests for who could clear clouds quicker were formed. Rainbow Dash won each of them, naturally.
“Tell me, Dash. Never thought of spending Hearts and Hooves Day with family? With a beloved one?” Cloudchaser asked her, clearly out of breath after the seventh such contest.
“And you?” Rainbow shot back.
“I always spend it with Flitter.”
Dash giggled. “You volunteer to spend time with your sister?”
Cloudchaser glared at her. “She’s my sibling, of course I do. As long as I’ve got no special somepony, she is my company on every special day.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. Everypony in the weather team and town knew that there was a special bond between the siblings. Some ponies even hinted at the fact that the two may be very close; closer than what would ever be normal for sisters.
“You sure there’s nothing going on there, Cloudchaser? Not judging, just saying, I mean… you know how the rumor mill goes. You can tell your old pal Rainbow Dash,” she said with a grin.
Cloudchaser looked back over her shoulder at the brash mare as they both got to the last cloud in the sky. “Come on Dash, a gentlecolt wouldn’t ask, and a lady would never tell.” She said the last bit with a wink before kicking the cloud to oblivion and leaving Dash hovering, stunned in the sky as she flew off.
Does that mean she is bucking Flitter or not? Rainbow thought before she shook her head. Looking around her, she could see the skies were once again clear over Ponyville. Shrugging it off as a job-well-done, she headed straight back to her cloudhome, not wanting to waste a single minute without starting her new book.
Flying back through the hole she had made in her wall, she landed rather ungracefully on her flank as she hit the couch. Looking at the book and back to the hole, she begrudgingly got up to collect the remnants of cloud strewn through the room. No more interruptions. After piecing her wall together in a rather slipshod manner, she sat back down and looked at her new book.
Finally! Daring Do! Picking it up and opening the cover, she began to read with yet another, foalish squee. As soon as she began, a light flashed through the room and the mare was gone, the book crashing back to the table in her living room. If anypony were there to see it, they would not have believed it, as the Daring Do book changed.
The moon hung low over Mareopolis as Daring Do worked to prepare for the task ahead. Unbeknownst to her, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane watched her every step, waiting for the right moment to make her move.
Rainbow groaned, her heart beating a mile a second. Something happened once she read the first line of the book, she felt a strong pressure that pulled her somewhere. Now she wasn’t in her cloudhome anymore. She felt cold dirt on her cheek.
Opening her eyes, they immediately went wide. She was in some kind of forest with ruins spread around, and the moon hung low in the skies. Slowly, she got to her hooves and tried to find out where she was, but to no avail. Everything seemed so foreign. She wasn’t even sure that she was in Equestria anymore.
“Damn, I can’t get through there.”
Dash ducked low as the silent voice of an unknown mare washed over her. She somehow knew the voice. It was rough, full of emotion. She had imagined the voice a hundred times in her life. Well, ever since Twilight had introduced her to her most favourite hobby besides flying. She just had no idea how real that voice would become.
Daring Do?
Rainbow had a hard time keeping her cool. Everything inside her screamed for her to jump forward and meet her idol, but the expression the light gold pegasus showed was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. Daring looked worried as her gaze went over the old parchment map to her hooves.
“Why can’t it be easy for once?” Daring groaned, shaking her head to loosen a few strands of her black and grey mane from her face.
Rainbow watched as the rose eyes of her idol scanned the parchment, before resting on a spot, “This could actually work. A secondary cave off to the side, huh? Guess they weren’t big into securing this place after all,” Shuffling the map around with other documents, she groaned again, “Aargh! These maps are so old, this is all assuming that the cave hasn’t collapsed, if it’s even still there!”
Daring collected the maps she needed as well as several canteens of water and grabbed a torch in her mouth as she prepared to leave the camp. Kicking dirt over her small fire to smother the the flames and smoke, she dredged off into the darkness of the jungle.
Rainbow followed as silently as she could through the dense underbrush. Despite her best efforts, in order to keep up with the archaeologist she had to forgo some stealth. Leaves rustled and twigs cracked as she tried to keep the glow of Daring Do’s torch in sight. Suddenly, the light went out. Dash made a bee-line for where the light last was, and was met with the edge of the jungle opening into a clearing at the mouth of an ancient city. Ruins towered above her with no sign of the explorer in sight.
Tentatively, Dash stepped into the clearing before taking wing towards the buildings. Any hope she had of catching Daring Do was lost if she couldn’t find her again. Taking off into the darkness and looking for the warm glow of Daring’s torch, she completely missed the vines that had been strung between the nearest two buildings.
Rainbow ran muzzle first into the first of the vines, causing her to blink in confusion as her wings and body quickly became entangled in the trap before her. Falling to the ground with a huff, she struggled to get free, but couldn’t shake the vines from her body.
She was suddenly bathed in the warm glow of a fire. A lit torch clattered to the ground in front of her as Daring Do stepped forward into the light.
“Who are you, and why are you following me!?”
Rainbow Dash looked up at the light golden pegasus bathed in the flickering light of her torch. Her trademark pith helmet perched atop her head completed the image Dash had imagined time and again.
“Well? Who sent you!”
Rainbow Dash stared blankly as her mind tried to process the situation. Okay Dash, play it cool!
“Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! You’re Daring Do!”
Smooth, Dash, real smooth. She mentally facehoofed.
“Well, duh,” Daring rolled her eyes, “Now, stop trying to fool me and tell me who sent you after me!”
“Nopony! Oh my gosh, you are my idol!”
Daring Do blinked, “What?”
“You are my idol! I read every single one of your adventures!” Rainbow continued to squeal.
“Okay kid, keep it down,” Daring quickly shushed her, “I have no idea what you are talking about, but you should leave. This isn’t a game.”
“You’re on an adventure, this is everything I’ve ever dreamed about! Discovering old treasures at the side of Daring Do, mastering traps and riddles in the deepest unknowns of Equestria!” Dash squealed.
Daring shook her head before she pulled out a knife and cut the vines holding Rainbow, “Kid, go home. This is not a place for somepony trying to get an easy kick. This is business, and I plan on doing it right, without having to watch out for some amateur pony who can’t keep up.”
“Can’t keep up?!” Dash jumped to her hooves, “I’m the Rainbow Dash! Fastest pegasus in Equestria. I can pull off the sonic rainboom!”
Daring Do looked Rainbow Dash square in the eyes, “Never heard of her,” she deadpanned.
“That’s me! I can show you!” Rainbow glared before trying to speed up into the sky.
She didn’t get far. Daring bit down her tail and yanked her back, “Are you bucking insane? If what you say is true, you will alert everypony around if you do that now!”
“So that means I can come with you?” Dash grinned.
“No!” Daring growled, “I work alone! I don’t need fans, or somepony else following me and ruining everything I work for.”
“You know you can’t stop me from following you, right?” Dash smiled.
“I could. But I guess since you’re not after me, that would be a waste of time. Just don’t expect me to keep looking after you! If you’re following me, you do so at your own risk,” She paused in thought, “And stay out of my way!”
Daring Do stomped off into the night after picking up her torch, headed for the mountain on the other side of the city, where she hoped to find the second cave leading to her treasure. Rainbow Dash let out a small squee before trotting after her.
***
After what seemed liked hours of searching, and with the glimmer of the sun on the horizon, Daring Do let out an exasperated sigh, “Aagh! This is exactly what I was afraid of! The jungle changed. The city fell. The entire area is different from when the map was made!” She stomped the ground in frustration.
“Uhh, Daring?”
“What!?”
“Just. I mean. Looking at the map, I think the entrance to the cave you want might be this way,” she said gesturing a hoof back the way they had just come from.
“We already came from there!”
“Yeah, well, the weather around here seems to have a mind of its own. With no pegasi control, that means storms and mudslides would happen completely at random. But if you take the weather into account with crossing over the mountain, the water would actually slide off in the opposite direction. So if that’s what hid the cave, we’re looking in the wrong place.”
“That’s,” she hesitated, “Pretty clever, actually.”
“Well, I don’t have my head in the clouds all day. And I know a pretty smart unicorn. Guess she’s rubbing off on me,” Dash shrugged with a smile.
Daring shook her head with the tugging of what seemed like a smile. Maybe that filly is not that bad at all, “Alright, kid. Let’s see if it’s there.”
Flying back in the direction they came, Rainbow looked for any hidden signs of old rock slides or shifting in the ground, “There!” She pointed a hoof at a shift in the texture of the side of the mountain. It looked as though a river had flowed down, smoothing a path that was lined on both sides by rocks of all sizes. With the sun starting to illuminate the landscape, the color variations were plainly visible to Rainbow.
“Good eye, Dash.”
Ohmigosh! I just got a compliment from Daring Do! “Heh, thanks, I guess. Let’s see where it goes!”
Following the flow to the bottom, they spied the remains of an old trail. It had been decades, maybe even centuries since it had been used, but the distinct difference in both the size and density of the foliage gave credit to the fact that there was likely a path there in the past.
A path that appeared to end straight in a pile of rocks at the base of the mountain.
“It looks like it collapsed. I guess the second way isn’t always the best alternative,” Daring muttered, looking over the stones.
“They look wrong,” Dash replied.
“What?”
“I don’t know why, this just looks wrong. I’ve seen rockslides before, and this just doesn’t look right,” Dash shrugged.
Daring cocked her head, but took a closer look at the stones. Dash was right. A mudslide usually contained stones of different sizes, shapes and even some broken. The stones in front of them were way too cleanly cut, like directly out of a mountain by hoof.
“You’re right. Those stones are way too clean. They are hoof-made.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Daring grinned, “These were hoof-carved by a stonemason; the stones were put here to block the entrance. No mudslide.”
“Maybe they can be cleared somehow?”
“Usually these tunnels were meant as a way for builders to leave after they were finished with the traps in the main entrance so they could get out and leave only a few smaller ones here. After they were out, the cover was meant to be nearly permanent. But if they ever did need to get back in, they wouldn’t want to make it permanent. There should be a master stone that, if we move it, should open up a path for us, or cause everything else to clear away.”
“How do we find it?” Dash asked.
Daring’s grin only widened, “Look for a stone with a unique marking or color. Knock on it. Hard. The one that moves the easiest is the stone that can be removed.”
“Than sounds surprisingly easy.”
“It might not be,” Daring just replied before starting to inspect the stones closer, “Even if we find one that is loose enough to move and it happens to be the right one, there’s likely to be a specific way we have to move it, or we’ll set off a trap.”
“Or, we cause a real avalanche since this is like, what, thousands of years old?” Dash asked.
Daring blinked, “Huh? Yeah, you’re right!”
“Not just a simple, cloud-kicking pegasus, huh?” Dash asked with a grin.
“No, I guess not,” Daring smiled, “Guess I put you into the wrong box at first, Dash.”
Well, I’ll be damned, she’s smarter than she looks. Not that that’s saying much. She doesn’t look like she’d be ‘all there upstairs’ with that sleek frame and toned flank. Way too athletic and— Wait, what the heck am I thinking? Daring shook her head and went back to trying to find the master stone to the entire pile.
After twenty minutes, several stubbed hooves, and two-dozen curse words later, Daring yelped, “Ah hah! Dash, I think I’ve got it!” The cyan pegasus jumped over to where the rugged explorer was pointing. A stone a slightly paler shade of gray was jutting out from the rest and had a small sun engraved into it, “Now we just have to figure out the right way to move it without bringing the entire thing down on top of us, or setting off any crazy traps.”
Daring looked at the stone for several minutes while Dash waited nearby, bored. Finally, struck with an idea inspired by one of her best friends, she approached the stone. Turning around and rearing onto her front legs, she bucked it with all her might. Daring narrowly jumped out of the way in time as a large section of stone crumbled away, leaving an entrance into the cave beyond.
“Rainbow Dash! What the heck was that?!”
Rainbow shrugged her shoulders, “Eh, a trick somepony back home taught me. When in doubt, just give it a good buck.”
Daring peeked around the ruble and into the cave. Re-lighting the torch and tossing it in, there were no obvious signs of danger or any traps plainly visible, “Well, despite being stupid, reckless, and completely dangerous, it actually looks clear from here.”
Rainbow Dash pumped the air with her hoof in victory.
“Well? Are you coming or not?” Picking up the torch and stepping into the cave, Daring was slowly surrounded by darkness save for the gentle bob of the torch in her mouth.
Stupid, reckless, and dangerous. Pft. Who does she think she is? Just because she’s got brains with a flank to back it up— Dash realized she was staring at Daring’s compass-rose cutie mark as she disappeared into the darkness. Shaking her head, she galloped after the golden pegasus, “Wait for me!”
Rainbow followed Daring Do into the darkness of the cave. She tried to concentrate on the adventurer’s torch, but it soon flickered and went dark. Dash attempted to orientate herself, but something pulled at her, making it impossible to take another step.
It pulled her away from the cave, away from Daring, back to her cloudhome.
“What the buck?!” Dash cried out, as she hit the floor of her home muzzle first.
Sitting up, Dash rubbed her muzzle while muttering under her breath. “Twilight… what the buck?” Looking around, it seemed as though nothing had changed, other than the sun being a bit further along in the sky. Rainbow Dash let out a low growl before rushing out her front door and taking flight.
Flying to the library as quickly as she could, she was so frustrated that she overshot the front door and crashed through the second story window. The cyan pegasus tumbled into the book shelves with nothing short of a dull roar as the tomes came crashing down.
“What in Celestia…” Twilight, stunned by the sudden crash, averted her attention to Rainbow Dash flying through the window just in time to see her careen into the bookshelves and have all the books come falling on top of her.
All the books she had just had Spike reorganize.
“Rainbow Dash!” She exclaimed before letting out a sigh and rubbing her muzzle with a hoof. “It’s so nice to see you again. I should’ve expected you, given that you haven’t crashed into the library since the last time I reorganized everything. Wait, why are you here?”
“Your enchantment-thingy isn’t working! I got kicked out of the book,” Dash said as soon as she escaped the grave of books.
“Well, duh.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s a safety precaution, so you don’t spend the rest of your life there. After exactly two hours, the spell ends your connection.”
“Make it longer!”
“What do I get out of this?”
“What?”
Twilight sighed. “What do I get out of doing that for you? Maybe an… extension of our deal?”
“Fine, what do you want?” Dash asked.
“Nothing.”
“Huh?” Rainbow looked dumbfounded.
“Nothing. It was a test to see how far you would go. I’ll extend the limit to four hours. That’s it. If you’ve got time, you can jump back into the book, but I’m leaving the safety on for your sake. It saves you from getting trapped forever and allows the connection to be broken if there’s a problem in real life.”
Dash mumbled her appreciation to the unicorn.
“Look, Rainbow Dash”—Twilight put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder— “I know you love the Daring Do books, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this animated over them. Find something you really enjoy in the book?” Twilight asked with a slight grin.
“What? No… I…We’re just friends—” Dash clamped her hooves over her muzzle.
“Oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash! I’m just joking around, relax.” Twilight smiled. “It’s pretty amazing to actually get to meet the Daring Do. Trust me, I know. I went in too.”
Wait, did she not even realize what I just said? Wait! What did I just say? We are just friends, right? “Heh heh, right. Daring Do. It’s a dream come true!” Rainbow chuckled nervously, silently thanking Celestia that Twilight hadn’t noticed her slip up. Not that she would actually call it that.
“Alright, where is the book?” Twilight asked.
“The book? Oh, shit, I forgot it home.”
Twilight only chuckled. “It’s alright. You get it and I’ll wait here.”
Dash darted out of the library, using the front door this time. Twilight said a silent “thank you” to Celestia as she closed the door, while being sure to keep it unlocked for the pegasus’ return. After a moment’s rest and utilizing the breathing exercise Cadance had taught her, she began to pick up the books that had been displaced.
Rainbow Dash bolted through her front door and headed straight for the book. Picking it up, she fought the urge to begin reading again. Read now and have to go back later? Or go now, and read longer. I kinda want to see where this is going with Daring. She mentally facehoofed. I mean ‘want to see where Daring is going.’ What the buck is wrong with me?
In a flash, she was gone. If anyone had been paying attention, the only thing they would’ve noticed was a cyan blur with a rainbow trail shooting across the skies. As usual—and much to what would normally be Rainbow’s chagrin—no one did.
Twilight finished placing the last book back on the shelf and began reading her own book when a loud thump resonated through the library. Confused, she walked upstairs and opened the door to her balcony, finding Dash in front of it, rubbing her muzzle.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The front door was open, Dash.”
“Argh, why is this closed anyways? Who would break into your library, Twilight?”
“Maybe you?”
“Why me?”
“Dash…”
“I didn’t do anything!”
Twilight sighed and shook her head. “You got the book, Rainbow?”
“Of course.”
“Alright, come in and I’ll change the safety.”
Dash grinned as she made her way in and down the stairs, closely followed by Twilight. “You already organized the books again? Geez, you’re a real egghead, Twilight.”
“Some of us like to live in something a bit more than what you would call organized chaos, Dash.”
Setting the book down in the living area, Dash waited as patiently as she could for Twilight to modify the spell. Given the fact that the spell allowed her to live her dream with Daring Do, and the fact that Rainbow Dash was unaccustomed to waiting for anything, all resulted in her bouncing on all four hooves like a filly waiting for Hearth's Warming presents.
Twilight picked up the book with her magic and opened it. Her eyes were scanning the pages as her lips mumbled indecipherable words.
“Are you done yet?” Rainbow groaned.
“Just a moment, Dash. I found something really, really interesting,” Twilight giggled.
“What?!”
“Let me quote it,” Twilight said. “‘Rainbow Dash caught herself having very conflicting thoughts, as she recognized that her gaze laid on the adventurer’s toned flank with the compass-rose cutie mark.’”
Dash’s face and muzzle turned a darker shade of blue as a blush peeked through her coat. “Are you reading it?” Dash asked through her embarrassment.
“Well, the spell is intertwined with the book so… no, not really. But it sure is a good read.” Twilight grinned.
“Not. Cool!”
“Oh relax. Besides, I won’t hold it against you. She’s an amazing mare. So adventurous.”
“Yeah.”
“And fearless.”
“Yeah…”
“And that plot.”
“Yeah…” Dash blinked. “Wait, what?” A twinge of jealousy seared through the pegasus. It’s my story, my Daring Do… wait, did something happen in her story?
“The plot of the story, Rainbow. Stay with me.”
Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “Oh, right. The story plot. Heh heh.”
She didn’t even notice the breath Twilight released.
A glow surrounded Twilight’s horn and stretched to encompass the book held in the pegasus’ hooves. “There,” Twilight said with a smile, “all done.”
Rainbow hugged the book tightly to her chest and let out a short squee before opening her eyes and seeing the sly look Twilight was giving her.
“You didn’t just see that, right?”
“Of course, Rainbow.”
“Hey listen, it’s already getting late, and I kinda wanna get back into the book. Would you mind if I…” Rainbow trailed off into an incomprehensible mumble.
“What was that, Dashie?”
“I asked if I could… hang out here and read?” Rainbow spoke at a level slightly above Fluttershy when she was afraid, but it was audible to Twilight none the less.
Twilight donned a faux look of shock. “Why Dashie, are you asking to hang out in a library and read a book? Like some sort of egghead?”
Rainbow’s eyes widened before she regained her composure. “N-no! I just… in case the spell didn’t work, or if I need more time, or if something happens. This way you’re around to fix it.”
“That eager to get back into it?” Twilight smiled with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s just so awesome, and Daring is amazing!” The Pegasus squealed back before she could stop herself.
“Alright. I’ll go and fetch some cushions and blankets—at least for myself—for if you go explore the story further.” Twilight winked. “And don't get too lost in the story!”
“Heh,” Dash chuckled. “I’ll take it easy egghead, promise.”
Twilight rolled her eyes as she left the room, leaving Dash alone with the book.
“Alright, let’s see, where where were we?” Dash muttered as she opened the book. “Me, an egghead. Pft. It’s just a book, it’s not like I have a crush on it… or Daring.”
There was just one problem with that. Even Rainbow couldn’t deny that a few spots in the story really sounded like she had a thing for Daring Doo. Especially since the part Twilight read about the adventurer’s flank wasn’t the only spot where it sounded like that….
Okay, okay, don’t panic now, Dash thought. Maybe I’ve got a small crush, but she’s awesome after all. Still, she’s just a ima… aimag… buck the egghead word, she’s just fake. She’s not real.
She found the spot where she left off, and then the world around her went dark. The pegasus was transported from Twilight’s library to a damp and dark cave, and a brief flicker from up around a curve was the only source of illumination her eyes could see.
***
“Alright, Dash, I’ve got the—” Twilight stopped talking, cutting herself short at the sight of the Daring Do book lying open on the floor, without a pegasus to be seen. “Oh come on! You couldn’t even wait?” Twilight levitated the blankets and pillows to the floor and arranged them so she could make herself comfortable. Just out of the goodness of her heart, she placed some in front of the book as well. She knew how jumping out of the story and onto a cold, hard floor could hurt.
Twilight sighed and mused to herself, “Well, let’s see what they’re up to…”
***
Dash only had time for a quick shout before she unceremoniously crashed down onto the cave floor. Her noise startled Daring who was just around the corner.
“Rainbow Dash, what the… You tripped?”
Dash blinked confused. Daring acted like she wasn’t gone at all a second before, but she was sure it had been at least one or two hours since the book kicked her out. “Yeah, tripped, sorry.”
“Pay more attention. We don’t want you to accidentally walk into a trap, alright?” Daring offered her a hoof and Dash took it, quickly getting back to her hooves.
“Thanks, will do.”
“Not that I want to lecture you, but there could be traps anywhere. Just try to not die on me.”
Dash shuddered. There was a way Daring phrased the remark that made her think the adventurer still prefered to be alone. Yet, there was a tone hidden she couldn’t point a hoof at. Maybe she’s a bit glad to have backup?
“You gonna stay there the whole time or are you actually coming? If I’m right about these caves, we’ve got a hay of a walk in front of us with a lot of unknown things ahead,” Daring said, raising an eyebrow. Dash quickly caught up, walking abreast with her companion.
They walked for a while before Daring spoke up again. “So, where are you from, Rainbow?”
“I’m from Ponyville, but I was born a Cloudsdale pegasus,” Dash replied proudly.
“Ponyville, heh? I know that tiny village. Actually, I don’t live that far from it.” Daring chuckled. “If we both survive this, I’ll throw a party at my place.”
Is she joking? “So you live near Ponyville? I’ve never seen you there before.
Daring laughed. “Well, I’ve got enough work to keep me busy, and I get all my supplies through my contacts or on my trips.”
The two continued on in an amicable silence, Dash trying to figure out how else to broach the subject of seeing Daring more—and then quickly shaking it away as she remembered Daring was a fictional character, while Daring seemed intent on finding the fastest route to finding the lost treasure of Mareopolis.
Dash grunted in frustration as time passed. Every time the golden adventurer checked a carving or—what Dash could only assume was important for some reason—growth of moss, her wings ruffled, and she grew more impatient. Both due to the silence and the lack of anything to do. The fact that she kept stealing glances of Daring’s flank every time she bent down or reached up to check the markings only served to confuse and frustrate her further.
Damn it, keep to yourself, Dash. That’s not cool.
When they both reached a spot with several carvings on the floor in different colours, Daring leaned down to inspect them, making her rear that much more accented to her flustered companion.
“Huh… I’ve never seen something like that,” Daring said before turning back. “Hey, Dash. Any ideas?”
Rainbow tried to snap her eyes back to focus. “Huh? Oh, um, lemme see.” She stepped closer to inspect the floor for any pattern, sighing a bit. “You should know it from the Sapphire Stone.”
“Excuse me?” Daring gave Dash a deadpan look.
“Same stuff, just with colours and not the critters.”
“And how exactly are we supposed to figure that out then? With the critters, the pattern was obvious. It was all based on who eats who basically. This is just… a mashup of colors.”
Dash let out a small “hmmf” as she studied the floor, searching for any semblance of reason or a pattern. Despite being faded after millennia of weathering and wear-and-tear, the colors were all still visible, from red to purple.
Dash’s eyes popped open. She swung her head around and looked at her tail then quickly back to the floor in front of them.
“Gonna stop checking yourself out anytime soon, Dash?”
“It’s the color spectrum! It’s all the base colors and primaries. Red, orange, yellow, blue, green, and violet. The pattern just repeats in different directions depending on the row.” Rainbow scanned the floor, looking for the first tile out of sequence. “Ah ha!” Jumping to it, she landed safely on the first tile. Her jump was slightly too high though, causing several arrows to shoot just above her head.
Dash’s face pailed. She gulped. “Good thing we didn’t try to fly over.” Jumping to the next out of sequence tile, and then the next, she looked back. “C’mon! Just keep low!”
Daring Do glanced back at her own monochromatic tail and mumbled under her breath before following suit, occasionally stealing a glance at Dash’s tail as she did so… just to make sure I’m getting the pattern right.That’s the only reason why I’m looking.
Once in the clear, Dash couldn’t help but puff her chest out. “Ha, I got this!”
Daring smiled as she landed on the last stone before preparing for her jump to safety. “Yeah, that was actually pretty awesome.” She crouched low and pounced toward safety.
Dash stood up and dusted off her wings with a hoof. “Yeah well, when you’ve had that awesomeness your whole life it just kinda comes to you.” She walked along the edge until she heard Daring yell out. Looking up, she realized she walked right into the path of the oncoming pegasus.
The two collided and tumbled head over hooves until landing with Dash on her back and Daring splayed out over her, straddling her, muzzle to muzzle. The blush on Dash’s cheeks shone through her coat completely as her eyes quickly looked away.
“Well, guess that was heads over tail for the both of us?” Daring chuckled weakly. “Next time watch where you’re going. Unless you want me on top, that is.”
Twilight laid the book down, eyes widened. She had expected something to happen, but not that it would happen so fast. She didn’t dare to make a sound as she glanced over the book where it was more than detailed in describing how Daring had fallen onto Dash. A flurry of emotions raced through her, a mixture of arousal, excitement, and… jealousy?Calm down, Twilight, it was just an accident. The fact that they’re… they’re… it’s just a coincidence.
***
Daring stood up, removing herself from above Rainbow Dash. If she were being honest with herself though, she did so almost too quickly. “Come on, Dash, on your hooves. We’ve got to be getting closer. Walking down the tunnel she turned quickly to glance at the cyan pegasus, her glance lingering slightly too long on both the flustered look on Dash’s face and on her still-ruffling wings.
“Huh, what?” Dash shook her head and glanced at the adventurer. Is… is she checking me out? “Got it!” Turning over and jumping to her hooves she grabbed the torch in her muzzle and quickly trotted after the golden mare.
Daring quickly averted her gaze and tried to not show everything, but she was… shaken. Just a small accident is all it takes for me to act like a filly in flight school, that’s unbelieveable. She shook her head and moved on. “No slacking, Dash.”
Dash muttered something around the torch, quickly bolting to Daring’s side.
“Take the torch in your wing, I can’t understand anything you’re saying,” Daring chuckled and nudged Dash gently, before a blush spreading on both mares made her quickly maintain some distance again.
“Sorry. I said I was just shaking that dust off my coat. No big deal,” Dash stopped and glanced at the way before them. “What now? Are we just going to follow that path?”
“What else should we do?” Daring asked confused.
“How about we talk more?”
Daring laughed silently. “I thought you’re more the action kind of mare, not the talking one.” She glanced over at the cyan mare and wiggled her eyebrows slightly, earning a flustered stutter and a quick glance away. She’s cute when she gets flustered… in a, uh… friendly sort of way.
For the life of her, Dash couldn’t figure out why she was getting teased so easily. Usually she was the one who could prank or tease anypony and get this sort of reaction. But now? Now she felt like the school filly with a crush. Who does she think she is? Just because she’s super awesome and totally hot, she can’t… wait, what?Time to fight fire with fire.
“Well yeah, that would usually be the case. But at this point you’ve already wound up on top of me and gotten up and left without so much as breakfast or getting to know me. I figure the least I can do is learn who you are, inside and out,” she said with a smirk and some added emphasis.
It was Daring’s turn to blush profusely before turning away and looking toward the path ahead.
Rainbow Dash mentally gave herself a high-hoof for the comeback. “So what should we be looking for, anyways? I mean, so far it just seems to be a straight shot, I haven’t even see any traps or other paths.”
“That’s the problem,” Daring Do sighed. “I don’t really know. Every recording, even the myths, they’re all are so vague... it crawls up my coat. And not in a nice way,” she added.
“Then why take the risk?”
“I could ask you the same. You don’t even know me, and yet you just jumped right into this adventure,” Daring glanced at the blue pegasus. “What are your motives here, Dash?”
Dash coughed. Jumping into it. Nice phrasing. “Uhm…” I can’t really explain that I know all about her from her books, that she’s just a character. But beyond that what am I really doing here? I thought it was just a super amazing chance at adventure, but now? Ugh… this is usually the point where some convenient trap door or plot twist would—. Dash stopped. “Daring, hold up.”
“Don’t change the subject, Dash,” she said with a grin. Got her.
“Shh. Look!” She pointed a hoof at a small, red gleam, reflecting in the torch light. If the torch wasn’t in just the right spot she would’ve missed it. But after pointing it out to Daring, they looked over it closer and found it to be a ruby eye from a small, golden statue. The idol’s hand seemed to be pointing down toward a thicket of ivy and moss.
“Wow,” Daring mutter, innerly cursing. Buck, I nearly had her!
“I know right? I’m totally awesome for catching that, I know. Where’s it pointing though?”
Daring inched closer to the patch of greenery, “hold the torch closer.” Leaning in she began poking at the plant life with a hoof and found she could push straight through it. Feeling around in the dark she found a raised portion of stone. Pushing on it, she quickly retracted her hoof at the sound of sliding stone and clanking gears.
“Oh horse apples.”
Before she could react, the floor beneath them retracted, sending them into a sliding spin down a carved path. They were side by side in the not-very-spacious slide, always hitting the wall and each other. Glancing over, Daring blushed as she realized that Dash was sliding flank first down the slide with her.
Sliding through the darkness with their torch trailing behind, the two pegasi just tried to keep their wits about them… and off of the fact that they were sliding as close together as they could possibly be.
Daring squinted as she watched for what she believed to be the base of the slide, “I think… I think I see something! I think we’re getting close, hold on!” She wrapped a wing quickly around Rainbow Dash to keep them from getting separated at the bottom as they rocketed toward the unknown.
Feeling the slide fall out from under them, the two pegasi tumbled heads over hooves for the second time that day, this time landing with Dash on top of Daring, and with Daring staring directly up at her flicking tail. Daring blushed before Dash realized their position and turned around, still being careful to stay on top of Daring. My turn.
“Ya know, Daring, we really need to stop meeting like this,” she said with a sultry gaze, “looks like this time it’s my turn to be on top.”
Daring blushed and quickly tilted her head back to look away. Rainbow smirked and continued to stare at the mare when she saw the adventurer’s jaw pop open. “Uhh… Dash? Look!”
Looking up, she saw it. In front of them was a monumental pyramid of rock and moss at least 50 hooves high, surrounded by a pool of murky water. The dust hung heavy in the hair, but several beams of light came down from what looked to be a hole in the ceiling several hundred hooves above them. Atop the pyramid was a platinum statue of a mare with emerald eyes and golden wings extending from her back.
“Is… is that…” Dash tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.
“Rainbow Dash, I think that’s it!” Daring Do extended her wings and wrapped them around the cyan mare, pulling her down and planting a firm kiss on her muzzle. Dash’s eyes grew wide with shock before slowly closing and allowing herself to enjoy the embrace.
It lasted for exactly five seconds before Daring threw Dash off and bolted like she was stung by a bee, eyes wide. “I...I… I’m sorry! I was just so excited and… I never had anypony else with me, I think my emotions just burned with me and…”
Dash simply looked confused before giving a pained laugh and scrambling to her hooves. “Yeah, I understand. No problem.” She doesn’t like you like that, don’t be stupid, Dash. “So what now? We just grab it?”
That sent Daring’s thoughts flying. “What?! Of course not! There could be traps everywhere.”
“So we check for traps?”
Daring had to resist a facehoof. Did I kiss her brains out? “We check for any gravity plates that could trigger without the object, we check all of the ground around it for if there are any small ropes or wires attached that could set off a trap. We check everything. ”
“Uhm. You got more experience with that. I’ll… follow you?” Just to learn from you, not to stare at your flank.
“Alright. Just watch what I do and then you can help me do this quicker;” Daring replied and slowly walked towards the statue, testing the ground every step with her hooves.
For Dash it wasn’t really helping that every hard stomp Daring made to test a suspicious floor tile sent ripples through her flank, even if they were ever so slight. She knew that kind of flank. It was the flank of a hard working and hard training mare, but still with the right amount of flesh on it to make it look sexy and desireable.
“You done staring at my sexy flank and finally going to start looking at what I’m doing?” Daring suddenly asked, jerking Dash from her thoughts.
“Huh.. bu..wha? I was not!” Dash quickly looked away, tired of the fact that she seemed to be blushing more often than not at this point. She couldn’t tell for certain, but she even thought she saw a smirk on Daring’s muzzle, giving her some semblance of hope that the other mare may have been in the same horse shoes as she was.
The two pegasi spread out and quickly searched the surrounding floor, marking off any suspicious tiles with red chalk. Slowly flying up to the top of the pyramid, the two began to think in unison, wondering if it was somehow too easy. The ancient ponies surely knew of pegasi, but why did all of their traps around the statue seem to be designed to capture earth ponies and unicorns?
Face to face with the statue, Dash was mesmerized by the sheen of the polished metal. How it had stayed so immaculate after so many years, she was unsure. All she knew was that she wanted to be the hero and retrieve it. She reached a hoof out toward it and—
Daring Do’s hoof slapped Dash’s out of the way. “Ow, hey! What was that for?”
Daring gestured to the side of the idol and blew a deep breath around the pedestal, kicking up the dust. There, revealed in the now-detailed air, was a series of thin strings all spreading out from the statue and to the surrounding walls.
“Oh crap, we flew right into it. That’s why all the other traps were for the ground-bound ponies. They just had to get us flying and we would be screwed!” Dash yelled, facehoofing.
Daring flew out, following the wires to the walls to try and determine what exactly would happen if the traps were triggered. She was careful to not accidentally hit one, but she had only two eyes, not four, and missed a wire. Her left wingtip touched the string, sending cracks through the ceiling.
Before she knew what was happening, a rainbow-colored blur sent her crashing to the ground, right before the massive slab of wood that swung from the ceiling would have hit her.
One by one the surrounding walls began to release their traps, swinging wildly through the air. As the planks came loose, so too did the rock supporting the chamber, as the entire room began to crumble. “Daring, let’s go!”
“It’s already coming down, we need to get back to the slide!”
“Psh, if there’s one thing these ponies could never plan on, it’s having the world’s fastest flier be the one to come for their statue. Let’s go!”
Grabbing Daring by the hoof, she pulled her to the sky and zoomed toward the idol. Snatching the platinum mare from her roost, she raced for the skylight. As she reached the opening she paused to look for Daring. She saw her 100 hooves below as another rock came loose and caught her wing; the golden mare began to fall. In a flash, Dash dove and scooped the mare up in her forehooves, statue still gripped firmly in her maw. “Hrldn!” The statue garbled her words, but Daring took the hint and gripped the cyan mare’s neck with all her might.
The two shot toward the opening as their world literally came crashing down around them, making it out of the skylight surrounded by a cloud of dust and debris.
“Whrsrampf?” Dash looked at Daring with an inquisitive eye.
“Huh?”
“Whrsrampf?”
Daring facehoofed and pulled the statue from Dash’s mouth, holding it close.
“Thank you. I said ‘where’s your camp?’”
Daring pointed to the outskirts of the old city.
Touching down outside of Daring’s tent, she gently placed the adventurer down on her own four hooves.
“Dash! That was… amazing!” Daring hopped around and flexed her wings, a twinge of pain still emanating from where the falling rock hit her. “First the wire, then you… you pulled me out, then the statue, and then again. I got hit and you… you…” She jumped at Rainbow Dash and kissed her hard on the muzzle. Pulling back with a sheepish grin, she looked at the flier whose blush shown through her coat. “That’s uh… the emotions from saving my life and all… thank you.”
Rainbow Dash looked at her idol, not sure what to think of it. Twice now Daring Do had blamed her emotions for her impassioned kiss. Rainbow decided to take the chance.
“Saving your life huh? Well this is because I think we both just want to.” Leaning in and wrapping the golden mare in her wings she pressed her lips to Daring Do’s and closed her eyes, feeling the mare push back into her as well.
***
Twilight sat alone in her library. Well, as alone as she could be knowing that Dash could come back out of the book at any second. As she followed along with the story, she read about their escape and could feel her heartbeat increase as they went. When the two returned to Daring’s camp she was expecting a heartfelt reunion and tales of bravado and bragging. Instead, their passionate embrace and…
What? No, no no no… awww. So cute! Wait… where is this… oh come on! But… Daring… aw ponyfeathers. Definitely jealousy.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Dash asked as Daring slowly pushed her to the ground, eyes scanning over the cyan pegasus with more than just admiration.
“Of course. Let’s say it’s a unique way of saying ‘thank you’,” Daring smiled.
“You don’t have to…”
Daring shut her up with a kiss. “I do, and I want to. All the time we were down there, just to look at you sent me spinning. Then you helped me more than once, even saved me from certain death. I owe you so much.”
Without anymore talking, Daring opened her vest with her wings, her hat quickly following it onto the ground. Now she lay naked—as naked a pony could even be—on Dash, looking into those cerise eyes that took all of her attention.
Before Dash could say something, the golden mare closed the distance again, pressing her lips gently on Dash’s. She was surprised as a tongue poked against her muzzle and Dash smirked.
“Oh you wanna play that game, huh?” Daring asked before letting the tongue in, attacking it passionately with her own in a wild and heated dance. It left both mares panting in no time.
“You can kiss pretty good,” Dash grinned, slightly out of breath. “Done this before?”
“Yeah, maybe in school one or two times.”
“Not more?”
“No time,” Daring said, nuzzling Dash. “It was always about the work, adventuring, and beating Ahuizotl’s big ass.”
“So I can teach you a thing or two,” Dash smirked.
That brought a grin to Daring’s muzzle. “Who said I’m innocent? I’m going to turn your world golden.”
“That was an awful pun.”
“I know, but you love it. Admit it,” Daring chuckled before kissing her again, all the while her hooves slowly started trailing over Dash’s body.
Dash nearly purred as Daring’s hooves gently trailed over her chest, her stomach and then rested sideways on her flanks. Never had she imagined that she would do this. She let out a soft squeak as Daring squeezed, with each hoof on Dash’s cutie marks.
“See? Not so innocent. I know just how to make. You. tick.” Daring leaned in and whispered into Dash’s ear as she squeezed, nipping at the tip of Dash’s ear with her last few words. Pulling back she noticed with delight that Dash was blushing. Hard. “Time to say ‘thank you’, don’t you think?” she purred before beginning to lay kisses onto Dash, starting on her neck.
Daring decided to put extra time into the foreplay and nipped softly at Dash’s neck, gently using her teeth and making the cyan pegasus moan slightly. She knew the mare was about to complain, but didn’t care in the slightest. Grinning, she moved on to the chest, gently trailing tongue and teeth over the well built form of the athlete, taking her time to try and find every soft spot Dash might have.
She found the spot she was looking for on the pegasus hooves, Dash whimpering slightly as Daring kissed the bare sole of her left forehoof. “Got sensitive hooves, Dashie?”
“Uhm,” Dash blushed.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to take good care of you,” Daring winked, serving another kiss to the hoof.
Daring made sure she gave Dash’s hooves a lot of love. After kissing her forehooves, she moved on to her hind hooves. The cyan mare gasped as Daring pulled her tongue over the sole, making her squirm and moan all the same.
“M-my hooves,” Dash whimpered.
Daring gave her a slight wink as she continued her assault. Licking, nibbling and kissing Dash’s hooves, making the mare practically melt under her.
Kissing back up the cyan mare’s body, Daring looked into her cerise eyes and whispered to her. “Hmm, if your hooves are that sensitive, I’m sure they would love to get a grip on this, here,” Daring said with a sultry gaze before slapping her own flank slightly. “Wouldn’t they?” As if on cue, Dash raised her hooves and gently massaged Daring’s flank, the golden mare lowered on the athlete’s nice body again. “Mhh, I thought so, hehe.”
However, Daring was surprised as Dash suddenly grabbed hard and pulled her closer, coming in for another kiss. Never once letting go, Dash boldly nipped at the adventurer’s muzzle, eliciting soft sighs of comfort.
“Eager, aren’t we?” Daring asked with a grin before leaning in again, but not for a kiss.
Dash gasped as the golden mare started to work on her neck, switching between licks, nips and smaller bites. It aflamed Dash’s nethers more and more, threatening to burn her away with the heat. When Daring bit harder, it was the end of Dash’s constrainment as her wings shot open, revealing every single feather in full pride.
“Y-You wish!” Dash panted back before moaning as Daring nipped over her neck down over her chest.
She wandered lower and lower, treating Dash’s bellybutton with some soft licks and eliciting a few giggles from the cyan flyer before she winked and continued her trail. A trail that would lead her to a tasty prize.
A prize that just waited for her.
Rainbow was more than nervous as Daring kept her trail up, going further down. She whimpered as the golden mare’s hot breath washed over her teats, the small protruding nippel already sticking out of her fur.
“Dash, is everything okay?”
“Y-Yeah, why?”
“Because you seem nervous and scared, blankly said,” Daring looked up.
“I’m just a bit nervous. First time, after all.”
Daring gently cupped her chin with a hoof, smiling. “Don’t worry, I’ll start slow and give you time. If something is wrong, please tell me, alright?”
“I trust you,” Dash nodded, smiling slightly.
“That’s good,” Daring grinned.
Then, without giving Dash more time to worry, she went back to work and dove in.
The first lick was as if somepony just dropped wood into the flames between Dash’s legs, making the fire much, much bigger. The second lick was nearly the same. From the third lick on, it was like a soothing bliss, the licks ceasing the burn, but keeping the fire alive. Dash moaned in beat to it.
Daring wasn’t experienced, but that also wasn’t necessary for Dash’s treatment. They both wanted it, and how they received it didn’t matter. Daring was happy to give her friend a good friend, the time of her life. A tiny voice in her head asked her if Dash was more.
She didn’t pause for that thought, she had a task to complete. Lick after lick was served to the cyan pegasus, Daring quickly realized that she had the hint of rainbows in her taste. Sweet, salty and spicy, but also a much deeper taste of morning dew mixed with the wet hint of clouds.
Dash’s hips wiggled slightly under the ministrations of the golden pegasus. Her hooves struggled to find their place, eventually settling on running through the adventurer’s mane. She moaned in time with Daring’s actions, getting louder when the pegasus licked deeper, and almost begging for more when she slowed down.
Daring pulled back to take a breath when she saw it; that little pink nub peaking out from under Dash’s folds. Gingerly, she blew on it and could feel the shutter roll through Dash’s body. Leaning closer she gently licked it before taking it between her lips and sucking on it ever so slightly. Rainbow’s reaction was immediate: her entire body bucked up, her hooves tightened in Daring’s mane, and a string of expletives slipped past her lips as she grunted from the feeling.
“Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, holy buck. Horseapples, that was…” she trailed off to look down at Daring who had stopped to give her a sloppy grin, the fruit of her labors still dripping from her muzzle.
“And you think we’re done already?” Daring smiled evilly. “I thought you were a virgin, not a virgin filly.”
“I could take you on, every single time!” Dash growled.
That was exactly what Daring wanted to hear. Leaning back, she spread her legs, opening herself to the cyan mare completely. “Then let’s see what ya got.”
Dash pounched on the other mare, grabbing Daring’s hooves in hers as she pinned them to the ground. Her wings opened only to fold down and trace Daring’s sides delicately with her primaries. Leaning in she kissed along Daring’s neck, up and down, ending at the tip of her ear. She whispered to the adventurer, punctuating each word with a kiss or nip on the ear.
“It’s.” Kiss. “Not.” Nip. “Nice.” Kiss. “To.” Nip. “Tease.” With that, she kissed back down along her neck, making the pegasus shudder in pleasure. Her wings still tracing Daring’s barrel and he kisses following her neck and jaw, the golden mare beneath her was slowly reaching her boiling point. A strong, musky, yet strangely sweet aroma filled the air as Dash continued her simple assault on the mare.
Just like that, she stopped and grinned at the pegasus beneath her. “Or then again, maybe it is.”
Daring Do glared at the cyan mare. “Why’d you stop?!” Her breathing was ragged, she would never let on, but she needed this. She would do anything for Rainbow to continue.
“Because I want you to beg for it.”
Anything but that. Daring’s eyes slitted. She tried to take back control from Dash, but found the mare to be stronger than her sleek frame would lead one to believe. Dash’s wings resumed their assault along her side, as Dash’s kisses began anew upon her neck. Daring could feel herself becoming more and more excited again, more and more needy. Unfortunately for her, Dash was going no further.
“I’m not going to say it, Dash.” Daring tried to say, but through her clenched teeth and stifled moans it was fairly obvious it was a losing proposition. Dash only stopped to give her a seductive grin before kissing her lips gently and resuming her teasing, nipping firmly at Daring’s neck.
This continued for several minutes until the adventurer could take no more. “Please…” she whispered. Dash looked up.
“What was that?”
Daring looked away. “Please.” She said more clearly.
“Still not sure what you’re asking.” Rainbow grinned.
“Please! I need this, I need you. Now buck me already, I’m begging you!”
Rainbow smiled before tracing a wing all the way to Daring’s cutie mark and over to her soaked marehood. She traced a feather up her arousal before kissing down her body and taking in every inch of her wonderful body.
Then, without warning, the primaries of her wings kissed Daring’s marehood deeply, reaching for the treasure she wanted so bad. She wanted to make Daring cum, even if she had to sacrifice her wonderful wing for it. She knew it would be sticky and in need for a day-long preening after this.
Daring gasped, her eyes wide as she felt the first feather inside her. She had expected everything, from hoofwork to tongue, but not his. Wingsex was the most intimate act pegasi could participate in, and Dash was doing it for her. The golden mare lost her gaze in Dash’s as the wing went deeper and deeper.
Dash flexed her wings as she searched for her little treasure. The small point that would put the golden mare under her wings, under her mercy. She looked for the small spot that would make her scream in delight and coat her wings in juices. Much to her surprise, she found it quickly.
“I wonder, what happens if I do this?” Dash asked, grinning widely as she massaged a certain spot in Daring with her primaries.
The golden mare screamed. She screamed and her body bucked downwards as the release came faster than she thought. Screaming, she coated Dash’s wing in juices, just as predicted.
Dash just smiled. “And I thought I was the one who does things in ten seconds flat!”
Daring just glared at her between her panting breaths. She leaned up and wrapped her wings around Dash, pulling her deeply into another kiss. This wasn’t one filled with lust as before, though, it was one filled with admiration and passion. Feelings beyond simple pleasure, but ones of actual care. She carefully pulled the flyer with her into her tent before collapsing onto her sleeping bag, drifting off to a sound sleep with her wings wrapped around Rainbow.
Rainbow Dash woke up on the floor of the Golden Oaks Library wrapped in a blanket. No, not the floor. … pillows? And where’d the blanket come from? Last thing I remember is… Rainbow blushed. She could also feel a distinct wet spot under her flanks.
“Umm… Twi? You here?” Rainbow called out to a seemingly empty library.
A loud *beep beep* came from in the kitchen, followed by the loud clatter of falling dishes and the distinctly muffled screams of a unicorn yelling at her toaster. Poking her head back into the main area of the library, she smiled. “Oh? Rainbow! You’re awake! I uh, I hope you don’t mind, I put some pillows down after you went in, looks like they kept you from waking up when you came back out of the book too. You must be a really sound sleeper though! Although after that chapter, I’m not really surprised.” Twilight blushed and let out a quiet chuckle. “Oh look, the toast is done!” She disappeared back into the kitchen.
“What chapter? Twilight?” No answer. Shaking her head, Rainbow stood up and walked to the kitchen, finding the unicorn still sporting a massive blush and fighting with the tableware. “Twi, you okay?”
“Me? Of course I’m okay!” Twilight tittered. “I’m perfectly fine!”
“Ohh…..kay? Hey I get the pillows, but where’d the blanket come from anyways?”
“Oh, well after you came back you were just sort of laying there, and reaching for something…” and you kinda smelled like sweat and shame, “so I grabbed one for you.”
“Thanks Twi. So, breakfast?”
“So listen, Rainbow…” Twi carried a plate of hay bacon and eggs in her magic to the table and set it down between them. Sitting down, she continued. “How um… how was the book last night? Anything uh, fun happen?”
Rainbow’s blush appeared on her face. “What? No, nah. Nope. I mean uh…” She looked across the table to the unicorn whose blush rivaled her own and whose eyes looked everywhere but at Rainbow. “You already know, don’t you?”
Twilight gave a sheepish nod.
Rainbow sighed. “Look, Twilight, it just sorta happened. I mean I wasn’t expecting it. Plus I… I think I kinda like her. And you and the girls are always saying I should find a special somepony!”
“Rainbow, she’s not real! Don’t get me wrong, I know what it’s like to get caught up in a good book,” although now I think I’m going to have to try it on a new level, “but Daring Do is just a character. Have you even thought this through?”
“Yes and no,” Dash sighed. “I know she isn’t real, but it feels real.” She paused, blushing. “And it felt right to be in her wings and hooves.”
Twilight looked at her food, groaning. “You just can’t take her as a marefriend, Dash. You have a life, and us as your friends. What are you going to do now? Spend all of your free time in the book, pining after a mare that doesn’t exist?”
Dash growled at her. “What do you know, egghead? You’d sit here all day if we didn’t drag your flank outside! Friends? That was a miracle for you, so don’t talk to me about love!”
“L-love?” Twilight stammered. “I never said anything about love.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Dash snorted. “What now?”
“Well, I would tell you to just give me the book back and leave it be. But I don’t think that’s an option anymore.” Twilight sighed before getting up and moving to Dash, laying a hoof on her shoulder. “Please, don’t get yourself hurt. I want you to be happy, so listen to your heart.”
“Geeze, stop with that sappy stuff, Twilight.” Dash mumbled back.
“I only mean well, Dash.”
There was silence. Minutes without words, just the sounds of two ponies eating and avoiding any awkward questions. It felt like hours, and Dash couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I just don’t know what to do! What should I do, Twi? I know she’s an imag… imgainer… little help here, Twi!”
“Imaginary character?” the purple unicorn smiled.
“Yeah that.” Dash nodded. “Still, it feels so real and good! I want her… I- I feel something for her!”
Twilight stood up and walked to the door between the kitchen and the main area. She levitated the book over to the table and sat back down with Rainbow.
“Dash, see this?” She held the book up in her magic. “This is everything there is to Daring Do.” She flipped through the pages with her magic. “Daring Do is words on paper. She’s an idea. This is where you went in, this is everything that happened, and this section here is what’s going on between you two. It’s an idea on a page, Rainbow.” She sighed. “You’re writing the story. How it proceeds and ends is up to you. But eventually it will end. Maybe A.K. Yearling will write another, but who knows where she comes up with all her ideas. Who’s to say that the next book will be the same? Or that the spell can even carry over. I want you to be happy, but I also want you to know full well what you’re getting into.” She gently placed the book before Dash.
“But you could try? You could try to extend the spell and take everything I did to other books?” Dash asked.
“Dash,” Twilight started as gently as possible. “You retrieved the artifact and celebrated with her. The book is over. I don’t know what will happen. It could just start anew and you would lose everything. Again, again and again.”
“But you could try!” Dash repeated, blinking tears from her eyes.
“I can, but I want you to consider everything. The bad side and the good.” Twilight sighed. “I don’t want you to be hurt. And repeating everything, seeing a Daring that doesn’t remember you or that night. I don’t want that to happen.”
“There is nothing saying that it will repeat itself,” Dash growled, not sure who she was trying to convince. “I can just go back there, cuddled into her wings and be there for her.”
“What will you do if the story ends?”
“I will come back out and we find a solution,” she glared at Twilight.
“And then?”
“I will live with Daring. Happily.”
“You seem awful sure about that,” Twilight noted, still having her doubts.
“Are you going to help me now or not? I’m really losing my patience here, egghead!”
“I will help you, Dash,” Twilight sighed. “I just hope it is worth it. If you want, you can go back into the book. I’ll try to find a new enchantment to copy Daring’s memories from this book to another one.”
Dash grinned and enveloped the purple unicorn in a hug. “You’re the best, Twi. I’m never going to forget this.” As quickly as she began the hug, Dash released Twilight and took the book. “I’m going back to the cushions. Thanks again.”
Twilight could only watch as Dash trotted back to the cushions and lay down, seconds later she was gone. “Oh Dash. I wish you knew what you were getting into,” she whispered. “You will lose her again and again. But I will find a solution. I promise.”
***
Rainbow Dash noticed the distinct sound of wildlife surrounding her as she slowly opened her eyes. A warmth enveloped her and she had no intentions of moving from her feathery confines. Huh? Feathers? Looking down as she lay there, she observed two golden wings wrapped around her and felt what she finally realized was the feeling of somepony pressed up to her back.
“Daring! You’re still here!” Rainbow sprang to her hooves, pulling free from the adventurer’s embrace, and kissing her for all she was worth. Bleh, morning breath, what did she… oh. Right.
Daring’s eyes fluttered open and saw the cyan pegasus staring down at her with her brilliant, cerise eyes. “Rainbow, as much as I love a good wakeup call,” she glanced out the open flap to her tent, “It’s still dark outside. And where else would I be?”
“Uh, right. Sorry,” Rainbow stuttered. “I… I just thought last night was a dream… Then you were in my arms, for real!”
The golden mare chuckled as she pulled Rainbow close, giving her a long, passionate kiss. “It was all real, trust me.”
Real, Dash thought. Yes, Daring is right. This is real, because I want it to be. I can feel her, love her, touch her, taste her, everything!
“That’s good,” Dash replied, answering with a kiss of her own. “So what’re we still doing here though? I thought it was over, we were worried you wouldn’t still remember.”
“Dash, what are you talking about? Who is ‘we’? And no, we still have to get out of this Celestia forsaken jungle and get the idol back to a museum.”
Dash just blinked. Of course it wasn’t over until they escape the jungle. “Well I mean, do we have to rush it?”
“The sooner we get it back, the sooner I can show you my house. Play your cards right, and maybe even the bedroom.” Daring gave the other pegasus a sultry gaze. Rainbow’s wings sprung out with an audible *pomf*. “Heh heh, too easy.”
Rainbow tried to hide her blush. “Am not! But what’re we waiting for then? Think you can fly again?
Daring tried to unfold her wing, just to wince. “No, I don’t think so. Hurts a lot, damn it.”
“Well, then I just have to carry you again. No biggy,” Dash dusted her shoulder with a wing, giving Daring a cocky grin. “Up on my back, hotflank.”
“Whoa, easy there, hot stuff. We gotta pack the tent and everything first.”
“Pft, and? I can do that in ten seconds flat.”
Daring simply looked at the mare, a look of disbelief in her eyes. “Not buying it.”
Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Ten. Seconds. Flat. Time it.” Daring rolled her eyes but quickly pulled out a pocket watch and nodded. Rainbow Dash took off in a blur of color, collecting everything off the ground in a whirlwind of pony and stuff. The tent was last, but when it was all said and done, everything in the camp site was haphazardly thrown into saddle bags and ready to go.
Daring glanced at the bags that appeared ready to burst. “Well I’m fairly certain that ‘packed’ would be very loosely defined if it described,” she waved her hoof at the bags, “whatever this is. But I suppose it is good enough for us to get moving.”
“I told you, ten seconds flat!” Dash replied proudly. “No matter what, I’m always loyal and keep my word.”
“Well, sorry that I doubted you,” Daring smirked. “Now help me strap two of the bags to me. You can’t carry four bags and me as well, we have to balance everything.”
Rainbow let loose a hrmf as she hefted the second set of saddle bags over Daring’s haunches. Securing them in place she quickly ducked under the grounded pegasus and lifted her off the ground and onto her back.
“Woh, hey there!” Daring shrieked and sported a rather large blush. “Watch where you’re going with all that.”
Rainbow glanced behind her with a smirk. “Nowhere I haven’t already been. Come on, you ready or what?” Daring only glared at her.
Kicking into the sky, Rainbow quickly gained altitude, soaring over the jungles into the wild blue yonder. Daring held on dearly with one hoof while pointing the way with the other, wind rippling through their manes.
“Do you even know where we have to go?” Daring yelled over the wind.
Dash paused, blushing slightly. “Uh, not really.”
“Head south, to Manehattan. We will give the statue over to the local museum.”
“Alright,” Dash chuckled. “Which way is south?”
Daring groaned, burying her muzzle into Dash’s mane. “And you’re a weather mare?” Shaking her head, she pointed her hoof in the right direction. “That way.”
“I don’t need to know directions! I can clear the whole sky over Ponyville in ten seconds flat or my name isn’t Rainbow Danger Dash!”
Daring groaned into the rainbow mane. “Ugh… just… just go.” She shook her hoof again in the direction they needed to head.
***
As the sun slowly began to set in the distance, the lights of Manehattan flickered to life. Rainbow gave a sudden burst of energy to her wings and propelled them ever closer to the glaring metropolis. Daring pointed out a rather classically designed building on the edge of the city and the two mares touched down in the courtyard outside of the main building.
Climbing off of Rainbow’s back and onto her own four hooves, Daring gave herself a quick shake and a stretch. “I gotta admit, Dash, that’s some impressive flying making it all this way without a break and carrying an extra passenger.”
Rainbow panted a little as sweat trickled down her brow. “Well, it was really nothing. I guess you can always pay me back for the ride a little later though.”
For her efforts, Daring cuffed the cyan mare over the head. “I said if you play your cards right. You won’t get anywhere near my bedroom like that,” she chuckled. “Now let’s hoof that statue over and get home. I think we both could use some rest.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Way to go Rainbow. Ruin everything after one special night.
Both mares stepped up to the building, Daring addressing the stallion at the door. “We would like to speak with the curator. We got something interesting for her.”
The stallion only mustered them for a bit before opening the door, leading them through. However, they didn’t get very far before they were stopped by a tall mare. “Miss Do, so nice to see you again. To what do I owe your visit today?”
“I got it.”
“You do?” the mare’s eyes went wide. “This is terrific, but please. Excuse my language, my dear, but you both look horrible. If you just give it to me, I will deal with the rest as usual.”
Rainbow gently reached into her saddle bag with a wing and withdrew the idol, the light glistening off the polished surface. Passing it forward to Daring, the curator’s eyes opened wide.
“Oh my, it’s extravagant. In all my life I never thought I would see it with my own eyes.”
Daring only smiled as she passed it forward, happy to be finished with her task and free to do as she pleased. At this current point in time, that was one thing, and one thing only: sleep. And maybe some cuddles. But mainly, sleep.
She turned away from the curator and smiled at Rainbow. Wrapping a wing around the mare as she walked past, she leaned in, “C’mon, let’s go home. This job may be over, but I’m not done with you yet.”
Rainbow’s cheeks turned red as Daring casually took her place on her back, both mares taking to the air and towards Daring’s home and Ponyville in the fading light.
The flight to Ponyville was long and tiring. Daring leaned in to whisper things that would make a pony blush in polite conversation, and occasionally nip at Rainbow’s ear. Spanning several hours, the pegasus stopped a few times. Some for food and drink, others for payback against Daring’s teases, but neither pegasi truly minded.
Setting down on the outskirts of Ponyville, Dash paused. The unnerving fact that she was about to enter her hometown in life gave her concern. On one hoof she knew that her friends wouldn’t be there, she knew that this was just a book. But on the other hoof, this was her home where she told Daring she lived, but what if it was different in the book? Could her reality match Daring’s? What if it didn’t?
“Dash? My House is on the east border of Whitetail Woods. Why are we in Ponyville?”
“I thought you’d... love to see my cloudhome?” Dash grinned, before it faltered. Where is it? “And besides, we deserve to celebrate after all this, and I know just the place!” Please please PLEASE tell me Sugarcube Corner is still here. Daring’s jaw opened but no words came out, the pegasus being left at a loss from Dash’s nervousness.
A golden wing wrapped around Rainbow's withers. “Calm down, Dash.” Daring leaned in closer. “I could go for a bite to eat before we head home anyways,” suddenly she started to whisper, “but the real celebration I had in mind isn’t something we should be doing in town anyways.”
“Shame, would be a good display,” Dash smirked, getting every single word.
“Dash! Shush!” Daring replied, playfully swatting the flank of the cyan pegasus.
Dash let out a rather unlike-herself squee at Daring’s contact. “Alright, let’s go.” The two stepped forward into town, Daring pressing herself right up to Dash, their coats rubbing together. Please please please please let it all be there. Walking through the first row of buildings, she saw it. Yes! Sugarcube Corner stood tall, proud, and delicious.
“This really the celebration you wanted, eh Dash?” Daring gave her a bump with her flank. It took Rainbow all of one second to make her decision.
“Let’s order to go.” Bounding up to the restaurant the two entered and placed an order. Quickly grabbing the bags with her muzzle, Rainbow ushered Daring back outside. She paused for a moment, not quite sure where to go next.
Daring could see the look of confusion on Dash’s face. “Is the great Rainbow Dash unsure of what to do next? Oh the horror!” She raised a forehoof to her brow in an overly dramatic fashion. “How about I show you the way,” she said with a wink. WIth that, Daring took off at a gallop toward the north side of town, Rainbow was fast on her tail.
Leaving Ponyville proper the two quickly made their way through the trees until a small cottage appeared in a clearing. Slowing to a halt, Daring turned to look at her new companion. Leading her to the front door, she spoke. “Rainbow? Welcome to my home.”
As the door opened and the two went to step inside, the world went black.
***
The world spun around Rainbow as she opened her eyes and found herself in the library.
“Rainbow! Rainbow! Are you alright?”
She blinked to see Twilight standing next to her, concern evident on her face.
“I… I think so. What the hay happened?”
“The book ended.”
“WHAT?!” Rainbow jumped to her hooves and staggered to the book. Just to see that Twilight was right. The book was on its last page, there was no way to continue the story. “You have to do something, Twilight! This can’t be the end!”
“It’s not that easy, Rainbow!” Twilight sighed. “I know this is important to you, but a solution won’t come in minutes.”
“Do you think it will still work, and let me back in?” Rainbow asked back.
“I… I think it’ll start over,” Twilight said with a frown.
“So I can’t do anything until you find a solution?” Rainbow grew frustrated.
“I’m really sorry. You can stay here if you want, but I doubt I’ll have a solution that quickly,” Twilight said before turning to her reading corner. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Twilight was only answered by the sound of a slamming door. Quickly turning around, she saw her home was empty. “Rainbow?” Walking to the window, she saw a cyan blur heading off into the distance. “Rainbow… I’m so sorry.”
Rainbow landed on the porch of her cloudhome and choked back a sob. Despite it all, she was still Rainbow Dash and had an image to maintain. Once she was back inside though, she let loose. The tears flowed freely and sobs came at an increasingly fast pace. She made her way to her bed and collapsed. Hugging her pillow she let the tears continue, hoping and praying that something could be done. Stupid Rainbow, Twilight told you it was all just in the book, and you had to go and do something stupid like actually start to love Daring Do.
She had no idea how soon she would see the golden pegasus again, but of one thing she was sure.
