Daring Do has been an adventurer and university professor of archaeology for years, and while she enjoys them both, one is a great deal less stress than the other. Of course, she's also had to use her archaeology skills on a number of her adventures, making them overlap a bit more than most ponies have to deal with.

Her latest dig should be pretty peaceful, but there's supposed to be a room deep in the nearby mountain. She'd love to find out what happened here.

...if she can ever reach the thing...

Originally written for the Writeoff Association's October 2016 event, "The Darkest Hour". This version is significantly extended from the writeoff submission.

Octavia moonlights as a jazz bassist on weekends when she doesn't have a Canterlot Symphony Orchestra performance.

This is the end of one such Saturday night.

Winner of the Most Controversial award in the Writeoff Association's Closing Time short story contest!
"Reading this story is like listening to jazz." - Everyday
"They say to 'write what you know,' and this is a good example of why." - horizon
"Somebody here knows their craft, and I'm starting to feel ashamed of my own entry." - Bradel