Just How Many More Times?

Daring Do slept, the soundness of her sleep matching the hard work of the day. The famous heroine had barely reached home after her flight to Las Pegasus undertaken to take the script of her new book to the publisher when Ahuizotl and his cronies decided to bother her again, so it was a busy day indeed. But her sleep was soon disturbed by unexpected and loud sounds. She initially mistook them for part of her disturbed dreams, but the sound grew louder, and she reluctantly opened her eyes. Sure enough, that was Ahuizotl again. This freak, apparently, never sleeps, thought Daring and opened the door wider to see what her long-time enemy had prepared for her this time. The darkness was dispersed by the light of multiple torches, and shouts of many ponies mixed with muddled growls of predators. Ahuizotl had brought his entire gang, so it must have been an important fight.

Zecora in Everfree forest couldn’t sleep at all. Weird premonitions tormented the soul of the wise and mighty zebra. Having finally given up – there was no way she could sleep that night – Zecora went outside. High above something looking like a cloud but darker and bigger than any cloud she had ever seen traversed the sky faster than wind. With a stifled horrified groan Zecora rushed back into her hut and hurriedly started stirring something in her unfailing cauldron.

As for Twilight, she had nightmares again. In them Tirek won, and Equestria was burning under his hoofs. It had been really very close. Twilight woke up over and over again, awash in cold sweat, so at dawn she smelled like a harness stallion after a working shift and had to take a bath with magical shampoo. While her beautiful lavender-colored coat dried in the sun, Twilight indulged in thoughts about why it was her destiny to save Equestria if not the entire world several times a year and whether such a role was suitable for the Princess of Friendship. But her musings were disturbed by clatter of hoofs. The white coat and the golden armor of one of Celestia’s guards couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

‘Your Highness, Princess Celestia is awaiting you and your friends in her palace urgently! Equestria needs your help again!’ reported the genuflectory guard. ‘Just how many more times?’ beseeched Twilight in her mind, but out loud she replied in her usual crisp, almost military manner, ‘Please let Her Highness know that we will arrive as soon as we possibly can!’ The white Pegasus bowed and soared up into the blue summer sky.

It’s 12 hours to Canterlot by train. The railroad winds too much around the mountain and often dives into tunnels. It’s quicker on hoof, but Twilight winced at the thought of how she had to make it with “Tom” on her back under malicious glances of her friends who had suddenly lost their mind. No, they wouldn’t go by train or hike. She had forgiven Discord, or thought she had, but now she shuddered with sudden rage. With an effort of her will Twilight made herself stop thinking of irrelevant things, rang the silver bell and went towards the annex where she had put her new chariot. Her friends scared out of their wits were galloping and flying towards her from all directions.

The new chariot was a gift received together with the palace, just the day before yesterday. By air to Canterlot is hardly five minutes, and Twilight wasn’t going to waste her time calling for Pegasus guards. Instead, she resolutely put the harness on herself. Other Princesses would never have thought of doing that, but for Twilight it was quite a typical thing to do, forgetting her title for the sake of a good deed. Rainbow and Fluttershy joined her, three flightless friends jumped into the chariot and soon they all were high in the sky. Spike settled down beside Rarity at the very last moment.

‘Next time, Rainbow will be the mainstay,’ was about the only thought Twilight had the time to think, and next thing she knew, she was looking down at the stone houses and paved streets of Canterlot. Here is the Palace! ‘Princess Celestia, we came as fast as we could!’

How many times did she repeat this sentence in the past? How many times did her mentor rise from her throne to greet her with the same preoccupied look? Luna and Cadance didn’t look very cheerful either, which was the norm these days, and Twilight, having given up in her mind, prepared herself to listen to the new assignment.

‘The day before yesterday, when the whole staff were busy restoring Tirek to his cell in Tartar, they failed unforgivably, ’ Celestia began instead of exchanging usual greetings. ‘While they were messing about with Tirek and putting spells on the lock, the protective aura on the adjacent cell weakened for a short while. That was enough for a much more dangerous enemy to escape. His name is Ranhorn, and his powers are great. Unlike Tirek, he has no physical body and looks more like a dark shadow that penetrates the narrowest cracks, shrouds great areas in darkness and does great evil everywhere it can reach. And sometimes he can look like a black storm-cloud that fulminates and burns everything in its path. ’

Nothing new here, thought Twilight. Sombra didn’t have much of a body at first, and Nightmare Moon entertained herself playing similar games too. We’ll cope.

‘Ranhorn’s escape wasn’t immediately discovered,’ her mentor continued. ‘By the time we knew of the disaster, his strength had grown significantly. The rumor is, the Elements of Harmony have no power to destroy him anymore, but there is no villain who can’t be conquered, and if Equestria has anypony who can do it, that’s you, Princess of Friendship, as you have proven more than once. Oh, and this time not only your friends, but your brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadance will go with you. As for me and my sister, no matter how much we long to share your quest, our duty is to stay here and protect Canterlot from the enemy’s evil deeds.’

On the map of Equestria Twilight received from her mentor a remote southern region was marked, and the friends immediately recognized the place where they went once to help A.K. Yearling, the writer, with her domestic chores, but ended up meeting the real Daring Do. Now, nothing would hold Rainbow Dash – she had to turn to the offensive at once. The chest they had taken with themselves earlier, just in case, and that was lucky. Cadance and Shining Armor decided to stay in Canterlot for now to provide backup.

The closer they got to their destination, the more obvious was Ranhorn’s influence, the darker the sky, the grayer the grass below. Applejack burst into tears at the sight of a burnt village – her distant relatives had lived there. The forest where Daring Do lived was not in its best shape either – burnt in places and suffering from an unknown disease of plants in others. Daring Do’s house was just a burnt-out shell. She herself was nowhere to be seen.

‘She has been captured, we must save her!’ yelled Rainbow Dash, crazy with grief. Naturally, nopony quarreled with this: their mission was so save anypony and everypony in Equestria, and, besides, a strong ally like Daring might have been of great use.