Daring Do and the Temple of Ra(pe)

"Move it! Move! Get out of the way!" Daring Do yelled as she ran as fast as she could.

Ponies found themselves having to almost dive out of the crazed way to avoid having the crazed pegasus run straight into them. Despite the glares of disapproval everypony seemed to be shooting her, Daring didn't care and ignored the shouts of ire as she rushed to her goal.

'Come on... almost there...' her mind urged her on. Skidding around a corner, she finally saw her goal; Room 232. To her relief, the door was still open, but just as the large courtyard clock outside began to toll the door began to close.

"No! Hold on!" Daring shouted. Digging deep to summon every last ounce of strength she had, Daring dove forward at the last moment and slid between the door and the wall just in the nick of time, but her landing was slightly off and she tumbled into the desks at the front of the classroom.

"Ah, Miss Do. I was wondering when you'd be showing up." a calm voice said.

Looking up from her tangled position, Daring sheepishly looked up at the spectacled griffon and most admired teacher; Professor Blackbeak. "Uh, hey. I'm not too late, am I?" she asked.

Professor Blackbeak looked at the clock, then back down at Daring with a smile. "Well, the deadline WAS five o'clock. As long as you have everything necessary, I can take a look now."

Removing herself from the four desks she was tangled with, Daring dusted herself off before walking up to Blackbeak's desk and placed a short stack of papers in front of her teacher. "I think everything is here." she said, her voice a bit shaky from nervousness.

As the griffon silently looked over her papers Daring mentally went over everything she had needed. 'Okay, I know I filled out the entire application, I got the reference letters I needed... all my vaccinations are in order... and I just flew clear across Canterlot to get that stupid paper notarized. I think... no, I know everything is there. I think...'

Daring Do tried her best to hide her nervousness, but Blackbeak could see it all too clearly and chuckled. "Miss Do, please calm down. It's a simple application, not a death penalty." he chuckled.

"But I need to go on this expedition with you! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Daring said excitedly. "The only thing cooler than having THE Professor Blackbeak as a teacher is actually going on one of your renowned site visits! I mean, last year you uncovered that shipwreck off of Horseshoe Cove! How can anything top that!"

Blackbeak couldn't help but chuckle again at Daring's enthusiasm. It was a complete wonder how Daring Do had been accepted to Canterlot University in the first place; her previous school attendance was less than admirable, and her grades in almost every subject were deplorable. Blackbeak had been tempted to drop Daring from his class the first week as she fell asleep at her desk almost every single day, but when she submitted her first research paper on the collection of pre-Nightmare Moon artifact collection in Seaddle he was absolutely stunned by the extreme detail and depth she went into. Asking her to stay after class to discuss it, he found out that she hadn't even bothered to open a single book for her research; instead, the pegasus had flown off to Seaddle to look at the artifacts first-hoof for her research paper. Blackbeak had never seen that kind of dedication in any of his students and was genuinely impressed by her efforts and was able to tell that, like him, Daring learned better out in the field rather than stuck inside a classroom.

Looking over the final sheet of her application, Blackbeak neatly placed the papers back down on his desk and peered at the young pegasus in front of him. "Well, Miss Do, everything seems to be in order. However, I can't help but notice that your grades in your other classes are barely above the minimum requirements to stay enrolled here. The expedition this year doesn't leave for another four months, and I'd hate to give you a spot only to see you drop out before then." he honestly said.

"Professor Blackbeak, I swear I won't flunk out of a single class. I swear! I've been looking forward to this opportunity for so long; it's the sole reason I enrolled here! Please, sir... I won't disappoint you." Daring pleaded.

Blackbeak decided he had teased his favorite student long enough. "I hope you do not, Miss Do." he said, reaching into his desk. He placed a sealed packet in front of Daring and smiled. "Make sure you read everything in here and get all the necessary equipment by the date enclosed. Congratulations, Miss Daring Do. You're going to be exploring the Temple of Ra this summer."

The smile that plastered itself on Daring's face almost defied the laws of physics. "Yes! Thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she excitedly rambled before grabbing the packet and flew out the open window, still cheering in celebration as she zipped around the campus.

Blackbeak couldn't help but smile at Daring's excitement of being chosen. His fellow professors had always commented how she was a nightmare of a student and expressed how shocked they were that she hadn't dropped out or been expelled due to her grades, but he always had high praises for her. After all, how many students were willing to sneak into the Manehattan Museum of Natural History to complete an extra credit assignment?