Daring Do and the Wrath of the Elders

Breaks screaming in protest, accompanied by the whisteling of a high pitched pipe. Steam gushed over the thracks with a loud and dull hiss.

"Final stop. Barnsford. Please leave the train to the right.", a older stallion voice shouted through the noise.
Hordes of passengers crowded off the train and onto the platform. Scenes of cheerfull reunion, ponies carrying luggage,looking around searching for their way.
Rainbow Dash gazed out of the window, grabbing her bags. It had been Derpys suggestion to travel by train. She would have flown right then and there. But the mailmare had delivered a few good arguments. Like flying would take at least twice as long.

Whatever. In hindsight Derpy may have been right. It had been a long and boring trip by train.
"Lets go!" finally! Just out of here! Rainbow shook Derpy awake.
Soooo - this was Barnford. Red brickwalls, white window frames, dark roofs. Neat streets, nice trees in circular beds between street and walkway. Blue mountains in the background, endless grassland and a river.
Ponies walking along or sitting in little cafes, looking out the windows.
Cozy. Sweet. Like a postcard... A boring postcard.

* * *

The Marehall College however resembled an old castle and was therefore a bit cooler then the rest of the city. High ivy covered brick walls, pointy roofs. Narrow windows. The big front door stood open. Also peaceful and nice. Due to the chill weather, just a few students dared to take their brake under the trees. But they seemed happily preoccupied by their lunch.
Rainbow scratched her neck. The idea, someone like Daring Do could get in danger - here of all places - sounded ridicolous. She felt a bit uneasy. What if the letter was indeed from Daring Do? What if they were about to disturb her and she got mad?

"Into the lions den, then?", Derpy grinned, distracting Rainbow from her distraction.

"Yeah...", Rainbow swept away her doupts. It was a mystery. A mystery, waiting to be solved!

Derpy looked around. Wide hallways with a vaulted ceiling overhead. Lanterns hanging on blackened iron hooks, attached to walls and colums. Arched doors led to classrooms. All in all a real old architectural style. She was anything but sure, if this halls were original from some time even before Nightmare Moons banishment or just recreations, as they were en vouge about hundred years ago.

It didn't seem to be any classes at the moment. Students strolled along the floors and wide halls, chatting, or sat and eat.

Finally Derpy spottet a few mares sitting in a bay, at the hallways outer side. Books stacked atop the round table between them. Light flooding from tall windows, presenting a blurry view to the outside park.
Approaching the group of sitting mares, she smiled friendly.

"Hello, can you help me? I am searching for Darrr.. Yearling. A. K. Yearling. Did you see her?", Derpy asked polite.
The students stared for a moment - a reaction Derpy was familiar with. But at least, they didn't grin or start do make fun of her.

"Well. No, actually," a white pegasus, responded with her hoof thoughtfully resting at her chin.

"You mean, A.K. Yearling as in the author of Daring Do?", the red-brown, dark maned unicorn watched curious with green eyes. "Didn't know she were here..."

The others shook just their heads.

"Or can you tell me where the Dean is?", Derpy had never attended a university - but from her profund knowledge about Highschool movies, she just knew, a dean always had the right answer. If he was not supposed to be the villain...

"You surely mean the Dean of the adminstration board? I am fairly sure, he won't help you.", the chestnut unicorn waved her hoof. Darn it. So he was in fact the villain! "Even if he knew where Miss Yearling is - he just couldn't you give informations about them. Privacy, you know..."

"But... I am a personal friend of here. For Celestias sake! I was with her on her last adventure!", Rainbow Dash shoved herself on Derpys side, her look between anger and incomprehension, snorting audible.

"For real?", the Unicorns eyes shot open. Even the other girls looked surprised. "Right... The newest cover... That was actually you?"

"Yep.", Rainbow waving her mane, struck herself in pose and grinned with closed eyes. "Without me, she never had stopped Ahuizotl from unleashing eight hundered years of accumulated dark power over Equestria!"

"Yeah...", the unicorn snorted with a laughter. "I've read it. And I've heard A.K. Yearling does fan service sometimes. How did you convince her to write you in? I mean - I am a fan of her since years... Hey - you know what. Maybe you ask the liberarian. He knows for sure, who everypony here is around. Aaaand I think he would help a Daring Do fan in need."
With this the brown mare got up and grinned to her fellows. "Be right back - just helping them find the liberary."

"Have fun... at least you fans are among yourselfs now.", the white pegasus smiled, just to look back after her lunchbox.

"Oh. By the way. I'm Lakin Spotson - but please call me Spots. Everypony does..."

* * *

Passing long halls and lots of doors, pictures and stairs, Rainbow started to get bored. How long should this take anyway? How could schools be THIS big?!

They had chatted for a while. So Spots studied archeology at the college - being a fan of one special archeologist had helped by her career-decission.

"Ah. Here we are.", Spots pointed to a spooky doorarch with engraved faces and symbols and a grimacing stonehead above.

"Daring? Are you in here?!" Rainbow dashed through the door, yelling.

"SHHHHHHH!", a middle aged stallion hissed with a stern look on his face.

"Sorry", she gave a sheepishly smile back. Right. Liberaries. Twilight used to be the same.

Only why? The room was practically empty. Row after row of double-story-bookshelves, forming a loose circle leaving free space for desks in the middle. One wall covered with bright windows. But - besides of some nerdy earth ponies in the backround was no one here. Especially no Daring Do.

"Excuse us Mister... Oh. You are not the librarian. Where is mister Coltson?", Spots had caught up, followed by Derpy.

"Oh. Uhm? Flynn - he is... busy right now. I am just helping out.", the sand-colored and brown haired stallion answered, with a smooth voice, while he closed the small door behind the library counter behind him. "I am Manefred Pommel - substitute librarian extraordinaire."

Spots shrugged. "Good, then. Maybe you could help us instead. My friends here are searching for A.K. Yearling. You know, the author."

"She has to be here!", Rainbow interrupted tilting her head towards the strange non-librarian. "She told me with a telegram."

Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion. But doubts formed in her mind, again. Maybe Daring couldn't need interruption right now. She would be angry for sure...

"Get lost Rainbow Dash! I thought I told you not to come her. Now you are ruining everything. Can't you remember the last time?" She shivered by this thought alone. Caught by her anxiety she didn't get the rapid change in the sand-colored earth ponies expression.

"I fear, Miss Yearling has left our house. I can't tell you, where.", as the substitute librarian coughed and answered, a sly grin on his face.

The words hit Rainbow like a hammer. Her eyes went small, her mouth gaped open.

"No... No nonono! This... this can't be!", she yelled, more from shock then from anger.

"Has she left any notices?", Rainbow heard Spots only half. She was gone - no one knew where. Maybe this was the reason for her letter...

"Oh. Then she had lost her hat.", Derpy hadn't waited at the counter, but wandered along the shelves. Now she pointed on a greenish gray tropical helmet, laying on one of the desks by the window.

Rainbow trotted over. Not only her helmet were there. A notepad, pencils, a stack of closed books and an open one. To cap it all - and proof the makeshift librarian a liar - a still warm cup of tea - Sheik Equairan Special Blend - Daring Do's (and A.K. Yearlings) favorite brand.

"So... what do you have to say NOW!", now it was on Rainbow Dash to feel angry. She literally shot back to the counter, and even before the Earth Pony could react, she grabbed him by his collar, pinning him down to his desk.

"Hey! Stop it! No! I... I'll call the security!" Mr brown mane gulped and struggled.

"Rainbow!", Derpy and Spots yelled in unison - much to the annoyance of the guests here.

"Answers!", Dash growled. Something was more then fishy here. And this guy knew what.

"Okey. chrm Okey! I'll tell. But please stop!"

Derpy knew Rainbow as sometimes a bit hot headed. ...Most times. But she never had expected her to react this way. But, to her relief the sandbrown stallion didn't seem too angry about of the incident.

"Well - it's easy. Miss Yearling gave strict orders.", he startet to explain, while straightening himself. "Maybe she fears plagiation or spoilers of her next book. So she asked for some privacy. And - sorry for you Miss - the story of the personal invitation is really getting old. So... if you want to go now, I won't make a big fuss out of this."

"But she really invited me. Look!", Rainbow hoofed in her saddlebags, producing the folded telegram.

"Oh. Now... In... in this case.", the stallion took a few moments to examine the document. A bit suspicious. To Derpy, it seemed more like he stalled for time to think.

"Yes. Indeed. It is an invitation. Good now... If you want to follow me..."

The librarians moves were somewhat hesitant, as if he was unsure, what to do now. But then he trotted out behind his counter towards the door.

* * *

Shouts, loud voices and the noises of smashing locker doors greeted the small group entering the hallways and the grand staircase.

"Oh. I fear its time for me now... to bad that I'll miss A.K. Yearling." Spots hung her head low, but then she looked up "But... maybe I can meet her later today?"

"We can ask her. And thank you for your help.", Rainbow Dash said and Spots turned her head with a faint smile before disappearing through a classroom door.

And another painfull boring walk. Great. Rainbow had hoped to meet Daring. Not to run for hours around this college.

The upper part of the college was a lot more quiet. Next to the doors here were names of professors or signs of archives and such. No classrooms at all. After that they reached a much smaller staircase, leading upwards.

"Where does she work, anyway?" Rainbow glanced over the now dusty hallway. It doesn't seem as if anyone was up here ever.

"Don't worry, we are right here.", Pommel exclaimed with a pointing gesture and a firm smile. "So - please - enter." With this he opened a sturdy metal-door.

"Yesss!", Rainbow galloped inside the hall and was hit by a mess of old statues, chests, crates, stacked lockers and worn out school desks.

"Daring Do?", she shouted. But instead of an answer noises of struggle emerged behind her.

"Hay! What ya doing?", Derpy was pushed through the door, trying to hold balance, but finally stumbled and crashlanded a step behind Rainbow. Not a moment later, the door slammed shut and sounds of a key were heard.