Daring Do and the Power of the Goddess

Daring Do hated facing the inevitable jibbing from her peers and students. Every step across campus brought her head lower and lower to the ground, while a burning feeling made her cheeks itch. News travels fast, and Surprise was the kind of pony to grab anypony’s attention and leave an impression. Daring mused that she once had that effect on ponies. The fancy Main Hall of Canterlot University loomed over her, making Daring feel small and insignificant for the first time in a long while. The building rivaled the royal castle in beauty and opulence, and she briefly wondered if it was just to look good for the brochures. It certainly didn’t aid in education as far as she could tell.

Fellow colleagues were standing outside, mingling on their lunch and smoke breaks. Daring could feel their eyes on her as she walked by. A few ponies stifled snickers, and she resisted the urge to spin around and plant a hoof in somepony’s face. Not that she could without falling down anyways, as the arm sling that brought all the attention to her made clear. It had humbled her being screwed over by Surprise yet again, but the fact Daring let Surprise get to her the way she had only made it worse.

Free of their silently judging eyes, Daring stood in the gold-plated lobby of the main hall. Paintings of Princess Celestia and the newly added Princess Luna watched their subjects shuffle about their mortal lives. She bowed her head in respect to the paintings and pressed on to her office. Daring knew that she could easily decorate her office to the point it would outshine the entire campus, but she didn’t trust leaving priceless artifacts behind a simple locked door. She picked herself up with her wings and sat in her comfy office chair, pawing through her Rolodex with her free hoof. Teabox was a hard pony to get a hold of.

“My goodness! What happened to your arm?”

Daring jerked her head to see a brown stallion standing before her. Holly was the resident biology teacher who used his veterinary experience to make his classes fun. He also had a habit of dying his mullet of a mane blue, which Daring thought looked tacky at best.

“Motorcycle accident,” Daring blurted, not knowing why it sounded like a good answer. She began to sweat, hoping the flush in her cheeks went unnoticed. It would be her luck for Holly to suddenly be observant.

“But... you can fly. Why do you—”

“Because they’re awesome!” Daring tossed her mane and flashed a confident smirk.

Holly sighed in defeat. “Well, I hope this won’t put a damper on our lunch date.”

“Oh, yeah!” Daring forced a smile. She had forgotten all about that. “Our date. Can’t wait!” She blinked, her smile dropping. “Where are we going again?”

“The doughnut shop in the downtown district,” Holly replied, cocking a brow. “We always hang out there. Are you... feeling okay?”

He doesn’t have to know anything! Show him you’re the bigger pony!

“Yeah... I’m fine. Just, a bit of a wounded ego is all,” Daring muttered, holding up her bandaged arm. “And my arm...” She noticed Holly was fumbling with an envelope. “What’s that?”

“Well, I got this invite to guest speak at that elementary school again, but I’m honestly running out of ideas.” Holly sighed tossing the envelope on Daring’s desk.

Daring stared at it then glanced up to Holly. “Not like you could cut open animals in front of the class and...” she noticed a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “You wouldn’t!”

“Depends on what they were, of course,” Holly replied, sticking his snout in the air somewhat and flashing a cocky grin. “But surely you can tell stories of one of your latest adventures?”

Not without sounding like a complete idiot.

“I suppose I could. I mean, digging in the dirt for shards of pottery is so exciting.” Daring rolled her eyes, hoping her sarcasm was clear.

“That’s the spirit!” Holly smiled, tapping a hoof on the floor. Daring opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself, overwhelmed by how dense Holly could be.

That’s why you like him.

“Eh, kids really aren’t my thing. I don’t know if I want to do it either.” Daring slumped back in her chair, making it spin slightly. She stopped to look out the window behind her when a pony stopped in front of it. It was another teacher.

“Hey! Look! It’s Daring Do Nothing!” The pony laughed and walked off. Daring spun back around and slammed her hoof on the envelope, dragging it towards her.

“I’ll do it...”

*****

At first Daring wondered if she was in the right place. The elementary school looked too modest to belong among the gilded spires of Canterlot. Black and white checkered floors stretched down the hallways, making her think back to her failed chess game. Smells of crayons and paste filled the air, followed by sounds of giggling foals. Daring was starting to hate giggling.

A pink earth pony approached from one of the classrooms, her blonde mane somewhat messy from having to put up with unruly foals all day. Once her eyes landed on Daring, she smiled. “Oh! The renowned Miss Daring Do! What do we owe this privilege?”

“I’m the... uh... guest speaker.” Daring felt sweat trickle down her face. “For a class here.” She glanced around trying to find said classroom.

“Well, that would be my class. My name is Mrs. Starlight.” She held out a hoof which Daring attempted to shake until she realized her left arm was in a sling. She huffed and hovered off of the ground slightly, holding up her right hoof. She forced a smile to hide the flush in her cheeks. “What happened?”

“Oh, uh... motorcycle accident. Nothing to bad.” Daring waved her hoof, rolling her eyes. “Now then,” she flared her wings, “where are these little scamps? I’m ready to give them some education!”

“Glad to see you’re so eager to get started!” Starlight smiled. She turned and nodded for Daring to follow. She did so, running over the story of the Seaponies in her head one more time. It was a no fail story, and one that didn’t involve her. Daring walked into the class and instantly felt herself shrink under the stare of several disapproving fillies and colts. All of them appeared to have been expecting Holly and his antics, not some stuffy explorer who collects artifacts for a pony as old as they are.

She giggled at the thought of Teabox.

“Where are the animals?” A small unicorn filly asked, waving her hoof in the air. Daring forced a smile and approached the front of the class.

“There aren’t any animals. My name is Daring Do and I’m an archaeologist. Does anypony know what that is?” Suddenly she felt like she was on one of those insulting kids shows that got their facts wrong.

“Isn’t that what Surprise is?” A fat earth colt asked.

Daring chewed on her tongue, her face heating up. “An archaeologist is a pony who finds buried treasure,” she continued.

“Like a pirate?” A pegasus colt joined in the humiliation conga, which made Daring roll her eyes.

“Yes... like a pirate.” Daring tossed her mane impatiently and cleared her throat. “Now, who here has heard of the Seaponies?”

“My mamma used to tell me that story!” The unicorn filly exclaimed. “She said it was a load of horseapples.” She blinked. “What does that word mean?”

“The Seaponies used to live in Palatantis before it sank into the ocean. But many scholars believe the Seaponies were nothing but a myth that ponies passed down from Gryphon culture and their stories of the Hippocampi. Many stories of gods and monsters existed in the time before Celestia.”

Daring caught herself acting like a flytrap and closed her mouth. Whoever that colt was in the back, he was too smart for a class like the one before her. “Uh... yeah... right. Well, I saw their temple!” She flared her wings and puffed out her chest.

“Did you bring any Seaponies for us to pet?” The filly asked again. Daring pressed her ears to her head to drown out her annoying voice.

“No!” She fumed, adjusting her helmet. “I was deep in the temple, looking for treasure, or at least a rare metal that unicorn alchemist sought.”

“Orichalum?” That colt in the back of the class was going to ruin everything.

“Yeah, sure. We’ll go with that.” Daring waved a hoof. “Anyway, I was about to drown when—”

“I have to go to the bathroom!” The pegasus colt waved his hoof in the air. Daring coughed to keep from saying anything out of line and pointed towards the door. Her eyes drifted up to the clock above and sighed. Only thirty more minutes.

After the pegasus darted out the door, Daring continued. If she had to be stuck here, might as well make it interesting. “When I was captured in a magical portal that warped me to the jungle. There, seventeen wild jungle cats began chasing me! They had me cornered and tore me to pieces, scattering my blood and guts everywhere! But the Seaponies came to the rescue, and sang their magical song!”

“Actually that magical song is from an old lullaby,” the colt in the back piped up.

Daring’s nostrils flared, feeling her eyes  narrow at the pinto colt. “You want to come up here and tell the story?”

He flinched and shrank into his seat, shaking his head. Daring nodded in satisfaction, now able to continue her story.

*****

Thirty minutes seemed to go by in a blink, and Daring found it difficult for even herself to distinguish reality from fantasy. She had been on so many outlandish adventures, coupled with her bad memory and want to impress, that the class would honestly believe she fought the entire Crystal Pony empire. The only pony not sold on her exploits was the pinto colt approaching her while she packed.

“Miss Do?” He pawed at the floor, never making eye contact. “I’m a big fan of your work,” he spoke after a long silence. “Sometimes, I like to pretend that the white tiles are lava and hop around to avoid them. Just like you would.”

“You’re pretty smart, kid.” Daring spat out the worn notepad in her teeth.

“Well, everypony knows to avoid lava.” He shrugged.

“No, I meant with all the knowledge and stuff.” Daring waved a hoof. She walked around the desk to get a good look at the one who almost made her look bad. His legs were gangly, almost too long for his body. Probably going through puberty. His white coat speckled with black spots, one of them finding its way around his left eye. Daring resisted the urge to let out a chuckle at how cute he looked. “Aren’t you a little... old? For a class like this, I mean?”

The pinto removed his ratty red Marezona Dimondbucks baseball hat, running a hoof through the mess of black mane. The sudden blush was visible on his white cheeks. “Well, yeah. I... kinda got held back. But not because I’m stupid!” He waved his hooves in front of him. “But because I got, well... bored.”

“Bored?” Daring cocked a brow. “Sounds like you were paying attention pretty good.”

“Everypony makes fun of me for being so smart. They hate me because I make them look bad.” He frowned, still keeping his eyes riveted to his pretend lava lake. “So I stopped putting in the effort because I was so bored.”

“Hey now." Daring placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Never stop being you! You think I’d be as awesome as I am if I gave up?”

“It’s easy for you!” He whined slightly, face flushing brighter. “The work you do, you never get bored! And no pony hates you for it!”

Daring opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She blinked to refocus everything that had just been knocked askew. How she wished she could be just as naïve as the colt before her. He was smart, but still innocent. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“What happened to your arm?” He cocked his head, staring at the sling.

Daring cleared her throat. “Motorcycle accident.” She made a mental note that she might have to get into such an accident, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Can I sign it? I’m a big fan of you after all! I read some of the stories about you and wish I could be there instead of my boring life here.”

“Well, some of those publishers tend to exaggerate events,” Daring muttered, hovering off the floor slightly to free up her hoof.

“You’re one to talk.” He let out a chuckle. Daring rolled her eyes.

“Touche.” She fished a marker from the teacher’s desk and handed it to him. “What’s your name anyway?”

“Everypony calls me Halfpint.” He shrugged, taking the marker in his teeth. Daring watched in silence as he painstakingly wrote his name. Even her penmareship wasn’t that good. Of course, no pony bothered to read what she reported anyway. She noticed his cutie mark was a magnifying glass.

“What’s your mark mean?” She nodded to his flank. Halfpint glanced over his shoulder with a confused look.

“Oh, that...” He chuckled. “It means I’m good at finding things. Details and stuff.”

“Like how you kept poking holes in my story?” Daring cocked a brow, a smirk across her face. Halfpint blushed.

“Sorry about that,” he muttered. “Force of habit.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” She waved a hoof. “You ever thought of being a detective or something?”

Halfpint shook his head. “I was always fascinated by your awesome adventures. Finding secrets and making history altering discoveries.” Daring blushed at the praise. It was nice to know she still had fans, though she wasn’t too proud about some of the secrets she uncovered. There were things not meant for pony eyes. “I wish my life was as exciting as yours.”

“Your life can’t be that boring. I mean, you at least got a family and all...” Daring trailed off when she noticed Halfpint’s demeanor change. He stood upright, staring at the floor, not making a sound. “Kid?”

“Heh, yeah...” Halfpint nodded. “My family does a lot of business. Usually away most of the time. I stay with a foalsitter. She’s pretty nice.”

“My old man was like that too,” Daring admitted. “But it only made me work hard to make him proud. So don’t give up because a few kids mess with you! Go for the gusto and make your folks proud!” She hovered off the floor, punching the air with her free hoof.

“I got to go. Curfew,” he sighed, trotting out the door without looking up. “She gets mad if I’m home late.”

Daring stared after him, wondering what it was she said. Part of her began thinking back to her own troubled youth, and she hoped that wasn’t the case with Halfpint. If it was, she’d have somepony to straighten out. Once it became apparent he wasn’t coming back, Daring loosed a sigh and continued packing up her notes.

*****

As far as the owner believed, the doughnut shop was just a much a part of Canterlot history as any other building. While the decorum was hardly opulent—going for more of a retro malt shop vibe—Daring found she liked it that way. Though she wondered just how such an establishment could play a role in the peace between pony races.

“So,” Holly finally spoke, clearing his throat and idly tapping a hoof. “How did it go with the kids?”

She shot Holly a glare that made him cringe in his seat. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she practically whispered through her teeth.

“I’m sure they weren’t that bad.” He gave a weak chuckle, relaxing now that he knew Daring wasn’t going to lunge at him. He ran a hoof through his blue mane. Daring thought the color clash of his chosen mane dye and his stupid bow tie made him look like a dork. Then again, she wasn’t wearing anything and had an arm in a sling. He blushed a little, watching Daring make a show of pouting and slouching in her seat. “Did they like the story of the Seaponies?”

“After they asked me where the animals were a few hundred times,” Daring muttered, munching on a doughnut.

“Aww, they missed me?” Holly giggled. “I noticed you made friends with Halfpint.” He nodded to the cast on Daring’s arm. “Kids are so adorable.”

“Yeah...”

He reached out and placed a hoof on hers. “Maybe we’ll have some of our own?” Daring jerked her hoof back, eyes wide. Holly frowned at her reaction. “Don’t you want to start a family someday?”

“It’s not that,” Daring sighed, placing her hoof back on the table. Holly replaced his hoof and looked into her eyes. She didn’t know what she wanted. “It’s just... too soon, is all.” Her mind scrambled for a way out of the conversation. “I don’t think I could stand being house-ridden, ya know? Stay at home mom type junk. I got to get out there and explore!” A last thought sprang to mind to end the talk. “Besides, I don’t think your line of work could support my lifestyle.” She blinked at how natural that came out. “No offense...”

“Well, you are a pretty classy mare.” Holly chuckled, slumping back in his seat.

“Please.” Daring waved a hoof. “I’m eating doughnuts for lunch in a malt shop. That’s hardly classy.”

“Well, it is our first date,” Holly muttered, blushing slightly.

Daring cocked a brow at the word date and smiled. She tossed her head to make her monochrome mane dance for a moment. “First, huh? So...” she closed her eyes halfway and leaned in closer. Holly had made a big mistake telling the likes of her about his thing for mares in authority. “Does that mean you want to see more of me?”

“Well, I see you at work everyday.” Holly smiled. Daring blinked at his display, wondering if he really was that dense or if he just played it for laughs. “But if you like the idea then...”

An earth pony, the ugliest shade of green Daring ever saw, barged into the diner. His mouth was full of flyers that Daring watched him post on the windows.

“Hey! This is private property!” The owner shouted from behind the counter. The unicorn approached the offending pony. “You can’t post those here!”

The ugly pony turned and faced the owner, his violet eyes sizing up the stallion. “Forgive me, sir. I am Ransack, and I am here to promote our new campus club The MoonDreamers.” He held up a flyer stuck to one of his hooves. “We are merely a group of simple ponies who gather to contemplate the virtues of the Mare in the Moon.”

The owner’s horn glowed as he scowled. Clearly he wasn’t going to take such blasphemy against the Princesses. “You take your crazy occult crap elsewhere! I run a clean business!”

“Sir, for your sake, I would advise against altercation,” Ransack replied, his voice indicating that he had been through this before. “We are not against fighting for our beliefs. Something that today’s peaceful riegn does not allow.”

“I think you just better leave, buddy.” Daring couldn’t help but jump into the fray. She glanced over at Holly, hoping for some backup. Instead, he was hiding his face with a hoof munching a doughnut to keep calm. Ransack turned and scoffed at Daring, his eyes glancing around.

“Ah! The brilliant Miss Daring Do that our leader speaks so highly of.” Ransack bowed formally. “The Mare in the Moon smiles upon me, as I have been tasked with finding you to help represent our cause.”

“Whatever you’re sellin’, I ain’t buyin’.” Daring tossed her head impatiently.

“No, we seek you to help us. We want equal representation. To be free from the hoof of persecution,” Ransack explained, glancing over at the still fuming unicorn.

“I’m not the political type. Now just get out of here before I have to make you leave.” Daring nodded towards the door, keeping her eyes fixed on him.

Ransack bowed again and walked towards the door. “I do hope you change your mind. We only seek equality among you.”

“I don’t want to see you around here again!” The owner stomped his hooves on the checkered tile.

“That will not be a problem.” Ransack smiled. Daring tilted her head at how sarcastic that sounded. He left without further incident, and Daring returned to her seat. Holly had nearly devoured the plate of doughnuts in his effort to go unnoticed.

“Thanks for rushing to my defense back there,” she deadpanned, grabbing the last doughnut off of the plate.

“You seemed to have everything under control. He didn’t seem the violent type.” Holly glanced at the door as if making sure the green pony was gone.

Daring only hummed a reply though a mouthful and turned to stare out the window. Ransack was walking down the street, his flyers in tow. A carriage with a hunky stallion pulling it walked by, drawing Daring’s eyes to the nice plot. She glanced over to see if Holly noticed her wandering stare and flashed a smile. Holly smiled in return and stood, grabbing the plate in his teeth to get a refill.

Daring nodded and turned back to the window. Her eyes locked on a unicorn, blue with green eyes, posting the same flyers on a window nearby. Ransack was nowhere to be seen. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. The sugar and yeast clogging her arteries brought a dull throbbing to her temples. The owner didn’t seem to mind a unicorn posting flyers on his windows, which made Daring bite her tongue. She scowled at the scene. Wondering if perhaps Ransack was onto something?

“How many of them are there?” Holly asked, snapping Daring out of her trance. She turned to see a pile of doughnuts talking to her. Holly peeked from around them and smiled. “He doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.” He nodded to the owner who was busy wiping down the counter.

“Eh...” Daring shrugged. She gave up beating the dead horse, so to speak. “So anyway, as I was saying. If you want to see more of me—”

“Then I can when we go to the museum next week!” Holly beamed, stuffing another pastry into his mouth.

Daring blinked at the sudden plans. “I never figured you being into that kind of stuff.”

Holly shrugged. “Well, it’s only right to do things you like as well. Besides, I’m not against learning about older species of animals. All part of my job after all.”

“Long as there aren’t any kids involved.” Daring chuckled. She noticed Holly pause before letting out his own nervous laugh. “There aren’t...  right?”

Holly let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah... NO! No... no kids!” he grabbed another doughnut.

“What are you hiding?” Daring narrowed her eyes at him, watching him squirm.

“Nothing!” He waved a hoof. “Just thinking about a potential field trip is all.”

“Right,” Daring replied. “So... which museum did you have in mind?”

“Why, the one here in Canterlot of course!” Holly gestured with his hooves.

Daring blinked. “Holly... there’s like, some twenty odd museums in Canterlot. Which one?”

“Oh!” Holly chuckled. “How about the Royal Canterlot Museum. I hear tell it’s got the best exhibits. Since they were stocked by a famous explorer.” He winked at her.

“How did you figure that out?” Daring blushed, grabbing a doughnut herself.

“Saw it in an article about the museum. Said that they got a mysterious donation from somepony that wasn’t you. It was a surprise.” Holly nodded.

“Yeah, it was Surprise alright...” Daring muttered, sinking in her seat.

“You okay?” Holly tilted his head and eyed her, placing his hoof back on her own.

Daring shook her head vigorously. “It’s nothing.” She glanced up. “Did you have anything else in mind?”

“Of course! But we’ll have to be careful, being in public and all.” Holy wagged his eyebrows, flashing a coy smile.

Daring shook her head again. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!” She never knew why Holly found it so amusing to keep his mind in the gutter.

“Yeah...” Holly gave a theatrical sigh. “Kids are too inquisitive for their own good anyway.”

She blinked and did a double take, “...kids?”

“Er... yeah! Families and all... “

“No, if you meant families, you would’ve said ‘ponies’. But you explicitly said ‘kids’.” Daring narrowed her eyes at Holly, watching him sweat.

“I just couldn’t say no to them! I already had the date with you planned out, then they asked for a field trip and the museum was the first thing that came to mind! I swear I didn’t know it was going to be so soon!” Holly held up a hoof to give scouts honor.

“So just combining work and romance so you can be more efficient, huh?” Daring huffed, grabbing another doughnut. She was going to lose her well-earned figure at this rate. “I’m not going.”

“Well, I kind of already said you’d come to help...” Holly rubbed the back of his head and forced a smile. He looked so pathetic.

“Un...be...lieveable...” Daring huffed, resting her head in her hoof. “Fine... I’ll go... if only because it would make me look bad if I didn’t.” She snapped her stare to Holly and pointed an accusing hoof, “But we’re going to have a talk about this!”

*****

Daring stood out in front of her favorite Canterlot pub crawl, taking in the various images hung by the door. Many a celebrity and star had been through there, and all of them got immortalized in the photo collection. Daring could see various actors, actresses, scientists, scholars, even the Princesses themselves had been there at least once. Outside of them, Daring was the only pony on the board that was still alive.

I wonder if this is how the Princesses feel every day?

Her eyes drifted the faded and worn photos, her own standing out but succumbing to age as well. Suddenly, they landed on the image of a white pegasus, smiling for the camera like a foal. Daring fought the urge to rip the entire thing off the wall and toss it into the street, hoping a passing carriage would come by. With a snort, she stormed her way into the bar.

“Bourbon! Gimme the hard stuff, and make it a double!” She slumped into her usual seat at the bar.

The whiskey brown unicorn shot Daring a curious glance before trotting over. “You normally don’t get drunk before five in the evening, what’s going on?” Bourbon asked, setting a glass of water in front of her.

Daring grabbed it in her teeth, gulping it down in one motion before slamming it back onto the bar. “I said the hard stuff.”

Bourbon shrugged, not one to object to making some extra money. He floated a glass of bubbling blue liquid in front of her, which she stared at with a cocked brow. “It’s called Night Mare. Cute huh?” Daring snorted. “They say it’s made from moon essence cultivated by Princess Luna herself. She seems the type to do such a thing. Anything to make us ponies happy, right?”

“Yeah, cute...” Daring already polished it off, ignoring the burn all the way down her throat. “Disgusting. Give me the usual.”

“What happened to your arm?” Bourbon nodded to the cast.

“Motorcycle accident...”

“Why the long face?” Bourbon asked. Daring looked up to see his cheesy grin and rolled her eyes.

“If I wanted to take crap from a smart ass, I’d go home and get drunk,” Daring muttered into her hooves folded across the bar.

“Stallion trouble?” Bourbon frowned, pouring her a glass of the usual scotch.

“That obvious, huh?” Daring grabbed the glass away from the aura of magic and gulped it down.

“It’s the only reason you come here anymore. Part of me is glad I can offer some help, but the rest wants to see you here under different circumstances. It’s not healthy.” He poured her another drink and Daring snorted at the irony.

“At least you understand!” Daring frowned, playing her hoof around the rim of her glass, which didn’t remain empty for long. If there was one thing Bourbon was good at, it was helping her forget. “This guy I’m seeing now, he keeps roping me into things without even asking me! Like he’s my freakin’ mother or something!”

Bourbon only nodded. It was unfortunate the only degree he had hanging on the wall from bar-tending school. He could make a killing playing therapist. “Well, how do you think I feel? I can only stand here and watch you succumb to liver damage.”

Daring snickered, having polished off her seventh glass. She glanced up at him and smiled. “You askin’ me out?”

“What?! No... no!” He jolted back, blushing madly. “I was just saying I wish I could help more!”

Daring leaned over the bar, their snouts almost touching. Burbon’s eyes widened when Daring made an attempt at bedroom eyes. “Because I got a new water bed and some gryphon feather pillows we can...”

“I think you’ve had enough...” Bourbon snatched the glass away from her greedy hooves. Some of the other patrons were already beginning to stare at the scene. “I don’t know what happened, but you need to go home and get some rest. Should I call you a cab?”

“NO!” Daring snapped. “I can take care of myself!” She slid off her stool and staggered to the door. “Why do stallions always assume I can’t take care of myself?” She tore open the door and stumbled out, tripping over a body in front of her and landing hard on the ground. She shakily got to her hooves and rubbed her jaw, glancing over at the pony that blocked her path.

“Halfpint?” She stared dumbly at the spotted colt fumbling with his hooves.

“Um... hi?” He glanced up to meet Daring’s stare. “I saw you go in here and thought I’d wait to say hi. But I see you’re busy now...” he frowned and began to walk off.

“No, wait.” Daring raised a hoof, but almost fell over due to lack of balance. “You wanna hang out or something?”

Halfpint looked over his shoulder at the staggering pony. “Go home,” he replied flatly. “You’re drunk.” With a final huff he turned and walked off, leaving a confused pony behind.

“What’s gotten into him?” Daring pondered, her head throbbing enough from the liquor. Without warning, her stomach lurched and her doughnut lunch was now on the sidewalk. She glanced up from the mess she made to see Halfpint had stopped to look back. She gave a weak smile, but he only rolled his eyes and kept walking.

*****

Did I really drink that much? Daring stumbled down an alleyway. She didn’t even know if she was going the right way home. All she could remember was her head spinning and the disappointed face of Halfpint. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—this wasn’t the first time she’d gotten lost while under the influence. She’d be the most knowledgeable about the streets in Canterlot if she could remember half of them.

“Hey pretty thing.” A gruff voice called from a nearby alleyway. Daring rolled her eyes and kept walking. “What are you doing out here by yourself this late?”

It’s noon, you nitwit!

A unicorn stallion who obviously couldn’t tell time emerged from the alley. Most ponies would be intimidated by his sheer size, with a chest about the size of Daring’s whole body. But he was about to learn he wasn’t dealing with most ponies. His eyes landed on her cast. “Are you hurt? I can take you home to get better.”

“I can take care of myself!” Daring let out a harrumph of disappointment. Stallions.

“But I have a nice warm bed and everything. You can sleep off your hangover with me... er I mean... at my place.” The stallion fumbled, breaking eye contact.

Daring smirked at the sight. He was terrible at asking girls out, which reminded her of Holly in a way. “Sorry, but I’m spoken for.”

He jerked his head up, eyes glinting with a feral lust that she’d seen before. His drug a hoof across the ground, nostrils flaring. “It wasn’t a request.”

Oh, I see where this is going...

Daring glanced around the dark alley, her ears craning to pick up any sounds. She knew he wasn’t alone, and he was fully prepared to take her by force. Probably wanted to share his spoils too. She cringed at the thought. “Like I said, I’m spoken for. So...”

The stallion stormed up to her, closing the distance between them before she could finish her sentence. The locked eyes, and Daring maintained her stare, not backing down.

“For a mare, you’ve got stones.” He snorted.

Just a little closer...

“You’re lucky that I don’t—”

“Don’t what? Kick my ass? Well then you couldn’t claim your prize, could you?” Daring turned her back on him and gave her rump a shake, keeping her tail pressed against her backside. “You know you want it.”

The stallion stared blankly at her hindquarters, totally not expecting things to work out so well. “You are one crazy mare.”

You don’t know the half of it.

“C’mon! What are you waiting for?” She wiggled her hips. She felt his weight on top of her, and she spread her wings to keep balance. It was tricky balancing on three legs, but she could manage. Something poked her thigh as he tried to move her tail. Just a little more...

The stallion fumbled with his hooves, taking her ear in his teeth. She moaned slightly, her hind leg shot out at the same moment, hitting him right where it counted. The mountain of a pony fell to the ground like a tree, hooves clutching at what was left of his dignity.

Daring regained her balance in time to see his buddies emerge from the shadows. None of them were as big as he was, but she didn’t care. She was drunk. She was angry. And she was ready to punch something.

“Why don’t you just fly outta here if ya know what’s good for ya?” One of the lesser unicorns sneered.

“Because what fun would that be?” Daring spread her wings.

*****

“You sure did a number on those unicorns.” A white earth pony stopped his pacing and stared at the battered pegasus before him. “Even when that one unicorn used his magic to pull up that huge chunk of pavement. I’ve never seen a mare take a hit like that...” He paused in his revere and regain composure when he saw the glare Daring was giving him. “No offense.”

Daring pulled the rag away from her bloody nose long enough to flash a smile, jerking her hoof back before she made a mess. She felt honored that they would actually stand and watch for as long as they did. “I’m impressed you guys broke up the fight so quickly. Normally you’re never around when somepony needs you.”

The stallion cleared his throat. “Yes, well... the matters of the royal guard are none of your concern.” He picked up a folder in his teeth and tossed it across the table. Daring stared down at it, trying to make out what it said through the eye that wasn’t swollen shut.

“What’s this?” She opened the folder with a free hoof and saw a picture of a pony that appeared dried out. Like all the fluids were sucked out of his body. The frozen terror on his face made Daring cringe.

“Maybe you can tell us. He was one of your students.”

Daring jerked her head up to stare at the stallion, but instantly regretted it when pain shot through her temples. “He’s... what?” Maybe the ringing in her ears was making her hear things.

“He was found on the campus of Canterlot University, drained of all fluids. Somepony, or something, sucked him dry.” The stallion took a seat across from Daring and continued to eye her.

“So why aren’t you out looking for who did it instead of picking on me?” Daring asked. The rag annoyed her, so she tossed it away.

“We are looking for the party responsible. Since he was one of your students, we have to follow every lead. It just so happened we found you starting a fight with those unicorns.”

“Hey!” Daring slammed a hoof on the table. “Those jerks started it! I was just minding my own business!”

“Well, to be fair...” the stallion rolled his eyes. “Most mares don’t venture into dark alleyways alone.”

Daring narrowed her eyes, resisting the urge to launch herself across the table. He is not trying to pin this on me! “Just what are you implying?”

“There’s still the matter of the charges against you.” The stallion calmly placed his hooves on the table.

“CHARGES?!” Daring leapt from her chair. “For what?”

“Disturbing the peace, assault, public intoxication... I could go on.”

She gritted her teeth, noticing that one of them felt loose. Her wings spread on their own as she prepared to leap across the table and take him down.

“Miss Do is innocent!” A voice from the next room cried out, breaking any tension that had built up in the air around her. Both ponies jerked their attention towards the door, which burst open and dumped a pinto colt onto the floor. “She didn’t start the fight! I saw the whole thing!”

That’s sweet. I totally started that fight!

The stallion sighed and stood from his chair. “Fine. I’ll go get the paperwork and we’ll sort this out. I need a coffee...” He trotted out of the room, leaving the two to stare at each other.

Daring poked at her nose with a hoof, making sure it wasn’t broken. “So, how much did you really see?”

“More than I wanted to, really.” Halfpint frowned. “Why would you start a fight like that?”

“You saw what happened!” Daring shook her head. “That jerk pony was trying to...” she trailed off. “Well, what he was trying to do you’re not old enough to know about.”

“That’s still no excuse,” Halfpint snorted. “You didn’t have to kick him like that.”

Daring twisted her tongue around in her mouth for a few moments, spitting a tooth on the table. Halfpint cringed at the sight. “What? Might get a gold bit from the tooth pony!”

“You honestly believe that?” Halfpint shook his head slowly.

“Well, I deserve it...” Daring muttered, slumping back in her chair while failing to hide her snicker.

“Not believing in the tooth pony.” Halfpint let out a frustrated sigh. “I meant believing that what you did was right.”

“It wasn’t wrong.” Daring shrugged, staring at the wall across from her. “Didn’t you say you were picked on in school?”

“Yeah, but I never got into any fights. Because violence never solves anything.” Halfpint puffed his chest out, hoping that he could talk some sense into her.

“Pff, who taught you that? Your parents?” Daring snorted, glancing over at him before staring at the wall some more.

Halfpint paused. “Yes. They did.”

“Well, lucky you,” Daring scoffed, standing and storming towards the exit.

Halfpint stood in silence when she brushed past him, now left alone to stare at the floor. He snapped out of it and turned to follow her, watching her make a show of prancing past the four unicorns in question now in holding cells. She paused and turned to him, smiling despite the barely visible hole where her tooth had been.

“Lucky I didn’t snap their horns off, otherwise they’d die!” She emphasized the last word for effect then turned and trotted to the desk.

“Okay, Miss Do. We just need your signature on these release forms and you’ll be ready to go.” The unicorn behind the desk hovered a stack of papers before her.

“As long as you think I can do that myself,” Daring muttered, taking the pen in her teeth.

“Before you leave us, Miss Do, perhaps you would be interested in telling us what you know about our murder victim?” The earth stallion asked, standing near the exit.

“Ohf, himf?” Daring spat the pen at the desk, making the unicorn behind it flinch at the slight spray of blood that followed. “Failed every class. Didn’t know much about him outside of that.” She turned to Halfpint. “Wanna get some ice cream?” Halfpint only stared, his face an odd mix of confusion and disappointment. Daring frowned slightly, but quickly smiled again. “So how bout it?”

“Um... I got homework to do...” Halfpint muttered, walking off towards the exit.

“Wait... why aren’t you in school today?” Daring asked, cocking a brow.

“Because it’s Sunday?” Halfpint tilted his head, staring at Daring like she was some stranger.

“Sunday?” Daring repeated. “Then that means...” Reality slowly came back, making the fog in her mind clear away like a storm cloud.

Halfpint was already gone, and Daring let out a sigh. Winston always told her it was a bad idea to bottle up her emotions, but she never could embrace the gryphon mindset like he did. Now she was curious about Halfpint and why he was following her.

“Anything else you can tell us, Miss Do?” The stallion broke her train of thought. Daring cast one last glance at the empty doorway and frowned.

“Yeah... I’ll tell you what I know...”