Chapter the First (And Only)
Daring Do was on a mission. She’d heard from some of the locals that a powerful tome was being held in a nearby stronghold, and she simply had to retrieve it. Who knows what secrets it might hold? It would be safer with her.
And so, Daring winged her way towards the town surrounding the crystal castle the book was known to be kept in. As she approached the town, she landed and pressed herself against a wall. She’d have to do this stealthily. Any one of these ponies could sound the alarm if they spotted her. But how…Ah, there. Daring Do leaped from cover and dove into a bush. Peeking out, she checked if anypony had spotted her. But no, all was well. Quickly, Daring detached the bush from the ground and began to creep forward. Moving only in sharp bursts, she made her way down the lane until she came to a market.Replanting the valiant bush, she cast about for another disguise. Ah-ha! Upon a nearby counter lay a cloak and some empty shopping bags. Zipping over, Daring swiped the cloak and bags, leaving a hoof-full of bits in their place before diving back into the safety of her bush. But wait, surely anypony wearing a cloak in the middle of the day and broad sunshine would be regarded as suspicious. No, this wouldn’t work. Unless…Daring glanced upward. Yes, luck (and the pegasi weather schedule) was with her. She settled down in the bush, awaiting the inevitable. A few minutes later, rain began to fall from the clouds above. Slipping her trademark hat into a bag, she put on the cloak and set off.As she trotted through the cold rain, not a single pony gave her so much as a second glance. Soon enough, she stood before the absurdly large doors of the imposing castle. Reaching out, she tried one. Locked! Once again, she glanced upward, hoping her luck held. Her luck must have had a pretty good grip, as far above her head a balcony jutted out from the otherwise sheer wall. Shedding her cloak, throwing it under a convenient bush, and retrieving her hat, Daring soared up onto the balcony. She stuck out a hoof and pushed against the doors leading in. Unlocked, they swung open smoothly.A silent cheer was on her lips as she slipped inside, shutting the doors silently behind her. The palace was now infiltrated, the easy part complete. Now there would be guards, spells, and who-knows-what to deal with. Shaking the water from her coat, Daring looked around. She stood in an empty hallway filled with doors. It looked the same in all directions. The first task had been getting in. Now the tome had to be located. It seemed that that might be more difficult than expected.Well, a start had to be made somewhere. Daring crept down the hall, ready to dive behind cover at the slightest hint of somepony approaching. Out of curiosity, she turned to the side and opened a random door. Peering in, Daring saw- No, it couldn’t be! But it was! Textbooks! And science experiments! So not only was the owner of the castle obviously some evil overlord or something, but an egghead to boot! The horror!Shuddering with disgust, Daring resumed her sneaking down the surprisingly empty halls. “Shouldn’t there be guards or something?” She thought. “Well, at least it makes this easier. Not nearly as cool though.” And so, Daring crept on. After a while, she stopped sneaking and just walked. Then trotted. Then flew. Over an hour later, she found herself right back at the balcony she entered from. Obviously, a new approach was needed.Flapping down to the ground, Daring stood in front of the great door. Wandering through the upper halls for all of eternity or until she starved to death, whichever came first, was no longer an option. Taking a deep breath and hoping against all hope, she reached out and touched the handle. It swung open. The door was unlocked. Daring facehoofed. “Of course they’d forget to lock the door now. Not earlier when I needed it. Oh no, that would’ve been too convenient.”Still grumbling at the injustice of it all, Daring slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Right, now the first part was (finally) done. Off to find the book then- Was that hoofsteps? In the space of a heartbeat, Daring had pressed herself against the nearest cover. The ceiling. She hoped the old maxim of hiding, “Ponies never look up” held true. Soon enough, a light purple unicorn stepped through through the archway beneath Daring’s clever hiding spot. She was carrying several objects, a clipboard, and a quill in her light green-blue aura. Upon her back sat a small purple dragon who she was engaging in animated conversation. Daring held her breath as they walked toward the door leading outside. As the unicorn opened the door and started outside, Daring froze. The dragon was staring right at her, an eyebrow quirked. Just before the door shut behind them, he winked at her. Daring sighed with relief as the door clicked shut. No alarm would be raised from that quarter.Dropping to the floor, she passed through the arch, and found herself in a grand library. Surely the tome she sought could be found here. Daring flew along the shelves, trading stealth for speed, scanning titles as she flew. After scanning an entire bookshelf, she paused and looked around. Still no-pony in sight, but there were hundreds of shelves left to search. No, this would take far too long. There had to be a better way…Daring’s face lit up as she spotted a directory. Most ponies would be baffled by the elaborate system of cards, numbers, and locations, but Daring’s time in museums had taught her a thing or two. Zipping over, she searched out the book she was here for. Shelf 103. Perfect! Grinning with delight at finally reaching her objective, Daring flew triumphantly to the proper shelf. Reaching out a hoof, she pulled the book from the shelf. Suppressing a cheer, she flew a tight circle upward. Finally! The tome she sought lay safely in her hooves! Now all she had to do was-
“Rainbow? What are you doing?” Twilight questioned. “And why are you dressed up like Daring Do?”“Oh… Hey Twi…” Rainbow hid the latest Daring Do book behind her back, wings flexing anxiously. “I- Uh- Gotta go, bye!”Twilight stared bemusedly at the fading rainbow streak. “She could’ve just checked it out normally.”
