The mall was, as per usual, an active place on a Saturday, especially when the weather outside was so good. From one level to another, there wasn't a single store or venue that didn't have wave after wave of customers today. In particular, all the food vendors were seeing particularly good business, and it was in this environment in particular that Twilight and Rainbow found themselves today. Sitting together just outside of an ice cream store, they waited patiently as they kept their eyes on the door of the place. Sure enough, it seemed that they didn't have to wait for long, as a third figure now emerged from the store. It was Juniper, who was carrying a tray that held three differently-coloured ice creams, much to the delight of the other girls. Soon, she too was sitting beside them, placing the tray upon the table and smiling to them.
"Alright then, eat up."
And indeed they did, as Rainbow and Twilight took hold of their respective confectionary and started licking them, followed shortly by Juniper herself. After a few moments of this, Rainbow let out one of her customary cackles.
"Hehe, nice!"
The other girls nodded in agreement.
"It is. They usually don't have my favourite flavour in. Guess I was just lucky today," Juniper remarked.
Looking up from her own ice cream, Twilight took on a look of curiosity.
"So...how did things go at the Daring Do premier?"
Hearing that, Juniper rolled her eyes.
"Ugh! Don't remind me! There were so many people cramming in to see it that I barely had time to think!"
She took another lick of her ice cream, then looked back to Twilight.
"I mean, I'd rush in there too, but still..."
The three girls shared a laugh together, but when it died down, Rainbow glanced at one, then the other, before speaking up herself.
"So...we've all seen it?"
The other girls nodded, prompting her to continue.
"So...what did you girls think?"
Twilight and Juniper looked to one another, then back to Rainbow.
"It was...okay," Twilight answered.
"Yeah...okay," Juniper agreed.
Rainbow sighed.
"Yeah. I guess I was kinda hoping there'd be more...well..."
"Stuff from the books?" Juniper asked.
Rainbow pointed to her.
"Exactly!"
Her shoulders slumped.
"I mean, yeah, I know they gotta cut stuff out when they make a movie, but still..."
Twilight glanced to her.
"Still...it was pretty neat to see ourselves on the big screen like that, if only for a few moments."
Rainbow chuckled.
"Yeah, that did kinda make up for it."
However, that positive sentiment didn't last long for the athlete.
"But I just wish they put in all that great stuff! Like the battle through the jungles! Or the big talk between her and her arch-rival. I mean, the guy they got in the movie barely said a word to her!"
Juniper nodded.
"When I last read that book, his talk with her was one of the best things I'd seen in any book! Seriously, Yearling knows how to right them."
Rainbow smiled to her.
"Hey, remember that first book she wrote? When she had Daring going through that big maze thing in the pyramid?"
A giggle came to Juniper at that.
"Oh yeah! It was like a puzzle for us too! She had all the things in that book all carefully laid out so we'd know what to do when we got to the maze."
A sly smirk crept onto her face.
"It was probably the first time a book made me feel smart, just noticing that."
Twilight smiled too but it faded moments later.
"Do you girls ever hear about all those guys online who don't like Yearling's later books? They're getting kinda..."
But Rainbow looked over to her.
"Annoying? I’ll say! Like that one guy...erm...what's his name? Quib...Quib something?"
Juniper's head snapped in her direction.
"Ugh! Quibble-Pants-Rox? With an X?"
Rainbow looked back to her, eyes wide.
"Yeah! That guy!"
Juniper rolled her eyes.
"Yep, I've definitely heard of him. Made this whole video about how..."
She made some air-quotes.
"...Yearling's gone downhill, and all that usual garbage."
Twilight frowned.
"If they don't like it, they can't just stop following it."
Rainbow folded her arms and nodded in agreement.
"It's like they think they own this series or something! If all they like were the older books, then fine, go back and read the older books! The new ones aren't making them disappear, ya know?"
There was a further sense of agreement among the girls at that, and in the silence that followed, they all took their respective ice creams and took simultaneous licks of them. Then, after setting them down on the table once more, Rainbow let out a sigh, first looking to Twilight and then to Juniper, before scratching the side of her head nervously and speaking up.
"So...did you hear there's gonna be a sequel next year?"
The other girls looked to her, puzzled.
"Really? But it's only been out a few months," Twilight commented.
Rainbow's smile returned.
"Yeah, but I keep up with this sorta thing. The movie did so good they've already green-lit another. And guess what?"
She looked around, as though somebody else would hear her, then learned in closer, prompting the other girls to do the same. Then, in a hushed tone, she spoke.
"They're gonna base it off book three!"
The other girls' eyes widened, and Rainbow smiled to them, nodding in conformation, leading to Twilight speaking in a similarly-hushed tone.
"You mean...with you-know-who?"
Rainbow nodded.
"Yep, old Ahuizotl himself."
Hearing that, both Twilight and juniper let out an excited squeal, much to Rainbow's amusement. It wasn't long before Juniper spoke next.
"I've been waiting to see that guy on the big-screen since I was seven!"
"Me too!" Twilight added.
Chuckling, Rainbow leaned back into her chair.
"Yep, it'll be pretty sweet."
Then, her smile was replaced with a degree of irritation.
"Well...unless they keep in that one part about Daring surviving a big magical explosion by hiding in a closet."
Twilight grumbled.
"Okay, that part they can cut."
Then, a more thoughtful look came to Rainbow.
"And also the part about having that annoying little kid sidekick."
Juniper nodded.
"Yeah, that didn't work for me either."
Rainbow thought on even further.
"...And also that whole native tribe thing in the temple."
Instantly, all three girls started to look a little bit uncomfortable.
"Oh, yeah, that probably wouldn't fly nowadays," Twilight remarked.
Another silence fell, but, it was a short-lived one, as Rainbow leaned forward again, looking as excited as she was before.
"Still, Daring Do fighting Ahuizotl in the big screen? Tell me that's not gonna be awesome!"
The others both smiled to her, sharing in the sentiment, and taking yet another lick of their ice creams. When they placed them down, however, Juniper, perhaps a little nervously, eyed the other two before speaking.
"And, well, who knows? Maybe if that other actress doesn't want to be in the sequel, they might be looking for...I dunno...somebody else to play Daring?"
She looked hopeful, only to be met with raised eyebrows from both Rainbow and Twilight. Though she kept her grin as much as she could, Juniper soon let it falter, sighing.
"Right...sorry."
But, smiling once more, Rainbow patted her on the back.
"If it helps, I think we could at least get you a background cameo."
Hearing that, Juniper smiled in appreciation, letting out a short giggle.
"Well...I guess I could set my sights a little lower."
