Twilight Sparkle could only stare blankly at her unexpected guest. She took note of her guest’s appearance as her brain tried to wrap itself around this unbelievable concept. A mare with a tan coat of fur and a grayscale mane was beginning to slightly panic over the fainted and prone form of her dragon assistant.
Twilight assumed he had a more intense version of her reaction, shock. The longer she stared, the more her mind was filled with disbelief. It’s just not possible! Daring Do is a fictional character! She’s not real, and she’s certainly not fussing over her unconscious assistant, much less standing in her humble library! She had to say something!
“D-Daring Do?!”
Really. That’s the best I could come up with…
The mare in question looked up and towards her with a sheepish grin on her face.
“Um… Sorry for making your dragon friend faint… I forget that ponies don’t really know I’m real…I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t decide to wear the costume for giggles…”
Twilight had always envisioned in her imagination a more brash and powerful voice, and thus was completely surprised by the smooth, apologetic tone that came out of the tan mare’s mouth. Shaking her head lightly in order to clear her head before speaking again, she took a deep breath before meeting the eyes of the other mare.
“No, it’s fine. He’ll wake up in a few minutes. I wasn’t aware that you actually existed, and yet here you are! And, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you doing here in Ponyville of all places?
Daring’s ears flattened against her skull as she nervously pawed at the ground.
“I’m sorry if my presence startled you. I don’t make it a habit to intrude in another pony’s home without prior notice or an invite. I was actually in town to visit my younger sister. I told her I would meet her at the library, but I didn’t realize that someone lived here as well.”
Twilight was confused at the information. She didn’t know that Daring Do had a sister, but she also didn’t know that she was a living pony as well.
“Oh, well, that’s a nice thing to do. Are you two close?”
Daring Do chuckled cynically.
“I guess it is. Truth is I haven’t seen her in years. We’ve only occasionally communicated through a letter, so I not sure how she would react, much less know where I currently stand with her,” her ears, however, flattened even more at the slight lie, “She has always been rather brash and prone to grudges or misunderstanding, especially with her quick temper.”
She was beginning to grow curious the more that Daring spoke. Who was this mysterious sister? What was the pegasus in front of her really like?
“That could be troublesome. Do I know your sister?” she asked a little too eager. She raised an eyebrow as the polite pegasus in front of her laughed softly.
“Tell me, are you not Twilight Sparkle? Bearer of the Element of Magic and one of six who helped save Equestria multiple times?”
She wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“Yes. That’s me, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
Daring Do suddenly sported a mischievous grin that startled Twilight with its surprising familiarity. She’s seen that grin before, but she couldn’t recall where.
“It has everything to do with it Ms. Sparkle. Since you’re a bearer, there is no doubt in my mind that you know my sister. And if the family resemblance hasn’t given it way, I’m sure that the second she comes crashing through that window you’ll finally put the pieces together. While you think on it, I’ll just browse the library.”
Twilight’s face shifted into one of thought.
I already know her sister? I don’t recall anyone mentioning that they were related to Daring Do… And there’s a supposed family resemblance? Let’s see: tan coat, grayscale mane, rose colored eyes, a rather athletic build… Who could she be related to?
Wait… Give the mane some color, switch the coat to blue, change the cutie mark, and you get an exact…copy…of… That’s not possible! It can’t be possible, it just can’t! She would have said something and Daring Do is polite and a well-mannered pony! There is absolutely no conceivable way that they’re related! It’s too outlandish to even think about!
“By the look on your face, I’d say you’ve figured it. If you’re not sure, how about I give you a quick pose? I can almost guarantee that she’s done this at least once in the time you’ve known her.”
Once again, Twilight could only stare in disbelief as Daring Do struck a rather arrogant pose. Any doubt in her mind had vanished as the image of Daring Do was completely overshadowed by the image of one particular friend in the back of her mind.
~~~
“Fluttershy!”
The yellow pegasus jumped into the air in fright before dashing off to hide behind the couch. She froze as she heard the front door slam open and the sound of impatient hoof steps grow closer.
“Fluttershy! Come out! I’ve got something important to show you!”
Fluttershy’s ears perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. She knew that rough voice anywhere, and felt a bit foolish at being scared of it in the first place. Stepping out to face her blue friend, she was met with a book cover pressed to her snout instead.
“Daring Do and the Trials of Unity? You ordered the new Daring Do book? What’s the problem, if you don’t mind me asking, but why are you so panicked over this?”
Rainbow Dash groaned at her friend’s confusion. Pulling the book back, she set it on the floor and opened it to an early page. She then pushed the book over towards Fluttershy.
“Read the dedication and tell me what’s wrong with this picture. The author usually dedicates her books to her parents, so tell what’s different!”
Fluttershy looked down at the page and read its contents.
If you’re reading this, I’d like you to know that that is book is dedicated to you little sister.
P.S. Your face will become stuck that way if you keep making those expressions.
P.P.S. Clean your house. It’s messy. I can tell and I haven’t seen it in a long time.
Fluttershy looked up, and true to the dedication’s words, Rainbow Dash had her face firmly set in a scowl. Holding back a small giggle, she went back to inspecting the page.
She took note that below the text, in a sharp and neat script, was none other than Daring Do’s signature. Next to it sat a small drawing of a compass.
Looking up to fully face Rainbow Dash, she hesitantly spoke.
“You mean tha-”
“Yep.”
“So she’s at th-”
“At the library. Yes.”
“So she’s do-”
“She’s done with her current adventure. Correct.”
“And you ha-”
“And I have to meet up with her to say hello at the very least. Duh.”
“But wait, isn’t today the day that we were going to have a picnic in the park later this afternoon?”
Rainbow Dash was wondering where Fluttershy was going with this.
“That’s right.”
“Weren’t we going to meet up at Twilight’s before going? And if she’s already there, then couldn’t our other friends run into her?”
Rainbow’s eyes widened at the realization.
Oh, horseapples! If they see her they’ll start asking questions! I gotta get to her before the others do!
In a flurry of feathers, Rainbow Dash was done. Fluttershy sighed as she picked up the book and set it on the coffee table before taking after her friend, hoping she won’t do anything pointlessly drastic and while contemplating the book now lying forgotten in her cottage.
~~~
“Hey Rainbow!”
Rainbow Dash sat up from her position on a cloud and looked towards the direction of the voice. Seeing the source to be a tan pegasus with a mane similar to her own, she scooted to the side to make more room for the incoming mare.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Sis, you will never guess what dad told me! Come on! Guess!”
Rainbow Dash looked at her older sister in contemplation. She put a hoof to chin and stared at her sister’s excited face.
“You got him to buy us tickets to the Wonderbolts?”
“Nope!”
“Let’s see…he said that you could go deep sea diving?”
“You’re getting closer!”
Rainbow crossed her arms and closed her eyes in an effort to think. A few seconds later she dramatically pointed a hoof at her sister and called out, “You’ve convinced dad to let you travel with aunt Compass Rose!”
Daring squealed in excitement as she tackled Rainbow in a bear hug rivaling that of an actual bear before setting her down when she noticed her sister was beginning to change from her normal cyan blue, to a sickly pale bluish-purple color.
While catching her breath, she realized that she had hit the nail on the head, and couldn’t control the sudden grin stretching across her face.
“No way! Dad actually said yes? You’re going to be an adventurer! Awesome!”
“I convinced him to agree! I’m finally going to see the world! Maybe I’ll even write a book or two of my adventures! You should read them when they come out.”
Rainbow Dash snorted and fell onto her back in laughter. Daring scowled and swiftly kicked her in flank, causing her to cease her laughter.
“Please! As if I’ll ever read any of your sappy romance novels! And I don’t think you could write a good adventure story if your life depended on it!”
Daring’s scowl was deepened.
“Like you would know a good book if it bit you on the flank! Watch! I’ll write the best action-adventure books ever! They’ll even become the best-selling book series in Equestria! Just you wait. Prepare to eat those words once you read my books! They’ll be so good, you’ll want to steal them just to read them!”
Rainbow poked Daring’s side with a lopsided grin.
“I’ll refuse to read them till my dying breath because you only know how to write romance novels. And besides, you’ll be too busy exploring lost caves and stuff to even be able to write me letters letting me know you’re still alive, much less a complete book series.”
A tan hoof poked a cyan body in retaliation.
“Alright. Fine. I probably won’t be able to write a novel or two, but I’ll send you a letter a month or so, and I’ll promise to visit, especially when something important happens. How’s that?”
“Works for me. How will I know when you’re coming to visit so I can make sure my place is clean enough for the mighty traveler?”
Rainbow Dash did a mock bow towards her sister before being pushed over by a hoof.
“I’ll send you a note telling you to clean your house. And if I do have the time to publish a book, I’ll dedicate it to you with the note inside. When you see it, we’ll meet up.”
Daring dusted Rainbow’s coat to free it of the random wisps of cloud that clung to it.
“Cool. Will your secret note tell us where to meet?”
“How about a library?
Rainbow Dash scowled.
“Your face will freeze that way if you keep making those expressions. And I like libraries! And because of that look, we’re meeting in the library closest to your house. That’s final.”
Daring snickered as Rainbow grumbled about how libraries were boring and you couldn’t do anything except be quiet and read in them.
“You and I both know that you don’t hate reading, and you usually volunteer to come with the library with me. And to keep you from whining my ear off, go find Fluttershy so I can tell her to. I have to go home and pack up my things and be ready to go before Aunt Rose leaves without me. Is that all right with you?”
Rainbow nodded before taking off the sky to find their timid friend leaving Daring to go off in the opposite direction.
~~~
“-nd that’s the reason why you should let me style your mane,” a white unicorn spoke to her annoyed earth pony companion as they entered the premises of the library, all while having a pink earth pony happily hop behind them.
Applejack was about to protest when she heard a loud gasp behind her. Before she could turn around, a pink blur shot out behind her and headed towards an unknown pegasus in the center of the room.
“Hey! I haven’t seen you here before! That means that you get a welcome party but Twilight told me to leave my Party Cannon and Welcome Wagon at home because of the incident last week that I’m not supposed to talk about! Are you visiting? Maybe you moved here! I hope you moved here! That means you get a surprise party! But I think I just ruined the surprise, so I’ll just throw a house warming party instead! Do you like Pin-the-tail on the Donkey? It’s my favorite game! Oh, I hope you like Pin-the-tail on the Donkey! Mayb-”
Twilight, who was beginning to show the signs of a growing headache, had stuck a hoof in Pinkie’s mouth in an effort to control the bundle of excitement. She then turned to Pinkie with a look of thin patience.
“Pinkie, I’m going to pull my hoof away, and you’re going to calm down and stop accosting our guest. Is that understood?”
Pinkie’s eyes shone with excitement, but nodded in agreement anyway. As soon as Twilight let go of her mouth, Pinkie shot one look towards their confused guest and instead placed her energy into bouncing around the room instead. Twilight sighed.
“While Pinkie Pie’s methods are questionable, I have to agree with her. Who is this strange mare? I don’t recall seeing her in Ponyville before.”
Before Twilight could answer, the pegasus had already made her way to friends and began to introduce herself.
“Hello. I’m sorry for the intrusion, but my name is Daring Do. I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Rarity looked on in approval and slight recognition.
“My, such a polite, young mare. Some of us could do well to hold such manners,” Applejack glared, “I’m positive you get this a lot, but you resemble a certain fictional character as well as sharing her name. Is there any connection?”
Daring Do covered her face in embarrassment before answering.
“Actually, yes. You see, I’m the author of the series. The character herself bears little resemblance to myself apart from her appearance, and she is actually combination of certain personalities that I know. The character, along with the actual adventures, are both greatly exaggerated.”
“Interesting, I knew I recognized you from somewhere. I’m a fan of the series, but I haven’t had the time to read the current ones. Pray tell, what book is the series currently on?”
Rarity asked eagerly, while ignoring Twilight’s completely baffled look.
“Oh! The fourteenth in the series, Daring Do and the Trials of Unity, has just hit shelves everywhere. I’m quite proud of that one. It’s about how Daring has to team up with her siblings to be able to read a specific map and get the treasure by getting past all the various trials.”
“That is quite interesting! I might have to go read it when I have the time.”
“Wait just a minute!” a southern twang rang out from behind Rarity. “Wasn’t The Trials of Unity or something that one book that Rainbow kept goin’ on about?” Rarity turned to Applejack, worry etched on her face.
“Oh dear, I forgot all about Rainbow Dash… If she finds out that her favorite fictional heroine is a real pony, she might just go into shock.”
“Um, girls? There’s something that you need to know,” Twilight spoke up, catching every mare’s attention. She was interrupted however, by smooth voice she knew all too well by now.
“Wait one moment; you said that Rainbow Dash is a fan of my books?”
“You bet she is! She’s happier with those books than a pig is in a fresh mud pile. Can’t stop talkin’ about ‘em once ya
get her started,” the orange, earth pony answered.
“Why that sly, little pegasus… She swore to me that she would never read them. Said I couldn’t write an adventure book to save my behind,” Daring said with a knowing grin.
“You know Rainbow or somethin’? You talk about her like yer friends.”
“You could say that. We’re a bit on the close side.”
“How close?”
Daring was about to answer the earth pony before they all turned towards the sound of a breaking window. Everyone’s mouths were agape as the blur they knew as Rainbow Dash has taken the initiative to completely crash into their guest.
“Ugh… sorry about that. I couldn’t really see where I was going. Flying too fast,” Rainbow said as she shook her head
free of stars with her back to her victim.
“It’s all right Dash. Wouldn’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last.”
Rainbow Dash froze as the voice registered in her mind. As if burned, she jumped straight up in the air and stood facing the voice. She watched, dazed, as a tan pegasus sporting a grayscale mane, and magenta eyes forever burned into her memory slowly stood up and faced her. For what seemed like hours, they stared.
Everybody else was waiting with baited breath. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were both counting the seconds until Rainbow burst with overexcitement and barely contained glee. Twilight was curious as to whether or not she’d be shocked into silence, much like she had. Spike, who had recently joined them upon hearing the commotion, was wondering if Rainbow would mirror his own reaction.
“Daring Do. Is that really you?”
The group leaned forward with anticipation.
“The one and only.”
They all recoiled in surprise as they witnessed Rainbow Dash send Daring Do crashing into the wall with a punch. Their eyes widened as they saw that the tan pegasus refused to be outdone and delivered a full body tackle towards the cyan pegasus. Frozen in horror, they watched Daring Do and Rainbow Dash square off in the middle of the library.
Feathers flew.
Hooves connected with lightning speed.
Teeth bit and scratched.
Having only seen their friend act on impulse occasionally and fail drastically, they never noticed the extent to their blue friend’s ability to fight and viciousness. It was brutal to the point of them not wanting to intervene for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. They could only watch.
“Girls…”
The group turned towards the timid pegasus that now stood on the window sill. The fighting pair took no notice.
“Girls.”
Everyone backed away slowly as they noticed their shy friend was beginning to grow angry as she dropped to the floor and began to walk towards the fighting pegasi.
“Girls!”
They felt pity for the fighting duo.
“GIRLS!!!”
They all flinched at the sound of Fluttershy’s raised voice. The pair ceased their fighting, they quickly untangled themselves as they hunched over in fear of the reprimand.
“Rainbow Dash! How could you! You know she never really did anything wrong. I know you’re still bitter about feeling abandoned, but this isn’t the way to handle it. You need to talk it out, not rip each other to shreds.”
Rainbow Dash hung her head in shame as their spectators looked on in interest. Daring Do was currently trying to sneak away to no avail.
“And you! You’re older than her. You should know better. You told her you’d write to us at the very least, but we don’t hear from you in years, and the only notice we gets is from a note in a book. I know you’ve been busy traveling and writing, but that doesn’t mean you get to forget about your friends and family.”
Everyone’s mouth dropped open at her scolding of the famous author. They watched in mute horror as Daring Do became a mirror image of Rainbow Dash with an equal amount, if not more, shame and regret.
“Now, I want you two to apologize to each other.”
Both mares’ ears flattened even more against their skull.
“Rainbow Dash…”
Rainbow Dash sighed before turning to face the other mare.
“I sorry I attacked blindly, But I’ll do it again if you keep disappearing off the face of Equestria!”
Satisfied with the apology for the time being, knowing this was the best she would at the moment, she turned to face Daring Do who flinched at Fluttershy’s disappointed look.
“Daring Do…”
Daring flattened her ears even more against her skull as she shrunk down onto the floor in an effort to disappear from the piercing stare.
“Daring Do Dash! Apologize to your younger sister this instant!”
Everyone’s eyes, save Twilight’s, were as wide as saucers at Fluttershy’s words. Up until now, they never noticed the similarities between the two. Both shared the same eyes, same build, and even the same multicolored mane except in that both were on opposite sides of the spectrum. They returned their focus on the tan mare as a smooth voice was heard.
“I’m sorry Dash. I guess I just forgot to keep in touch, what with the exploring with Aunt Rose and all. I’m sorry! I really am! Please forgive me…” Rainbow Dash was beginning to feel uncomfortable at the sight of tears in her elder sister’s eyes. She did the only thing she knew and stretched her wings, pulling her sister into a hug.
Satisfied for the time being, Fluttershy sat down and simply smiled at the pegasi before her. The trio was oblivious to their whereabouts until they heard a cough behind them.
Fluttershy had startled herself into submission as she lay frozen with her hooves in the air with the faint sound of a bleating goat as both Daring Do and Rainbow jumped apart in fright.
Everyone turned to the source and only stared at the sheepish looking dragon before them.
Rainbow Dash and Daring Do both sat across from each other, sharing a piercing glare that refused to waver with a scowl set firmly on their faces. Neither noticed that the others had taken spots on either side of them. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie sat on one while Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike balanced the other.
The stare-down lasted for minutes until everyone turned to face Twilight who had cleared her throat in effort to ease the tension in the room.
“How long will you be staying in Ponyville?”
“I’m not exactly sure. It’ll depend on whether or not Dash runs me out of town in a fit.” Daring meekly looked across the room, “How long before then Dash?”
“I have nothing to say to you,” Dash spat.
“Can’t fault a girl for trying,” she said with a tired smile. “Do you have any more questions Ms. Sparkle?”
“Um, it’s just Twilight,” the unicorn said with a sheepish look.
“My apologies. After spending so much time around strange company, you learn to not throw words around carelessly. A habit like that can be difficult to stray away from.”
“It’s fine. Fluttershy mentioned that you were both sisters? And on that note, how do you know Fluttershy? You seem close.”
“Correct. To be precise, we’re fraternal twins. As for Fluttershy, she was actually my best friend before I left for my travels. Between me and Dash, I was the calmer of the two, so she and I hit it off when we met at one of Cloudsdale’s parks. She and Rainbow were just aware of each other’s presence at the time, and they only started to become friends when my sister entered Flight school.”
“I really hate to pry since this seems a little more personal, but do you know why Rainbow attacked you so suddenly? I was under the impression that she looked up to her storybook hero.”
Daring’s pleasant demeanor dropped as she turned her attention to the floor, oblivious to Rainbow’s growing ire. Everyone strained to hear as Daring’s words were but a whisper.
“You see, when we were fillies, my dream was to explore the world. To see and learn about everything the world had to offer. I even wanted to write everything down and publish it so that I could share with everyone what I had learned. Dash thought it was ‘awesome’ and helped me try to accomplish this goal. Said that an adventurer needed to be prepared. So we got into trouble when we decided to go exploring. Somewhere along the way, I got my cutie mark and was even more convinced to explore the world,” Daring spoke with nostalgia as she turned to look at the golden compass rose on her flank. “It wasn’t until a few years after Rainbow earned her own cutie mark that I got my chance.” Her frowned deepened as she took note of the snarl forming on Dash’s lips.
“My aunt Compass Rose had come to visit. She was a cartographer and was passing through Cloudsdale at the time. When she saw my cutie mark, she asked if I would like to join her on her travels. Naturally, I said yes. The only problem was going to convince my parents to let me go. Dash suggested that we split up, and try to warm up our parents to idea. After a day or so, we finally convinced them to let me join Aunt Rose. Before I left, I said my goodbyes to everyone and had even promised to stay in touch with everyone. I never kept that promise. I might as well have dropped off the face of Equestria since no one had heard from me in a long time. And when Rainbow Dash saw me, she relapsed into her favorite method of revenge from years ago. Violence.” Daring had hung her head as everyone continued to stare at her in rapt attention.
“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but something is plaguing my mind,” Everyone’s attention focused on the other unicorn in the room.
“First, let me get this out of the way. Rainbow Dash, I’m a little insulted that you haven’t told us this interesting bit of information.” She paid no heed to the flaring of Rainbow’s nostril. “I can’t seem to wrap my head around the apparent fact that you’re related to such a charming young mare when your current standing in that department could use…some…eh…work. Not to mention that you didn’t bother telling us about your troubles, darling. We could have helped.”
Dash’s ears flattened against her skull as she ground her teeth while avoiding the disappointed look directed at her in an effort to control the bottled anger and growing guilt.
“I’m going to assume that Rainbow Dash never talked about me.”
Rainbow Dash snorted. Twilight decided to speak up next, slightly hurt at not being trusted with such a vital part of her friend’s life.
“Rainbow, why didn’t you tell us you had a sister?”
“Like the way you told us about your older brother the day you got his wedding invite? No thanks. I’d rather keep my oh-so-amazing sister in the dark,” Rainbow Dash snapped at the lavender unicorn, causing her to recoil in surprise.
“Rainbow, that’s no way to speak to your friends. They’re just concerned about you,” Daring spoke softly as she turned towards the sulking pegasus.
“Just like the concern you showed for me? Considering the only experience I had with it was yours, and you have to admit, you weren’t the best role model or teacher Daring,” Rainbow snarled at the other pegasus.
“That’s not fair Dash! I did the best that I could!”
“If you did your best, I would have a stupid note every once in a while telling me you’re ok. I would have had an address to send my sister an occasional letter to tell her what’s been going on. Not to mention that I was still a filly! I never heard from you so how did I know you weren't dead in a hole somewhere? You know Aunt Rose can't mail a letter to save her life! You made a promise and you broke it Daring!”
Dash stood up and moved closer to her sister before stopping in the center of the circle. She bowed her head, daring the tan flier to meet her halfway. Not one to disappoint, she stood up and moved towards the blue pegasus waiting for her.
“Why do you think I’m here? I realized that what I did was wrong, and I came back to fix it,” Daring replied with gritted teeth.
Rainbow growled in response as she flew up into the air, and locked onto her sister’s gaze.
“You just don’t get it! You abandoned me Daring! You weren’t there, and you promised that you’d be! ” she quickly flapped her wings in order to push Daring backwards as her voice grew louder with every word. “You weren’t there when I moved to Ponyville. You weren’t there when mom and dad had that accident. And you certainly weren’t there when I was depressed about it afterwards! Do you know how hard it is to go through that alone? Let me tell you, it’s not easy. I was a mess. I complete and utter mess!”
Fluttershy’s ears drooped in sadness at the memory. Twilight made a move to stop them, horn beginning to glow, but was softly held in place by a yellow hoof. Looking up to meet the yellow mare’s blue eyes, she let the glow dissipate and returned to her seated position at the understood command.
Let them sort it out themselves. They need to let it out.
The other spectators began to wonder if it was a good idea to leave the pegasi alone, nervous about the possibility of another fight, flinching as Rainbow’s voice rose in pitch.
“Where were you when I won the Best Young Fliers Competition? I pulled off the Sonic Rainboom, and it was awesome to see, but you wouldn’t know because you weren’t there. Or when I risked my life against Nightmare Moon! How about when Discord took over?” Daring was silent as an eerie calm took over her sister. “I became you Daring. I just left and never looked back, abandoning everything I cared about.”
Magenta eyes mirrored each other, down to the same glistening tears.
“What were you doing while I was in the hospital with a broken wing? That was when I finally sucked up my pride and read your stupid book, did you know that? Do you know why I finally read your book?” Rainbow’s face was already tear stricken as she continued to fling memory after memory at her sister.
Daring shrunk back bit by bit at each sentence, realizing just how much she missed while she was gone. It wasn’t until that she felt her back hit the wall behind her that her tears were beginning to slowly escape as she nodded her head no. Rainbow Dash looked down as she continued her rant.
“It was because I missed you.”
Daring’s breath hitched in her throat.
“You know I bought each one of your books? Even the sappy romance ones? They’re sitting on a shelf in my room. Every single one you’ve ever written. I couldn’t stand to look at the damn things. It wasn’t until I was in the hospital that I started to read them. I was tired, I missed you, and the book was right there.”
Tears were falling freely from Daring eyes as she witnessed Dash choke back a sob. Their gaze broke as a rainbow mane covered the cyan mare’s face, shrouding her emotions from any intruders.
“Closest thing I had to my sister where those books, and I didn’t even open the stupid things until this year. I couldn’t bring myself to read them. All this time has passed, and not even a stinking birthday card or a get well card, or even a simple, ‘Hey! I miss you! Love, Daring’ note.” Daring flattened herself against the wall as she prepared for the inevitable explosion.
Rainbow’s mouth may not be talking, but her body certainly was. Lean muscles quivered and both her ears and tail twitched in agitation. As she began to shift to her weight from side to side, her chest heaved in a vain attempt to control her anger.
Heartbeats pounded inside Daring mind, fearful and cautious of her sister’s reaction.
Rainbow’s control snapped as she observed Daring’s cowering form. In a split second, her head snapped up and she frantically beat powerful wings at the body in front of her. Time seemed to slow as each flap narrowly missed its target and a gust of wind viciously tore at Daring’s face, blowing her grayscale mane every which way. Magenta eyes clenched shut as her head ducked in an effort to avoid the feathers.
To the sandy brown mare, Rainbow’s words felt so far away, mind fogging over as the words stretched and echoed.
“-rteen years Daring! You were gone fourteen years! I was barely a full-grown mare, preparing to move out and be independent for the first time in my life, and you weren’t there because you left and never looked back! You abandoned me Daring!”
“…orry…”
Rainbow Dash froze. Ears pricked forward as they struggled to hear the soft words beneath her.
“I’m sorry,” Daring spoke with more conviction before her voice began to break and fail her. “You’re right. I was gone for years and not once did I try to make contact. I’m really sorry if you thought I abandoned you. I-I…I didn’t mean to… I must have just gotten carried away with everything.
It wasn’t until I was writing my recent book that I realized just how much time had passed and all that I missed. I wasn’t there when you became an Element of Harmony, or when our parents were in the hospital, or when you left flight school, or even when you got detention in flight school; and I know you did too, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t. I deeply regret it, and I can only hope you can forgive me.”
Dash looked up to face Daring, before standing in directly front of her. The rainbow maned mare was taken back when she noticed the watery maroon eyes before her had steeled over.
“If I wrote those letters when I had the chance, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Do you want to know something Rainbow Dash?” Daring Do stood up on shaky legs. Managing to steady herself from in her swaying body, she locked eyes with the blue pegasus. Dash was shocked by the intensity boring into her.
“I thought about you all the time in fact. To the point where I based Daring Do after you. She may look like me, but personality-wise, she’s a less rash version of you. I’d sit there in the jungle or in the desert with Aunt Rose, and the only thing I could think of was, ‘I bet Dash would love this’, or ‘Dash would get a kick out of diving off that waterfall’, and even a ‘That is definitely something Dash would say’. Whenever I was reminded of you, I’d write it down. I thought that maybe, if I kept writing, it’d make me miss you less. I was hoping that it would seem as if you were there with me, but it didn’t work.”
Dash watched with a neutral face as Daring sunk down to the floor with every sentence.
“Every time something happened, I thought of sending you a letter about it, but then it’d think, ‘I’ll do it later. The day is still young’. But, tomorrow came and went. Next thing I know, fourteen years have passed and not once had I talked to you. For that, I really am deeply sorry.”
Rainbow Dash thought that it was a miracle that Daring could still talk through all her tears. She sadly looked at the pitiful form of her sister whose eyes were red from crying, mane was hanging low over her face, and was lying on the floor with hooves cradling her head.
“I wanted to start over. Make peace with you. I know I can’t turn back time, but I do want the chance to make new memories with you. It won’t be the same, especially since I have fourteen years of memories to make up. Can we call a truce? At the very least, a temporary one?”
Daring Do stood up and held an outstretched hoof towards her younger twin, fidgeting nervously as Rainbow stared at the offered hoof before her. The voice that followed the silence was so loud in her head that she jumped in shock.
“Want to know something Daring?”
She nervously looked at the cyan mare.
“W-what is it?”
“The Element of Loyalty is an interesting thing. It can be fickle and confusing. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m supposed to be loyal to. Myself. Family. My friends. The Princesses. Equestria. It makes my head hurt if I think about it too much, but one thing I’ve learned about Loyalty is that you never actually turn your back on the important things if they’re really important to you. I’ve made that mistake a couple times, and it never ended pretty.”
Daring sat down and dropped her hoof in realization.
It’s over. There’s probably no hope for redemption at this point. I’ve completely betrayed her very essence. How did I not notice? She’s been loyal while I haven’t, even after all I’ve done. That’s it. It’s over. Here and now. I was stupid to think that this would work...
“The funny thing about Loyalty though, is that it cares and it can forgive.”
Daring’s ears perked up at her sisters words.
“No matter what you did, you came back. You made a mistake, but not one that can’t be fixed. And in the end, I’m still loyal to my friends. To my family. It’s a strong feeling. It’s one of the strongest feelings I’ve ever experienced, and it’s one that I trust above all others. You want a second chance, and deep down, you and I both know that I’ll give you that second chance.”
Rainbow Dash held out a hoof to the fallen pegasus.
“Deep down, I know you’re still my sister, the sister that learned to fly with me. You’re still the sister that partied with me when I got my cutie mark. And deep down, I know you’re still the polite, well-mannered, friend I had all those years ago that could never beat me in a race. I have to forgive you. Even just a little. Enough so that you can show me just how much loyalty you have inside. You’re my big sister.” Dash eyes narrowed. “But don’t forget this one thing, I may be giving you a second chance, but don’t expect me to completely forgive you just yet.”
Daring’s eyes welled up with tears once again as she rejected the offered hoof and instead tackled her sister in a bear hug that rivaled that of an actual bear. Rainbow Dash chuckled softly at Daring’s behavior.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
“You haven’t changed. You’re still Daring Do Dash after all this time.”
Daring suddenly squeezed, eliciting a grunt of protest from the sky blue mare.
“That’s not my name. Stop calling me that.”
“I think it’s funny, it’s guaranteed to get your attention, you hate it, you become more awesome when my name is added to yours, and it’s my job to be an annoying little sister. So, no. I’m not going to stop calling you that Do Dash.”
The tan mare sighed as she buried her face in familiar rainbow tresses with a smile.
“You know what…I don’t even care right now. But for future reference, my name is Daring Do. Not any other name you come up with at the top of your head.”
“Whatever.”
They became silent as they were soon lost in the moment.
“Does this mean we’re not going on the picnic?”
The sisters ended their embrace as they joined the sea of baffled eyes directed at Spike. Seconds later, they heard stifled giggles coming from the twin pegasi. Once all eyes were on the mares, they couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out in laughter.
There were two thoughts within everyone’s minds.
One was, “They look more like sisters than they realize.”
The other, “Oh sweet Celestia… there’s two of them now… in the same place… at the same time… Celestia help us…”
Author's Note
Well, this was up a day earlier than anticipated. Oh well. The response to this was overwhelming. Dang. Thanks for the positive feedback you guys! It's very appreciated!
/)^3^(\
-Silver
Epilogue?
