Author's Note

Character Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Quibble Pants, Other, Rainbow Dash, Daring Do, Dr. Caballeron.
Tags: Adventure, Violence, Thriller, Romance.

Set: 1511 AD; one year before the end of The Broken and the Damned.

IMPORTANT NOTE! The story is similar in structure to 'Read it and Weep'. As in, characters are reading a story and the events of the story are written out. As such, the part of the story that are unfolding from Daring Do's perspective will be worded differently from what the others are reading (Different names, no 'Wall-breaking', etc.) Just so you are all aware and don't post a comment asking about it. Ok? Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Tomb of the Stormbreaker~PT. 1

"Argh!", Twilight exclaimed, slamming another book shut in frustration.

Behind her, she heard her coltfriend Shadowlock called out, "Another dead end?"

"Yeah!", she said, frustration lacing her voice. "This is the Crystal Archive. Knowledge lost for well over a thousand years. And not one thing on where we can find Rainbow Dash."

Shadowlock stood up from his own desk, coming over and nuzzling his marefriend. "Maybe we should take a break. Relax, read something that isn't an old historical text or one of the few remaining spellbooks, come back to our search focussed and with a clearer head."

Twilight blew air through her teeth, a small smile gracing her muzzle. "Considering what happened when we met, I somehow had a feeling that you didn't like all these history books."

Shadowlock turned his eyes to the ground, muttering, "R-right. But still, it'll do us some good."

"Shadowlock, if we don't find her, we won't last forever", Twilight said. "We'll run out of food, or have some sort of disaster, or the Changelings will find a way to get in. Forgive me for wanting to put in as much time as possible into finding Rainbow."

"I know that", Shadowlock said. "But we've looked through almost all of the archive over the course of the past two years, and found nothing. At a certain point, we'll run out of potential spells that could've been used, or any potential leads from what little information we get from the outside. We can take a break for a few hours."

Twilight looked around her at the veritable mountains of books. They reminded her of the spiraling towers of Canterlot Castle, and a wave of melancholy welled up in her. She said, "Y-you know what? Yeah. I probably should take a break."

"Good", he said. "Maybe we could go read something for fun. Perhaps... Frankstag?"

"Oh, you're horrible", Twilight said, giggling.

"What? You can make jokes about my previous villainous acts, I don't see why I can't", he said, his own small grin forming.

"Yeah, but no thanks. Nothing against Mary Saddle, but it's just not my cup of tea. Perhaps-"

The two of them were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Both of them looked over to the door, then at each other. "Ummm. Come in?", Twilight said.

The door opened, and a short earth pony entered. He had a dark brownish-tan coat, a two-toned grey mane, and a white speech bubble for a cutie mark. He had a satchel bag slung around his neck. He said, "Eh, hi. Name's Quibble."

"Can, we help you?", Shadowlock asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, no. Actually, I came to help you two", he said, pulling his satchel in front of him and fumbling with the tab. "I saw the ad about information about Rainbow Dash, and-"

"No offense", Twilight said. "But, what do you know about Rainbow Dash's exile? Besides, it was supposed to go to those outside of the Crystal Empire."

"Ok", he said. "Well, I was involved with the last remaining printing company, meaning I saw them. And, after a bit, I figured out something in this." He pulled out a bound paper booklet, akin to a play script.

Twilight took it in her aura, reading the cover, "'Daring Do and Dr. Caballeron: Tomb of the Stormbreaker'. That new book from A.K Yearling and Groom Q. Q. Martingale?"

"Yeah. Again, I worked at one of the printing companies that made the books before the Changeling invasion, so I got the copy for editing", he said.

"What does a fictional story have to do with finding Rainbow Dash?", Shadowlock asked.

"Well...", Quibble said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not 'fictional'. Quote un-quote."

Once again, the two of them looked at Quibble, then at one another, then back at Quibble. "Really?", Twilight.

"Yeahhhhh", he said. "I know it's hard to believe, but take my word for it."

"Ok. Wouldn't be the most outrageous thing I've seen or heard, so I can believe it", Twilight said. "But, how do you know?"

"I met her at a convention. At first, I thought it was a cheap action thing or a crappy fan-film. Hay, I even yelled at Caballeron that he had a crappy fake accent. But... well, it turned out to be real. You know in Daring Do and the Amulet of Culiacan? I was Gabber", he said, pride evident in his voice.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?", Shadowlock asked.

"You're the student of the Princess, right?", Quibble asked Twilight. "Shouldn't you have a spell that can confirm what I'm saying. And, if you want, I can quote any passage from the book."

"That's, that's fine. I'll just take your word for it. So...", Twilight said.

"Oh, yeah", Quibble said. "Go ahead. My overseer was captured by the Changelings, so I won't get chewed out." He pawed the ground a bit before sighing. "Still, you mind if I stay here? That's my only copy, and when we beat the Changelings, I don't want to be strung up with a newspaper."

"Ok. Just, stay off to the side and be quiet", Twilight said.

Quibble did as he was asked, slumping down on a couch and pulling out another Daring Do book. Twilight and Shadowlock went over to one of the desks, setting the transcript down. "Well, I wanted to read something else", Shadowlock mused as Twilight opened the book.

++++~++++

Three years earlier...

Daring Do looked over the side of the river barge, watching as the walled town grew closer. Early morning mist clung to the riverbank, while low-hanging clouds cast a seeming shade over the entirety of the land she could see. A few other figures milled about on deck, as well as on the dock, but she was still more or less alone.

At least, until Caballeron came up behind her. "So, remind me what we're doing at this town?"

"You know why", Daring groused. "This is the only lead on the latest artifact we're looking for."

"Yes, this 'Helm of the Stormbreaker'", Caballeron said. "Still, are you certain that we can trust the information from that merchant in Saddle Arabia?"

"Yeah, I know he didn't seem the most trustworthy. But, well, this is potentially a big deal", she said, pulling a small, withered scroll out of her bag. "If this is right, then this should be the general area. And since this is the only town in the area..."

"I get it, I get it", Caballeron said.

Daring Do rolled her eyes. She looked back down at the scroll, eyes squinting at the words on the page. A voice called down, "Oi! Foreigners! We're here!"

"Thank you!", Caballeron called back before turning to his partner. "Shall we be off?"

"Lead the way", Daring said, sticking the scroll back in her saddlebags.

The two made their way off the barge, slipping on the runes they bought at the port they arrived at. While she wasn't clear on how it worked, it didn't matter. Without them, they wouldn't be able to understand the locals, who spoke a different language.

The dock was occupied by dockhands and the crews of several other barges. Past the dock, the town was rather simple; a simple dirt road, one going straight and two going off to the sides like a trident. Around the road were a bunch of several story wooden buildings, with several signs protruding from the lower levels. Many townscreatures walked around, doing their business or going to other locations. They were all the same as they had both seen before: large cat-like creatures, a type of wingless griffon, a pony-like creature with spiral horns, and earth ponies.

"So, any idea what we're looking for?", Caballeron asked.

Daring shrugged. "I don't know. Library, maybe?"

"Well, let's hope we can find one. Let's go", Caballeron said.

The two of them headed through the streets, looking for anything that could be a sign of a library. As they did, Daring Do couldn't help but noticed how the townscreatures looked at them; her specifically. "Is something wrong?", Caballeron asked.

"Not really. They're just... staring at me", Daring said, a slight shudder running through her wings.

"Probably never seen a pegasus before", Caballeron reasoned. "Or, if they have, then they haven't seen one as beautiful as you."

Daring snorted at her partner. "For someone who considers themselves quite slick", she said. "You're a terrible flirt."

"Maybe", he said cryptically. "But, at least I watch where I am going."

"Huh-oof!" Daring stumbled forward, tripping over a rock. As Caballeron chuckled, Daring came back up to eye level with him, a mix of a snarl and a pout on her face. "Not funny."

"You've laughed at my pain and failure in the past. I can laugh at you, such a nimble and fast mare, tripping over a rock", Caballeron countered.

Daring opened her mouth to reply, only to stop and clamp it shut with a scowl. He had a point. However, that scowl turned to a smirk as she stopped and said, "Well, thank you for the compliments. But, you missed several. One being of particular importance."

"Oh?", he said, stopping alongside her. "And what would that be?"

"Observant", she said, pointing her wing at a building behind him. Caballeron turned to the building she indicated, spotting the wood and metal-rimmed sign of a bound book above the door.

"Oh", he said.

"Yeah. Now. Let's see if these things work on books, eh?", Daring said, leading the way to the store.

++++~++++

"Oh, new books", Twilight said slowly, a hint of desire and even envy in her voice. "And one's from a new place, at that."

"Focus, Twi", Shadowlock said.

"Right, right", Twilight said. "Alright, where were we?"

++++~++++

A small bell rang above the door as the two of them entered the store. A few oil lamps cast light over the room, which itself was covered with bookshelves that reached halfway to the ceiling. No one else appeared to be in the store, save for an old earth stallion behind a big desk.

"Alright. Look for an atlas or something", Caballeron said.

Daring said, "A what?"

"An atlas", he said. "A book full of maps. That's probably our best lead."

"Right", he said.

The two split up, scanning the backs of the books on the shelves. After a minute, they both came back over to one another. "I can't read any of them", they said simultaneously.

"Well, there that goes out the window", Caballeron said.

"Well, we're not done yet", Daring said, turning away from him.

"What do you mean?"

"When in doubt", Daring said. "Ask the store owner."

Daring walked up to the desk. The faded red of the stallions coat rolled slightly from his wrinkled coat and slowly rising and falling chest, clearly asleep. Daring tapped a small bell on his desk, causing the stallion to snap up. "Huh!? What!?", he said, before looking at them and relaxing. "Oh. Sorry. I guess I fell asleep again. Uh, welcome to my store. How can I help you?"

"We're looking into going someplace, and were wondering if you have any atlas's or maps of the area", Daring said.

The stallion cocked his head, and asked, "You two foreigners?"

"Yes, we are", Caballeron said.

"Eh. I wouldn't recommend it", the stallion said. "This ain't the place you wanna have a honeymoon."

Daring's expression turned from calm to flustered sputtering. "We-we're not married!"

"We could be", Caballeron said softly.

"You shut it", Daring barked.

The stallion shrugged. "Well, ok. I just hope you know what you're getting into." He stood, slipping his front leg over a crutch and walking over to another shelf behind the counter. As he grabbed a book off the shelf, he asked, "So, what brings ya here?"

"Simple business", Daring said.

That made him stop and look back at her. He asked, worry in his voice, "You two brigands?"

"Brigands?", Caballeron asked.

"Yeah", the stallion said. "Stealin' things from us normal, hard-working creatures who eek out a living. Whinin' and drinkin' and doing stims, killing anyone that gets in their way."

Daring looked appalled. "That's... that's horrible", she said.

"So ya ain't then?", he asked.

"No, my friend", Caballeron said. "We are not. Our business has nothing to do with anything illegal, I can assure you."

The stallion nodded, before freezing and shaking his head. He said, "Well, that jogged my brain. Sorry, but my last map book ain't here."

"Oh", Daring said. "As in it was bought by someone else?"

"In a way", the old stallion mumbled. "A part of the tribute to the local 'Boss'."

"'Boss'?", Daring questioned.

"Remember how I talked about brigands?", he asked. "Well, we got our own group nearby. Demand a tribute from us, and that book was a part of it. The one that came in and took it said the 'Boss' wanted it."

Daring said, "So, where can we find it?"

"The brigands?", he asked. The stallion shook his head as they nodded. "If you two want a death-sentence, then be my guest. You'll find them down the road about ten kilometers, though you might find a scout before that. Good luck."

Daring said, "We can handle it."

Again, the stallion shook his head. "That's what my daughter thought she could do to. She's buried out back. Just be careful. I don't want another death on my conscience."