Finding Miss Do
written by Namara and Apple Cloud
"Now, my little Daring, be strong and remember that mommy will always love you," a silhouette whispered, a hint of tears on her breath. She kissed Daring and her sister, Tempest, and galloped away into the night.
Daring wailed, her thin voice piercing the heavy atmosphere of the night outside the Fillydelphia Orphanage. Tempest awoke with a start, joining in with her sister. The duet of distraught fillies finally made its way to the Orphanage, and the heavy double doors opened. A white Earth pony glanced down at the fillies, unsurprised, for she had seen many dropped off on this very doorstep.
"There there," she murmured, picking up both pegasi and carrying them inside. She left the small wicker basket outside as it began to rain, blotting out the words on a hoof-written letter.
***
*Daring*
"Hey, Tempest! Go long!" Daring Do yelled and threw the strangely shaped hoofball across the sky. Tempest disappeared in a streak of lavender and dark gray, flying after the ball.
The hoofball had a strange texture; it had smooth bumps on it's chestnut-hued surface. It had tough string lacing on one side, perfect for feathers to grip and two white stripes ran down both ends.
It was, of course, one of Daring's rare and mysterious finds. she had found it laying in a half-dome full of dragonesque skeletons.
A small dot appeared on the horizon, growing larger by the second. Daring braced herself for impacted and-
Whoosh!
The wind knocked out of her, Daring Do momentarily forgot how to fly and careened toward the earth. She quickly recovered, for she was accustomed to such inflictions. Only snakes could faze her.
Oh, how she hated snakes. They're too wriggly, and scaly, and slimy, and gross for her taste.
"Nice one, Dare! But you'll have to throw harder than that to get me d-" Tempest crowed as Daring tackled her in midair.
"Who's the coolest?" Daring asked, a glint in her eye as she began to tickle her sister in what she knew were weak spots.
"You are! You are!" she choked out between peals of laughter.
"That's what I thought," Daring Do landed on the soft earth and let go of Tempest. She sat down and leaned back lazily, closing her striking rose eyes.
"Soo," Tempest said casually. "How's the adventurin' going?"
"Good, good. That hoofball is a rare and mystical artifact that is well over one thousand years old, and it's in perfect condition." Daring murmured without opening her eyes.
"I do believe that those books over exaggerate your adventures a teensy weensy bit. You know, Ahuitzotyl and all..." her voice trailed off.
"Naw, Ahuitzotyl was real, except The writer censored out that weird aquamarine unicorn that followed him around, asking about his hands." Daring told her.
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Eeyup,"
Daring Do slipped into a nap, and like most she took, this was a power-nap. All the benefits of a good, long catnap, except shorter.
A bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. She was being carried in a basket, a dark shape holding it. she whinnied to get the mare's attention.
"Shh, it's okay. Just a little further," the mare comforted her.
It started sprinkling, raindrops gently tapping the Fillydelphian streets. A tall building loomed in front of them, Daring knew it well. After all, she grew up in it.
"Now, my little Daring, be strong and remember that mommy will always love you." she mare whispered.
A door banged in the distance, causing the mare to flare her wings in alarm.
"I love you," she whispered and melted away into the night, black cloak billowing.
"Daring.... Daring.... Daring," a sleek voice murmured in her ear.
Mom? Daring thought, alarm shooting through her.
"Oh good, you're awake. Time to go, go, go, go," Tempest paused for dramatic effect. "On an adventure. You promised."
Rubbing her head, Daring winced. "Right now?"
Tempest snorted. "No, on Winter Wrap Up. Yes, now!"
Ignoring her sister's sarcastic statement, Daring fixed her hat and said "I just had a weird dream."
"Weird how? Is it an adventurous dream?" Tempest cocked her head, still intent on the adventure.
"IT was when we were fillies. Like, little little fillies. Back when we were dropped off. It was pitch black, and we were being carried in a picnic basket," Daring's stomach rumbled at the thought of a picnic. "It was raining and lightning flashed. I saw a glimpse of the mare's face before it went dark again."
"Well, what did she look like?"
"She was kinda of a midnight purple with our color manes."
"Whoa," Tempest said. Then her eyes literally sparkled with excitement. "Sounds like an adventure."
"Yes it does. A very tempting one, at that," Daring agreed.
"Let's a-go!" Tempest took off. Daring gripped her tail with her teeth.
"Wait a second, Temp. We're not even sure if this is real or not." she said around the mouthful of tail.
Tempest planted all four hooves on the ground in defiance. "Did you waver in your quest to find the Sacred Sapphire Stola? No. Did you think about it when you were flying in a lightning storm, looking for the Idol? No. So buck up and for Celestia's sake- stop thinking!" Tempest said defiantly, turning and Daring saw her cutie mark.
It was a familiar sight, but it reminded her of how she earned it.
It was their orphanage days, back when Steelhoof was headmistress. She had completely unfair rules, and when somepony broke them purposely, they returned from her office with bruises and lacerations.
Daring had been caught giving a malnourished colt some of her food, and was on her way to see Steelhoof. Tempest had broken into the escort, furious at the unjust rules Steelhoof had decreed. She barreled down the long, thin corridor, flying like her life depended on it. She was screaming words of freedom and justice as she crashed into the slightly overweight stallion guarding me and making sure I didn't get away.
Something flashed brightly and, as it turned out, it was Tempest's cutie mark of a black storm cloud with a fiery lightning bolt shooting down. Steelhoof mysteriously left that day, and nopony has seen her since.
"Alright. Let's go. First stop, Fillydelphia," Daring Do said reluctantly while Tempest cheered.