Adventures in Crusading

It was a fine morning at the Canterlot Comic Con. The Crusaders, along with Rainbow Dash, were here to attend the Daring Do panel. The Crusaders (and Rainbow) were dressed as adventurers, safari helmets and all. Well, all except for Diamond, who had opted for a 19th century blouse and skirt.

“I can’t wait to see the totally amazing Daring Do panel! Who knows, maybe they’re gonna show a sneak peak of the upcoming movie!” said Rainbow Dash.

“I know! I can’t wait! I hope we’ll see some amazing stunts!” said Scootaloo as she picked up a crutch she’d accidentally dropped.

“Well, I’m just here to see Chestnut Magnifico. She’s a wonderful actress,” said Diamond Tiara.

“Yeah! I loved her in that space wizard movie. Or that sci-fi film with the robots. Or that film where she played the President,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Ain’t she gonna be playing the President again? In one of them superhero movies?” said Apple Bloom.

The girls walked around for a bit, admiring and gushing at all the cool cosplays they saw.

“Hey, any of you guys thirsty?” asked Rainbow Dash.

The Crusaders nodded in unison. Rainbow quickly left to get some drinks, leaving the Crusaders to wander around.

As they wandered around the convention center, the Crusaders noticed a girl in a baker’s outfit who had dropped her messenger bag. The group rushed after the girl as she walked away. Apple Bloom recognized the bag as belonging to none other than Derpy Hooves, one of the students at their school. Apple Bloom picked up the bag, unaware that it was faintly glowing. “Miss Derpy! You forgot your bag!” she said.

But it was too late. The woman had turned a sharp left, and in one fell swoop, had vanished into a sea of cosplayers. The bag glowed brighter and brighter. A powerful force erupted from within it, sending The Crusaders flying into a nearby stack of Daring Do novels before being engulfed by a blinding light.

The air felt strikingly humid.

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, coming face to face with a bright blue sky. As she slowly got up, she felt the distinct texture of an earthy ground underneath her. She looked around, spotting patches of tall grass as well as the rest of the Crusaders who had just gotten up.

“Uh, where are we?” asked Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo stared at a dense patch of trees in the distance. “Looks like we’re near a jungle,” she said.

Diamond looked up at the sky, observing as a biplane was landing in their direction. “Um, girls, we need to move!” she said.

The girls dodged, narrowly avoiding the biplane by mere inches. An individual wearing an adventurer’s get-up hopped out to face them. “You kids are lucky I’m the greatest flying ace there ever was, or I would’ve hit ya right on,” she said. The girls got up and stared in amazement. Before them stood none other than Daring Do herself.

“You’re Daring Do!” exclaimed Scootaloo.

“Yep. The one and only! And you four must be the intrepid young explorers sent to help me! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” said Daring Do.

“Uh, likewise, Miss. My name’s Apple Bloom, that’s Scootaloo, over there’s Sweetie Belle, and that’s Diamond Tiara,” said Apple Bloom.

“But wait, how is this possible? How did we get here?” asked Diamond Tiara.

“I think it’s that bag Bloom’s holding. There was a stack of Daring Do books behind us when it exploded. I guess something in it sent us into the books themselves,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Come to think of it, what is in this bag anyway?” said Apple Bloom as she opened the bag. She pulled out a familiar looking magic wand, a magic handheld mirror, and Pandora’s pizza box.

“So, anything that can get us home?” asked Diamond.

“Home? You want to give up an adventure with Daring Do just like that?” said Scootaloo.

“Ya know Diamond, I think Scoots is right. These items appear to be useless right about now. It looks like it was the mirror that sent us here. It says: only when the story’s done, can your traveling be undone,” said Apple Bloom as she observed the mirror. Diamond sighed in defeat.

“Great! Then let’s get ready for adventure!” said Daring Do.

And so the group departed into the jungle. With Daring Do’s expertise, they cut through the foliage, played hopscotch over a river, and swung across large ravines. They soon made it to a small brook where they rested for a short while.

“Miss Daring, what exactly are we looking for?” asked Scootaloo.

“Well dear Scootaloo, I, on behalf of the Trottingham Museum, am here to recover the Ancient Eye of Ahuizotl, found only within a local Temple in the village of Teotlan. It is said the Eye can grant the ability to fly,” said Daring Do.

Now, what Daring failed to realize is that the Ancient Eye of Ahuizotl belongs to the villagers of Teotlan. In fact, it is one of their most sacred items. But readers, do not fret, for Daring will learn her lesson come the next A.K Yearling book.

The group continued trudging through the jungle for what should’ve been hours, if not for narrative pacing. They were currently slashing their way through a field of strange misshapen dangerous plants. Though the farmers of Teotlan would beg to differ. (Another season of crops, Wasted!)

They soon arrived in the heart of the village. Teotlan was a place of exotic views. Traders markets lined the most populous streets. They served local foods that Daring grabbed without even bartering for them.

“Shouldn’t we be payin’ for these?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Nah, it’s fine. They won’t mind,” said Daring Do. “Here, try this weird bread-thing,” Daring tossed a few pieces to the girls. They walked through busy streets until they reached the village’s edge, and thus a trek through expansive fields began.

Finally, after an hour of wading through tall grass, they had arrived at the Temple of Ahuizotl, a towering, crumbling pyramid that shone like gold. At its base, double doors slid open, revealing a dusty stone hallway with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Scootaloo stared in awe and excitement. Diamond recoiled in disgust.

“Alright explorers, all we need to do is go inside and climb to the top. And that’s when we grab the Eye,” said Daring Do.

Thus the group began their ascent and encountered their first obstacle. It was a small hallway with rhythmically protracting and retracting spikes.

“Alright, all we gotta do is run through and don’t get impaled. These spikes look pretty quick though. Hey Scootaloo, are you sure you can handle it, cause maybe I can carry-” said Daring Do.

“No, it’s fine. I can do it myself,” said Scootaloo with a hint of annoyance.

“Are you sure?” said Daring Do.

“I’m sure. I can run just fine in crutches. Come on, let’s get going,” said Scootaloo, growing slightly more annoyed.

All five of them ran as fast as they could, making it to the end in record time.

The group made it to the next hallway, which was more of a long ramp than anything. Huffing and puffing, they slowly made their way up. What they had failed to see was a cleverly hidden tripwire at the top. A slight trip opened a door, revealing a very large boulder that was now barrelling towards them.

“Run!” exclaimed Daring Do.

And run, they did. The boulder was gaining speed. Luckily, the ground gave way, sending everyone falling into a deep hole. The boulder rolled straight past them.

So there they were, trapped in a hole, surrounded by debris.

“How are we going to get out of here?” asked Diamond.

The magic wand had fallen out of the messenger bag and rolled towards Sweetie Belle. Said Crusader had grabbed it, as if by instinct. Immediately, some of the rocks around her began levitating. They danced around her like leaves in the wind.

“Sweets, what are you doing? Remember the last time you touched a magic wand?” said Scootaloo.

“Yeah, but this time it’s different. I feel like I can control it,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Ooh! Try it on me!” said Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle pointed the wand at Apple Bloom, who began rising higher and higher.

“Girls, I think I got an idea,” said Apple Bloom.

One by one, they were each levitated out of the hole. And so, the journey continued. They climbed, passing scores of passed out, dehydrated henchmen who belonged to none other than Dr. Caballeron. Daring cursed under her breath. I should’ve known he’d be here, she thought.

And with that, the group rushed up the stairs to the top of the Temple.

“Dr. Caballeron! Hand over the Eye! It doesn’t belong to you!” said Daring Do.

“Oh, Daring. Can’t you see? You’ve already lost! I will pawn this Eye for a fortune! Such a shame you can’t fly!” said Dr. Caballeron as he floated up in the air.

“Oh yeah? Sweetie Belle, commence levitation!” said Daring Do.

Sweetie Belle pulled out the wand, ready to cast the spell. A purple aura surrounded Daring, lifting her off the ground and flinging her straight into Dr. Caballeron. After a brief catfight in the air, Daring successfully snatched the Eye from him. Dr. Caballeron fell to the ground and survived because… plot-armor.

“Yeah! We did it!” exclaimed Scootaloo as she high fived Daring and the rest of the group.

“Uh, girls, I think the mirror’s actin’ up,” said Apple Bloom.

“Aw man! It’s already over?” said Scootaloo. The Crusaders waved goodbye as they began to get engulfed in a blinding light.

“Thanks Daring Do! It was nice to meet you!” said Sweetie Belle.

And with that the Crusaders were ejected back into the Comic Con lobby, a stack of books crashing on top of them. Onlookers stared in slight confusion, including a very perplexed Rainbow Dash.

“What happened to you guys? And what are you doing with Derpy’s bag?” she asked.

“Long story,” said the now tired Crusaders.