A Daring Duo

When Rainbow Dash woke up, the first thing she noticed was that every one of her muscles ached. She stretched out and rubbed the dirt from her eyes, trying to ignore the screaming pain from within her. How Daring Do did this every day-

Daring Do! Rainbow Dash leapt up and looked around, scattering dust and dirt as she did so. The adventurer was sitting by the dying embers of her fire, mindlessly poking at them with a stick. Rainbow let out a sigh of relief; she hadn't imagined the whole thing. Trying not to whimper as the pain surged through her, she limped over and sat down beside her new companion, looking expectantly at her.

Daring Do was silent for a while. After a moment she turned to Rainbow and said, “We should pack. It’s a long journey and we can only travel by day.”

“Oh, okay,” Rainbow replied, noticing a rumbling in her stomach. Without a word, Daring pushed a skillet filled with scrambled eggs in her direction. “Eat up,” she said, “You’ll need your energy.” As Rainbow eagerly filled her belly, Daring Do strapped on her saddlebags, taking a moment to fill the new pony in on their mission.

“Some years ago, I was called in to investigate the new ruler of a small land, a Minotaur by the name of Theseus, who seemed a little too good at ruling that savage land. As it turned out, the source of his power was a staff he had acquired that allowed him to bend the minds of others to his will. It was the only way he made it to the throne in the first place. Without the time or means to call for backup, I was forced to destroy his staff myself and thus end his tyrannical rule right there. But now he's shown up again, thirsty for revenge.”

Rainbow Dash didn't remember this story, and she had read every Daring Do book three times now. But she didn't mind; a little mystery would make things all the more interesting. She would have to thank Twilight for that when she got home.
Daring pulled at the rope necklace she wore, taking out the small golden shard that was attached to the end of it, a small piece that barely took up the space of her hoof. It was shaped as part of a circle, maybe half a semicircle, with the point broken off. Etched onto it was strange writing Rainbow Dash couldn't have begun to comprehend.

“I only recently learned that the staff, while damaged, was not completely destroyed. It still has the potential for magic, but to a nonmagical being like Theseus that normally means nothing. Unfortunately, he discovered, as did I, the legend of a magical power source, that would provide the energy to fuel his staff for a hundred years at least.

“This shard is one of five similar, which altogether form a golden plate with the instructions for locating and unlocking that infinite power source.” She held the little golden clue up to the light, where it glinted ever so softly. Rainbow Dash had stopped chewing her food and was now watching with the utmost curiosity. “Needless to say,” Daring continued, “We cannot let Theseus take that power. If he does, he will not stop at a single nation this time.”

“Cool,” Rainbow droned, her voice muffled by the food in her mouth.

“Cool!?” Daring Do snapped, pulling the girl out of her trance, “This is serious! The fate of millions rests in the balance!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Dash replied quickly, before asking, “So how come he's not imprisoned or something? I mean, if he was such a threat before.”

“He's a slimy monster,” she muttered, turning away so the mare couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes, “Always another trick up his blasted sleeve.” Wiping her eyes dry again, she told Rainbow Dash to grab the sleeping pad and tie it to her back.

“Why can't I just carry it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No!” she snapped in reply, still upset. Recomposing herself, she said quietly, “No, it's okay. I'd rather hold onto it myself.”

“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked her as she rolled up the sleeping pad.

“I'm fine, really,” Daring told her, wincing slightly as the straps to hold the pad in place were pulled tight. She had found her normal calm again and was ready to go. Stretching her wings to ensure the pad wouldn't be in the way while flying, she pointed out into the desert and said, “We go that way.”

***

Daring had made it explicitly clear that they were to fly slowly and low, low enough to kick the sand from the ground if they flapped their wings hard enough. They had to fly slowly so Daring could keep an eye out for approaching threats, but at least it was faster than walking… kind of. This “exciting adventure” that Dash had wished for was turning out to be the most boring flight she had ever been on.

She itched to fly higher, to fly faster. The need reverberated in every fiber in her being. She was a flier, the best flier in Equestria! She needed to fly! So, deciding to forgo the stealth approach, she nudged in closer to Daring Do and said, “Hey, I bet I can fly faster than you.”

“What?” Daring asked, astonished at her disregard for safety, “You can't be serious.”

“Yeah, come on,” she urged, “It'll be fun.”

“Rainbow Dash, don't,” Daring warned.

“I'm gonna do it.”

“It's not safe, Rainbow Dash!” But her words fell on deaf ears. Dash had darted off, sending sand flying everywhere in her wake until she began her ascent. And worse still, she left a rainbow-colored trail in her wake, much like Daring's own grey-scale trail.

Daring Do’s heart sank. “Rainbow Dash you foal!” she cried, taking off after her. She had to catch the idiot before they got caught.

Rainbow Dash glanced back to see Daring Do chasing after her. She chuckled to herself and said, “Aw yeah, now this is what I wanted.” She pushed herself to go faster. The air pressed hard against her, a meager attempt by the sky to slow her down, and the whistling in her ears was matched only by the pounding of her heart. This was the joy she lived for.

A griffon's cry lashed out across the air. Rainbow broke to a grinding halt, and a moment later Daring rammed right into her. But the two mares managed to remain airborne. As Daring tried to clear her head of stars, Rainbow looked around for the source of the shout.

“Uh, Daring,” she said when she spotted it, “Who are they?”

Daring, head still pounding, glanced over and her heart sank further. A group of three griffins had spotted them and were charging their way.

“Fly. Fly!” she exclaimed, taking off in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash followed and quickly passed her, but the Griffins were coming up on Daring fast. Realizing that she couldn’t outrun them, the pegasus turned and charged right at them. For a moment, Rainbow could only stare after her in amazement before she too flew in to confront them.

The first griffin was stunned when Daring rushed forward and kicked it square in the face. It went down, falling like a brick to the earth below. Another one slashed at her, its claws tearing the ropes that held Daring’s sleeping pad in place. Letting it fall, she dodged another swipe and spat in its face, distracting it long enough for her to turn around and avoid the last one’s beak as it came towards her head. Ducking beneath it, she came up from behind and bit hard into its tail.

As the creature began screaming and thrashing, Rainbow Dash made it to the scene and grabbed the other griffin in a chokehold. Muttering, “This is how I would always get the better of Gilda,” she pulled the griffin down, charging straight for the ground. Normally, Gilda would plead for mercy, at which point Rainbow would let go and allow her to fly away. This time, she held on even as the griffin choked out its pleas. The ground rushed up quickly, but Rainbow didn’t let go. Finally, when it looked as though she was going to pound them both into the sand, she released her grip and quickly changed direction. The griffin was unable to fight the momentum and crashed into the ground, leaving a dent in the sand.

When Rainbow made it back up, Daring had already scared the other griffin off. “Yeah, high hoof!” Dash cried, raising a hoof for Daring to hit. Daring instead glared at her, and she slowly lowered her leg.

“That was foolish of you,” Daring scolded, “I told you that we had to be CAREFUL! Now that griffin is probably going to report back to Theseus that we’re coming.”

“Oh. I…” Rainbow couldn’t think of anything to say. “I’m sorry,” she finally muttered, head hung in shame, “I suppose you’ll want me to leave now.”

“No.” Daring Do’s response surprised Rainbow Dash. “It’s too late now,” she explained, “They’d catch you and torture you for information. We’ve just got to keep moving on.”

Daring dropped to a lower altitude and began flying again, and Rainbow quietly followed. Trailing behind Daring, she could see that she was favoring one of her wings. It wasn’t flapping as hard or as fast as the other one. It must have been hurt during the fight, and that knowledge only made Rainbow Dash feel worse.

They flew faster and higher this time, though only slightly. They couldn't afford to charge blindly through the desert at mach one, but detection wasn't exactly their priority concern anymore. Daring managed to ignore her injured wing for a long while, until she caught sight of something in the distance and began to slow. Motioning for Rainbow Dash to follow her, she flew closer to the ground, close enough to kick up sand with every flap of her wings. They flew this way for another hundred yards or so before plopping softly on the ground. Daring trotted briskly towards a nearby sand dune and Rainbow followed.

“So what are we doing now?” she asked.

“Quiet,” Daring warned, “I saw an enemy camp nearby and I want to check it out. It should be just around this sand dune.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Rainbow told her.

“Of course not,” Daring muttered, “You were so distracted by your own ego.” She didn’t realize that Rainbow Dash could still hear her. Addressing the pegasus directly, she said, “Wait here while I check it out.”

Daring left Rainbow there and began walking slowly around the sand dune, careful enough not to kick up any sand as she walked. Rainbow Dash watched her go and then snorted. “Like I’m going to wait here,” she muttered, turning around and quickly trotting in the other direction around the dune, kicking up sand as she went.

Daring Do glanced around the bend, observing the small camp she had noticed earlier. There were several tents set up, and a large pit for a bonfire near the middle. Several griffins were resting out in the sun, tied to several posts, but those weren’t what concerned Daring. Sulking around the camp were several savage beasts that stood on their hind legs. They were hyenas, with sunken in eyes and drooling, toothy maws.

“Gnolls.” Daring swore their name through gritted teeth. They were nightmarish foot-soldiers, quick to attack and hard to escape. Each one wore a weapon at their waist, a sword or a mace of some kind. They staggered around their camp, waiting for something to distract them. As she watched, one bumped into another, and the two began fighting. Brutes that they were, they began clawing and biting at each other instead of reaching for their weapons. The remaining gnolls quickly gathered around to watch and howl at the scene.

Sensing her chance, Daring darted towards the camp. Her heart pounded at the very real threat that one of the monsters would see her and alert the others to her presence. She stopped only when she made it behind the largest tent. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and for a moment all she could do was sit there and listen. But the brawl continued; not one of them had noticed her coming.

Taking a deep breath and relaxing her muscles, Daring lifted the edge of the tent and peaked inside. There was not a single gnoll inside, and there was a large table set up. But the tent had an open door facing the middle of the camp. If Daring wasn’t absolutely perfect, they would catch her for sure.

Daring slid inside and crawled along the ground towards the table. She was so focused on her task that she wasn’t paying attention to the tent around her. A loud snore froze her in place. Panicking, Daring glanced to the side where she saw a gnoll lying sprawled across a cot.

The commotion outside was ending, so it shouldn’t wake the creature up, but at any moment one of the others could wander into the tent and catch her. She rushed forward, praying that she wouldn’t make a sound, and peaked up onto the table. Sprawled out was a map of the area, with several lines and shapes drawn on it.

This was exactly what she needed! Daring quickly grabbed the map in her hooves and began rolling it up. Her heart was racing. She had been in tough spots like this before, but it never got any easier. She still had to slip out of the tent and get back to Rainbow without being detected.

A chilling scream split the air. Daring froze, not out of fear for herself, but because she knew the outcry of another pony when she heard it. The gnoll on the cot was stirring, but Daring Do had already dropped the map and was halfway out the door.

Outside, two gnolls had gotten a hold of Rainbow Dash and were holding her by her front legs in the middle of the camp. The frightened mare was struggling, flapping her wings and bucking ferociously, but she could not get free.

“Let me go!” she cried. Fear was plastered over her face. The gnolls around her howled and screeched with their mad laughter. They jumped up and down, eager to sink their wet teeth into her soft flank.

One of the beasts, taller than the rest, stumbled forward, brandishing his mace wildly. He shoved his ugly mug in her face and snarled, “Little pony run right into camp. Little pony will die!” The gnolls screamed louder with anticipation as the beast raised his weapon to strike.

“No…” Rainbow Dash whimpered. The gnoll had a wild glint in his eyes. He was ready to kill.

He never had the chance. At that moment, Daring Do rammed into him with the speed of a bullet. She heard the crunch as his spine cracked and split right before the creature’s pained shrieks filled the air. As it fell, Daring caught Rainbow’s eyes. They were wide with fear and apprehension, but only for a moment.

In the time it took to blink, Rainbow had twisted her body and broken free of her captors, bucking one right in the face and quickly head-butting the other. As they fell in a crumpled heap, the cries of excitement around the two ponies turned to howls of rage.

“Stay close,” Daring muttered to Rainbow as the ten or twelve remaining gnolls pulled their weapons.

“Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash spat, “I’m going to make them pay.”

“We’re outnumbered,” the other pegasus tried to remind her, but Rainbow had already leapt into the fray.

Daring Do had been in plenty of fights before, but she had always known when to give up and run away. Normally, she would have never allowed a situation like this to escalate, but Rainbow’s screw-up had landed them both in this terrible situation with no way out but to fight. Although, if Daring had been given a moment to reflect on it, some of her own early mistakes when she was still apprenticing were just as grave, if not worse.

It was hard to see through the small throng of enemies. Daring lashed out wildly, hoping to cripple as many of them as possible. As they angrily swung their weapons about, the gnolls ended up doing more damage to themselves than to Daring Do. But Daring could only barely avoid the majority of their attacks.

She felt something scratch against her flank and the accompanying sting that indicated the blade had drawn blood. Bucking another one, she felt a blow land against her leg, hard enough to make it go numb. A weapon nicked her ear and one of the gnolls swiped a claw against her muzzle.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t faring much better. She hadn’t had as much experience in fighting either. But the pegasi were natural-born warriors, and she wasn’t about to lost to these cronies. By flapping her wings, she was able to send enough sand flying to blind her attackers as she struck back. As the gnolls continued to throw around their weapons in blind fury, Rainbow felt something cutting behind her. Glancing back, she saw part of her tail lying on the ground, the rainbow strands of hair scattered across the sand.

“Oh. No. You. Didn’t.” she growled. Giving off a mighty war cry, she leaped right at the offender.

Realizing that they were losing the battle, several gnolls ran towards the griffins already pulling against their binds. With their swords, they quickly cut the ropes and set the griffins free.

The gnolls scattered as the griffins came rushing towards Daring Do. Realizing the trouble they were in, Daring looked around for Rainbow Dash, but could see no trace of her. She couldn’t leave her to the mercy of the gnolls, but the griffins were upon her. With no other choice, she took off into the air and began flying away.

A moment later Rainbow Dash emerged from the tent and saw the griffins chasing Daring Do away. While the remaining gnolls regrouped, Rainbow Dash stuck the stolen items in her mouth and took off to follow.

In a moment, Rainbow Dash had passed the griffins, leaving a rainbow-colored trail behind her. She flew side-by-side with Daring Do, who wore a strained look on her face. Rainbow flew a little faster, and Daring cast her a dirty look before desperately trying to match her speed.

In mere minutes the cries of griffins had died away, though it felt much longer to the frightened and weakened Daring Do. She glanced back to see that they had indeed begun their retreat before letting out a sigh of relief. Feeling a little safer, the two slowed down considerably, and it wasn't long before Daring began to fly lower, losing altitude at an alarming rate.

Rainbow followed her, watching Daring Do struggle to stay aloft, until she finally hit the sand, landing near the dried-up oasis she had been aiming for. The only indication that there had ever been life there were the few scattered dead trees still standing. Sand had long-since covered up anything and everything else.

Rainbow landed beside her, slipping the items she had stolen from the camp into her saddlebag, and watched sadly as Daring sat down and tried to clear her head. The mare was covered in cuts and bruises, and was trying to massage her sore muscles. The fight had clearly taken a toll on her.

“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked.

“I feel as bad as you look,” Daring replied darkly, stretching out her damaged wing and looking at it. “I think I’m done flying for today, though,” she admitted. Turning her attention to their surroundings, she frowned and dropped her bag to the ground.

“Rainbow Dash,” she said, opening her bag and beginning to riffle through, “Pull the wood from these trees while I set up camp.”

Rainbow did as she was told, walking up to the nearest tree and grabbing at the bark with her teeth. She pulled until she heard the bark crack, and then jumped back in surprise as termites flew from the tree and covered her.
The pegasus screamed and started bucking wildly, crying out, “Get them off! Get them off!” Daring, who was still setting up the little pit that would house their fire, glanced over in concern, but groaned when she saw what Rainbow was shouting about.

She trotted over, arriving as Rainbow finished wiping herself clean of termites, and reached up to grab one of the low-hanging branches in her teeth. With one sharp jerk, she pulled the dead limb from the trunk and let it fall to the ground.
“Like that,” she told Rainbow Dash, turning around to return to her work. Rainbow Dash growled softly, sick of being treated like a pathetic lackey. She deserved just as much respect as Daring Do for the things she had accomplished. Daring wasn’t the only one who put her life in danger to save the world.

***

In the last moments of sunset as Dash carried over her final haul, the last remaining wood she could salvage from the long-dead flora, she saw that Daring had already finished erecting their campsite. They had a tent, but the various utensils that Daring carried with her were scattered around seemingly at random. She had already piled the wood into the pit and had her flint and steel ready.

“Wait,” Rainbow said, confused, “I thought we were trying to avoid detection. Why are we lighting a fire? Isn’t that like a beacon to them?!”

“The desert gets inhospitably cold at night,” Daring replied as she blew on the little flame to help it grow, “If we don’t light a fire for warmth, we’re going to freeze to death.” She had to roll her eyes at Rainbow Dash’s ignorance. “Besides,” she continued, “They’re not going to risk coming after us in the dark and cold. If the temperature doesn’t kill them, the animals out here will.”

Rainbow’s heart sank and she glanced around. The sun was beyond the horizon, and soon they would be in total darkness. She didn’t want to think about what could be just outside their circle of firelight, watching them in the darkness. But Daring didn’t seem the least bit worried, so Rainbow decided that she wouldn’t be concerned with it either.

Daring lied down by the fire, tucking her legs underneath her and gazing softly into the dancing flames as they licked at the air. She didn’t seem particularly happy, and she sighed upon reflection of how badly her day had gone. Seeing Rainbow Dash standing across from her on the other side of the fire didn’t help either.

Sensing that now was the time, Rainbow circled the fire to stand beside Daring and said, “I have something that you might like.”

“What could you possibly have-?” Daring began, but the sight of what Rainbow was holding cut her off mid-sentence. In her mouth, Rainbow was holding a golden shard and a rolled-up piece of paper. Rainbow laid her find on the ground and said, “When I ran into the tent, I saw the map you had been looking for and thought I’d grab it for you. I almost didn’t notice this,” she pointed at the golden shard, “until I was halfway out the door. I thought it looked familiar, like the other one you had.”

Daring Do rolled open the map and examined it, eyes wide with excitement. Then she picked up the golden shard and a smile slowly crossed her face. She pulled out her own shard and laid them down together. The two fit perfectly, forming a semicircle with one a small piece missing out of the middle of the straight edge.

“Rainbow,” she said slowly, “this is great.”

“I guess I can do some things right after all,” Rainbow boasted, standing proud.

Daring was smiling, but another glance at her damaged wing wiped the smile from her face. She sighed and stood up, saying, “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into, Rainbow Dash.” She then picked up a frying pan in her mouth and said, muffled, “I guess it’s time I start making dinner.”

“Thank Celestia, I’m starved!” Rainbow cried, rubbing her stomach and chuckling. She stopped suddenly and glanced out into the darkness. She could have sworn she heard something out there.

Daring set the pan on the fire and turned to pull out some ingredients, as well as the iron knife that she would use to help prepare the meal. Over the popping sounds of the fire came a low howl that froze Daring in her tracks. Was that the wind? It sounded so… bestial.

A small gust blew over the campsite, kicking up a pile of sand. Daring’s heart refused to settle, and she quickly slipped the golden shards into the buttoned pocket of her vest. The worst thing to encounter in the desert was a sandstorm. If one of those hit, they were just flat out of luck.

Something tickled the inside of Daring’s ear, a sound like a whisper. She jerked away and looked but could see nothing. A quick glance at Rainbow Dash showed that she was fighting something similar.

Then the earth exploded. Sand flew everywhere and the mares shrieked in alarm. Rainbow caught a glimpse of something, something that looked like it was glowing in the darkness. She called out for Daring, swiveling to face a pair of glowing pale blue eyes suspended in midair.

Without warning Rainbow felt sand flung into her eyes. She howled in pain, trying to rub her eyes clean. There was a crackling laughter around her. Squinting, Rainbow could make out the silhouette of a shapeless beast with glowing blue eyes. Though she could barely see, Rainbow watched as the beast lost its form and collapsed into the sand below them.

Daring wasn’t doing much better. She fought a similar beast with similar blue eyes. This one had buried below the ground and was throwing sand at her. Daring jumped to the side, but the sand covered the fire, putting it out. Another glob of sand came from the left, hitting Daring Do on the side of her head and knocking away her hat.

These wind-spirits continued to wreak havoc on the campsite, tearing down the tent and sending utensils flying everywhere. Rainbow Dash eventually got her wings free and began flapping like mad, trying to bat away the flying sand. Before her, the two eyes reappeared in the air, and the sand flew up to form a shape around it. It took the shape of a head, featureless save for the gaping maw filled with sharp teeth. The creature roared, and its cry caused Rainbow Dash’s heart to sink.

As the monster floated closer, more sand flew up to form a bestial form. At first, it looked bipedal, with two long, hulking arms. But it just continued to add limbs, gaining four legs, and then six, each one with different features. Some were thin and insect-like, others thick enough to be a tree limb. As the spirit neared, Rainbow flapped her wings harder. The wind she generated knocked sand from the creature, but it continued to draw sand onto itself faster than Rainbow could blow it away.

Then the beast stumbled as Daring Do rammed it from the side. She had to duck in order to avoid being hit by her own opponent, letting it throw all its weight onto its companion. In a moment, Daring was standing by Rainbow’s side. They were both breathing hard, and both realized that they were outmatched.

The two wind-spirits allowed their bodies to fall apart, being too weak to hold them together for very long. They dived below the ground again, sending sand flying all around. Rainbow and Daring, standing back to back, raised their wings and flapped as hard as they could. The two dug their hooves into the ground, doing their best to avoid being lifted into the air as they flapped.

Both spirits emerged from the ground and, either defeated or bored, flew off into the night. Daring Do and Rainbow Dash stood side by side, watching the glowing pairs of eyes get smaller and smaller as they fled towards the horizon.

Rainbow looked around the remains of their campsite. This wasn't exactly the kind of “action” she had asked Twilight for. Without warning, Daring began running around, collecting wood and throwing it into a pile.

“Help me, Rainbow!” she cried, “We need to get another fire started before we freeze.”

It took them a while, but the two finally managed to get another fire started and their campsite back in order. They hadn’t lost much, but they did have to wipe the sand from all their food. Daring pulled out the iron knife again and cut the ingredients before throwing them into the frying pan to cook together. She claimed that it brought out the flavors, something that she had learned to do in a far-off land.

The two sat down to wait for their meal to cook, both still extremely on edge and quite jumpy. Daring checked to make sure that the golden shards were still safely in her pocket. That's when Dash ventured to ask, “So why do you do it?”

“Do what?” Daring asked in reply, but she already knew the answer.

“Why all this? Why do you go adventuring? I mean, I think it's the coolest thing ever, and what other reason do you need, right? But I want to know what you think.”

There was a moment of silence. And then:

“It's not as glamorous as you've been led to believe,” Daring insisted, “But I suppose somepony's got to do this job. I may not be Con Mane, but I think I do just as good at saving the world.”

“Con Mane?” Rainbow asked.

Daring raised an eyebrow, “You don't read? Con Mane, super spy? Really popular series. Not very accurate, though.”

“Oh, I don't read much,” Rainbow Dash replied, “I'm not really an egghead.”

“An egghead? Are you serious?” Daring looked stunned, “Just how old are you, to still be calling ponies 'eggheads'?”

“I-I'm an adult!” Rainbow Dash stammered, “I'm not that much younger than you, anyway.”

“Uh huh...”

A loud pop from the fire startled them both. Once they had calmed down, Rainbow asked, “What were those things that attacked us anyway?”

“The ancient civilizations had names for such beings,” Daring replied, her anger fading quickly, “I’ve heard stories about spirits that weave themselves bodies out of clouds or water vapor, called Villa, which had the power to send storms down on weary travelers. Maybe these are their desert counterparts.”

“Well what do they want with us?” Rainbow asked, pretending like she wasn’t the least bit afraid of what she was hearing.

“Only to watch us suffer, Rainbow Dash,” Daring said slowly, pulling the iron skillet out of the fire.

Rainbow wasn’t used to eating cooked vegetables, but she scarfed down her meal like there was no tomorrow. Daring could only stare and chuckle as she watched Rainbow eat. Shaking her head, she pulled out the golden clues and studied them. But Rainbow Dash still had questions that needed answering.

“So you're really hurt, aren't you?” she asked, referring to the injuries across her body.

“I'm fine, Rainbow Dash,” Daring insisted, “this isn't the worst shape I've been in.”

“Yeah,” Dash agreed, “There was that time you had to stop Ahuizotl with a broken wing.”

“Yeah...” Daring knew that she really should have asked how Dash knew about that, but she had already assumed Rainbow to be nothing more than a dedicated fan. Besides, she had to worry about these clues and what the patterns meant.

The tent was destroyed beyond repair, so the two were sleeping around the fire that night. Rainbow Dash was curled up on the sand while Daring Do herself had spread out her maps to compare them with the newly acquired one. She was covered by a thin blanket but had nothing else to sleep with.

Rainbow Dash was without the luxury of a blanket. She curled up as tight as she could, eyes closed, facing the popping fire, but she still shivered from the cold. All of a sudden, Rainbow felt something fall across her. She opened her eyes to find Daring’s only blanket covering her. She could see Daring Do walking back to her maps and lying down, ignoring the cold. No longer shivering but still feeling bad, Rainbow closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, distracted by thoughts of what a bad partner she was being.

Maybe she shouldn’t have insisted on coming along after all.