A Daring Duo

“Alright,” Daring whispered, “There they are.”

The two mares were peeking over a sand dune and onto the sprawling camp below. It was over twice the size of the other gnoll camp that the two had come across. The foot soldiers were everywhere, standing around the fire pit, milling around the tent entrances, tripping over each other on their way to where the griffins were tied up, the kind of stuff sorry minions did when they had nothing to beat up.

“This looks kind of dangerous,” Rainbow told Daring, “Are you sure about this?”

“Positive,” she replied, “You’re okay with this, right? You don’t want to back out?”

“Haven’t you figured me out yet?” Rainbow muttered back, smirking, “Just tell me what I need to do.”

Daring pointed to the largest tent, saying, “That is the main tent, and most likely where the maps are held. If there is a shard in the camp, it’s probably held there as well. Unfortunately,” she scanned the area around the tent, swarming with gnolls, “the hard part will be getting in and out. Hopefully it’s too hot inside for them to even consider standing guard in there.”

“Won’t that mean that it’ll be hot for us as well?” Rainbow asked.

Daring Do nodded in reply, but continued, “One of us will have to create a diversion, without getting caught, while the other runs up to the backside of the tent and slips underneath to get inside.”

“You know what we’re looking for,” Rainbow admitted, “So I should do the distraction.”

“Agreed. So what did you have in mind?” When Rainbow Dash didn’t answer, Daring glanced over to see that she was gone.

“Rainbow?” she asked, turning around in time to see a rainbow-colored streak taking off in the distance. It was gone in the blink of an eye, and in a moment said streak was rising up into the sky.

“What is she doing?” Daring Do wondered, at the same time briefly marveling at the colors in Rainbow's tail. She watched as Rainbow Dash arced and aimed herself straight at the gnoll camp. "That foal!" Daring wanted to cry. Rainbow kept coming faster, that rainbow streak stretching as she picked up speed. By this point the gnolls could see it coming, but couldn’t recognize it as a pegasus. They began to scatter blindly, and Daring almost leaped over the hill and dashed for the tent.

But at that moment a loud boom filled the air, and Daring Do was blinded by every color of the rainbow. A shockwave of hues erupted from the spot where Rainbow Dash broke the sound barrier, and in their panic the gnolls all turned tail and fled. For a moment Daring Do could only stare at the spectacle in the air above her. It was some stroke of luck that reminded her what she was supposed to be doing instead.

As quickly as she could, not caring anymore if she got caught, Daring leaped forward and ran for the tent. Reaching the edge, she pulled herself down and slipped under the thin flap. The tent was just as hot as she had anticipated, and there was not a single gnoll inside.

A table was nearby. Daring scanned the map and saw that it was indeed what she was looking for. Not even taking the time to roll it up, she stuffed the map into her saddlebag and quickly glanced around for anything else. A large sack on a nearby cot caught her eye. It was partially open and something inside it was twinkling.

Leaping over, she flung the sack open and looked inside. It took her a moment, but she finally caught her breath. From there, it was impossible for her to suppress a laugh. Gleefully, she grabbed the bag in her mouth and slid back under the tent wall.

Her happiness was short lived, though, as she slipped outside only to find herself at the feet of another gnoll. The creature felt her bump against it and looked down, its eyes wide with mad frenzy and its mouth half-open. She could almost count the number of pointed, yellow teeth it had, and it took all her strength of will to keep from throwing up at the scent of the beast’s foul breath.

The gnoll raised its head and opened its mouth wide to bellow out, to alert its kin that an intruder was there. Daring panicked and froze, but the monster never let out a sound. Before it could, a blue streak rammed into the back of it. Daring heard the crack of its spine as it gurgled in pain before collapsing to the ground.

Rainbow Dash stood above her victim, breathing hard and sweating through her coat.

“Hurry… up…” she panted. Daring pulled herself to her feet and, adjusting her grip on the sack she carried, ran after Rainbow Dash until they were safely over the hill and out of sight. As they ran, Daring could feel that they were just moments away from being spotted and attacked. And with that many gnolls after them, there was not much hope of escape.

But there was no war cry, and no sound of fifty or so gnolls running after them. Somehow, they managed to avoid detection. And as soon as they were over the hill, both Daring Do and Rainbow Dash opened their wings and flew off at a low altitude, hoping to put as much distance between them and the camp as possible. Both flew fast enough for their respective tails to flow behind them, and neither cared about getting caught anymore.

When they landed a short while later to shake the sand from their fur, Daring dropped the bag and let her prize spill out. Rainbow was blinking ferociously, trying to force out the sand from her eyes with tears, but she stopped when she caught sight of what her companion let fell to the ground.

Grinning at the surprised look on Rainbow’s face, Daring bent over and laid their other two clues out beside the new ones. They fit together perfectly, forming a whole circle except for a small hole in the heart of the disk.

“One more to go,” Daring said, sliding them all back into her vest. Lying down, she pulled out the map and spread it out across the sand, pressing out all the wrinkles she could, so she could figure out where they were. Rainbow went back to stretching her aching muscles. That Sonic Rainboom had taken a lot out of her, and she hadn’t even had the opportunity to warm up first.

I’ve got to make sure never to push myself that far again, she thought. But she made a note that, when she retold this story to her pony friends back home, she would neglect to mention just how much it hurt. She couldn’t have them thinking that she was going soft.

“Alright,” Daring said soon, rolling up the map, “I know which direction we need to go.” And she pointed to the west, in the direction of the sun.

“Let’s go!” Rainbow cried, taking off before Daring had the chance to open her wings. She had decided that Daring didn’t need to know how much pain she was in either.

***

Rainbow Dash began to regret her arrogance long before evening finally came and they were forced to land. When Daring Do began her descent, Rainbow gladly dropped from the sky and plummeted to the ground, forgetting that even soft sand feels like concrete when you hit it hard enough.

Once the splitting pain had subsided Rainbow looked around to examine the area they had landed in. Daring had found them an oasis, an active one this time, consisting of a large pool of water surrounded by a small but dense ring of trees.
“These trees won’t burn well,” Daring noted sadly, “But it will have to do.” And she spent the next ten minutes trying to pry off branches that were latched firmly to the trunks.

Once their pitiful fire was up and their few remaining supplies scattered around them, Daring again pulled out their four clues and assembled them. She examined them in the dying evening light.

“You know,” Rainbow started, brushing the sand from her mane, “I was wondering: exactly why would this Minotaur give these clues to his minions instead of holding onto them himself?”

“Plot convenience,” Daring replied, before looking up and smiling at her own joke. Rainbow Dash didn't laugh; it was a little too true for her to accept. Continuing, Daring Do explained, “I think he was hoping that I wouldn’t run into the minions who held them, or, if I did, they would be able to capture me. I guess he didn’t count on you, since I’ve never worked with a partner until now.

“But he was probably hoping that I would make it to the temple, where I would be surprised to find that he didn’t have the other three pieces. Thus I wouldn’t be able to steal them from him, use them to get the item, and escape. Only once he had me captured and had taken my own clue for himself would he summon his minions to bring the other three so that he could assemble the disk himself.”

Rainbow countered, “That sounds really complicated to me.”

“Yes,” Daring said, “But he’s counting on that. Trust me Rainbow Dash, I know Theseus.” Rainbow could see it in her eyes- she was deeply immersed in memory. Whoever this Theseus was, he had a history of overcomplicating things.

But this time Daring would not be outsmarted by him. She was determined to bring him to justice.

“Anyway,” she mumbled, her attention shifting back to Rainbow Dash, “His griffins have no doubt already told him that we’ve grabbed hold of the three, so he’ll be expecting us.”

“I thought there were five parts to the disk, though,” Rainbow Dash reminded her, pointing at the little hole in the center, “That’s why there’s a piece missing. Shouldn’t we be looking for that? As for that matter, why did that one camp have two pieces? It seems awfully suspicious to me.”

“Theseus will be holding onto the last piece,” Daring replied, pretty sure she had already made that part clear, “As for the camp, it was significantly larger than the first one we came across. I assume that it was a combination of two smaller camps which carried a single shard each.” Again, this all seemed too perfect for Rainbow Dash to accept. But Daring didn't seem the least but off-put by this.

When she had finished explaining this to Rainbow Dash, Daring looked down at the four, sighed, and growled softly, “But we need that middle piece. Come here.” She motioned for Rainbow to come over, and when she had Daring pointed at the clues, narrating, “When the five come together to form a disk, the clues can be read.” She was referring to a long strip of writing gently carved into the gold shards, which started at the edge of the circle and moved in a large spiral pattern towards the middle. When the five were together, the strip lined up and could be read as a single line. “With the middle piece gone,” Daring continued, “I don’t have the last information I need to finish deciphering what it says. So the whole thing is useless.”

“Useless?” Rainbow Dash asked, surprised, “You have most of it. Don’t be such a crybaby.”

“It’s written in a dead language,” Daring clarified, “I have a deciphering chart, but it’s not perfect. The letters themselves are supposed to form a clue as to what it says, according to the myth, but I still need to see the entire message in order to figure out what the clue itself is!”

“Come on,” Rainbow said supportively, “You're smart. I wouldn't call you an egghead, but you are pretty smart. I'm sure you'll figure it out.”

“I hope you're right...” Daring trailed off, “Sorry we don't have enough to prepare dinner. I want to save the remaining food for the morning. We'll need our strength. The temple's only a day away.” But she didn't seem very excited to be nearing her journey's end. In fact, she looked very uncomfortable at the thought. But she pushed this aside and buried herself in studying her four clues.

As Daring pulled out her notes and charts to continue working, Rainbow Dash took a seat less than a meter away from her, getting as close to the little fire as she could. The cold was already beginning to set in. Finally, she answered Daring, “It's okay. I can go without food for one night.” Her growling stomach contradicted her right away, but she smiled softly and ignored it.

“So, you think I'm smart, huh?” Daring asked, “That's quite a compliment coming from you.”

“Well it's true!” Dash cried, “Look at all the puzzles you've solved. You're a lot smarter than me. I was never any good at school...”

“There must have been something you were good at.”

“Well, racing, but I guess you kind of figured that out yourself.”

“Yes, I noticed,” Daring told her, thinking of how much trouble Rainbow's speed had been for the past couple of days, before going on to say, “I was always known for my grand dreams. The other foals would always call me out on my make-believe adventures. I admit, I didn't really have any idea of what I was getting into back then, but I guess that's what shaped my goals in life.”

“Same here!” Rainbow said, laughing, “I wasn't always a great flier. The other children always called me 'Rainbow Crash', even until just recently. Even though I'm the only mare in Equestria to ever pull off the Sonic Rainboom. Can you believe it?”

“I guess not every pony in the world is as kind as they should be,” Daring Do suggested.

Rainbow Dash didn't reply. Daring glanced up to see that she was blushing.

“Rainbow?” she asked, “What's wrong?”

“What? Nothing!” Rainbow snapped, before realizing what she was doing. She apologized, “Sorry. I was just thinking...”

“I'm sorry, Dash. I didn't mean to upset you.”

“It's not your fault,” Rainbow Dash insisted, “Maybe I should get settled in for bed, since I'm not being helpful.”

“You're distracting me,” Daring muttered, so low that Rainbow almost couldn't hear her. But it wasn't in the tone of somepony complaining, rather that of somepony who was desperately searching for a distraction from her own thoughts. Before Dash could reply though, Daring had already pulled out her blanket and thrown it over. Rainbow caught it and set it down on the sand.

But she didn't curl up to sleep. Instead, she slid closer to Daring Do and said, “You know, I don't really know a lot about you're earliest days as an adventurer. Would you tell me a bit more about that?”

A smile flickered across the veteran's lips and she turned away from her work. She looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes and said, “As soon as I got out of school, barely old enough to be considered an adult, I came under the wing of a great treasure hunter. He taught me everything I knew...”

***

Later, as Daring Do finally put up her notes, and the last light of the dying fire began to fade, she looked at the sleeping form of Rainbow Dash nearby. She was curled up underneath Daring's blanket, fast asleep and still shivering slightly from the cold. It brought a smile to Daring's face for some reason, seeing her calm like that. Maybe that was just the sisterly instinct in her...

Daring shook her head free of that thought and finished packing her things. Making sure they were secure, she then took off her vest and hat, setting the latter aside and using her vest as a pillow. Like the night before, she curled up next to Rainbow Dash and cast the protective spells. Being close to her inspired a warm and fuzzy feeling inside the seasoned adventurer's heart.

An unsettling sensation that had nothing to do with her hunger arose in Daring’s stomach. Just hours ago they had been at each other’s throats, ready to throw aside their mission and kill each other. Now they were working like old partners. Then again, if Rainbow Dash was to be believed, they almost were.

She pushed this thought out of her head as well. The mission was all that mattered right now. The time to worry about that stuff was later. And so Daring Do closed her eyes and slept.

***

When Rainbow Dash woke up, she was lying on her side against the sand. Rainbow still wasn’t used to sleeping on anything other than clouds, let alone cold sand. She wondered briefly how Daring Do did it all her life.

Daring Do! Rainbow Dash whipped around to see Daring still asleep by their dead fire, her work strewn before her. She wandered over and looked to see. Daring had written down what she had discovered; the writing seemed to be instructions of some kind. In quotations, Daring had written some kind of gibberish. Slowly, Rainbow Dash tried to sound it out, but couldn’t even pronounce the first word.

“It’s beyond your ability,” Daring said, causing Rainbow to jump in surprise. The Pegasus stood up and yawned, stretching her legs and wings as she did so. “Good morning,” she continued, before looking up and saying, “Or what's left of it. Sorry I didn't wake you up sooner. I got back up at the crack of dawn to finish my work. I thought I would only close my eyes for a brief moment.” She chuckled slightly at this.

Regaining her usual composure, she finished by saying, “We’ll be going in a northwestwardly direction today. I hope you’re ready.” There was a twinkle in her eye as she finished, “We’ll be at the temple by four.”

It was clear immediately after the two took off that this wasn’t going to be as easy as they had hoped. They were fighting strong headwinds again; stronger than before, it seemed. But when Daring glanced around for Rainbow Dash, she saw the young mare following in her wake, pushing against the wind instead of trying to maneuver around it.

So she can be taught! Daring thought, amused.

“Did you say something?!” Rainbow Dash called forward.

“What? No!” she cried back.

“Oh, sorry!” Rainbow replied, “Thought I heard something.” Daring thought she heard something else too. There was a tickle in her ear, like a whisper. She thought that it was Rainbow Dash saying something too softly to hear over the wind.

“You’re going to have to speak louder!” she called.

“No, before that!” Rainbow replied, not making any sense.

“What?!”

“I couldn’t hear what you said!”

“I didn’t say anything…!” Then it hit Daring. They were both shouting, but the whisper didn’t leave her ear. Actually, it had
grown louder, turning from a soft tickling sound to a sharp cackle.

“RAINBOW! TO THE GROUND!”

Without waiting for an explanation, Rainbow Dash charged for the ground, Daring Do right behind her. They were about halfway there when the sand below erupted, spinning into the air and churning up the desert floor like ocean waves. The laughter grew louder, faster, until it threatened to split her head in two.

Almost entirely unable to see, Daring was as surprised as Rainbow Dash when they collided and hit the ground. There was no point in fighting the wind anymore. In moments it would burry them in sand. Rainbow struggled, naturally, but for some reason Daring pushed her harder into the sand so that she couldn't move.

Daring didn't like to do this, and she had already been using a lot of magic this trip, but she opened her mouth and blurted out a few words. And then the sand stopped flying and settled. Spitting out what had found its way into her mouth, Daring stepped off of her struggling companion.

“What the hay is wrong with you?!” Rainbow Dash cried as she stood up, “I mean you could have-!”

It took her a second to realize what had happened. The sandstorm was raging on just as before, but the two of them were protected from it by a large translucent bubble constructed of magic.

“What the hay...” she repeated softly.

“It's a kind of magic,” Daring explained, rubbing her temples with her hooves. It had taken a lot out of her to cast this particular spell. In fact, the protective bubble was a lot bigger than she had hoped for. In her panic, she must have overcompensated.

“How is this possible?” Rainbow asked, walking over to the edge of the bubble and looking out. She could see glowing blue eyes sitting just outside the magic barrier, angry that their prey was so close and yet untouchable.

“It's a spell I learned a while back,” Daring explained, drawing back Rainbow Dash's attention, “I've been casting it the past couple of nights as we slept to protect us as we slept. I figured this was as good a time as any to bring it out again.”

“But... but you're a pegasus!” Dash exclaimed, “Only unicorns can use magic!”

“It's a different kind of magic,” Daring said, wincing as her headache worsened. The edges of the bubble began to shrink back, making it smaller and easier to maintain. She continued, “It's far older than anything you'll be familiar with. I first learned how to use it from one of the native zebra tribes.”

The sandstorm was beginning to fade. The spirits had apparently lost all interest in a prey so well protected, at least for now. Daring let their bubble shrink some more, and the strain on her concentration became much more bearable.

“It's going to be a while before they give up,” Daring told Rainbow Dash, “Sandstorms, even artificial ones, last for a few hours at a time.”

“Well then,” Dash yawned, “I'm gonna catch up on that sleep I've been missing. You can keep this thing up, right?” She was referring to the bubble. Daring nodded, and Rainbow Dash quickly curled up to take a nap, only briefly thinking how amazing it was for a pegasus to be able to use magic.

***

When Rainbow Dash opened her eyes again, the world was calm. At first it seemed like the barrier was gone, but she could only walk about two meters before running right into a solid surface. The barrier was still there, just not visible in the sunlight.

Daring herself had fallen asleep, and her hat had fallen to the ground. A gentle breeze passed harmlessly through the barrier and sought to sway it, but it remained where it lay. Smiling, Rainbow Dash looked around. The sun was shining, but the landscape itself was unidentifiable, not that Dash herself was any good at finding directions.

As Rainbow Dash shook the sand from her mane and feathers, Daring Do stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Fear gripped her for a moment, but then she saw Rainbow Dash standing out in the sun, and realized that the worst was over. She pulled herself up and grabbed her hat, flipping it back onto her head before grabbing her saddlebag.

“What time is it?” she heard Rainbow asked.

Setting the bags squarely on her back, Daring looked up at the sun and surmised, “Probably a little more than an hour. We'll still make good time.”

“So we won’t be too late for our date with Theseus, then,” Rainbow asserted. Daring looked at her, amused by her comment, and they locked eyes. For a moment both were still, and then they fell to the ground laughing.

“That was pretty funny,” Daring admitted, “And I think I needed a good laugh after that.”

Rainbow Dash asked, “Why do they keep attacking us?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Daring replied, picking up Rainbow’s saddlebag in her mouth and walking over. Muffled, she continued, “But I’ve heard stories about this desert, and about wild sandstorms that supposedly guard an ancient secret.” She threw the bags over Rainbow’s back, letting them fall into place.

As she stepped back, Daring locked eyes with Rainbow Dash once more. They both knew what the other one was thinking. And they both hoped with all their hearts that the secret would not be any more heavily guarded the closer they got.

“We’re near,” Daring said, “But we’ve still got a ways to go. We should start moving.”

“Alright, let me just stretch my- Daring, look!” Rainbow Dash pointed up at what was flying in the distance. Griffins were patrolling the sky, and they were undoubtedly looking for something in particular.

“Well,” Daring observed, “I daresay that our Theseus has learned how many parts of the disk we posses, and he doesn’t want us getting any closer to the item itself.”

“How are we going to get by unnoticed?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We walk.”

Rainbow Dash was sure that she had misheard Daring. But then Daring continued, “They’re searching the air for us. The glare of the sand will prevent them from seeing us.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. It was the same trick that Daring had once used to cross an icy plain without being spotted by pony-hungry vultures. Rainbow shivered at the mere thought of those monsters. Sure, knowing that it had worked once before didn't exactly calm her nerves, but at least they weren't in danger of freezing to death, and they weren't in danger of being eaten.

…right?

“It's an awfully big leap of faith,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“So was bringing you along,” Daring replied, “And that seems to have worked out well.”

Rainbow Dash smiled modestly. It wasn’t a grand sweeping ode to how wonderful she was like Dash had always dreamed of hearing from her hero, but Daring’s words touched her heart just then. It was nothing like what she imagined; it was better.

***

The sun beat down like they were in an oven, and the sand only reflected the light back into their eyes. At least in the sky they had the wind against them to keep them cool. Rainbow Dash was almost sweating through her fur coat.

Daring had even taken off her vest and hat and forced Rainbow to put them on. Rainbow Dash should have been fawning over the fact that she was in her favorite adventurer's outfit, but it made her so hot that all she could do was pant. Daring claimed that, if they were spotted through the glare, the griffons might just think it a trick of the light since Daring's own colors were so dull. But Rainbow stood out, so she needed something to make her blend in a little. Rainbow Dash thought it was just because Daring Do didn't want to have to wear the outfit in this heat. But the shards were still in the vest pouch, so at least it proved that Daring did trust her.

Another pack of griffons flew overhead, causing Rainbow Dash to cringe. Despite all their precautions and all Daring's assurances, Dash was absolutely sure that they were going to be seen at any moment.

“You know, Daring,” she whined, “I'm still not entirely comfortable with this.”

Daring’s response was simply, “Trust me. Remember, you’re the one who knows how well I’ve done in the past.” Turning her head to look at Rainbow, she continued, “Speaking of which, I still know nothing about you.”

Rainbow Dash waisted no time. “All my life,” she started, gazing off into the distance as she recollected the memories, “I had this dream of joining the royal flight team, the Wonderbolts! I trained every day, but eventually I grew too old to stay with my family.” Thoughts of her family came flooding back, and she winced.

“Tell me about them,” Daring insisted. Rainbow wasn’t sure if she had noticed her anxiety, but pretended not to be bothered by the subject.

“Sure,” she said half-heartedly, “We got along great. But they never thought much of my dream to become Equestria’s greatest flier. I had to spend a lot of time on my own, training. They never liked that I didn’t get along real well with other ponies.”

Really? Imagine that, Daring thought. It wasn’t a mean-spirited thought, and she had to suppress a chuckle thinking it.

Rainbow Dash continued her spiel of half-truths, “My entire family was always very practical. They knew what they wanted to do and they did it, but it was always the most boring things in the world. Half of them were simple weather ponies. My aunt was the only one who ever accomplished anything when she discovered a better way to deploy ice crystals over large areas. Bo-ring!”

Finally she got to the part of the story that wasn’t entirely coated in lies. “As I grew older,” she went on, “It became clear that nopony where I lived was able to appreciate my dreams. And I was getting too old to continue living there without taking up a job to support myself. But the one job I always wanted was always just out of my reach.” She frowned as she said it: “I could never get an audition for the Wonderbolts.”

She had never said it out loud before. Always, it had just been that she could wait a little longer, that there would always be time and she could continue practicing until that day came. She never admitted to herself that the reason she never got the chance to prove herself to them was…

“I guess they just didn’t want anyone as reckless and hotheaded as me on the team.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” Daring replied, “You’re not the most level-headed mare I’ve ever met, but you clearly know what you’re doing.”

“Thanks, Daring,” Rainbow said, smiling softly.

“You’re welcome, Dashie. Go on.”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and continued, “I traveled for a while, looking for work. I found plenty of odd jobs, but I could never keep one for more than a few days. And all I really wanted to do was practice my flying anyway. Finally, I stumbled on a small town called Ponyville, where... an old friend of mine had settled down. The town needed a weather pony who could manage the weather, and they bullied me into accepting the job. Besides, I needed the money too badly to say no.

“As it turned out, I made a really good manager. I was really good at keeping the weather nice and it was sweet having all the pegasi do everything I said. I had to put so little effort into it that it wasn’t any different from being paid just to practice for joining the Wonderbolts. That’s usually what I do anyway, just practice.

“Not too long ago, a new pony moved in, Twilight Sparkle, and shortly after that Night Mare Moon escaped. I was one of the ponies who joined her and helped to discover the Elements of Harmony. It turns out I represent the element of loyalty. That's right. I’m the most loyal pony in all of Equestria! Anyway, we defeated Night Mare Moon. Later that year I got invited to the Grand Galloping Gala, where I thought I would get a chance to impress the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbow Dash paused, thinking about what a disaster that night was. “It didn’t work. But luckily some time before that I won Cloudsdale’s Best Young Fliers Competition when I proved that I could do a Sonic Rainboom. That seemed to get their attention. And earlier this year our town was chosen to collect the water for the Cloudsdale reserve. I was in charge of the whole thing, and Spitfire, the Wonderbolt's captain herself, came to see.”

“The Sonic Rainboom,” Daring repeated, “What you did in that camp yesterday.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, “I’d only done it once before the competition, when I first earned my cutie mark.” She glanced at the rainbow-colored bolt of lightning on her flank, “But during the competition I saved several of the Wonderbolts when they fell unconscious trying to save another pony from falling.”

“How did that happen?” Daring asked.

“She was kicking around and hit them all when they tried to rescue her. I won the competition and their attention. Sometime later, Princess Celestia herself asked me to perform the Sonic Rainboom at her niece’s wedding. I danced with one of the Wonderbolts at the reception.”

“So it sounds like you did make an impression on them after all,” Daring told her, “From the sound of things, I’d say you’re well on your way to joining them.”

“You really think so?” Rainbow asked.

“Absolutely,” Daring replied, watching another pack of griffins fly overhead, “Just don’t ever give up. There are times I thought I might not make it, but I always keep trying. In fact this whole ordeal with Theseus has been one mess up after another.”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure that this last part was meant for her. Daring had a glassy, far-off look in her eyes. There was something about the minotaur that really got to her, and Rainbow Dash had no idea what it could be.

“What about you?” she asked, “What do you want to do with your life?”

Daring laughed. “I've already done so much,” she said, “I know that my calling is to be a treasure hunter, but if I could give up saving the world and curl up in front of the fire with a good book, you can bet your flank I would. For all the perks of this life, it's such a chore being the world's last hope for salvation. You would not believe the pressure. Or maybe you would, considering all that you've told me.”

“Yeah, well, it's nothing, really,” Dash tried to be as modest as her pride would allow, “I always had my friends beside me, anyway. I could never have done it alone.”

“I was beginning to feel the same,” Daring told her, “I don't know how I would have even gotten this far without you.”

“You'd have found a way,” Rainbow assured her.

“I'm glad I didn't have to. And I imagine your friends feel the same about you.”

“You really think so?”

Daring looked her right in the eye and replied, “Trust me. You can't ever put too much value on those who trust you. I learned that the hard way.”