The river's powerful current raged below Daring Do as she leapt. A crocodile snapped at the air where the adventurous pegasus had been moments before. Landing on the next stepping stone, nearly lost her footing on the slippery rock. Behind her, a tiger leapt swiftly from stone to stone. She scanned the river for more stepping stones.
There! It was far, but with help from her good wing she might make it. A low growl confirmed her pursuer was right behind her as she leapt again, unfolding her good wing and flying as well as she could. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed through her injured wing. "No! Not now!" she cried as she rapidly lost height. Straining with all her might, she concentrated on her good wing, barely making the distance. As she scrambled to get a foothold, she felt a shadow come over her. She turned her head and stared directly into the open maw of the tiger.
Suddenly a cyan blur impacted with the tiger, sending it tumbling into the river. "Don't you dare touch Daring Do, or I'll come after you!" Rainbow Dash laughed heroically. The cyan pegasus flew down and grabbed Daring Do, lifting the tired adventurer away from the river.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, you're my saviour!" Daring Do said. "Let's make out!" With eyes closed, she puckered her lips, leaning towards Rainbow Dash. As their lips met, a loud voice was heard in the distance...
"Hello Rainbow Dash! Are you home?" Twilight Sparkle said, looking expectantly at the cloud where the rainbow-maned pony made her home. "I've got some more Daring Do books for you!"
Rainbow Dash sat up. A smile crept slowly over her face. "I'm here, Twi! I'll be down in a sec!" Making sure to hide the paper she'd been writing in just in case, the pegasus hurried down to the ground. She landed in front of Twilight, smiling broadly. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! Are those the books?"
"Calm down, dash. Yes, these are the books." the lavender unicorn said with a small chuckle, levitating the books onto Rainbow Dash's back. "You'll love them. These are the best in the series."
Dash nearly fainted with excitement. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! Thanks a bunch, twilight! You're the best friend anypony could wish for!" Rainbow Dash hugged Twilight, causing the unicorn to blush a deep crimson.
"Say, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said after they'd pulled away. "I was wondering if, uhm, if maybe we could..." The unicorn swallowed a lump. "If we could... go out some time? You know, eat dinner together." she shuffled her hooves.
The pegasus, who had been studying the books' covers, briefly looked up. "Hm? Yeah, sure, why not?" she said obliviously. "I know a pretty good restaurant." Rainbow Dash looked up at her cloud home. "Listen, twi, I'd really like to get started on these books. Catch you later?"
"Oh, sure Rainbow Dash. I look forward to the date!" Twilight called back to Dashie as she walked back towards Ponyville. But the pegasus was already back on her cloud.
Pulling out the paper that she'd hidden earlier, Rainbow Dash lightly stroked the paper. "Oh Daring Do," she said. "Nopony must know of our forbidden love."
