Daring Do was flying high above the clouds, looking for a new adventure. She had on the usual green shirt and explorer hat that she got from her dad, as well as a knapsack in which she kept a map, a compass, a sleeping bag, and a few other things. She wasn't flying as fast as normal, because the pack she was carrying seemed to be a little too heavy. She silently cursed herself for bringing so many unnecessary tools, but she wanted to be prepared. Still, she thought, it shouldn't be this heavy. Making a mental note to check later what she had brought, she kept on flying.

She thought back to home, a place she hadn't been for quite some time. After her dad had disappeared on an expedition to a Jungle in Inponysia, she had been working at a museum as a tour guide to help get money for her family. However, there was one job her that her mom and little brother didn't know about. Hiding behind the excuse of late night shifts and any others she could come up with, she was an explorer who found and sold ancient artifacts to the museum. She thought of her family and how they were doing. She felt bad leaving them behind for such a long time, but she had been called to investigate a location that nopony had ever been to before, at least, not for thousands of years. It was said that a great treasure was to be found in the area.

She was thinking about what it could be, or where it could be, when suddenly she was engulfed in a shadow. Not a dark shadow, but a lighter one. Daring immediately recognized it as a cloud shadow, and wondered what cloud was that big. The shadow seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. She looked up, and gasped. Floating above her was a giant castle. But not just any castle. This castle was made out of clouds. She flew up to investigate, but could not break through the floor of the castle. "Must be reinforced cloud brick…" She thought to herself. "Well, if I can't break through, guess I'll just have to fly around until I find the entrance…" And without another thought, she flew to the nearest wall and began flying the perimeter of the cloudy fortress.

21 years ago

"Dad, when will you be back?" Daring asked, curled up on her dad's lap, with tears in her eyes. "Hey, don't cry Dare, you're a big girl now. I'll be back soon, don't worry" Her father answered, wiping away her tears and running a hoof through her mane. Inside, he too was upset about leaving, but he had to be strong in front of Daring and her baby brother, who was sitting next to him bawling loudly. He hugged both children tightly, and then stood up. He walked towards the door of their small cabin, and then turned around. "Dare, can you come her for a minute?"
Daring walked over. "Yes dad?" She looked at her father with a questioning look, as he opened up one of his suitcases.
"I want you to have these." He said, handing her his explorer hat and a green shirt. Daring carefully took the clothing from her dad, and put them on.
"Wow, thanks Dad!" Daring said, hugging him.
"Daring Do," Daring immediately listened closely. Her dad only used her full name when it was important. "You're growing up now, and while I'm gone, I want you to take care of your brother, and help your mom with whatever she needs help with." Daring responded by saluting and saying "Yes sir!"
"That's my girl!" Her dad chuckled hoof-bumped her. "I'll be back soon!"
"Bye Dad!"
"Bye Dare!"

After her Dad left, Daring did everything with her brother. She taught him everything she knew, and raised him as if she were his mother. When he was sleeping, she would help her mom with whatever she was doing. And if she ever had free time, she would go out exploring. She did everything she could to learn more about ancient history and great explorers. And that's the way life was in her family for 3 years. Every day, Daring would wonder when her dad was coming home. And every day, she lost a little hope that he would ever come back. And then, one day, her family received the fateful letter. On the expedition, Daring's father had been lost. The group of explorers had found a strange temple. Since it was nearing night, they set up camp near it. When they awoke, the dust yellow Pegasus was nowhere to be found. As if Celestia herself was crying, it began raining. Daring's cabin was filled with nothing but the constant sound of crying.

Daring knew she needed to earn some bits to keep her family supported, however her mother would not take the risk of Daring becoming an explorer like her dad. This upset Daring, however she did not complain. She knew her mother's reasons and concerns. She began working as a tour guide in The Museum of Equestrian History, but was hardly making enough money to support her family. The museum knew her father, and offered her a job as an explorer. They made an agreement to never tell anypony about it, and Daring Do became a secret adventurer.

Her father's skills had been passed down to her, and she quickly became a great explorer. She traveled to many places, and discovered many things. Quickly, she became the #1 supplier for ancient artifacts to the museum. She earned enough money to support her family with necessities, and have enough left to buy luxuries as well. Eventually, her little brother caught on. As he grew, he began to wonder where Daring was going, and he eventually begged her to tell him. Seeing that he wouldn't stop asking until Daring told him where she had been going, she gave up and told him. She made him promise to never tell anypony, and he became the second person to know, not counting herself. And he kept his promise, and never told anypony.

Hello everypony! I hope you have enjoyed the prologue to a new story, Daring Do and the Cloud Castle! Super huge thanks to 4428Gamer for being AWESOME and helping me out with this story! Also thanks to him for letting me use his idea of QotC (Question of the Chapter). Be sure to check out his account, and read all of his amazing work! He will be doing Daring's little brother's point of view in this story, so the chapters written from Daring's POV I wrote, and her little brother's POV is going to be written by 4428Gamer.

QotC: Do you have any younger siblings who you look after?