Chapter 5-In the Forest

Rainbow lazed in the middle of a small clearing next to a blazing fire. In addition to the gifts here friends had given her Rainbow had packed several items of her own namely a camping set with a tent, flint, a knife, a flask of water and various cooking utensils. Rainbow had been looking up all the herbs in the inter-book trying to learn everything she could about their various medical and malignant properties. She was currently reading about mhendraden root which was a very powerful mental stimulant that could make somepony stay awake for days on end with little to no side effects although as soon as the herb's effect wears off the user is overcome with a very strong need to sleep. The most intriguing thing about the whole entry was the last line that was bolded, underlined and italicized "If you value your sanity or life do not ever give any mhendraden to Pinkie Pie under any circumstance!" at seeing that Rainbow chuckled trying to think what the herb could possibly do to the pink party pony.

Rainbow heard the bushes rustle and instantly froze. She slowly closed the inter-book and took out he utility knife and, interestingly enough, Pinkie's party pistol. She heard the bushes rustle again and then heard quiet voices "What is it?" asked a female voice quietly

"I don't know I have to get closer to see" a male voice answered quietly as the bushes rustled again.

Rainbow jumped over the bushes and landed softly on the other side "What was that?" the male voice asked

"I didn't hear anything" the female replied. Rainbow walked quietly up behind the bush an saw the back ends of two ponies, one a pegasus and the other either a earth pony or a unicorn.

"Hmm" said the male voice which Rainbow noticed was coming from the wingless pony

"What?" The female pegasus asked

"I see a camp site but nopony is there"

"That is absurd nopony in their right mind camp's in the Everfree forest"

"I do" Rainbow said loudly "and I don't like it when other ponies spy on me"

"Shit" said the pegasus out loud

"Okay, get up showing me your hooves the whole time"

"Fine" replied the pegasus dejectedly

The two ponies got up slowly with their hooves in the air. The stallion was in fact a red earth pony with a long brown mane, blue eyes and a cutie mark of what looked like a treasure map. While the pegasus mare was a mustard yellow colour with a grey-scale mane styled in the same fashion as Rainbow's own, eyes that were the exact same as Rainbow's pinky-red and a cutie mark of a compass.

When the two ponies saw Rainbow standing there pointing the PPPParty at them a look of confusion flashed across their faces. No doubt they thought I would be a dragon or a changeling or some other dangerous character, and no doubt they are already underestimating me. Suddenly both ponies charged at Rainbow who quickly shot the party pistol at the charging stallion and rolled to the right. Rainbow heard a thump as the stallion went down completely immobilized by the fact that he was now gift wrapped. Rainbow then jumped onto the mare and pinned her with her rear hooves while holding the knife up to the mare's neck

"Now I don't like being spied on but I detest being attacked. Tell me your name"

"My name is Daring Do, and you cannot do this to me"

This revelation shocked Rainbow to the core but she managed to keep a straight face "What do you mean I can't do this? I remind you that you were spying on me and then you attacked me not the other way around. Anyways I see no necessity to harm you, so long as you don't attack me again"

"If you promise not to attack me I promise not to do so either"

"I promise not to harm either of you without provocation"

"Now will you get off me"

"It's not truly harming you is it?"

"Hmph"

They then heard a muffled cry "Daring, what is going on? I need your help."

"I guess I'll get off then"

Twenty minutes later the three of them were sitting around Rainbow's campfire the stallion, who Rainbow now knew his name was Quest Finder, was glaring at Rainbow mistrustfully. It had taken almost a whole minute to remove all the wrapping paper from him; there was about twenty different layers. Rainbow had at one point in time suggested that they burn all the paper off leading to Quest flopping about on the ground screaming

"So Daring Do I never even thought you were a real pony"

"Why does everypony say that? It gets tiring having everypony think you're a fictional character" She complained

"If you detest it so much why do you let them produce the books?"

"Whether I like it or not, those books fund my expeditions"

"I just wish they would at least include me in the stories" Quest said

"Are you jealous?" Daring asked

"No" answered Quest obviously lying "It's just that why do you get the entire spotlight while I get none"

"Because I am the leader of the expeditions" Daring answered "and because the ponies of Equestria seem to prefer a mare as the hero for their stories"

"It's sexist if you ask me"

"So I assume that the stories are not real, because they aren't exactly believable" Rainbow interrupted what she knew would end in a bitter argument

"Almost completely made up. Now we have talked about me enough why don't you tell us about yourself Rainbow Dash?"

"Born in Cloudsdale, moved to Ponyville as a weather pegasus and now I direct all the weather in the Ponyville area"

"There's more than that"

"Okay, I'm the fastest flier in Equestria, the only in history to manage the sonic rainboom, the winner of the most recent young fliers competition, the bearer of the Element of Loyalty and as such I have helped save Equestria twice, fighting Nightmare Moon and Discord to do so, I personally know Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Ni-Amore-Cadenza, the latter for whom I was a bridesmaid in her wedding." Rainbow ranted leaving out the fact that she had fought changelings because that whole fiasco was considered classified top secret "so is there anything else you would like to know about me?"

"I think you should have a book series after you instead of me" She said in shock "Why are you in the Everfree forest in the first place?"

"I am on a quest to find my true parents"

"In the middle of the Everfree forest?"

"A long story that I'd rather not explain"

"Oh"

"By the way what exactly was that thing you shot me with anyways" Quest spoke up

"Oh, that is what I like to call the party pistol, it has two functions: one, it is a very fast way to set up for a party and two it is useful in combat"

"Where did the wrapping paper come from? Don't you have to reload it?

"I don't know where the paper came from and I was don't think there is any necessity for reloading. I don't know much about it in fact, I was recently given it by my friend and she didn't explain any of it's workings"

"Interesting"