Chapter 18: Daring Done?
The sun was shining down on little Ponyville as three ponies were busy reading newspapers that Featherweight was selling.
It was then he turned to see Pinkie Pie, Rainbow, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio coming over.
"Morning, Pinkie Pie! Get your Ponyville chronicle right here!" Featherweight said as Pinkie hopped over to him.
"Fan-tizzy-astic!" Pinkie said excitedly, giving him a bit before grabbing the newspaper to sit down on a bench where the Elite Ninja and Rainbow were at.
"I just love to read about happy happenings, and it's always good to be a pony in the know, you know? And there's so much to know!" Pinkie said in glee while reading as Rainbow took a seat next to her with a bored look on her face.
"Eh, seems like a bunch of boring hooey to me!" Rainbow replied.
"Come on, Rainbow. Reading exciting stories is always good to know what's been going on around the world with surprising new ideas." Chase said encouragingly.
"Yeah, every part of Equestria has been coming up with new ways to begin new lives for everypony else." Jade added with a smile.
"They're right! And does "New Shrubbery In Castle Garden" sound like boring hooey to you?" Pinkie asked.
"Snooze," Rainbow replied unenthusiastically.
Antonio looked at the pages.
"What about…'Parasprite Infestation In Fillydelphia Eradicated'?" Antonio asked.
"Ah! That's great news!" Pinkie said with a smile.
"Eh. Another day, another parasprite hype story," Rainbow replied.
Pinkie, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio gave her annoyed looks.
"You never are interested in theories, are you, Rainbow?" Trini asked with a glare.
"Not really." Rainbow replied back. "It's always these boring articles."
"Ah, I hate the news, too." Sunray said in an annoyed tone. "There's nothing good to hear about every so often. It really ticks me off."
"Sunray, everything ticks you off." Jade remarked with a smirk.
"Not everything!" Sunray said honestly, but his two older siblings and two older cousins smirked at him. He then gave up. "Okay, everything."
Pinkie still continues to frown, not giving up on Rainbow Dash.
"Noodles Named Official Food Of Whinnyapolis", "Author A. K. Yearling Announces Retirement", "Cloudsdale Election Heating Up For Candidate In Favor Of Cooling It Down…" Pinkie said as she read through three pages.
Hearing the second news caught Rainbow's attention.
"WHAT?! Let me see that!" Rainbow Dash said, until she grabbed the paper to read the fourth column of the article.
"What?" Chase asked. "What's wrong?"
"I never knew you were so into politics, Rainbow," Pinkie said.
"No, this! It can't be true..." Rainbow replied.
"What are you talking about?" Antonio asked with concern as the rest of his family shared the same look.
"Well, I'd have never picked noodles as the official food of Whinnyapolis either, but here we are." Pinkie shrugs out, obliviously.
Rainbow finally had enough.
"No, Pinkie!" Rainbow shouted with a worried look, startling the six ponies in the process. "I can't believe the greatest author and secret pony adventurer of all time that we love to read from, A. K. Yearling... is retiring!"
"WHAT?!" Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio asked in shock.
*Main theme*
Later on, the seven ponies ran off to check up on A. K. Yearling.
"I still can't believe that the famous A. K. Yearling is Daring Do in the flesh." Jade said with a surprised look.
"Me neither." Trini agreed with a look of awe and interest.
"Rainbow, I don't think this is a good idea to welcome her." Chase said with an unsure look.
"Yeah. A.K. Yearling just retired. Like, today. Are you sure she wants visitors?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Yeah, something tells me she's not gonna want any company." Trini agreed.
"Guys, the A. K. Yearling I know would never quit and retire out of the blue! Something could be really wrong, and we need to make sure she's okay!" Rainbow Dash said.
"I'm sure she'd desperately want to see me, since I am her friend too after all," Sunray added.
Chase sighed.
"If you say so." Chase said reluctantly.
"Okay!" Pinkie said, but then grew suspicious as she looked at Rainbow with a glare. "Heeeey... Wait a minute... You're not just trying to make sure she writes more Daring Do books, are you?"
"Of course not!" Rainbow denied, but then saw the smirks on her six friends' faces. She then smiled sheepishly. "But that wouldn't hurt either. Now come on!"
Soon, they arrived at A. K. Yearling's house. Rainbow knocked on the door, but didn't get an immediate response.
"Do you think she's not home?" Jade asked with concern.
"Uh, maybe she's not home. Maybe she went to the editor-in-chief of the Ponyville Chronicle to correct the misprint they've made," Rainbow said.
"Nope! She's home!" Pinkie replied, looking through the window.
"How do you know?" Rainbow asked.
"Because she's right there looking all sad and alone," Pinkie Pie replied.
"Really?" Chase asked, stunned with the rest of his family.
"I knew it! Something is wrong! A.K.!" Rainbow Dash gasped, then knocked again.
"Now she's sighing with the weight of the world. Now she's hanging her head in utter despair. Now she's shaking her hoof and cursing the heavens like nothing could ever possibly be the same again. Why, oh, why did this happen to her?!" Pinkie said.
"What?!" Rainbow, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio exclaimed.
Pinkie looked through the window again.
"Whoops. Never mind. That time, she was just stretching." Pinkie replied, chuckling.
Antonio chuckled while Chase, Jade, Sunray, and Trini glared at the pink pony unamusingly.
"Seriously, Pinkie? Did you have to bring up the exact details?" Chase asked, annoyed.
"Sorry, Chase." Pinkie replied back nervously.
"A.K., it's us! Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie! Your friends!" Rainbow said, knocking five times.
The door then opened, and A. K. Yearling appeared with a sad face, then looked around and signaled them to come inside. They went inside, A.K. Yearling continued packing her stuff.
"What are you doing with all of these boxes of your stuff?" Chase asked with concern.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm giving them away, Chase." A.K. said simply yet sadly.
Rainbow Dash was horrified about this.
"Oh, no. Did somepony ransack your cottage again and steal some ancient, mysterious relic that's the key to saving all of Equestria?!" Rainbow asked worriedly.
Pinkie Pie found an Anubis-looking artifact.
"Oooh! Sparky!" Pinkie said, picking it up.
A. K. Yearling gasped and took it from her, then put the artifact back into the chest and then closed it.
"Nothing's been stolen," She said with a sigh.
"There isn't?" Sunray asked with a surprised look on his face.
"Then is somepony blackmailing you and forcing you to retire? Cause if they are...!" Rainbow said in angry tone while crouching low.
"No. Nothing like that, either." A. K. Yearling cut off Rainbow Dash.
"So you're just quitting and moving away? Why would you do that?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Rainbow!" Chase scolded, pulling Rainbow away from A.K. Yearling. "One thing at a time!"
"Yeah." A.K. said with a grunt. "I already explained everything to the Ponyville Chronicle."
"Oh, really? "Author A. K. Yearling announced yesterday that the next adventure novel in her popular series, 'Daring Do and the Curse of the Pharaoh's Tomb', will be her last. Yearling looks forward to her retirement." That doesn't even explain anything!" Rainbow Dash said angrily showing the article.
A. K. Yearling groaned with frustration.
"It just says you're giving up writing stories. But most ponies don't know that you actually are Daring Do and that the stories are real. So what you're really saying is that you're giving up being Daring Do, but you're not saying why!" Rainbow Dash continued.
"I think she gets the idea, Rainbow!" Chase said with an annoyed tone, noting wanting things to go damage control.
"He's right! And of course, if you don't feel like talking about it, that's A-okay, A. K.! As your friends, we completely understand!" Pinkie Pie said, making Rainbow give her the stink eye. Pinkie then glared at Rainbow sternly. "Right, Rainbow Dash?"
"It would be wise to know what she's been through lately instead of asking her random questions like you already are doing." Trini added firmly.
"Oh! Yeah!" Rainbow said, realizing sheepishly for not helping as A.K. walked past her with an annoyed look on her face. "We just came to make sure you're alright. That's really why we wanted to find out what's going on."
"Please tell us. We just want to help you," Jade added.
"If you really want to know..." A. K. Yearling said, then continued. "My last quest took me to a village in Southern Equestria, where I started seeing these." She showed the three some recent newspapers.
"What are they?" Trini asked curiously.
"There newspapers, Trini!" Antonio said obviously.
"I know." Trini said irritatingly before she looked at the newspapers. "But what do they contain in them?"
""Wake Of Destruction Callen: Daring Do Ruins Entire Village Marketplace!"" Pinkie read the first one in an ominous tone.
A.K. just had a somber look on her face as Chase and his family took notice.
"Dare Or Scare: Local Rogue Daring Do Involved In Frightful Fiasco"?" Rainbow read the next one.
"Daring Do Leads Bull Into China Shop During High-Speed Chase—"" Pinkie was about to finish the last one, only to get cut off.
"Okay, guys! That's enough!" Chase shouted angrily. "You're getting off topic and it's not helping A.K. one bit!"
A.K. just sighed sadly.
"Everypony I tried to help is mad at me." A.K. said sadly.
"That's not true," Antonio pointed out, "They're not mad at A. K. Yearling. They're mad at your other half, Daring Do."
"Yeah, it could be that maybe they just misunderstood you for something else." Sunray added with a curious look.
"That's not the point, Sunray." A. K. Yearling said to Sunray. "They don't sell my books in Southern Equestria. The ponies there don't know who A. K. Yearling is. They only know Daring Do, and apparently she does more harm than good."
"Well, I'm pretty sure it wasn't you who did this," Chase replied.
"And it's a good thing you look so different as A. K. Yearling!" Pinkie Pie added.
"So all we have to do is go down there and explain to these ponies that none of this stuff is true," Rainbow Dash said.
"Easy-peasy-cheesy!" Pinkie Pie added.
"And we'll help you," Chase offered, giving the author a side hug as his family nodded in agreement.
"But that's just the thing – it is true." A. K. Yearling said, breaking away from Chase.
"WHAT?!" the six said in unison, and A. K. Yearling nodded.
"I guess I've always been so focused on saving priceless relics and stopping the bad guys that I never really thought about the mess I leave behind," she said with despair.
"Then you are in a tricky pickle. But why is all this happening now?" Pinkie asked.
A. K. Yearling sighed.
"I guess ponies are finally fed up. Either way, I'm done with adventures, having or writing." A.K. said firmly.
"No, you can't be done. You can't give up now," Jade replied, "Monsters like Zhao and his Quinkan forces could have been there to try and steal valuable relics for any cause they might do."
"Come on! For every one pony who's upset, there must be at least a hundred that know you're a hero!" Rainbow Dash said.
"I don't think so, Dash," A. K. Yearling replied.
"But there has to be!" Antonio said with worry. "I know you're innocent! I swear!"
"Something tells me that you were framed by someone who's trying to get back at you," Chase added.
"Well, why don't we go visit this village "Som...nam...bu...la" and see for ourselves?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Those articles seem to make it pretty clear how the villagers feel," A. K. Yearling said.
"But if we go there, the ponies can tell you personally just how much they appreciate you," Sunray said.
"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Pinkie Pie added.
"You really think so?" A. K. Yearling asked.
"We know so! Let's go!" Rainbow Dash replied as the six left the house.
A.K. Yearling sighed as she put her hat on before following them.
(Scene changes)
After a long trek through the desert of Southern Equestria, the group of six arrives at a village that has an Egypt vibe to it. It even has a large pyramid as well.
"Wow! It's gorgeous here!" Jade said in amazement.
"No argument here!" Trini added with an excited smile.
"This is so cool!" Rainbow squealed out. "It looks just like that village in your last book where Daring Do recovers the Doomed Diadem from the Wild Bunch Gang who chase after her through the desert!"
"It should. I based that entire chapter on my experiences here in Somnambula." A. K. Yearling smirked.
"For once a place we can sit down, blend in, and eat a meal!" Sunray said with a cocky grin.
"Don't get too comfortable, Sunray. In fact, don't make eye or hoof contact with anyone or anything." Chase said firmly. "We're here to investigate, not relax here."
"I figured we could do both, Chase." Antonio said with a smile as Chase stared at him with a blunt expression.
"What happens?" Pinkie asked as she zoomed up next to A.K. Yearling before grabbing Rainbow. "No, wait, don't tell me. I changed my mind! Tell me!"
"Daring Do thwarts Ahuizotl's evil plot to separate the Sister Crown Relics," Rainbow Dash said. "And if it wasn't for her, the region would be cursed with eternal night, and the entire town of Somnambula would have sunk into the ground!"
"Guess you've been reading all of the Daring Do series, have you, Rainbow?" Trini asked with a smirk.
Rainbow nodded with a smile.
"Ah, puh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "There's no chance that these ponies don't think you're a hero."
"Watch this," Rainbow added.
They then saw some ponies repairing their things, and selling a few things. Rainbow Dash and the other three went over to an elderly earth pony stallion with grayish amber fur, a grayish streaked red mane and tail with a small beard, blue eyes, a white shirt with a brown vest, an orange headband, and his flank had a cutie mark of an apple with a purple lily.
His name was Cortland.
"Hiya there, mister! I was hoping you could tell me about a pony named Daring Do. I hear she's an awesome adventure-pony hero." Rainbow Dash asked.
"Daring Do? Oh, she's awesome, all right. Awesome at destroying ponies' apple carts ...and priceless, sacred statues!" Cortland said.
The six looked to see a statue in huge pieces.
"Indeed. Daring Do is a menace who destroys everything she touches!" a mysterious stranger spoke up.
"What?! No! Daring Do is the exact opposite of a menace!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"That's a lie, you scumbag!" Sunray said angrily.
"She's a real hero, and you know it!" Jade added.
"Ugh! I tried to tell you! Coming back here was a mistake!" A. K. Yearling said, as she walked away.
"Come on, A. K.! So we picked a bad example. That was just one angry pony," Rainbow replied.
"Two angry ponies!" Pinkie added.
"It doesn't matter! I never should have come with you! You six should just go home!" A.K replied as she ran away off screen somewhere else.
"What are we gonna do now?" Trini asked with concern. "We can't just let her give up her dream of being a hero! Can we?"
"Of course we won't!" Chase said firmly. "We can't let her give up hope no matter what!"
"Chase's right! Come on! We gotta follow her!" Rainbow said.
"I dunno. It really seemed like she doesn't want us cramping her saddle," Pinkie replied.
"But we have to convince her that ponies do appreciate her! As her friend, I have to make sure she believes that," Rainbow said.
"You and me both, Rainbow," Sunray replied.
(Scene changes)
At the time around sunset, the six were still looking for A.K. Yearling before Rainbow spotted something up ahead. It was a hotel, which was somewhere nearby and a little bit far from the village.
Seeing it made Rainbow gasp in surprise.
"Look, guys!" Rainbow said excitedly. "It's the Get On Inn! Daring Do stays here all the time in her adventures!"
"Which means there must be ponies here who love Daring Do! Maybe they can help us," Rainbow Dash said.
"I don't know, but it's worth a try," Chase said with a shrug.
"Could work maybe." Jade added unsure.
It was then that Pinkie smelled something good coming from the hotel.
"Mmmm! My nose is telling me to help myself to muffins!" Pinkie said with a smile.
"Come on, let's go find her there." Trini said as the six walked to the hotel.
When they entered the building, Rainbow rang a bell, but nopony came to answer.
"Come on!" Rainbow said as she rang the bell repeatedly.
Then an Earth Pony with a light blue colored fur coat came out as she was dressed in a purple dress, glasses, golden earrings, wore three different kinds of necklaces; one a golden type, the second a pearly white with a blue gem in the middle, and the third one was a some kind of green glowpaze.
Her name was Mrs. Trotsworth.
"Ooh! She's fancy! I got this!" Pinkie assured her friends.
"Why do I feel slightly nauseated?" Sunray asked his family and Rainbow with a disdainful look.
"Good evening to you madam." Pinkie said in a former tone. "We are but weary travelers who humbily wish to inquire on the status of a certain mare of intrigue taking residence here."
"What in Southern Equestria are you on about?!" Mrs. Trotsworth demanded angrily.
"Umm, ma'am. I know you're going to be angry about it, but is it true Daring Do stays here?" Chase asked.
"Not anymore, she doesn't!" Mrs. Trotsworth replied angrily.
"But why? She's a good pony like you are," Jade said.
"The last time I rented that rascal a room, she was in such a rush to hightail it outta here, she didn't even pay her bill!" Mrs. Trotsworth replied. "After that, a band of ruffians showed up and destroyed half the rooms looking for her. Guess she made them even more mad than she made me!"
"No, no, no. You've got it all wrong," Rainbow said.
"Hmph! How do you figure?" Mrs. Trotsworth asked.
"Daring Do was trying to save everypony from the curse of the Doomed Diadem of Xilati, and she was only in a rush because she had to get the crown back to the Tiara of Teotlale before the curse took effect," Rainbow replied before turning to Pinkie, "Chapter 17."
"She was in such a hurry that she forgot to pay you," Sunray added.
"This should be enough gems to cover her bill and any damage done to the rooms," Chase said, taking out a bag of gems.
"I appreciate your gesture, Master Chase Young. But it sounds like a tall tale to me, especially coming from a griffon, and a hard one to believe, now that I know Daring Do is a scoundrel and a thief! Every year, ponies come to offer precious glowpaz to the Somnambula statue in the village in hopes for a good future. Why, that poor fella had his glowpaz necklace stolen by Daring Do just yesterday!" Mrs. Trotsworth replied.
The Elite Ninja, Rainbow, and Pinkie walked away to search for A.K. Yearling. It was then that Pinkie and Rainbow spotted her with gasps.
"There's A.K. Yearling!" The two said together.
The six approached A.K., who was watching something that made her heart ache.
"Daring Do ruined our town and stole our precious glowpaz! We need to make sure that if she turns up again, there will be consequences! Everypony who's with me, meet at the statue tomorrow!" the cloaked stallion said, as the townsponies agreed with comments.
"The nerve of that pony! Just who does he think he is?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I think I know who we're dealing with," Chase said, squinting at the stallion.
"Now I'm getting blamed for things I didn't even do? Why would I steal from them?" A. K. Yearling sighed with sadness.
"They are super bad!" Pinkie said out loud before she added with a smile. "But we're still staying the night, right?" She held up a muffin and ate. "Because I already ate all the free muffins."
"I think food is the least of our problems right now, Pinks." Antonio said with a concerned look.
"Try to focus on what's more important than meals at the moment, okay?" Jade asked sternly as Pinkie smiled in reply.
Chase narrowed his eyes at the cloaked stallion with suspicion.
"Is it just me or does something about that stallion look familiar?" Chase asked while glaring at the stallion.
"Listen, A.K., after a goodnight's sleep, we're gonna fix all of this." Rainbow said, putting a hoof on A.K.'s back in a comforting way as she smiled. "I promise."
"In fact, we all do." Chase added with a smile on his face as his family shared smiles with each other.
A.K. smiled gratefully at the six ponies.
(Scene changes)
The next day, the ponies met the cloaked stranger at the statue.
"I shouldn't be here, Rainbow Dash. This is never gonna work," A. K. Yearling said with worry.
"Of course it will!" Rainbow scoffed. "All I have to do is go up there and explain to everypony how wrong they all are."
"Just don't do anything stupid up there like you always do." Chase said bluntly, making his family and Pinkie snicker loudly.
Rainbow glared at Chase indignantly.
"Yeah! And then I'll be like, "What she said!" Well, you know," Pinkie Pie said.
"Easy-peasy-cheesy..."A. K. Yearling sighed.
"Exactly!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Look, we know this is hard, but don't give up hope like we always do." Jade said to A.K. with a smile.
"But Jade, you and the rest of your family are the Elite Ninja. You've never been able to deal with disasters before." A.K. argued.
"That's because we never gave up hope from when we always took on the Quinkan." Chase said with a smile. "Now this is your chance to fix all of this."
"Here it is! Your — Our beloved Somnambula statue! Now that Daring Do has destroyed it, tell me, where will we hang our glowpaz?" the cloaked stranger asked.
"We don't even have any glowpaz because they were stolen by Daring Do!" said a random villager.
The Elite Ninja, Pinkie, Rainbow, and A.K. looked at each other worriedly as the citizens continued to shout angrily. Rainbow snorted with a confident smile as she flew into the scene and stood before the crowd.
"Daring Do would never steal anything! And okay, she destroyed your statue by accident, but it was because she was trying to save you all from Ahuizotl!" Rainbow said, stopping the shouting.
The crowd murmured to each other in confusion about who she was talking about.
"Ahuizotl? He's about yea big? Long neck? Itty-bitty face? Weird claw thingy on his tail?" Rainbow asked while describing Ahuizotl.
"Oh! Oh!" Pinkie said, bouncing up to two ponies. "I know him! He's a big bady!"
Hearing this caused the crowd to murmur to each other in fear. The mysterious cloaked stallion cringed nervously. Chase saw this as he looked at the stallion with suspicion.
"Trust me, if Ahuizotl had gotten away with the Doomed Diadem, your entire village would have been swallowed up!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Rainbow Dash is right! You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves thinking someone as heroic like Daring Do would steal everything from you! Well, she wouldn't! 'Cause I know her best," Sunray added.
"See what I mean? If this so-called "Somnambula" were here, she'd forgive Daring Do and accept her apology if Daring ever helped rebuild the statue," Rainbow Dash said.
"But if Somnambula were here, she would condemn Daring Do for destroying your– our symbol of hope!" said the cloaked stranger.
The ponies then argued and walked away, until the stranger walked away as well. Chase was looking down at the ground with something on his mind.
"What's troubling you, your majesty?" A voice said. Chase turned around and saw Cortland.
"I don't know why you're so angry at Daring Do for destroying your statue, but she was only trying to protect you," Chase said. "It's just not fair." Chase suddenly looked at the remains of the statue and. "Who does that statue represent, anyway?"
"This sacred statue is the namesake of our town," Cortland said, "But if you want to understand us, you must first understand her."
"Who?" Trini asked with curiosity.
"She goes by the name that is also the name of our town, Somnambula." Cortland said.
"Is she another legend?" Jade asked.
"Yes, she is, Jade." Cortland said. "Long ago..."
flashback
"...this village fell prey to an evil Sphinx who demanded most of their crops. Like her fellow villagers, Somnambula didn't have much, but she used what she had to keep others from giving up hope. The son of the Pharaoh, Prince Hisan, was so moved by her compassion that he decreed nopony would go hungry again. But when Hisan stood up to the Sphinx, the beast captured him, telling the Pharaoh the only way to get Hisan back was to solve her riddle. Nopony would volunteer to save the prince. Nopony except Somnambula." Cortland narrated the story of Somnambula of how the villagers were fallen prey by a Sphinx that had wings, purple and light pink stripes, and egyptian wear for clothing.
All of the villagers were devestated by the sight to give away the goods for the Sphinx, except for a Pegasus with a light orange fur coat, dark aquamarine mane and tail, wore egyptian clothing, purple eyes, and a pearl necklace.
Then she gave up her necklace to trade it away for the crops for an elderly mare, making her smile gratefully at Somnambula. Then came a dark blue Pegasus prince with royalty egyptian clothing, light blue mane and tail, and green eyes. He was impressed with Somnambula's compassion to decree nopony would go hungry again. Soon he confronted the Sphinx, only to be captured by the monster and brought him to her pyramid. Everypony out of fear didn't volunteer to rescue the prince, but Somnambula did with determination.
Somnambula flew to the pyramid, where the Sphinx held Hisan captive, and then landed on the ground to confront the beast.
"The Sphinx gave her the riddle." Cortland continued as the Sphinx smirked at Somnambula greedily.
"I shine brightest in the dark. I am there but cannot be seen. To have me costs you nothing. To be without me costs you everything," The Sphinx said through Cortland's voice.
"As Somnambula thought of the hardship she and her fellow villagers had experienced, she instantly knew the answer." "Hope!", she shouted." Cortland continued to narrate.
The Sphinx roared with anger, and then stomped her paws on the ground.
"The Sphinx was so enraged, it seemed she might still refuse to release the prince, so Somnambula asked her for one more challenge. But if she accomplished it, the Sphinx would leave from the kingdom forever. The Sphinx quickly agreed, asking only that Somnambula walk to the prince across a deep chasm... blindfolded! Further, the Sphinx had cast a powerful spell that prevented Somnambula from flying." Cortland said as the Sphinx cast a spell over Somnambula's eyes to blind fold her as well as her wings to prevent her from flying.
The Sphinx laughed evilly at what she did to Somnambula, as she pushed her over the bridge.
"But Somnambula never lost hope! She knew she'd need to make a leap of faith to save the prince. Guided by the sound of the prince's voice... she easily made it across." Cortland continued to narrate as Somnambula continued her way to Prince Hisan.
The Sphinx got angry again and then flew away to never return. Somnambula then freed Prince Hisan from the capture and then he removed the blindfold from her eyes.
"The Pharaoh asked how Somnambula prevailed, and she explained that she had always hoped she could make things better for her people and that hope had carried her through. The Prince replaced the pearls Somnambula gave up with a string of glowpaz. And around her neck, they glowed bright enough to light the entire kingdom." Cortland concluded.
Flashback ended
"Forever after, glowpaz became our symbolic jewelry of hope," Cortland finished.
"Wow... My family, friends, and I had no idea how special the statue is. Somnambula sounds like a pretty compassionate pony. So what happened to her then?" Chase asked.
"She disappeared later on, mysteriously without a trace," Cortland said.
"Just like Rockhoof, Mistmane, and Flash Magnus," Jade replied. "If she were still here, I'd ask her for a chance for me to never give up hope like how she would've, and probably for Daring Do also."
"She would also tell you how cool Daring Do is too, because they've both fought to protect this town!" Rainbow Dash added.
"If Somnambula were here today, she would condemn Daring Do for destroying your– our symbol of hope!" the hooded stallion said.
Rainbow Dash suddenly saw the cloaked stranger with a grin on his muzzle, and then looked at him angrily.
"Hey, you! What did Daring Do ever do to you to deserve all of this?!" Rainbow asked.
"Only... everything!" The pony replied, after removing his cloak. It was Dr. Caballeron.
"Dr. Caballeron?!" Rainbow asked.
"Yes, Rainbow Dash!" Dr. Caballeron replied, with an evil laugh. "When I saw you, her closest friend, I knew that Daring Do and her meddling griffon friend would not be far behind. I really do owe you for leading them right to me."
"No! I didn't mean to!" Rainbow said nervously, realizing the situation she was in.
"Thank you for helping me break Daring Do's spirit by destroying her reputation, but I can't have you running off and telling her my plan," Dr. Caballeron said, until he whistled for his henchmen, until they tied up Rainbow with rope, and put white cloth over her eyes, and took her hostage.
"Help!" Rainbow shouted in fear, causing the Elite Ninja, Pinkie, and A.K. Yearling to look at the scene in shock.
"Dash!" Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio shouted in shock.
"Caballeron?! No!" A.K. shouted angrily.
"I figured it was him the whole time, and my hunch was right," Chase said.
"You and us both, Chase." Jade said in agreement as she and the rest of her family glared at Caballeron.
"He's got Rainbow Dash! Come on!" Pinkie Pie replied.
"We gotta stop them!" Chase added as he led the way with his family and Pinkie following behind him to rescue Rainbow.
(Scene changes)
Later on, the Elite Ninja and Pinkie were lost in the desert searching for their friend.
"We're... coming... Rainbow... Dash..." Pinkie Pie said, panting to catch her breath. It was then that Daring Do appeared. It was enough to make Pinkie and the Elite Ninja smile. "Ah! I knew you'd come!"
"You did? Well, I sure didn't. What if I cause more trouble?" Daring Do asked.
"You won't!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Really? How do you know?" Daring Do asked.
"I just do! Besides, you wouldn't let anything bad happen to Rainbow. You care too much," Pinkie Pie said.
"She's got a point, you know," Chase added.
"And we don't let that happen to our friends." Trini added confidently.
"Trust us." Sunray said with a smirk. "There's no other way we can let that happen to those who are in danger."
"You know what? You're right," Daring Do replied, and then she took out her binoculars. "Which way did they go?"
She saw the oasis up close, and then she saw Caballeron and his henchmen running towards the pyramid.
"To the pyramid!" Daring Do said.
"Come on!" Chase said as the six ran for the pyramid.
A.K. Yearling only stayed behind with concern.
(Scene changes)
As they got inside, they heard Rainbow's voice.
"Somepony help!" Rainbow screamed as the seven stopped at a ledge. "Somepony! Anypony!"
"Rainbow!" Chase shouted to her.
"Chase? Sunray! Trini? Jade? Antonio? Pinkie Pie? Daring Do? Is that you?!" Rainbow asked.
"Don't worry, Rainbow! We'll save you!" Pinkie Pie said.
They saw the pool of glowing green bubbling slime, and then they had no idea how to get across without the bridge in place. They suddenly heard Dr. Caballeron's cackle, and looked up at the ceiling.
"If my previous plan didn't cause you to give up, Daring Do, then the shame of losing your dear friend Rainbow Dash to the slime will! Oh, and that ancient magic from the legend is real. There'll be no flying in the pyramid! Good luck, Daring Do!" Caballeron shouted with an evil smile.
He cackled again, and escaped by trapping the heroes in the pyramid.
The pillar started to move, and Rainbow tried to struggle free. Daring Do and Chase tried to move their wings, but they wouldn't budge.
"He's right! We'll never get to her in time!" Daring Do said with worry.
"Hold on, we can't give up yet, Daring Do." Chase said with a determined look. "I know there's another way to get to Rainbow Dash."
"Chase's right! If this really is like Somnambula's story, then we just have to have hope that we can," Pinkie Pie said.
"I think we need more than hope, Pinkie. There was a bridge in the story, and there's no bridge here. What are we going to do?" Trini said.
Rainbow kept frighteningly whimpering as she kept trying to get free.
"I don't know, but Rainbow is our friend. Just like Somnambula, we need to make a leap of faith and hope that we can save her!" Pinkie Pie replied, as she was about to jump off the edge.
"Pinkie, wait!" Jade said, pulling Pinkie back. "I think I have just the idea for you and Daring Do to get to the other side."
Jade brings out some rope. She managed to anchor the rope with a stake and a rock to the wooden planks where they stood, then pointed her horn to use her magic and secured the grappling hook to the pillar.
"This should help you guys to get to the other side!" Jade instructed. "But hurry! We don't have much time before the goop gets to Rainbow!"
"Come on, Pinkie!" Daring Do said, as they both crossed the rope over to the other side.
"I knew we'd do it!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling happily.
"Thanks for reminding me to never give up hope, guys," Daring Do replied.
"And I'm kinda "hoping" you ponies will untie me before we all take a bath in bubbling green slime?!" Rainbow Dash said.
"We're on it!" Daring Do replied.
Daring Do untied the ropes that binded Rainbow as Pinkie took off the blind fold.
With Rainbow untied, the three crossed over the line back to the Elite Ninja as Jade undid the grappling hook before she made the rope disappear. The three ponies were safely back with the Elite Ninja.
"Come on, we gotta stop Caballeron!" Chase said as he led the way out of the pyramid with the others following him, until they saw Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies running for the village.
"We can still stop them! Come on!" Chase said, and they all nodded with brave faces and rushed back to the village.
(Scene changes)
Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies were walking out of the village with the sack. Suddenly, Daring Do stood in front of them.
"Not so fast, Caballeron!" Daring Do shouted, gaining everypony's attention.
The Elite Ninja joined Daring Do as they glared at Caballeron angrily. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Gale surrounded the henchponies, as they dropped the sack, revealing the glowpaz stones and necklaces, as one of the pieces touched a mare's hoof.
"You stole our glowpaz!" The mare named Nile Faras said, furiously pointing at Caballeron and his crew. The ponies of Somnambula made angry and disappointed comments at the bandits.
"I should've known you were just trying to sully my name so that you'd be free to steal whatever you wanted," Daring Do said angrily.
"Of course that was the plan, Daring Do!" Dr. Caballeron said. "At first I just wanted all the glowpaz, but then I saw an opportunity to write you out of the story for good!" Caballeron then cackled evilly, as the other ponies gasped at what he said. "And with the destruction you leave in your wake, it didn't take too much to convince ponies you were a villain!"
"You're wrong, Caballeron," Daring Do said. "And I won't let you break my spirit again. Because I'm never going to give up hope that I can protect ponies and ancient treasures from miscreants like you!"
The townsponies made agreeable comments with Daring Do.
"Just like Somnambula would do," Chase added.
"And to make sure that they won't be lost without hope." Jade added as well with a firm look she and her family sent to villains.
Daring Do then nodded, and then Caballeron thought of a lie quickly.
"R-Remember! Sh-She ruined your statue! You're all fools to believe in her!" Caballeron stuttered before he glared angrily at Daring Do.
The ponies didn't fall for it, and then kept surrounding the villains. Dr. Caballeron growled in frustration.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, DARING DO!" Caballeron shouted as he and his crew began to flee without the glowpaz.
The ponies of Somnambula cheered for Daring Do while also picking her up to praise her as she smiled.
"Okay, okay, that's enough," Daring Do said, and then they put her down. She then walked up to Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Pinkie, and Rainbow. "Thanks for helping me come to my senses. You seven are true friends."
"Are you kidding? That... was... awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah! We're just glad you're back to your normal self again!" Pinkie Pie said.
Daring Do giggled.
"Me too. I'm glad that I realized that even if you're fighting for something good, you're still responsible for your actions, no matter what happens." Daring Do said.
"And if something bad happens that you didn't intend, you shouldn't give up hope or lose faith in yourself," Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah! All you gotta do is make it right," Pinkie Pie added.
"Umm, could you use that in your next book?" Jade asked.
"You know, since you've helped me believe in myself, I think I will," Daring Do said.
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both squealed in excitement and laughed. Chase and his family chuckled in amusement as Daring Do walked up to them.
"And thanks for helping gain my confidence back, guys. If it weren't for you, I never would have." Daring Do said, gratefully to the Elite Ninja with a smile.
"Anything to help out a friend of ours." Chase said with a smile.
"And if there's any trouble going on around here again, we'll be waiting to make sure that this won't ever happen. Because the Elite Ninja will also be there to help those that need hope." Antonio added with a confident smile. "Whatever evil emerges, we'll be ready! Cause we're awesome!"
"That's right, Antonio. And we'll do it together." Chase said in agreement with a smile he shared with the group.
(Scene changes)
Soon things went back to normal for the citizens of Somnambula. Cortland got a new apple cart from a unicorn mail stallion courtesy of Daring Do.
Mrs. Trotsworth got a huge bag of bits from Daring Do as well for her payment, making her smile as she tore down the poster of the adventure pony to replace it with Caballeron's poster.
Very soon, the statue of Sonambula was repaired as the citizens cheered for the newly rebuilt statue. A.K. Yearling smiled at the sight before she walked off screen somewhere else.
Unknown to any of them, hiding behind a building was a shadowy figure witnessing everything that transpired today. The figure quickly jumped on the roof of the building while watching everypony gather at the statue.
The figure stepped forward to reveal none other than Tai Lung as he smirked evilly in the process.
"Well, Chase, his family, and friends may have saved Daring Do's reputation." Tai Lung said wickedly, bringing up a necklace of glowpaze in his right paw hand. "But they didn't bring every glowpaze back to the ponies. Master Zhao will be interested to turn these fabeled jewels into magical energy for our army soon enough. Once the Pillars of Equestria return, Stygian will belong to us now and forever."
Tai Lung chuckled sinisterly as he put the glowpaze in his bag.
Then he jumped from building to building without being seen before the anthropomorphic feline disappeared into the mountains without a trace.
Author's note: Hey, guys.
Here's the eighteenth chapter of the season. I did my best on this one so I hope you like it.
Peace out!