Little Lost Raichu
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Chapter 22
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Rise of the Talkative One
“Hey, wake up already! We’re here!”
Nica stretched her limbs and yawned, finding herself perched on Quibble’s back. The landscape filled with trees, hills, and rocky formations was replaced with endless sand. She sat up and peeked from behind her ride’s neck, seeing a town filled with square rocky buildings, tents, and one large pyramid in the background. Numerous shopping stands were present at the main entrance. It’s… so hot… She wiped a few drops of sweat from her forehead, feeling the hot air in her lungs and rays of the sun warming her from above. Cold snowy mountains… love-em… Hot deserts… not so much.
She glanced to her right at the focused and firm face of Daring Do, though most of it was hidden behind her glasses and large hat, while the violet cape covered most of her body. Nica peeked into her own shoulder-bag, only to be met with the pleading eyes of the tired rat who was supported against a bottle of water. “Are you thirsty?” she asked, catching Patrick’s full attention. He squeaked and nodded energetically.
She pulled the bottle out and opened it, dripping a bit of water into the bottle cap before holding it on the bronze edge of her paw in front of the rat, who licked the fresh water eagerly. After ensuring that her little friend was refreshed, she glanced at the bottle and licked her lips, her throat dry. After taking three gulps, she wiped her mouth and sighed in satisfaction.
Using her tail, she picked up another bottle and presented it in front of Daring Do.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Daring said, accepting the gift.
Nica presented another bottle to Quibble who pushed it aside.
“Maybe later. Priorities first.” He unlocked his saddlebag and peeked inside, only to groan. “Ponyfeathers, I forgot my newspaper. Nevermind, I can do without them,” he muttered. He looked around over the marked area, and next approached an old stallion.
Nica glanced at the wrinkles on the pony’s forehead and neck. He had a red two-layered mane and beard, and wore a headband with a small bronze jacket. His legs… so thin… Her ears drooped as she now looked at the tall pony in growing sadness, wishing for nothing but to buy him a large hay sandwich and a big stack of sweets. Poor guy.
“Excuse me, Mr… May I take a bit of your time?” Quibble asked.
“Y-yes? How can I help you?”
“I’m a fan of a pony named Daring Do and her adventures. After I read an article about her causing damage in this area, I could hardly believe it and decided to come here to learn the truth.” He held forehoof on his chest. “I came a long way and I would be very grateful for information about her.” He glanced at the damaged stand and next picked a few bits form his saddlebag, holding them in front of the old pony. “Of course, I’m willing to compensate you for your time.”
The stallion stared at the bits and sighed before taking them into his pocket. “That’s very thoughtful of you. Of course, I would answer your questions anyway, but my business took a heavy hit not long ago,” he spoke in calm voice before narrowing his eyes. “What you learn from me will possibly destroy the image of your idol. Are you still willing to listen?”
“Of course.”
The elderly pony stepped to the side and pointed at his stand: A damaged wagon with one broken wheel, several planks covering a hole, an old damaged umbrella, and some sort of box supporting the part of the wagon with no wheels. It didn’t support it for long as the stand fell apart, tipping over two baskets filled with apples. “Your idol destroyed my apple cart.” He pointed at the rubble in distance and added, “And our priceless statue!”
Not wasting a moment, Nica jumped from Quibble and ran towards the apples, gathering them together from the dusty ground with her paws and tail, putting them into the baskets. She glanced at the damaged cart and rubbed back of her neck. I have no clue how I am supposed to fix that. Having Master Gabby around would be really helpful right now.
“Thank you, little one,” the old pony said, patting her on the head. She returned the gesture with a warm smile and nuzzled his foreleg.
“Indeed, Daring Do is a menace who destroys everything she touches.”
Nica, Quibble and the disguised Daring glanced towards the source of voice, now seeing a greyish-brown stallion with a red coat covering most of his features. A white scarf was present on his neck while a grey beard covered most of his face.
Quibble took a few steps forward, taking a closer look. “You… you can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am. Daring Do is–”
“That’s not what I meant!” Quibble interrupted before approaching the somewhat depressed-looking Daring Do. He pointed at the hooded figure and whispered, “Please tell me you recognize this pony.”
“Of course I do,” Daring said, bringing smile to Quibble’s face. “It’s one of the worried citizens I hurt with my reckless actions.”
Quibble’s jaw dropped as he stared at his idol in disbelief. “Oh come on!” He facehooved. “Fineee… I’ll play by your stupid rules on this stupid adventure.” He turned around and forced a smile. “So… suspiciously-clothed gentlepony, what can you tell me about Daring Do?” He raised a forehoof up to his forehead in a dramatic pose. “As hurtful it is for me to listen how my idol did such horrible deeds, I can’t avert my eyes from the truth.”
Nica approached the coated stallion, sensing a large mix of auras. One in particular seemed to be malice, plenty of it. She glared up at him with a soul-piercing stare.
“I feel sorry for you, idolising such a terrible pony, but the facts are undeniable.” He gestured over the town, pointing at many leftovers of damage while ponies nodded to his words in agreement. “Daring Do ruined the lives and businesses of many hardworking ponies, not caring for their well-being, and the worst of all…” he paused as Nica’s face was but centimeters away from his muzzle, looking at him with judging stare. “Can you stop staring at me you large rat thingy,” he shouted, stomping in front of Nica who leaped back, performing a backflip. ”I mean… would you kindly stop staring at me while I’m speaking?”
“Nica, please stop bothering the nice gentlepony. He’s providing us with so much truthful information,” Quibble said with a grin.
“I… I need to collect my thoughts,” said the disguised Daring Do before walking away with a lowered head.
Nica looked at the disguised heroine in sadness, only to be pushed behind the wall of a nearby house by Quibble, his face serious and an aura filled with anger.
“I have an important mission for you, one that can save Daring Do’s reputation and restore her adventurous spirit,” Quibble said, picking up a small camera from his saddlebag and pushing it into Nica’s embrace. “That pony we just met is one of Daring Do’s recurring enemies, and by the rules of Daring Do adventures, no matter how poor, disguises always work.”
“And you want me to spy on him?”
“You catch on quickly,” Quibble said with a satisfied smile. “Do you know how to use a camera?” Nica nodded. “Of course you would. All it takes is to press of one button, after all. What about stealth, are you good at that?”
“I… think… According to my memories, I was sometimes sent to spy on criminals alongside my Gligar companion, but I was a Pikachu back then. I’m not sure if being a bigger Raichu will make it easy on me.”
Quibble shook his forehoof dismissively. “Don’t worry, he’s a Daring Do villain and we’re on a Daring Do adventure. By the rules that keep repeating themselves in her books, Dr. Caballeron is too stupid and self-absorbed to spot you.” He pointed at the camera. “Just take photos of anything that we can use as evidence against him. In the meanwhile, I’ll tell Daring Do what’s going on.”
Nica saluted. “Consider it done.”
“Great. Once you get the proof, meet me at the local inn. I will wait for you in the lobby.”
Quibble peeked from behind the building, his eyes on a hooded stallion who seemed to be performing some sort of speech in front of a crowd. “Now’s your chance, go for it.” He watched as the long-tailed critter ran towards a nearby building and jumped onto the roof. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the desert, approaching a mare in the distance. Once close enough, he placed his forehoof on Daring’s shoulder, who kept staring at the sand in silence.
“You were right.”
“Huh?” Quibble blinked in confusion as his heroine turned around and was now stared him in the eyes.
“Compensating those ponies for the damage I did is something I should consider first. Instead, I tried to quit, running away from my responsibilities like a coward,” Daring said in a saddened tone.
Quibble looked to the side. “Listen… as much as I want to let you have such important character development and stuff, I think first you should know something important.”
“Important? I’m all ears.”
Quibble nodded before stomping, his hoof sinking deeply into the sand. “Yes, important, like, for example, the fact that this hooded pony is Dr. Caballeron!”
“Dr. Caballeron? Really?” Daring asked.
Quibble groaned. “Seriously? You have faced him over and over and over again, and you still couldn’t recognize him under that poor disguise? For crying out loud, I’ve met the guy only once and I can already tell it was him!” He held forehoof on his forehead and added, “You’re hopeless.”
Daring Do blushed strong red and lowered her hat to hide it. “Fine… I admit, I’m not the most perceptive pony.”
“Well, you were more perceptive in in your first series before you decided to push it all aside for the sake of thrills,” Quible said in annoyance. “I mean, you’re exploring dangerous temples! Don’t you think paying attention to small details is important? The number of traps you started activating grew quite a lot on your third–” He paused, and his attention shifted to two ponies in the distance. He raised a forehoof, holding it to protect his eyes from the harsh sun. “Is that… Rainbow Dash?”
Daring Do turned around in an instant, taking a moment to stare at the distance before nodding. “It is her! But what is she doing here? And who’s her companion?”
Both ponies looked up, watching as the pegasus descended in their direction. They raised their forelegs defensively, protecting their eyes from spreading sand due to Dash’s hard landing.
The pink pony jumped from pegasus’s back a moment later.
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?” Quibble asked.
“That’s my line,” Daring interrupted as she jumped ahead of Quibble. “Rainbow Dash, why are you here? It can’t be just a coincidence.”
“Hey, Daring Do, it’s great to see you again! We read about…” Dash looked away form the disguised mare and asked, “Quibble? What are you doing here?”
“I asked first.”
Dash puffed his chest and said, “I’m here to recover Daring Do’s reputation so she won’t quit adventuring, obviously.”
“And I'm here to help in anyway I can!” Pinkie said with a cheerful smile. “The name’s Pinkie Pie, by the way. Hello, Daring Do, nice meeting you.” She shook Daring's forehoof energetically, causing her hat to fall off.
“Same here. When I heard that she was quitting, I decided to push aside everything and help any way I could. Seems like I beat you to it,” Quibble said with a smirk.
“Really? I didn’t think you had it in you,” Dash said.
“I was hesitant at first, but after I hired a competent bodyguard, I felt confident enough to face any danger that this scenario would involve.” He approached Rainbow Dash and poked her chest. “Good to have a fellow fan and national heroine on board. Now that the dream team is together, nothing will stop us.”
Their reunion was interrupted upon hearing a loud laugh.
Daring Do took a moment to calm down and next wiped tears of joy form her eyes. “Wow—I mean, wow—I have never felt so happy to have loyal fans like you two. It’s touching.” She forced a serious stare. “But no telling that I was acting sappy to anyone, got it?”
“Sure thing,” Dash said before flapping her wings in excitement. “So, are you both here to convince the ponies living here how awesome Daring Do really is?”
“Can we help in any way?” Pinkie asked.
Quibble shook his forehoof. “No need. I already have it covered. As we speak, my bodyguard is spying on Dr. Caballeron, gathering evidence that we can use to put down his – rather clever plan for his standards – to ruin Daring Do’s reputation.”
“Speaking of a bodyguard, who are they?” Dash asked, now staring curiously.
“A Raichu named Nica,” Qubble said.
Dash’s eyes became wide. “Did you say a Raichu named Nica?”
“Yes. After I read about how she took down the mob by herself, I knew she was perfect for the job,” Quibble said.
Dash’s eye twitched.
“I must admit, even I would be afraid to attack the mob in Manehattan. She must be really something,” Daring Do complemented.
Rainbow Dash’s mouth was agape as she stared at Daring Do in disbelief.
“Oh, so Nica is here? How cool is that?” Pinkie said before looking at her friend. “You hear that, Dashie? You can finally meet her after all this time! Ummm… Dash, are you feeling okay?”
“Okay?” Dash smiled cheerfully. “Am I okay?” She glared in rage. “Of course I’m okay.” Her eye twitched. “I have been trying to meet that Raichu for the past two weeks.” She flew up and spread her limbs. “Finally! After all this time I get to meet her!”
“What about helping Daring Do?” Pinkie asked.
“It can wait…” Dash gasped in terror. “I can’t believe I just said that! Daring, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that your reputation isn’t important. It’s just that this Raichu I heard about sounds so awesome… ugh…”
Daring Do whispered to Pinkie, “Is she always acting like that?”
“Not really. She acts like that only when meeting ponies she admires. You should’ve seen how she reacted to the Wonderbolts.”
Nica walked on four legs with a lot of struggle as sweat fell down her forehead and cheeks, yet her head was raised in pride. The camera was safe in her shoulder-bag while Mr. Patrick was sitting on her shoulder. A large bag twice Dr. Caballeron’s size was wrapped by her tail as she pulled it, leaving a trail on the ground. While following the bad pony, she discovered that by sensing his aura, she could just follow him out of sight at all times. It didn’t take long before the bad pony led her to his hideout, say his plan out loud to his henchmen and leave more stolen goods hidden in some sort of abandoned destroyed house behind desks under the floor.
The camera proved easy to use. Her trainer from time to time asked her to do various tasks, and lucky, taking a group picture was one of them.
She stopped and sat, breathing heavily before wiping sweat from her forehead. Mr. Patrick licked her cheek and squeaked sadly at her.
“Can I help you?”
Nica and the rat looked at the earth pony, who stared at them in pity.
“That bag is four, or maybe even five times your size. I can’t just watch you struggle so much.”
Nica smiled warmly. “My paws hurt a little, so I’ll gladly accept your help.” She looked around. “Do you know where the inn is, by any chance?”
“This way.” The earth pony pointed at nearby building, which was more or less a hundred steps away. As he pressed his head against the large bag, he asked, “It sure is heavy. What’s inside?
“To be honest, I’m not sure,” Nica said before pushing herself to a standing position, pulling the large bag despite her tired paws. “My boss told me that the pony wearing the red hood is trying to ruin Daring Do’s reputation, and asked me to spy on him and get evidence against him.”
“You mean, the one who has been giving speeches on how Daring Do ruined the town?”
“That’s the one.” Nica answered. “I took some pictures of how he was stealing and transporting some green shining stuff. I also overheard him saying to his workers how he would get out of the town with glowpaz and pin the blame on Daring Do.”
The earth pony stopped and started at the bag in shock. “You… you don’t mean that inside this bag is…”
“It is. He hid all the stolen goods under the floor in some damaged building, so I snuck in when he was away and took it. Now I’m trying to deliver the pictures and this bag to Quibble as evidence so he can clear Daring Do’s name.”
The earth pony quickly peeked inside the bag before gasping. “I… I’ll be right back.”
Nica rounded the bag and gave the escaping pony a confused glance. She shrugged and opened the door of the inn before pushing the bag inside.
“Let us help.”
Nica heard an unfamiliar voice, and the bag suddenly felt lighter. A pony or three most likely pulled from the other side. With the bag in the middle of the inn, she rounded it and politely bowed her head. “Thank you.”
“You’re wel–” The blue pegasus paused and started to stare intensely.
“Oh, hello Nica! Nice to see you again!” Pinkie said as she started to bounce in place.
“So, how did the spying go? Got any dirt on Caballeron?” Daring Do asked while standing next to Pinkie.
“How did your mission go? Tell me everything,” Quibble asked while perched on a sofa, his face firm and devoid of emotions.
Nica puffed her chest and poked it. “I got pictures of the hooded pony stealing some green stuff, and next took the stolen goods from his hideout.” She poked the bag next to herself. “I brought them all here.” Nica’s proud smile vanished as her attention shifted towards the pegasus who now stared at her with a toothy smile and wide eyes while an aura of excitement grew in strength at an alarming speed. She took a step back and her ears drooped. “W-why are you staring at me like that?”
Out of reflex, Nica jumped to the side, just in time to avoid being grabbed. The pegasus didn’t give up though, making a sharp turn and capturing her between her hooves.
“So you’re Nica, that Raichu that Twilight told me about. I’ve heard so much about you. You have no idea how many times I tried to meet you.”
Nica grit her teeth upon being squeezed in a strong hug, only to be released a moment later as the pegasus flew in circles, making ten rounds in only three seconds.
“The name’s Rainbow Dash by the way. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about me as well, saving Equestria, being a Wonderbolt and stuff.” Dash hovered above the ground and punched air. “I’ve heard that you’ve got crazy cool powers, can cut stuff with your tail, ran into a burning building to save lives, beat the mob into submission in the same day, and now you’re here clearing Daring Do’s name. That’s beyond awesome!”
“O-kay...” Nica said, her ears still dropped as she started walking backward on her two feet. While normally she enjoyed words of praise for job well done, in this case she felt different. Something about this pegasus… made her feel uncomfortable. “Actually… neither Twilight nor Starlight said a word about you. I heard about you mostly from Rarity.”
“Only from Rarity? Seriously?” Dash said, her excitement replaced with disappointment.
Nica nodded. “She told me you were always the first one to rush into danger, and while you have matured a lot, you’re still rough on the edges whenever something annoys you.”
Dash crossed her forearms and frowned. “Rough on the edges… I’ll remember that.” Her mood improved in an instant as she started flying around the critter, examining her features. “You don’t look intimidating. Fat belly, small paws and legs.” She poked her ears. “Your ears and tail look pretty cool though, especially the part shaped like lightning.” As Mr. Patrick started hissing at her, she added, “Your rat friend on your shoulder cramps your style, though. Not cool enough.” Dash yelped upon being bitten on the nose by the rat. “Fine fine, you’re cool too.”
Nica withdrew her tail from Dash’s hooves and smiled awkwardly.
“Calm down Dash. Give her some space,” Daring Do said.
“Fine…” Dash said as she landed, her ears and wings drooped.
The innkeeper approached the bag. Necklaces with pearls and green gems adorned her neck aside other jewelry, glasses were present on her face and a fancy violet dress covered most of her body. “Is this… what I think it is?” She opened the bag and her mouth opened agape.
Quibble approached Nica and exposed his forehoof. “Camera, please.”
Nica opened her shoulder-bag and did as she was told, now seeing a wide grin and sensing an odd aura. Her boss was planning something, and it wasn’t going to be anything pleasant.
The door into the inn shot open as angered crowd stepped inside, each pony armed with a random weapon, from something as simple as a frying pan to a sharp and intimidating scimitar. The tallest stallion stepped ahead of the group and pointed at the bag. “Where’s the thief who dared to steal our gifts?” He stomped, and his eyes narrowed.
Quibble chuckled and next shot Daring Do a sassy smile. “I hope you don’t mind that, today, I will be the one writing the scenario for your newest book.”
Breaking the spirit of his biggest enemy, ruining her reputation and pinning crimes on her while becoming rich, truly made that the best day of his life. At least, it was going to be after another speech—truly the best day of his life after years of trackings precious artifacts and selling them on the black market for profit. No annoying Daring Do was going to ruin his plan. With his biggest obstacle removed, only riches and victories lay ahead of him.
At least, that’s what was supposed to happen.
He stood on a platform in front of a ruined statue, wondering why an angered crowd equipped with pitchforks, torches and blades were heading in his direction. Were they expecting him to point out the location of Daring Do so they could unleash their anger on her? As much as he wished to do so, Daring Do proved her survival skills again and again. Just letting her retire and get out of his way seemed to be a safer solution.
He raised his head proudly and was about to speak, only for Quibble to step ahead and give him an angered glare. He forced a smile, struggling not to glare back at the annoying pony. Some time ago, this very colt humiliated him with his criticism, complaining over and over how foolish his plans were and about his overall incompetence. Quibble’s words still haunted his mind. Using his imagination, he pictured Quibble sinking into a pool of lava… something he typically reserved only whenever eyeing Daring Do.
“Here it is,” he started, gesturing with his forehoof for the ponies to come closer. “The remains of your… I mean, our Somnambula statue.”
“Cut the act, Dr. Caballeron. No one’s buying it anymore,” Quibble said, now standing in front of the platform. He picked up something from his saddlebag with his mouth.
Caballeron stared curiously at the picture in the earth pony’s hooves, only to bite his bottom lip.
“I got evidence of you stealing from this town and returned all of your stolen goods.” Quibble gestured at the angered ponies. “Everypony already knows about your attempts to ruin Daring Do’s reputation.”
Caballeron’s eye twitched.
Rainbow Dash stepped forward. “We told everypony how Daring Do caused all the damage, while saving the whole town.”
“And they forgave me!”
Everyone looked at the pegasus wearing her signature hat standing atop of a nearby building.
Quibble pointed at the hooded pony. “But, they won’t be willing to forgive you.”
Caballeron grit his teeth, his blood starting to boil. He was supposed to have the best day of his life, opening the door to a bright future filled with riches and artifacts. That talkative brat, however, just had to show up and and ruin it all, and he dared to look back at him with that smirk?
In a rush of anger, he grabbed a nearby stone and threw it at Quibble’s face, only for it to be intercepted by the metallic tail of a large critter. “What the?” The stone shattered into dust before his very eyes.
“You can use your tail like that? That’s so cool!” Dash shouted, giving it an amazed look. The creature looked back in embarrassment.
“I don’t believe I have introduced my trusty bodyguard, Nica,” Quibble said as he patted the head of the Raichu, who slowly lowered her tail and started watching Caballeron’s every move. “Don’t let her size fool you. She’s capable of fighting gangs and is a hundred times more competent than any of your stupid minions.”
Caballeron groaned and started backpedalling, his eyes on Daring Do. Was the situation even salvageable? He had his loyal minions hiding behind the statue in case of an emergency, but they couldn’t fight off so many ponies. Much to his surprise, the blue pegasus flew onto the platform and started digging her hoof into his chest.
“It’s over Caballeron. Your plan failed a big time!”
He smirked. “Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong.” He whistled as his four followers stepped from behind the ruins of the statue and surrounded them, and with surprisingly little effort, tied the pegasus with a rope. With a smirk, he turned towards the crowd and said, “One step forward, and you can say goodbye to this here pony.”
“Taking hostages when you’re cornered, like the rat you are!” Daring Do shouted, her wings spread and eyes narrowed.
Caballeron looked away form Daring Do, now staring at Quibble who just kept grinning at him. Why was he so calm and confident?
“Boss, can I stop holding back and attack?” Nica asked.
“There won’t be a need for that just yet. Leave it to me,” Quibble said as he walked forward, taking slow steps towards the platform.
Caballeron stepped in his way and pointed at Rainbow Dash, “I said to stay away, unless you want your friend to enter a world of hurt!”
“Don’t listen to him! Kick their flanks, Daring Do!” Dash shouted, only for her mouth to be gagged.
Quibble glanced at a grey-blue bald pony with a mustache. “Hey, you.”
“Me?”
“You work for money, right? How much it would cost me for you to punch your boss in the face?”
“Ummm… Ten bits… He doesn’t pay us much anyway.”
Caballeron blinked in confusion and next gave his subordinate an angered glare. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Here’s twenty bits, make the punch memorable,” Quibble said as he threw small bags with bits in the pony’s direction.
Caballeron raised his forehooves defensively, yet it did little as the punch sent him flying from the platform. A hoofmark was now visible on his left foreleg.
Quibble approached the other three minions and gave them a firm stare. “Now, listen guys. You all know that, in the end, Daring Do will win anyway and kick your flanks, like she did over a hundred times before.” He pointed at the tied pegasus and added, “If you won’t free Rainbow Dash this instant, the fate that awaits you will be worse than all your defeats combined. So, will you free her?” He pointed at Nica. “Or should I ask my bodyguard to cut your limbs one at a time?”
Nica swung her tail, cutting a nearby stone half the size of a pony in half.
The three ponies gulped and did as they were told.
“What are you doing, you fools?” Caballeron asked.
“S-sorry boss. He’s… very convincing,” a minion wearing sunglasses said, fear clear in his voice. He pressed his teeth against the rope before pulling it, untying Rainbow Dash as quickly as he could.
Caballeron groaned in anger before pushing himself to a standing position, now facing the angered crowd. “Now, now… let’s be reasonable.”
Dash looked at Quibble in disbelief, her mouth agape. “W-wow… I… I have no words...” She was about to take a step forward, only to be stopped by his hoof.
“Not so fast, Dash. I know it’s a Daring Do adventure and stuff, but seriously? You just stood there in place for five seconds and let those ponies capture you?” He massaged his forehead. “I mean, come on! Aren’t you the Element Bearer who helped save Equestria while always being the first to rush into danger? I know that in Daring Do stories everyone except her is incompetent, but shouldn’t a hero like you at least try to fight back?”
Dash blushed. “W-well... “ She shook her head. “Is this even a good time to be discussing things like that?”
“Of course it is. From now on, we’re not going to follow the stupid rules of a Daring Do story, but my rules.” He glanced at the closest minion. “Hey, you, pick up that bag.” He glanced at minion wearing a hat. “And you, grab that rope.”
Both ponies did as they were told.
“Hey, stop commanding my minions!” Caballeron shouted, approaching the platform.
Quibble glanced at the bald minion and said, “Five extra bits for another punch.”
Caballeron stopped and laughed nervously. “S-six bits for not punching me!”
Quibble glanced at his bodyguard. “Nica, if he moves even an inch, slap him with your tail. Hard.”
Caballeron gulped, now staring at the smirking pokemon, not daring to move a single muscle.
Quibble looked back at Rainbow Dash and said, “Now we’re going to do it again, and we’re going to do it right.” He approached and whispered into her ear.
Caballeron looked away from the long-tailed bodyguard, noticing a wide grin on Dash’s face. He covered his eyes with his foreleg and his ears drooped at the noise of his minions being beaten up by the athletic pegasus in a direct combat.
Rainbow Dash stretched herself before looking proudly at the defeated ponies. “I must say, it was kind of satisfying.”
Quibble chuckled. “There’s no way I would allow you to be damsel in distress in the next Daring Do story.”
Caballeron stomped with both of his hooves. “Ugh… You’ll pay for this, Quibble Pants!” He turned around and ran, his minions not far behind him.
“Nica, do your thing,” Quibble said, winking at his bodyguard.
The large critter nodded before taking off her collar and giving chase, jumping over the escaping minions before spreading her ‘Thunderbolt’ over them.
Feeling the electricity seizing all control of his muscles, Caballeron struggled to raise his head, staring at feet of the critter. “W-what the…”
“Did you really think I would just let you go? I have evidence that you tried to steal this town’s most prized treasure, and plenty of witnesses of how you tried to pin the blame on somepony else.” Quibble lowered his head to take a close look into his eyes. “You and your buddies are going to jail, Caballeron.”
The crowd of ponies and Daring Do approached them from all sides.
Caballeron looked at Daring Do and next at Quibble and raised his trembling hoof. “Quibble… Pants… from now on… you’re my number one enemy. Once I’m out of prison… you’ll...”
“Blah, blah, blah. Spare me the revenge speech,” Quibble said with a roll of his eyes. “To think at one point I thought you were one of the better developed villains from Daring Do adventures. Such a disappointment.”
“I must say,” Daring Do said as she approached Quibble, giving him a proud smile. “When you told me you’d handle it without my help, you weren’t kidding.”
“You were incredible!” Dash shouted while standing on her rear hooves and spreading her forelegs.
Quibble crossed his arms. “I wish I could say the same about you both.” He gave Dash a stern glare. “I hope the whole ‘damsel in distress’ scenario won’t repeat itself, should you and Daring Do team up again.”
“Of course not! Who do you think I am?” Dash asked, her forehoof raised defensively.
Quibble ignored Rainbow Dash and turned to the adventurer. “And you, Daring Do: Why do you never lock the villains away or take them to the authorities? If you know they’ll try to get doom-bringing artifacts over and over, why do you let them go?” He frowned. “Are you afraid your stories will get boring without villains to get in the way?”
Daring Do rolled her eyes. “Here we go again. Quibble is back to normal. Well, it was nice as long as it lasted.”
"Oh, it's not over," Quibble said before gesturing to a tall stallion with a razor sharp blade between his teeth. The bulky grey pony's mane was a red mohawk, and on his flank was his scimitar cutie mark. "I decided to get a crew of my own and start adventuring, as well."
Daring Do blinked in confusion and then rubbed her eyes. “You what?”
“I noticed that all your adventures have predictable patterns and repeat themselves, so I thought, ‘why not take advantage of it?’ From now on, think of me as a rival.” He fixed his hat and stared at Daring Do with a smug face. “Instead of complaining about what’s lacking in your stories, I’ll bring it myself.”
Dash chuckled. “Okay, whatever badassery-improving drink you had, I want some.”
The group laughed cheerfully.
Nica sat next to Pinkie Pie in the shadow of a nearby house, watching the exchange from the sidelines. I wonder… If Quibble ever became a pokemon trainer, how far would he get? He seems clever enough. She looked at Rainbow Dash, feeling uncomfortable in her presence for some reason. Unlike all of Twilight’s and Starlight’s friends who showed her kindness, compassion and understanding, Rainbow Dash seemed to stand out in a negative way.
Her aura of excitement and energetic nature didn’t seem to be the problem, yet for some reason, whenever being near Rainbow Dash, she felt similar to her time in Trixie’s company: Annoyed. But why? When she first meet Trixie, she couldn’t stand her overblown ego, blinding pride, and superiority complex. Rainbow Dash, however, was acting more like an overly-enthusiastic fan, praising Daring Do, Quibble and her, so why didn’t she feel comfortable in her presence?
She shook her head. With the bad guys locked away and her job done, she had plenty of time to bond with Rainbow Dash. Some quality time together would certainly help them get along.
Nica narrowed her eyes as she looked towards the window of a nearby building, seeing a flashing blue eye for a fraction of second. The hostile aura she felt vanished in an instant. I better keep my eye on everypony from now on. I may be getting paranoid, but if there’s a risk that what I felt was the being who spreads curses, I better stay on guard.
It's probably because in the first five minutes of meeting rainbow dash, dash insulted her pet rat
Maybe Dash and Nica did meet (but then forgot due to this entity) due to Rainboom shenanigans, which started the whole story going?
Eh, just got back to reading this story, and you're kinda wrong here. Quibble thought that REAL Cabalieron was a fraud. His accent was off, and yadda-yadda. Also, while he is solved one riddle, here you make him HYPER competent. Like, Daring is supposed to be the expert, right? Quibble outdoes her right now. Keep writing....
It's just so awesome how Quibble Pants knows everything about how Daring Do's stories work and decided to defy all the tropes.
Interestingly, I did something similar in my story, The Lost Hero.
8892234
That may be one of the reasons.
8892369
Because he thought it was all fake from the get go. Only after seeing a gigantic monster and the real Daring Do, he believed that it wasn't staged.
Knowing that Dr. Cabalieron is a real pony who indeed was hunting for artifacts and facing Daring Do is more than enough reasons to memorize how he looked like and recognize him under disquise (since Quibble isn't affected by the tropes of Daring Do adventure, so from my point of view, I'm not wrong.
You don't like him as a character, I get it, and by number of upvotes your comment got, I can assume that many share your opinion. Still, keep in mind that this is my take on the character. If one pegasus named Daring Do can escape death hundreds of times while beating the same villains over and over, and if a group of mares can unlock magical artifacts and use them to protect Equestira form Nightmare Moon and Discord (Applejack is just a farm pony, Rainbow Dash was just a weather manager, Rarity was a fashionista, Pinkie was a party planner, Fluttershy took care of animals. They were just five ordinary ponies doing normal jobs, yet now they are a group of heroes more competent than all princesses and ponies in Equestira combined).
Quibble is just a civilian and his special talent is obviously related to talking and complaining, but he also showed that he can solve puzzles and locking mechanism very quickly (and he's not in rush to activate traps like Daring Do is), and he used tropes of Daring Do story to his advantage without realizing it. Let's just say that I saw a potential in this character and wanted to let him shine. So he's Hyper competent, what's wrong with that? If anything, Daring Do deserves to be nerfed, because whenever she's involved in the story, everyone around her becomes incompetent. Daring Do even often have broken wing or forgets she can fly just to force more tension, since otherwise she would be able to solve problems way too easily.
I know you and many others won't agree with me, but I made my peace with that.
Also, on side note, Quibble did mention that first series focused a lot on solving puzzles and resourceful thinking that Daring Do showed, but third series focused a lot on action scenes and imposible deeds. We can clearly see it as Daring Do's character development. She started as an inteligent pony who made her way through dangerous temples with inteligence, but then she tasted trills of adventures and loved it. She stopped thinking deep and long how to solve and problem and just started to rely on her athletic skills. She started activating more traps because she didn't mind facing them. Long story short, Daring Do isn't much of an expert. She's someone who started as clever adventurer, but over the years developed into athletic adventurer who prefer to rush into action. (She can still solve basic puzzles, but is no longer so great at it).
8892650
Thanks. It's nice to see that someone liked my take on Quibble. Pity that majority probably didn't like this chapter.
Found this story about a week ago and spent a lot of time reading all of it. I just wanted to say that I really like what you've made so far!
You write every character so engaging. Even though I stopped watching the show a long time ago, I still feel like I know the characters I haven't even yet (Pharynx, Ember, Quibble) so well.
Anyway, there is so much more praise I can give here but for the sake of time I'm not going to write all of it, I just wanted to let you know how much I'm liking it and to keep up the good work!
I just get why I love and hate Nica's thought process: she have the same that Quibble Pants have.( Also in my previous sentence should be "she have" or "she had"?)
8892979
That probably went to history classes and underwent SOME training...
They only did so because they possesed virtues. Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness. Through fate or random chance, it doesn't matter.
Can't argue with the last one, except for "blame the authors". I'd imagine that they gave her "idiot ball" to MAKE Quibble do something she can't. And seeing how Daring was still alive after all these years of investigating dangerous temples, I would think she should have solved the odd exit door number herself with little to no effort. You said Daring was nerfed. She was, and I hate that she was nerfed SO MUCH, that she can't match a CIVILIAN...
TL;DR:
Daring was made weak so Quibble can "show his stuff" and I hate that.
8894062
No offense, but when mane 6 was involved with Daring Do, they just stood there and watched how Daring Do was doing the fighitng (they didn't get involved until the very end). Whenever Rainbow Dash is on Daring Do adventure, she gets captured very easily (sometme because she act like overenthusiatic fan, other time she just stand there and let others capture her).
The villains invovled in Draing Do story are often incompetent as well so she can have her (trap-escping scene), which kind of weaken the message with Rainbow Dash helping Daring Do, because we all know that she was going to escape somehow anyway.
Long story short, everytime Daring Do adventure gets involved, everyone except Daring Do acts incompetent so that she can shine, so I see nothing wrong with Daring Do getting taste of her own medicine (being overshadowed by someone else for a change). And I still stand with my theory that as time went on, she becme so used to trills of facing danger that she stopped putting much thought and time into solving traps, and instead started rushing things (if she disarmed trap, good, if not, no biggie, she can handle it). If she solved all puzzles flawlessly, she would have no traps to face and didn't build up her surviving skills.
So I don't see it as her being nerfed, She simply gave up on her smart to focus on her athletic abilities, which is why Quibble started complaining about her stories so much. (I mean, why would first and second series involve impresive puzzle solving, and suddenly a big shift for the rest of the series where Daring Do started to show up her athletic skills and evade even most dangerous traps, performing impossible stunts. Daring Do changed, and Quibble showed a big talent for puzzle-solving ( and no doubt read tons of literature about it and practiced puzzle-solving, so while Quibble lack in experience, he would still surpass Daring Do who started to rush things ).
Quibble most likely did the same or even more. He seem passionte about this sort of stuff, so maybe his job is related to what Daring Do is doing, which is why he got into the series in the first place. He seem a Twilight type character, so he must be well-read.
In any case, you may like Daring Do and dislike Quibble, but with me it's the other way around. I didn't like her episode (where Dash is made into damsel-in-distress) and she and Pinkie had to jump into a big hole filled with acid to save her. That scene just didn't make sense to me. Considering that Rainbow Dash isn't the only big fan of Daring Do, and Quibble is so good at taking advantage of tropes, he was the best candidate to fix that episode. I know you and many others don't like it, but I wanted to show what Quibble is capaible of when he's actually trying to use his intelect rather than just go along blindly.
8893289
Don't worry, Nica will get help she needs futher on. She's just very easy to guilt, and being a strong electric pokemon with no memory of how to control her power isn't helping the maatter.
8893595
Thank you a lot for those encourging words.
Which chapter or aspect of the story is your favorite?
8893806
Similar? I fail to see that. Can you explain in what regard their thought process is similar?
8894202
She said to almost everyone she met that they should become better(smarter with use of their power to defend Equestria) on their jobs.(Guards, Twilight, Luna etc)
And Quibble always says that Daring became stupider after the first trilogy. That she should be better than that.
Similarity isn't big, but after reading the chapter with them one could see that.(Or maybe it just me)
The deference only that Nica has practical experience in field and Quibble have only theoretical experience.(Based on books he read)
8894228
I see what you mean.
Still, Nica is doing so because she's worried about others. From her point of view, if the most powerful figures don't have skills to use their power well, they can fail others when it matters the most (guards fail to defend the capital and prevent capture of the princesses, Twilight failing to shield her friends with her strong magic, Luna and Celestia relying on main 6 to solve all problems so much that if they fail, the most powerful alicorns in Equestira won't be reliable to protect their subjects. Luna, who has been saved by Twilight and her friends from the corruption never bothered to return the favor or learn teamwork with the very ones who helped her.
Nica was someone who has been taught that the stronger she is and the more she evolve, the harder she should work to help others and hone her skills. Having all this power while not being helpful fills her with guilt and anxiety. She worked herself to the bone and faced extreme challenges to deserve becoming a Raichu, because she think that the weakness that princesses and guards show is something that needs to be fixed in order to keep everyone safe. She wants Twilight to be skilled and fast enough to keep her friends from harm (considering that they often go on dangerous adventure to protect Equestira). She want Luna to be a good and reliable princess that can keep her subjects safe, as well as good friend who can return the favor to those who helped her. She wants guards to be able to protect themselves and civilians.
As for Quibble, at first he was angry that the story shifted from clever thinking and puzzle solving into action packed scenes where Daring Do no longer show her inteligence. Since he knows that she's real, in my story he's angry because Daring Do abandoned her clever side for the sake of her athletic side (rather than work on both). Quibble is a thinking-well-read kind of character who found simple solutions to overcomplicated scenrio.
So, to sumarize. Nica do what she does because she cares about others and being able to help them is what she wants. She want to protect others, but also can't stand when those possesing great power aren't working even 1/5 as hard as she does.
Quibble find easy solutions and can resist story-tropes, so he fight against situations where Rainbow Dash is forced is easy captured (so Daring Do could save her), and Daring Do not recognizing her enemy who she faced so many times. He also try to get evidence against the criminal and get him locked up (when Daring Do just beat them up and let them go so they can face her again and again and again...)
They are similar, true, but one want to help others improve because she's worried about safety of those who can't defend themselves, and because she had to work hard to deserve her own power. Quibble on the other side gets easily annoyed when those around him aren't acting smart, and want to fight it.
Daring, you've got a very BIZZARE perception check if you can spot traps but not ponies.
HAHAH you deserved that dash.
8894523
Cool, I hope that what you'll read will be worth that waiting. I hope you won't hesitate to leave some feedback (I really like replying to comments and stuff).
On a side note, did the story got your interest because it was a pokemon/MLP crossover, or it is more because Raichu is main focus in it?
8894721
Considering that I wrote this chapter a long time ago, I'm now starting to wonder if maybe a better response for Daring Do would be her saying that as she started to enjoy trills and adrenaline of a dangerous adventure, she was paying less and less attention to details, no longer afraid of traps but instead got a kick from overcoming them. And that because of that she's not as perceptive as she was in the past.
What do you think?
Eeyup.
8894860
I assume you came to this conclusion base on how high this female Raichu managed to jump and from her fast running. But what if I told you that in the prologue she ddin't use a single attack move? She's just really really good at jumping, and sadly for her, it may backfire in more ways than one.
As for her having Static ability, good catch. It was a correct deduction. (I wasn't sure if the manticore scene gave enough clues about that).
good chapter wasn't expecting Nica to feel uneasy around rainbow but i'll just chalk that up to plot
8894202
I don't have a favorite chapter, but my favorite aspect of the story is the way you handle Nica's backstory with Astra. I actually liked this less when the story first began, because It was mainly distracting from the plot with exposition, rather than having Nica learn from her own experiences with the ponies. Though more recently, her backstory has been filled with less exposition, and more of her actively learning from her memories, which I really enjoy a lot, especially because the lessons she learns are usually put to use almost immediately after she learns them. I think this style has really started to work well!
8896134
That is some destructive cuteness those two generated together.
8895320
Well, Nica can sense aura of emotions, so it makes her very sensitive. Remember how she reacted upon feeing aura of Fluttershy? She was complitly stunned for a big chunk of time.
8897415
Glad you enjoyed her backstory later on in the story. Considering that number of dreams about her past has been increasing recently (due to faster passage of time), I was afraid that they may get a bit overwhelming.
behind the statue in case of emergency
1. Behind the statue in case of an emergency.
That earns you a bonus point!
Flashing eye? Sans is that you?
I approve
There's an abandoned destroyed house under a floor behind desks? Huh?