(Outside Ponyville) Daringcon General (Open)

[Bramble Rose]

Rainbow Dash growled in anger at Madden's thoughtless words, stomping her hooves in place as Carrot Fields applied the last of the fur dye. [colour=#808080] "Oooo, that ... that ... "[/colour] she snarled, [colour=#808080]"I'll broom closet him! This is a green room!"[/colour]

She grabbed up her Daring Do shirt and punched her hooves through the sleeves, yanking it on over her wings, which popped out one at a time with great energy. [colour=#808080] "Like he's danced with Soarin' at parties. Know the Wonderbolts indeed. Hoofpaints indeed! Says the stallion wearing makeup!"[/colour]

She picked up her Daring Do hat and jammed it on her head, then lifted up into the air and rushed out of the green room door, out after Madden, to seek him out and give him a piece of her mind! And maybe a piece of her hoof, too!

​

Silver Flash strode through the halls of the convention, smiling happily. So many wonderful costumes, so many excited ponies of every age! She was delighted to be part of such a magical fandom, full of so many creative ponies who put so much energy and enthusiasm into their work.

She just needed to stop backstage for a bit to check in with the coordinators, and then she'd have a good fifteen minutes to enjoy the crowds before she needed to be at the 'Daring Doo and the Search for an Actress' panel. She turned her head to watch as she passed by that Daring Do and Princess Veil couple, smiling at their extravegant costumes. So as she blindly reached for the door, she didn't even notice as it was opening up ... not till somepony crashed headlong into her, tumbling her into Pathfinder and knocking all three of them to the floor.

​

Dash shook her head dizzily as she peered around in confusion. Had she just run into a mirror? But she'd thought it was a door! She peered around and saw two other Daring Do costumers laying there in a heap on the ground with her ... then looked up and saw Princess Veil standing over them.

The confusion and the blow to her head ... as well as seeing other such AWESOME costumes ... completely drove the anger out of her mind, though she was still rather keyed up. So she leaped up to her hooves, pointed at Princess Veil, and cried out, [colour=#808080]"You've used your Veil Kingdom Magics to create duplicates of me! What scheming scheme are you plotting now?! What could you possibly think of doing with three of me!?"[/colour]

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#006400]"Good! Maybe the orphanage will let me put more posters up instead of taking them down or painting them over for security reasons once a super hot and rich and famous and successful and cool mare like you says it's awesome!"[/colour]

Snowfall smiled at her mare. She was not a pony with a particularly inflated ego, but being showed with compliments by Pathfinder was still something that never ceased to enlighten her spirits. Pathfinder was always really cute when she said such things. It made the Stalliongrad pegasus all the more grateful to have her at her side... and especially so after all the mare had recently had to endure and survive. Of course, none of that made what the pony was suggesting any less silly. Safety and security were always going to be more important to a facility tasked with looking over children than Daring Do was.

[colour=#99ccff]"Perhaps. Regardless, I would be most curious to someday see the place where my Pathfinder grew up,"[/colour] Snowfall said with a warm smile. She was rather interested to visit Pathfinder's orphanage, the place that sounded to be so pivotal in the mare's growth. She wondered what it might be like. Of course, she was also curious to give Pathfinder a full tour of the manor someday. They still had so much to do and see together.

​

[colour=#006400]"Well, you have a lot of options! First off, we gotta decide whether you want something official or some fan stuff. [/colour][colour=#006400]Official stuff is cool and all, and you support the people who make the show. They used to have a pretty tight leash around the character and stuff but they relaxed it, so you can find a lot of fan stuff! The big difference is that the official stuff tends to be around PG rated. You know how it is with the foals! Some posters, a lot of written stuff, some toys, ya know the usual. [/colour][colour=#006400]Fan stuff is a lot more varied. Pictures, posters, fanfiction, art, plushies, pretty awesome and a lot more variety. Of course, the quality differs, but it is what it is. Plus, [/colour][colour=#006400]you can get just about ANYTHING! [/colour][colour=#006400]So, whatcha into?"[/colour]

Snowfall listened with interest as Pathfinder went into depth in regards to the different varieties of Daring Do merchandise. Snowfall wouldn't have ever even thought there was so much. Fan passion was a wonderful thing if it produced all of this. She wasn't sure where to even start with it, though she was beginning to get some ideas...

[colour=#99ccff]"Hmm... I don't know... posters might be good and I definitely want a plushie..."[/colour] she started blankly, trailing off. A devious smile slowly appeared as a thought then occurred to her. [colour=#99ccff]"In fact, I want the biggest plushie I can find; something nice an huggable. Ooh, and maybe I can find some more... compromising... fanart of Daring Do around here somewhere..."[/colour] The mare smirked. She hadn't even thought about it until just now, but her mare normally looked almost exactly like this famous character featured in so much art. This was something that might have its advantages.

​

[colour=#006400]"Awwww! Look at them, they're so adooorable! [/colour][colour=#006400]Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"[/colour]

Evidently Pathfinder's attention had drifted elsewhere as Snowfall considered her answer though. Snow followed the other mare's eyes to a pair of colts. She looked at them a while but wasn't sure what Pathfinder was getting at. She was prepared to ask as much, when suddenly something happened that caught her off guard. Something crashed into Pathfinder and then there was three of her! Or, well, not really. She could recognized one of the new "Pathfinder"s as the actress Silver Flash from earlier. The other she wasn't so sure she remembered, but she was definitely pretty cute too. It was this one that was first to find her hooves and speak to her.

​

[colour=#808080]"You've used your Veil Kingdom Magics to create duplicates of me! What scheming scheme are you plotting now?! What could you possibly think of doing with three of me!?"[/colour]

[colour=#99ccff]"Well, I can think of quite a number of ways I might be able to take advantage of such a situation..."[/colour] Snowfall replied at once, a smile firmly on her face, not able to stop herself.

She then gave a cough and decided to indulge the mare with some acting. [colour=#99ccff]"It's all for the sake of my Kingdom, Daring Do! By splitting your heart in three separate pieces, I've made you weaker! I shall secure the legendary Soul Diamond and use its ancient magic to restore the Veil Kingdom to its rightful place of glory in this world and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me!"[/colour] she declared boldly in Veil character before laying into some evil laughter.

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields was becoming really annoyed. Not so much because the commentator pegasus was calling what he did “foalish” - after all, if the pretty rainbow maned mare though it was cool, why would he care what some stallion thought? No, what annoyed the gray earth stallion was this Madden questioning his knowledge of hoofball! His love of hoofball! That was too much, and no matter how reserved he was normally, he had to speak, [colour=#ff8c00]“Ach! Now ye jes wait a-“ [/colour]but Madden didn't wait around to hear any responses - fleeing the room with his camera mare close behind.

Carrot wasn’t the only annoyed one. Dash grumbled out loud as she dressed about giving the announcer what for, and Carrot had no intention of dissuading her. At least the paint job was done, [colour=#ff8c00]This ah need tae see![/colour]

Carrot Fields took off after her only to instantly run into a scene he wasn’t expecting, three, count 'em, three Daring Dos! Oh righteous Luna, that was awesome! They all looked just like the famous explorer, even Dash blended in with them perfectly so he could barely tell which was her! There was even a Princess Veil to boot! Sure she was a villain, but she was a stunning villain! [colour=#ff8c00]“Och waw, thes is sae hot; Ah mean thes ia sae beauti- Ah mean these ur pure stoatin costumes!” [/colour] He'd almost forgotten he wasn't supposed to be there! Well, hopefully he could get a picture before being thrown out on his flank!

​

[SteelEagle]

Pathfinder was excited. Well, she was always excited, that was like calling a box a useful packing item or a seven thousand bit hospital bill somewhat vexing. She loved playing with the little ones, their concepts of imagination and adventure unbridled by societal expectation. They did what they desired when the glorious fever of adventure took hold and drove captive their reason blindly into the unknown waters of imagination. She preferred them over the sound of a hundred adults bleating their ignorance of the epicness, the grandeur, the glory of Daring Do. She was going to rush over there and with her beautiful filly friend do some quick roleplay with the little colts. Blow their mind with some Daring Doness, have a great time doing-

- Just then, a hurricane of motion sent her spinning to the ground like a top that had been played with roughly by a not so gentle giant. Her head continued to spin around for a bit even as she came to an otherwise full stop, likely decreasing her intelligence a few points every moment for a short duration. Old frienemies might comment that such a result was impossible as you couldn't lose what you never had. She didn't think they were smart enough themselves to be mocking her, even if she had accidentally applied for membership at hospitals Equestrian wide. Wasn't Club Med meaning Club Medical, like hospitals? Apparently not, as the laughing receptionist had told him. It had seemed like a good idea at the time considering how much time she spent in them.

She shook her head and found herself confronted by two other Daring Doers. Under different conditions this would be considered one of her darkest fantasies but it didn't take long for her trained senses to pick up some subtle differences between them. One of them who seemed quicker to recover, and she seemed to have aqcuired her getup faster and with lesser materials. It hadn't made any real mess, but whatever paint she had used for her coat had a distinctive ordor. Pathfinder was well versed in such things; she had spent years perfecting her painted coat for not only the exact colour, but for smell, ability to withstand the elements, cost, and endurance over time. This newcomer had recently applied it or had used some sort of Cloudsdale rainbow factory chemical to treat it. Bad idea, that; that stuff stung and forced the paint to stay on permanently. For her, it was a near perfect solution but she wasn't allowed within a full mile of the rainbow factory.

The other Doer had a familiar smell. Recent. But she had a whole catalog of familiar smells to go through and not the desire to do so. Instead, the search was narrowed by the professional way her look had been put together. Most looks around here, even the best put together ones, had a certain aura of contained chaos about them. Pathfinder herself had this worn in, beat up quality about her look that to most seemed just a wonderfully applied costume when in all reality it was her day to day look and her day to day happened to involve almost falling into pits of lava. Funny thing, that. Your tail hairs started to burn up a few feet above the lava itself, which made the following month and a half of recovery vexing when you tried to match the look again. This second Doer didn't have that feel, that sort of manicness that came from fandom or real experience. It was artificial. Not poor, mind you, and very convincing at a reasonable distance. Like a stage show. So she could perhaps peg that as Silver Flash?

The first Doer immediately launched into playing with Snowfall, who shot back with a well-versed if slightly monologue-y Princess Veil. The Doer had been a bit too aggressive and excited and Veil slightly dramatic, but Pathfinder rationalized it quickly. After all, if Daring Do had been split into three parts, then she would have to have split the personalities between them! Why Veil would do this to reduce Do's chances at stopping her was something Pathfinder couldn't figure. After all, even if you divided Daring Do by thirds you still had the greatest mare in history, fictional or not. But Snowfall had done a brilliant job improvising on the spot, which was reason sixty-four she lived the corporate bigwig.

Pathfinder leapt to her feet. Rather than being aggressive though, her eyes took on a sense of foreboding and thought as they lowered with worry to the ground. Her right hoof pawed at the ground in a nervous motion, Daring's wings fluttering in place. It was a slight mix of her nervous ticks placed in a row, but since Daring Do was split into thirds, it worked. Pathfinder's mind started doing some gymnastics.

[colour=#006400]"The...Soul Diamond...it..."[/colour] Her eyes blew up with alarm, [colour=#006400]"If you get the Soul Diamond, then your magic could last forever!"[/colour] Pathfinder said as she took a step back. Two thirds of Daring Do's personality had now spoken, the excited and the contemplative. Now they needed the action grouping and soon they could continue to roll off of one another until her trait list had been it's surface scratched. Plus, the crowd that started to crowd around would have even more to gawk at. This included a rather cute stallion who despite his best efforts had let slip his rather insidious little thought which, frankly, she didn't blame him for. How could she? There were three Daring Do's! It was like every fantasy of hers come true, but with somewhat fewer Daring Do's.

Doer- Daring Do cosplayer.

Feel free to invent terms!

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden approached the foyer, which thanks to the ending of the opening ceremonies, had filled up with all the fans from the convention. Madden couldn't believe his eyes. So. Much. Do. Practically more than half of the ponies were coloured in the yellow-ish brown coat with gray-scaled mane and tail colours, and sporting exploring gear, hats, and saddlepacks. Some of them even had bandages around their wings, even the earth ponies and unicorns that had cardboard wings! Whats up with that!?

Madden ran into Silver Flash, who was all decked out in the same universal outfit. Madden felt strangely out of place. His sky blue pelt stuck out in this crowd like a robin's egg in a chicken coop. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Oh, excuse me, er, Miss, Do. I uh,"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden looked down at his pamphlet,[/colour][colour=#ffffff] "could you lead me into the direction of the "Dare to Draw Daring Do" session that is supposed to be going on right now in the, uh,"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden looked closely and his reference, [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"in the 'Temple Room'. Its supposed to be some sort of learning hor to draw or something. I'm trying to get an interview with an aspiring artist."[/colour]

​

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008000]“Thank you for your purchase today, young filly!”[/colour] squawked the ever-friendly Falco Kestrelson; “If your parents ever go to Beakbreak City, have them stop by the Gems & Trinkets Pawn Shop for all their antique and gadget-purchasing needs!” Sending a little, adorable Daring Do cosplayer on her way, Falco counted the bits he made selling a mint-condition Outback Jack action-figure. To be truthful, the griffon had absolutely no clue what the Daring Do franchise was all about, having never read the books himself. Well, that wasn’t really the complete truth; while Mr. Kestrelson wasn’t a fanatical fan of the series, he knew somepony who was… very well, as a matter of fact.

Most ponies who casually knew the obsessive, half-insane bundle of adventurous energy named Pathfinder did their utmost to keep a good distance away from the pegasus at all costs. Falco however was one such individual who did the exact opposite of what common sense would advise; being a part-time adventuring enthusiast, the griffon found Pathfinder’s tales of danger and excitement to be among the most entertaining stories he heard in his entire life. In many respects, Mr. Kestrelson reckoned the Daring Do lookalike as a superior survivalist even compared her to himself. For these reasons, Falco had not only been glad to offer his stock of hard-to-find gear to Pathfinder at discounted prices, but to regard her as his “honorary niece” (much to the chagrin of the griffon’s actual nephews and nieces).

Falco’s close ties with Pathfinder may have awarded him a constant supply of almost-unbelievable yarns, but those were not the only things the pegasus had graced him with. For all of Pathfinder’s adventuring in the middle of nowhere, she sure had a lot of time to collect unfathomable amounts of Daring Do collectables. Pathfinder may had never actually asked Falco if he could provide a place for all her loot related to the fictional explorer, but the pawn shop owner guessed that nopony else could have been responsible for the piles of books, figures, dolls, posters, author manuscripts, and all other manner of items (many of them autographed) that mysteriously appeared every once in a while in the pawn shop’s backroom. The griffon had tried his best to improve how he locked up his shop (to no avail), but he also never made a serious effort to get rid of the stuff.

The middle-aged griffon eventually became glad he waited to do anything with Pathfinder’s collection. A chance encounter with a Daring Do collector at his pawn shop led to the realization that the pegasus’s Daring Do cache (and by extension, Falco’s) was worth an a relatively huge load of dough. Not only that, but that Mr. Kestrelson would have an excellent opportunity to sell much of it at the upcoming Daringcon at the Heartland Convention Center. Figuring that Pathfinder would appreciate the earnings raised by selling off her collection (and also knowing that the adventurer always kept her most cherished memorabilia on her person at all times anyway), Falco made the necessary arrangements to separate the officially-licensed items from the fan-created works (some of which Falco would be too embarrassed to let his mother see), apply for a vendor’s badge, and transport his wares over to Ponyville.

And so Falco Kestrelson found himself hawking items in the Dealers Room. For someone who needed a cheat sheet to help him identify which item and character was rich, the griffon was actually having a pleasurable time at Daringcon interacting with the highly-devoted fan-base. Achieving moderate success in his endeavors so far, Falco still had many more items to sell to make the day a profitable one… peeking a glimpse at the tower-like stack of neatly-organized Daring Do wares behind him, he had loads more. Remaining optimistic, Falco spied someone who looked like a potential customer and advertised; [colour=#008000]“Hey there buddy! I have for sale practically all Daring Do merchandise ever made; many of them autographed by the author or in mint condition! You name it, I have it!”[/colour]

[Bramble Rose]

Silver Flash blinked, and the hall spun dizzily around her. What had hit her? She looked around, and briefly spotted two other mares also dressed as Daring Do, and had some concept of what was going on, before suddenly there was a stallion with his face in hers. [colour=#808080] "Um ... " [/colour] She blinked a bit, then finally got her scattered wits together and gave Madden her trademark blinding smile as she got back up onto her hooves.

[colour=#808080]"Ah, yes! of course!" [/colour] Conveniently, she had come prepared to have to find her own way around the convention, and pulled a map out of one of the many pockets on her outfit, as well as a pair of reading glasses - just like the sort Daring Do wore when teaching at the university. She propped them up on her muzzle and peered at the convention map, then looked up and down the hall. [colour=#808080]"Just head up along that hallway," [/colour]she said to Madden, giving him another flashing smile, [colour=#808080]"Take the first right, and it should be just a couple doors down, and labeled. Good luck!"[/colour] One last time, she gave him that bright smile that had won her countless lead roles in romance plays across Equestria, then turned back to the other two Daring Do cosplayers. Must be some sort of improv thing, and her ear faintly tuned to 'three of us'. She looked around for the third.

Wait ... was she the third? This wasn't part of her contract ... except ... they were drawing a crowd. A quite excited crowd. She couldn't let them down! Besides, it seemed fun!

And she already had the glasses on! [colour=#808080]"The soul diamond?"[/colour] she asked, taking on her best professorly voice, as she stuffed away the convention map and pulled out a little notebook. She flipped through it with a curious expression. [colour=#808080]"Ah, yes. Well, hardly forever - remember, history is replete with 'forevers' that didn't quite last that long. And the future is simply a history that hasn't happened yet. If we want to build a good future history, we'd best learn what came before us in the past."[/colour] She flipped through her notebook, the paraphrased speech delivered to a class in "Daring Do and the Time Tear" spilled from her lips as she scrambled for ideas. [colour=#808080]"ah, here we go. The Soul Diamond. Mmmm...."[/colour] She flipped a page. [colour=#808080]"Hmmmm..." [/colour] Another page. [colour=#808080] "Ah-hah.... yes. Not, historically, the best thing to go after. Every pony who's ever used that has come to a rather bad end, whether they intended to use it for good or for ill. Famously cursed, in fact."[/colour]

​

Dash blinked as her attention was drawn to Silver Flash, and she briefly got angry again when she saw Madden there ... but the chance to be Daring Do was more important than yelling at him any further! But ... what the heck? This other Daring Do was drawing off all the *boring* parts of the stories! Where Daring Do acted like Twilight Sparkle!

Bah. She turned back to Princess Veil, leaning in close to invade her personal space and seem more action-y! Her dramatic moment was spoiled a little when her stomach rumbled a bit... she never *had* gotten to eat that food Carrot had gone to get for her! A few inches from Princess Veil, she couldn't help but give a few sniffs, as the delicious smells from the food court started to tease at her. Oh, man, as soon as this was done, she knew where she was gonna drag Carrot to! [colour=#808080]"Yeah! And in this case, your bad end is gonna come courtesy of Daring Do times three!" [/colour] She punched one hoof into the other suggestively. [colour=#808080]"Do you avoid the inevitable conclusion, Princess Veil? Or is it time for some ... action?"[/colour]

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[RarityDash]

[colour=#006400]"The...Soul Diamond...it... [/colour][colour=#006400]If you get the Soul Diamond, then your magic could last forever!"[/colour]

Snowfall smirked. She wasn't sure Pathfinder would play along. In fact, she had expected her not to. Pathfinder was such a forward, direct pony; moreover, despite the efforts to model herself after Daring Do in terms of appearance, she was undeniably her own pony, and one with a fierce, indelible spirit. Snow hadn't ever anticipated seeing her act. She really wasn't so bad either. She reacted well to Snow's premise, that Veil has split Daring Do's heart, going for a completely different aspect of the character than the first mare had. She seemed to draw from the more somber, reflective moments of the character where the first pony had went straight to the passion that Pathfinder normally matched so well. Snow couldn't help but find it impressive.

[colour=#99ccff]"That's right, Daring Do! The Veil name has been forgotten for far too long! Once the diamond is in my position, all will finally be set right! My kingdom shall be able to finally rejoice. It will prove without a doubt, that I was right!"[/colour] Snowfall delivered her part with conviction. Acting was fun for her and she wasn't bad at it. There was a lot of acting in her daily life. Business on her level was all about putting on faces to fit the situation. That didn't mean she was any kind of professional, but she thought she was pulling it off pretty well.

​

[colour=#808080]"The soul diamond? [/colour][colour=#808080]Ah, yes. Well, hardly forever - remember, history is replete with 'forevers' that didn't quite last that long. And the future is simply a history that hasn't happened yet. If we want to build a good future history, we'd best learn what came before us in the past. A[/colour][colour=#808080]h, here we go. The Soul Diamond. Mmmm.... [/colour][colour=#808080]Hmmmm...[/colour][colour=#808080]Ah-hah.... yes. Not, historically, the best thing to go after. Every pony who's ever used that has come to a rather bad end, whether they intended to use it for good or for ill. Famously cursed, in fact."[/colour]

Now, it was less of a shock that the actual actor of the group would join in on their little improv game. True to form, Silver was very good too. She pulled quite expertly from a third aspect of Daring Do's character: the discerning investigator who would without fail figure out the mysteries of the book just in time for the climax. She was ultimately convincing. It didn't hurt that she pulled from one of the better written Daring Do speeches Snow could remember--something from Daring Do and the Time Tear. Snow smiled and considered her response.

[colour=#99ccff]"You think I care about that silly curse! After all I've lost... after all I've suffered..." [/colour]Snowfall started with desperate emotion. [colour=#99ccff]"The diamond's power is the only thing that can set it right now. Of course it isn't what I wanted, but it's all there is now! That power, it's the only thing that exists which can keep the Veil Kingdom alive. It's the only thing that can make it strong again. It's the only thing that can keep it from slipping away from ponies memories forever. This is about more than just me! This is about more than just you! You're right that this is about the future! This is about our future! This is about everypony. All those eyes that looked upon me with doubt and suspicion... all those eyes that will lose their brightness and fade to obscurity should I fail..."[/colour]

[colour=#99ccff]"You cannot stop me, Daring Do!"[/colour] Snow concluded her monologue with emphasis, trying her best to capture the frantic madness of Veil in the climax of Forgotten Kingdom.

​

[colour=#808080]"Yeah! And in this case, your bad end is gonna come courtesy of Daring Do times three! [/colour][colour=#808080]Do you avoid the inevitable conclusion, Princess Veil? Or is it time for some ... action?"[/colour]

The other Daring Do, the first who had spoken, punctuated Silver's words with her own. In doing so, she got rather uncomfortably... close. This mare was adorable. Snow could tell, even through the costume. She probably had quite a number of things in common with Pathfinder. Her eyes burnt with the same rare passion. She had that such excitement in her voice, and it wasn't just on account of her "acting" as Daring Do's spirited, courageous side. She likely wasn't acting much at all.

That's what made it hard having her so close. She was so like Pathfinder, and in her costume, she even looked like her. It was kind of hard to take. Was she...smelling her too? That was kind of... er... strange... but cute in its way. It was honestly hard to resist having this mare right in her face like that, but of course Pathfinder was right there so she wasn't going to do anything. She had enough self control for that. Besides, she didn't want to break character now that the crowd around them had build up. Instead she stepped back and shook her head.

[colour=#99ccff]"You really still think you can win? Even whole, you could never hope to overcome my illusions! How could you possibly hope to win with your heart fractured in three! Face the truth, Daring Do! You are defeated, once and for all!"[/colour] Snow started, ending on some intense mad laughter.

​

[brianblackberry]

To Carrot Fields, watching the three Daring Dos banter with Princess Veil was simply the best. Thing. Ever! The only thing that would have made it better is if he had a recorder of some kind, given the great improv between them. Thank Luna his sister Purple Haze packed his camera into his saddlebag, otherwise this would have been another moment lost, another dumbtail moment.

Carrot stepped back some so he could get the entirely of the scene before him in the lens and clicked away. It appeared none of the quartet even appeared to notice he was there, which was just fine by him as he wasn’t even supposed to be in the convention in the first place. At least Dash appeared to be blending in seamlessly with the paint job he did on her; who knew that he was such an artist!

After a few more pictures it was obvious to Carrot that he had faded into the background as far as Dash was concerned, and felt it was best to move on lest he start having the appearance of some hanger on, or worse, some obsessed fancolt. The dealer’s room was nearby; maybe he could find some sort of cool souvenir, or a collectable! For Purple Haze of course!

Leaving the Daring Dos to their ad libbing, Carrot Fields walked into the dealer’s den, not sure where to start, so he figured he'd just go with the closest table which happened to be that of “Gems & Trinkets Pawn Shop” ran by a griffin fella. Who would have thought it, Daring Do had griffin fans! He smiled broadly to the proprietor, [colour=#ff8c00]“awrite! Ah figure Ah woods be jist lookin', mebbe fur some collectables.. fur mah sister!”[/colour]

[SteelEagle]

A lot of ponies didn't give the series the credit it so richly and earnestly deserved, thinking the whole expedition in imagination something light and not worthy of academic attention. So little had been written of the rich, multi-layered characterization and development of Daring Do herself. They called her the modern Equestrian adventure stereotype, replete with a background and a personality so predictable and innately simple that she was little more than a vessel for the author to explore mysteries. Pathfinder had taken some great exception to these articles when they were published and her seven restraining orders that she had with some of the leading literary critics were badges of honor.

Daring Do was an amazing character! She was capable of such great courage and was a mare who let her actions speak louder than her words, but behind that front was an adventurer from a family of adventurers who was always trying to prove herself to her family. Self-doubt could cripple even the strongest mares, and Daring Do was no exception. But bravery, courage, these things weren't about not feeling fear or doubt. They were about overcoming them and getting the job done no matter what, and Daring Do had courage enough for a whole nation. She never backed down, never looked away from danger. However, don't take that as meaning she was a fool, because there was a good reason that she ended up teaching at Royal Canterlot University! She had an incisive, cutting wit and intelligence about her and a memory that nopony could shake. What took some ponies days to put together she could whip up in an hour while playing a dice game or four.

This was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the character, and Pathfinder had written a few long-winded dissertations that she had forced several other fanclub presidents to listen to at some meetings despite protests. Bah, they were superfans! They needed to share theories, discuss canon, and generally try to fill in the gaps of the stories while dealing with the worst parts of canon they themselves disapproved of. Some ponies may have considered Audacity and Daring DO the one true pairing, but that was just some silly part in the Young Daring Do series and it had just been a foalhood crush! Bravado-Daring was the REAL one true pairing and anypony who said otherwise would be at the receiving end of her one-two cross in about a second and a half. She'd likely apologize afterwards, but it was a worthy response in the moment.

The point was that the three of them had done a rather able job of portraying some rather overarching elements to her character. The one who had applied it recently and a bit uneven certainly had the more energetic and defensive, almost cocksure nature of Daring when danger presented itself. She got a bit too close to Snowfall for Pathfinder's liking, but that was more because her fillyfriend's eyes sparkled as she took in the smell. It made Pathfinder momentarily self-conscious about her own odor, but only momentarily- the smell of adventure was the best smell, especially at a Daring Do convention of all places. Speaking of her adorable fillyfriend, she was holding up really well! Being a CEO probably made her comfortable with a public act and it showed. She had a firm grasp of the character at leas and while her acting left something to be desired- slightly less dramatic and more soft spoken was Pathfinder's personal head-canon which, as law, was the best canon- it was still well done. The final part of the impromptu act came together as Daring's more investigative and intellectual side showed. She was good; quick and obviously well trained. If it was anypony other than the actress, Pathfinder would be shocked. No matter; the most Daring of them all had moved the ball into play and Pathfinder's turn was up.

She brought her hoof to her chin, eyes sharp and looking around- for exits, weapons, any little advantage they could get. In this fit of imagination, a path through the crowd was like a small path in a cave, and a plushy sword of the ancients was a real spear of the ancients. And who would have just that?! Pathfinder would! In fact, she had made one while her entire lower half was being worked on post-boulder crushing. The first few had turned out poorly, then the next few hadn't been accurate enough, but then she had made one with what materials she had left that fit her stern standards. She had carried it around, showed it off, and generally been happy with it. However, she had found a better one on sale and that one was now snug in her saddlebag's left pocket. It would take too long to dig through now, so Pathfinder did the next best thing. With a few deep leaps and scans she found her good friend Falco's stand.

[colour=#006400]"Hi Falco!"[/colour]

She took the small plushy spear that she had pawned off some time ago to him.

[colour=#006400]"Pay in five! Bye Falco!" [/colour]

She jumped over the crowd, tossed the spear on high, and bucked it towards her comrades in spirit and form.

[colour=#006400]"Catch, uhh, me!"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Already, one delightful fellow came up to Falco Kestrelson’s booth asking for some collectables. Sure his accent was a bit grating on the ears, but the griffon would gladly oblige the stallion’s request.[colour=#008000] “Aww, ain’t that a toot,”[/colour] jested Falco; [colour=#008000]“What type of collectible would your sister like? Does she have a favorite character or novel, and would she be interested in a toy, a poster, or something else? Maybe I’ll-”[/colour]

The griffon didn’t get a chance to finish as somepony greeted him hello. There was no mistaking that voice;[colour=#008000] “PATHIE!!! What’s my honorary niece up to- HEY, WAIT!”[/colour] Never one to ask permission to do anything first, Pathfinder snagged a plushie spear and took right off. [colour=#008000]“You can’t just take my stuff like that!”[/colour] the griffon shouted, shaking his claw impotently; [colour=#008000]“You better come back and pay for that or else... ugggh, nevermind.”[/colour] That mare was oftentimes nothing but trouble... but Pathfinder would never have been Falco’s honorary nice either if that hadn’t been the case. At any rate, the vendor thought it quite odd that the pegasus cosplayer didn't question where he got his entire Daring Do stock from.

Focusing his attention on the potential customer again, Mr. Kestrelson took the opportunity to make amends; [colour=#008000]“I’m sorry about the interruption. She there is just a family friend, heh heh heh; don’t mind her. So where were we.....? Oh yeah; we were going to find your sister some collectables, haha. So, see anything you think your sister would be interested in?”[/colour]

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden made his way to the dealer's room. And just in time, too. A bunch of mares, including the one he had just talked to, were participating in some spontaneous role play, spitting off lines like from a movie, and pretending they were really Daring Do, and her various adversaries. All of them were dripping from head to hoof with costume design and pelt paint. Some of them were poorly made, some of them looked expertly fashioned. All of them looked crazy. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Ok, I'll just go over here."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Just as Madden got to the doorway into the dealer's hall, one of the Doers flashed by him and had a very short conversation with a griffon dealer, in which she just took something off his table and left, much to the displeasure of the salesbird. Madden stood for a moment and thought. And then he rubbed his hooves together and grunted a laugh. He walked up to the griffon. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Hello mister!"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden tried not to laugh, but he couldn't help but stutter in his humor. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Did that... pfft, did that pony just, just take your sword?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden talked with concern, but he was still smiling. He also paid no attention to the other stallion next to him, who happened to be the sportsfan pony he was arguing with earlier. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Does this sort of thing happen all the time? I bet it does doesn't it? Yup it does!"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden asked questions, but didn't wait for a response before writing down notes on his notepad. As he wrote he spoke his writing. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Daries... are... prone... to... steal... ing..."[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden wrote a few more things down on his paper before looking up again and continuing his pathetic excuse for an interview. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Do you come here often?"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]At that moment, Madden had finally looked forward, and was able to see Carrot Fields in the corner of his eye in front of the table. He decided to acknowledge him, but didn't skip a beat on the insults. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Oh hey! It's Mr. Wanted-to-be-an-athlete-but-became-a-Darey-instead. You enjoying the conference? Is it as fun now as it was ten or so years ago when you fit the demographic, or does being much older give you some kind of adrenaline rush?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden wasn't really wanting him to answer, he was rather interested in seeing him scurry away scared to answer so he could talk to the vendor instead.[/colour]

Sorry, I know my character is a douche, I just wanted to affirm you guys that I really do love you, and my character is in no way representing my personal feelings for any of you! *hugs all around*

​

[Volt]

The Daring Con, one of the greatest events in modern Equestrian literature plane. Attracting hundreds, if not thousands of ponies of all ages each time it is held. All of them making their greatest effort to become as similar to their favorite character as possible, dressing themselves in fabulous costumes, once in a while presenting a truly admirable acting skills. The convention attracted ponies from all over Equestria, there were no doubts about it. It was a fact well known that Daring Do series were currently on top, and it didn’t seem that its popularity would fall anytime soon. But, of course, what could [colour=#9900cc]Rising Star[/colour] possibly know? Her knowledge was no more than basic when it came down to Daring Do topics.

It all started about two weeks before the Daring Con. Even though her shop services were closed for that day already, a sound of gentle knocking at the doors interrupted her work. Ever since then, she was grateful that she actually responded. A young stallion brought her a preposition of becoming one of the Daring Con photographers for Canterlot press companies. It shocked her to the deepest, after all since when great companies needed help from private ponies? Yet, her response was immediate. Her only worry was that she knew next to nothing about the series itself. Two weeks, in which she additionally had to take care of her own work, were barely enough to familiarize with at least the most popular books in the series. Still, Star treated this more as a job and an opportunity to give her career a chance to prosper even further. Although having a bit of fun herself wouldn’t hurt probably, would it?

She was wearing nothing but loose black jacket with a lot of pockets; utility belt filled with spare camera films, cleaning clothes for camera lenses, spare parts in case of accidents… She was prepared for every occasion; A single saddlebag at her right side and a small tripod tied to the left one; Two of her best cameras, one for snapping photos which were supposed to be sent to the company which hired her, second which would spit photos out at once. She had to assume some fans would like to have their memories reflected in a photo after all; And, of course, her Press ID card hanging on her neck, informing everypony of her name and staff position. It was placed there solely because of fact she wasn’t wearing any costume. First reason behind that was simple: she was at work. She couldn’t allow herself for too many distractions. Second, well… Star remained indifferent towards books. Her fast paced lifestyle and born-in impatience repelled her from reading. So her idea about how the costume should look was… lightly saying, minimal. She for sure was going to stand out a lot, not only with her dressing, but her unique physique as well.

The pale pink Unicorn found herself at the entry of backstage gate 1B. She had to use the second entry because there were some problems with lights at gate 1A, obviously. To be honest, this part of backstage looked more like a warehouse to her. Dozens of boxes filled with merchandise of all kind, including hats, shirts, souvenirs, plushies, toys or even replicas of, most probably, DD treasures; various costumes hanging around from the walls; food and drink freezers… She passed all of those and commenced through the labyrinth of corridors. It was a bit surprising how tight the security was, her ID was checked nearly behind every corner. On her inquiry concerning this issue, she earned an explanation that they tend to be having some issues with most passionate DD fans. She couldn’t imagine anypony standing up to such precaution measures, but who knew… After a brief delay, she managed to reach the main convention area. It seemed that everything was rolling already, judging from the tumult. The moment she passed the doors labeled ‘staff only’ though, she froze astonished.

First thing that struck her was, of course, the sea… sea of Daring Do’s, protagonists, antagonists, complete villains, creatures… all the characters of existence she never heard of. Fillies, colts, families with foals, grown mares and stallions… Star could have even sworn she saw an elder pony somewhere in the crowd accidentally. She was certainly going to stand out from the crowds… [colour=#9900cc]“I wonder if there was an evil photographer somewhere in the series?”[/colour] – she couldn’t help but to giggle at this thought. The passion of those ponies was most admirable, but at once a bit unnerving. Mare had some mixed feelings about all of this. The area was also filled with shopping stands which fulfilled all the dreams and needs of young readers, from selling cheap toys to providing complete board service. According to the schedule she read on her way, there were also countless contests and workshops for aspiring artists. Risi had to admit, she was impressed with the enormous scale of this event. Alas! There was work to be done. Thankfully, her model-like appearance helped her in approaching foals, young fillies and colts. And she knew how to take full advantage of this fact. Star armed herself with a charming, friendly smile, levitated her first camera in front and engaged herself in her element. [colour=#9900cc]“This is my world…”[/colour] – she told herself as she approached the first group and started snapping photos with an incredible speed and precision.

​

[Bramble Rose]

Dash blinked as one of the Daring Dos suddenly turned and left, confused at this. She'd thought they were doing a thing here. Was it over already? She glanced over at Carrot to share a confused glance, but ... hey, wait, where'd Carrot go? She turned her head left and right, briefly, distracted. Had he bailed on her? Didn't he want to hang out?

Pathfinder's shout got her attention, and she turned just in time to see something flying at her. She scrambled back, and the spear *fwumped* into the ground, sticking in place right between her spread legs. Dash clutched her hooves to her chest, her heart racing a mile a minute, and was on the verge of exploding with a furious diatribe about reckless behaviour when she realized it was a squishy sort of a spear - just a toy.

Ahhhh. Game on!

​

Silver Flash had done plenty of improv work, but the level of distraction going on here was certainly making this a challenging one. She wondered if it was a good idea to have gone along with this, but it seemed like harmless fun. Till stuff started flying around. Now that, she was sure, was against the con regs - fun was fun, unless you started to actually initiate contact with even fake weapons.

She hurried forward and grabbed the spear in her teeth, grabbing it right before Dash had recovered enough to do so, and pulled it back, tucking it under her wing. [colour=#808080]"Hey, um ... me! What are you *thinking*! Aren't you aware of what the Spear of the Ancients, combined with the Soul Diamond, would result in? All she'd need would be Aurora's Tiara and she'd be unstoppable! We have to keep this away from her at all costs!"[/colour]

​

Dash grumped a bit. The other Daring Do had ruined her chance to get in some AWESOME fighting action! [colour=#808080]"Well, we'll just have to not let her get it, then! We're not divided on that, after all!" [/colour]She turned back to Princess Veil and snorted. [colour=#808080]"What do *you* know about our ... my ... heart, anyway? Your illusions won't fool me!"[/colour]

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#006400]"Catch, uhh, me!"[/colour]

Pathfinder was always unpredictable. That was perhaps Snowfall's favorite thing about her. Snowfall's life was so controlled and calculated, down to the littlest things. That's how it had to be. That's what was expected of her. it's what she had been groomed for. It was the role she had agreed to play in life and she was committed to it. That's why somepony like Pathfinder was so alluring. Passionate, unrestrained, untamable; Pathfinder did as she pleased and did it entirely by her own rules. Sure it meant she could be rather brash and reckless at times and she undoubtedly ended up endangered for it... but to Snow it was irresistible.

Yet, that did not mean she was used to any of it. No, as Pathfinder suddenly bounded over crowds toward a vendor and retrieved a prop spear, tossing it back toward them, Snowfall was stunned. Just what was this crazy, lovable mare getting at now. Snowfall found it hard not to break character and just laugh at the scene and the confusion it seemed to cause. Instead she just smiled evilly and stared down at the spear, waiting to see how the other Daring Dos would react.

​

[colour=#808080]"Hey, um ... me! What are you *thinking*! Aren't you aware of what the Spear of the Ancients, combined with the Soul Diamond, would result in? All she'd need would be Aurora's Tiara and she'd be unstoppable! We have to keep this away from her at all costs!"[/colour]

Silver was good. It was the mark of a professional. She hardly missed a beat. Perhaps all it meant was she had familiarized herself with the part extensively, but it was clear she had a solid depth of Daring Do knowledge, moreover she was able to improvise well for an actress who likely usually kept to a script. Snowfall wouldn't have known how to react to Pathfinder's sudden bizarre randomness, yet she pulled it off and kept her convictions right. It was most impressive.

​

[colour=#808080]"Well, we'll just have to not let her get it, then! We're not divided on that, after all! [/colour][colour=#808080]What do *you* know about our ... my ... heart, anyway? Your illusions won't fool me!"[/colour]

Snow smiled. The third Do was finding herself and sinking into the role more now. It was nice. Snow just laughed and flipped her mane back. [colour=#99ccff]"Then give me your all, Daring Do!" [/colour]she beckoned. [colour=#99ccff]"I shall prove to you just how futile it is! The spear and the tiara will soon be mine... then, none of you can hope to stop me!"[/colour]

[colour=#99ccff]"Now! Show me the depths of your power!"[/colour] she demanded forcefully, stomping a hoof upon the ground as she unfolded her wings into a dominant pose.

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields smiled awkwardly in front of the griffin dealer, he did actually know what he wanted, one of the adorable Daring Do plushes, oh and the brushable action figure! Those were both so cool! Well to a total Daring Do fancolts like himself. Still… He was embarrassed about the idea of buying them for himself, [colour=#ff8c00]"weel ah was gist looking' at some figures fur mah baby sister! Let's see…"[/colour]

Before he could pick out his purchases, one of the other mares dressed like Daring Do came flying by, swiped one of the props and took off. Carrot was still impressed how accurate she looked, and cute too! Of course so was Dash, she was spot on with that paint job he did. He hoped she was still having a blast and he was glad to be of such a help to her getting in, even if he felt pretty lonely now. Oh well, at least he can still get the figures. [colour=#ff8c00]"Sooo.. Ah ink she woods want 'at large Darin' Dae plush, an' ummm…"[/colour] There he spotted a cute little Daring Do and Princess Veil action figure set; Carrot pointed to the pair and smiled broadly, trying not to allow any red to show through the gray of his fur, [colour=#ff8c00]"'at set right thaur, she will loove 'at!"[/colour]

Perhaps things will be alright after all, that is until that annoying reporter pegasus made a reappearance. Carrot didn't honestly expect to see him again, and right away this same pegasus came out with the insults. This guy was a reporter? Carrot starts to answer; [colour=#ff8c00]"Och, nae, Ah never wanted tae be an athlete, Ah was always tay busy wi' farm work. This is th' first one ah ever got tae go tae, because it's th' first time one's bin in th' same town aam liven' in..."[/colour] And then he trails off, getting distracted as a dozen cute mares wearing dancing mare costumes from "Daring Do and the Lost Oasis" walk past, his neck craning. [colour=#ff8c00]"Uh ... and I ... um ... went to ... uh ... scuse me. You stay retie hair an' keep bin' bitter, old, an' washed-up. I'm gonnae gang get a picture of those mares, an' hae fun."[/colour]

Carrot smiled to the griffin dealer, [colour=#ff8c00]"ah'll be right back wit' bits!"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Something seemed a bit off about the grey-coated stallion fellow; it almost seemed like he was flustered over the whole act of shopping. Ignoring the pony’s unease for the time being, Falco Kestrelson swiftly looked at the price tags for the two items the young stallion requested. Once the pony finished his selections, Mr. Kestrelson added the prices up; [colour=#008000]“Alright mister, that will be forty-eight bits total for the large Daring Do plushie and that action figure set.”[/colour] Falco’s pricing may have been somewhat overpriced compared to the items’ original market value, but then again, it sounded like this yokel wouldn’t know any better anyway.

Before the grey stallion could hand over the money, some blusterous chap of a pegasus came forth looking like he wanted an interview. When the male pegasus asked about whether he got shoplifted all the time, Mr. Kestrelson tried to reply; [colour=#008000]“Huh? No one hardly ever shoplifts from my pawn shop at-”[/colour] The griffon ceased responding when he noticed the reporter wasn’t paying any attention at all. [colour=#008000]“D-daires?”[/colour] a head-scratching Falco bewilderedly asked; [colour=#008000]“What the heck do you mean by that? My honorary niece has never operated a milk business in her life; whatever makes you think that!?”[/colour]

It didn’t take long for the blue-coated pegasus to ask another nonsensical question; [colour=#008000]“Well heh heh, I barely come to Ponyville at all.”[/colour] Suddenly sensing a chance to promote himself, the griffon confidently changed the subject. [colour=#008000]“You see,”[/colour] Falco proudly explained; [colour=#008000]“I am the owner of the Gems & Trinkets Pawn Shop in Beakbreak City. Our facility carries all sorts of priceless antiques and curious contraptions that can’t be found anywhere else in Equestria! And just to let you know, we’re always on the lookout for new items to sell that will wow our customers.”[/colour]

Of course, the reporter just then had to turn his focus over to Falco’s customer. After a brief confrontation of words, the earth pony declared his departure to get his picture taken with a herd of costumed dancing mares. [colour=#008000]“You better be back here sonny!”[/colour] the ex-sergeant sternly shouted back;[colour=#008000] “Or someone else will buy your collectables first!”[/colour] Falco sighed; stallions sure couldn’t resist following their precious mares around, could they?

[SteelEagle]

Everypony was playing their roles so fabulously that Pathfinder half wanted to sit back and watch it all unfold while the other half wanted to scoop them all up and see if there was some way to blend them all together mentally to create a real Daring Do. Then another half informed her that it was a bad idea and another half spoke up and said that the last time she had tried to discover whether or not the mind meld spell was real, she was captured by Diamond Dogs and nearly eaten. Point was, she was having fun and everypony was still in character! Smart, wise Daring Do was maybe overly cautious but she had the threat down. Most importantly, she was thinking along the same lines that Pathfinder had been doing.

[colour=#006400]"I know, uhh, me, that's why I'm making sure we have it. If she could do this to me- us- we- I?- then who knows what she had planned for the Spear!"[/colour] Pathfinder added in as she fluttered back to the ground besides the other two.

The more excitable ad direct one seemed constrained by this new block, but if she had been any other way than she wouldn't have been playing her role well. Still, the ball was now in Daring Do's corner after Snowfall kept up with her act, ending on a somewhat threatening and dramatic tone. So good! She was really into it and it certainly gave Pathfinder some mixed feelings. First and foremost, she wanted to kick Princess Veil right in the head. But there was three problems. First off, daring Do wasn't necessarily so directly violent, but seeing as such violence was often the last resort of a coward and Pathfinder was playing the role of the most cowardly Daring Do possible(though even then Pathfinder considered her braver than ninety percent of other ponies) she could think of it as being a pass. Secondly and perhaps more strikingly, Pathfinder wasn't sure that Snowfall would forgive her for bucking her in the skull. Third, she knew for a fact(and the lifetime ban in at least one con to back it up) that it was against con regs.

So they were at an impasse. But luckily, Pathfinder wasn't playing SmartDo or AwesomeDo, but InsecureDo! InsecureDo could play to the name and, most importantly as a last ditch effort, toss out something of use.

[colour=#006400]"But if we do that-"[/colour] Pathfinder looked down, her eyes darting as she tried to think of it all, [colour=#006400]"-if we HIT the Soul Diamond..."[/colour] And there Pathfinder trailed off, half to let the other two in, and also because she was catching camera flashes going off nearby- and as she turned to look, a pretty mare with a camera and a press badge was snapping pictures. While waiting for the other two to play their parts, Pathfinder decided the best use of her time was STRIKING THEM POSES!

Nothing too big because she was READY TO REACT IN THEIR SCENE!

SO FUN.

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden looked down, and saw all the merchandise the griffon was selling. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]How foalish.[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden couldn't think for why any adult pony would want to purchase anything like this. Perhaps this indeed was the foals merchandise section. But, that didn't seem to keep the stallion-foal gray pony from wanting to take a few things and buy them with real bits! [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"What!? Forty-eight bits!? Thats, thats..."[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden was astonished.

The griffon was confused with Madden's dialog. Apparently he didn't know where he was. Madden leaned in and hissed a whisper to him. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Ok, well, listen buddy. You're at a Daring Do convention where a bunch of adult ponies dress up and play pretend and call themselves 'daries'. If you ask me, it's atrocious. I'm only here to write a story."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Carrot got distracted, fairly easily, and started following some mares he probably didn't know to gather their affection. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Huh."[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden gave an indifferent reaction as he took out his notebook. However, he was getting tired of writing. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Telly, take these notes down. Daringcon is also like a singles group, except the ponies involved are all underdeveloped and foalish in their ways. They seem to have no shame."[/colour][colour=#000000] The camera mare grunted discomfort as she submissively pulled out her pad and pen and began writing.

Madden looked down at the plushie on the table. He picked it up and dangled it from it's wing. He couldn't see what was so great about a fictional character from a book series in the form of a doll. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]What were daries gonna do with this? Play with it? Go on hiking trips with it and pretend it was their travel buddy? What a bunch of weirdos.[/colour][colour=#000000] As Madden thought, his gears started turning, and he couldn't help but test his assumptions.[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]"So, this plushie. Is it your last one?"[/colour]

​

[Bramble Rose]

Rainbow Dash blinked and paused in her rendition of Daring Do, trying to figure out just what to do next. [colour=#808080]"So, um ..."[/colour] she said, breaking character, [colour=#808080]"Do we fight, then?"[/colour] She glanced around. [colour=#808080] "I don't think we're supposed to fight ..."[/colour]

But as the camera flashes started going off, she grinned largely. She knew how to respond... by posing! She struck a series of awesome poses for the camera, as well - and then reached out to gather in the other four mares so they could get a group shot! Camera flashes from several places kept going off, and she just kept grinning bigger and bigger. She'd almost never had this much attention! This was awesome!

But even that had to come to an end. [colour=#808080] "heh-heh. That was great! Lots of fun!"[/colour] she said to her fellow Daring Dos, and Princess Veil. [colour=#808080] "your costumes are great! But my friend wandered off and I gotta find him! I'll see you later, maybe!" [/colour] Then she lifted up into the air and zipped off over the heads of the crowd.

Where could Carrot have disappeared to? Maybe the food court? She followed her nose to peek in there, but nope, no wild mess of mane there. She couldn't miss THAT mane! OK, if not food... dealer's room! She zipped off in the other direction, eyes flicking around. Nope, nope, nope, fake wig, nope ... Ah! There he was! She zipped across and landed lightly beside him, as he was lifting up his camera. [colour=#808080] "Hey, Carrot! What the hay? You tryin' to DITCH me?!"[/colour]

​

Silver Flash, meanwhile, was suddenly reminded of the press of time. While she'd been happy to pose for a few pictures, she really REALLY had to get to her panel, now. [colour=#808080]"Yeah, I have to get out of here, too -"[/colour] she said,[colour=#808080] "Or I'll be disappointing a whole lot of fans!"[/colour]

She hoofbumped Pathfinder, gave a graceful bow to Princess Veil there ... and was awfully tempted to say good-bye to Pathfinder with a rather impish kiss, just for the fans and their cameras ... but she had to be professional! She wasn't here as a fan, she was here representing blahblahblah ... ah well. [colour=#808080] "I hope to see you at some of the panels!"[/colour] she said cheerfully, and then headed off on her own, towards the meeting rooms.

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot was smiling widely with a blush on his otherwise gray face as the dancing troop of mares stopped to pose for his camera, smiling as they gave their best show pose for the earth stallion. Not missing a beat, Carrot started to take some photos, aye this alone made the convention worth it, they were so stunning!

Before Carrot could get more pictures in, Dash suddenly flew up next to him, admonishing Carrot for supposedly leaving her behind. Carrot just looked shocked, she thought he was ditching her? She finally got to hobnob with the panelists, including the guests of honor, even the very actress who plays Daring Do in all the films, Silver Flash! Why would she want to keep hanging out with some dorky fancolt like himself?

Carrot was about to say those very words to Dash in a display of self-deprecation but before he spoke, that nagging at the back of his mind stopped him. [colour=#ff8c00]Whit ur ye daein' dumbtail! ay coorse she wants tae hang out wi' ye, wa else woods she be upsit she lost ye, noo dornt be a dumbtail an' be happy she foond ye![/colour] Why did Carrot's inner monologue always sound like his old man? Didn't matter though, it was right. [colour=#ff8c00]"Sorry abit 'at Dash, Ah guess Ah misunderstuid whit ye wanted, Ah shoods hae told ye whaur Ah was gonnae be insteid ay jist wanderin' aff."[/colour]

Before anything else could be said, one of the dancing mares suggested that they pose with his "marefriend", given her spot on Daring Do look. Carrot just nodded, not even bothering to correct them on their assumption but instead stood back as they quickly collected around "Daring Do" and posed for the picture. With "Daring Dash" in the group, suddenly the pictures were even that much more alluring.

One of the mare's eye lit up with an idea, she hoofed over her camera to Carrot before turning to Dash [colour=#dda0dd]"Can I get a closer picture with you?"[/colour] Carrot smiled as he took the camera, curious to what kind of pose the pretty lavender unicorn mare would take with Dash. He stepped positioned himself so they both clearly would be in the image, [colour=#ff8c00]"Ready when ye ur!"[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#006400]"I know, uhh, me, that's why I'm making sure we have it. If she could do this to me- us- we- I?- then who knows what she had planned for the Spear! [/colour][colour=#006400]But if we do that-[/colour][colour=#006400]-if we HIT the Soul Diamond..."[/colour]

Snowfall couldn't help but break character and giggle mischievously as Pathfinder cutely tried to work things out and then struck some adorable poses for nearby photographers. This really was too much fun. She found an evil smile as her eyes traced down to the large diamond worn around her neck. Most Princess Veil cosplayers would use costume jewelry for the Soul Diamond, but in her case it was an entirely real custom piece she had made for this event. It was a nice necklace though, so she doubted this would be its only use. She was a little unsure if she wanted Pathfinder to hit it though.

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[colour=#808080]"heh-heh. That was great! Lots of fun! [/colour][colour=#808080]your costumes are great! But my friend wandered off and I gotta find him! I'll see you later, maybe!"[/colour]

[colour=#808080]"Yeah, I have to get out of here, too -[/colour][colour=#808080]Or I'll be disappointing a whole lot of fans! [/colour]I hope to see you at some of the panels!

When the other two made it clear they were through with the act, Snowfall wasn't too disappointed. Sure, it was kind of anti-climactic, but she didn't see where else the act would have gone. They couldn't actually fight after all-- even if the idea of being charged and tackled by three Pathfinders didn't strike her as an all too unpleasant one. She smiled at the two non Pathfinder Do's and nodded.

[colour=#99ccff]"Indeed! That was a great deal of fun! Thank you all so much for playing along,"[/colour] she said, resuming her normal speaking voice.

She gave a sigh and then turned back to Pathfinder. [colour=#99ccff]"We should probably get back to things too. Where were we?"[/colour]

She looked around, her eyes returning to the vendor stalls. [colour=#99ccff]"Ah, we were going to buy some merchandise right?"[/colour] she started. Her eyes focused in on the griffon vendor Pathfinder had taken the spear from. [colour=#99ccff]"You seemed to know that griffon? An acquaintance of yours, perhaps?"[/colour]

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[Bellosh]

Falco Kestrelson was a bit taken aback as the reporter hissed in his ear where exactly they were right now. It seemed like this pegasus chap was extremely dismayed at the thought of being here at Daringcon. For his part, Falco questioned the assumption that the convention was mainly for adult fans; if anything, little kids and their accompanying parents had been his biggest customers so far. However, hearing the words “Daring Do” and “daries” in the same sentence, the griffon finally grasped that the latter meant a Daring Do fan.

As the reporter once again returned to his note-taking, Mr. Kestrelson noticed a large crowd forming around the dancing mare cosplayers. Some of them like that fellow from earlier had cameras, but most of the onlookers saw fit to merely stare at the scene before them and block the aisle in the process. Of course, Falco dryly noted that the vast majority of the gawking ponies were stallions... how typical. As a Daring Do cosplayer, who clearly didn’t look hyper enough to be the Pathfinder he knew, intruded on the scene, the throng only got larger and larger; it grew so large in fact that it now posed a fire-hazard. The only thing that surprised Falco was that none of the casual photographers were asking to get their picture taken with the group of cosplaying mares.

Just as the griffon was prepared to shout for the absurdly-large crowd to congregate someplace else, the reporter coldly picked up the Daring Do plushie that one fellow wanted and asked if it was the last one. [colour=#008000]“Funny you ask that, heh heh heh.....”[/colour] Mr. Kestrelson chuckled, trying not to let the pegasus’s rudeness from earlier get to him; [colour=#008000]“Those plushies have been selling like hotcakes today! That is indeed the last one I have in stock, but there might be other vendors who have more. Anything else you'd like to know?”[/colour]

[Volt]

This was going better than she had initially anticipated. Being a portrait photographer didn't really prepare her for what she was experiencing right now, but the idea basically remained the same. Pick a target. Aim. Snap. Repeat. And that's exactly what she was doing. And colt if there was something to choose from! She had photographed wolves, but not the typical pine ones, rather made of some rare species of foreign trees; ancient mythical creatures she couldn't name; princesses; queens; she even had a photo of somepony dressed as a palm tree. That costume managed to slow her down a bit, since she was sincerely surprised. Yet it was nothing compared to another oddity she encountered. If a Palm Tree costume was enough to surprise her, then an outfit of a Box completely derailed the train of her thoughts. After realizing what did she just photograph, Risi blinked quickly and rubbed her eyes, checking if she's not hallucinating. The Box was simply sitting there, observing her with its eyes through a small, but wide, hole at its front. Mare circled it around, searching for any clues as for what could it mean, but the effort proved itself to be futile.

The Box, or rather pony inside it, remained still like an average stone. Not a single sign of movement, it was simply there, making mockery of her. Pink unicorn frowned in thought and levitated out her organizer, scribbling a sentence in it: [colour=#800080]Note to self: Check out the meaning of the box. [/colour]As soon as she lowered it, Risi spotted the Box swing from side to side for a split of second before becoming still again. It was now about two meters further away from her, still observing her behavior through the hole. She stood there, a tad disconcerted, raising an eyebrow in complete confusion. After a prolonged moment of awkwardness, Star simply turned around and walked away. [colour=#9900cc]"Box... Why box... I mean... I don't know, you could perhaps hide inside of it from somepony. But who'd be foalish enough to fail spotting a box appearing out of nowhere in the middle of his path?"[/colour] In end, she decided to pretend that 'The Box' situation had never happened. Meanwhile, the Box raised itself a few inches above the floor level and walked away. Nopony even noticed when it disappeared, what resulted with a small search party created by the concerned ponies who couldn't locate their lost friend. (They've passed him about 5 times before he accidentally moved and was uncovered).

Dissatisfaction was crawling up Star's spine. Although she already had made dozens of pictures, she still lacked one that could hit the first pages of any magazine. All these costumes were great, mighty fine even, but it wasn't what she was searching for.[colour=#9900cc]"I need something... original. Something spectacular. Spectacular, or at least insanely realistic and detailed..."[/colour] The camera kept striking photographs as she made her way through the crowds, barely realizing their existence. [colour=#9900cc]"I require something like... like..." [/colour]- she raised her sight from the floor and caught a glimpse of a mare, somewhere to her right, striking various poses. Risi risked a closer look. And she didn't need an invitation.[colour=#800080] [/colour][colour=#9900cc]"...LIKE THIS!"[/colour] - her exclamation dissolved between all the shouts surrounding her. It was like a real Daring Do walking the Equestrian soil. For a moment Risi thought it's nothing but her mind playing tricks on her, but soon she found herself reacting even before wondering about what she's doing. The camera kept flashing without a break. Before she managed to realize, another mare joined the first one, and quite soon it was a total of 4 ponies posing for a group photo. This time photographer used both cameras collaterally a few times, before finally deciding that album for this group is vast enough and giving it a break.

Rising Star shifted her focus from her newly discovered 'Stars' to the cameras for a moment. Her tripod grew a bit oppressive, so she reached behind and pulled a string in order to readjust its position while still keeping her eyes on the devices. After a brief delay, one of them spit out a few photos. They had to dry off before they would even become visible, but it was a typical procedure. Risi raised her head at the group again, only to discover that only the original Do and... Uh... A character Star should recognize probably, but somehow couldn't, left. Mare flipped her mane and trotted towards them.[colour=#9900cc] "Might I interrupt?"[/colour] - she stated blankly while levitating four dark photos, two per pony, at them - [colour=#9900cc]"A little gift to commemorate the event for you and those friends of yours, I assume. You'll have to wait a moment for them to become readable. There is a high chance one of you will someday find herself... or himself, I'm really sorry, sometimes it's tough to see through those costumes."[/colour] - tall mare laughed nervously - [colour=#9900cc]"Anyway, find yourself on the cover of a certain, popular Canterlot news magazine."[/colour] - she leaned hear head forward slightly, tilting it delicately to the side and throwing them a playful smile. [colour=#9900cc]"I believe fans like you know which one I have in mind?"[/colour] - a question was left hanging, looking like a challenge to undertake. In fact, as long as she knew what company she's working for, she had not a single clue where the photos will be sent. Canterlot? For sure. But any city outside it might have requested them as well. Yet, she was there to provide photographs, not dictate what to do with them.

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]After a short pause, Madden pulled out twenty bits, all of which was petty cash from the station, and dropped in onto the counter in front of Falco. He was not about to argue the price of the thing, so he just assumed a fair price and made a quick exchange. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Well, I'll be taking this then. Who knows,"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden hinted as he gave a wry smile, [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"maybe this plushie will be worth something some day."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Madden turned around and look at all the dancing cosplayers, bookworm fans, and egghead nerds, all adorned with overpriced merchandise and ridiculous costumes. Madden looked at his camera mare and gave her a command. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Quick, setup right here, and we'll shoot some film." [/colour][colour=#000000] The mare rolled her eyes and set up the camera on her tripod, which for whatever reason took about a full minute to assemble. Madden straightened his glasses and cleaned his teeth with his tongue while he waited. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "Shoot it right at those cosplayers taking pictures."[/colour]

[colour=#b22222]"Ok, rolling!"[/colour][colour=#000000] The mare started cranking the camera in order to shoot well-paced video.

The flicker and snaps from the camera made Madden jump ahead of it as he presented himself. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Hello, this is Madden with PegasEye News, reporting from a little known convention here in Ponyville, called 'Daringcon'. It is here that we see lots of young fans of the book series, but we also saw something we never expected to see. Stallions. Mares. That's right. Older ponies are also big fans of the books, so big that they come to these conventions to dress up as their favorite characters and play very annoying role play in the hallways of the convention center. Please look at these ponies."[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden pointed over to the cosplayer group of ponies, and the camera mare turned the camera in that direction, still cranking away at it. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"These ponies, sadly, come to these conventions in search for their interests. But instead of becoming a productive part of Ponyville society, they are riddling the convention center's halls with nonsense, foalish conduct, and a lack maturity that all ponies of this age should have. Just look at these poor individual ponies.[/colour]

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[colour=#ffffff]"Take a look at this if you would?" [/colour][colour=#000000] Madden showed the camera the plushie. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "This is a plushie in the image of a famous character from the foal's book series. This plushie by itself, costs not five, not ten, but twenty bits here at the vendor's hall, where poor Daring Do fans are forced to pay the price for their obsessions, not because its worth it, but because none of them understand the value of a bit.[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]"Furthermore, in short interviews with some of the attendees, it's clear that these ponies suffer from a lack of confidence, often resort to stealing things they want but can't afford, and also use this opportunity to meet ponies for romantic displays of affection. See as how these interactions are often leaning on one another, it's clear that most of these adult ponies probably still live with their parents, and are unemployed and uneducated."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Madden slit his throat figuratively, signaling a cut of the film. The camera stopped rolling and Madden turned around to the group of cosplayers, all of which were happy-looking and dressed as their favorite character. He shouted, [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Who wants a free plushie!!?? Come here, get interviewed, and I'll give you this free plushie!"[/colour]

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Daring Do GIF by http://1n33d4hug.dev...llery/#/d5p4q78