PROMPT: Daring Rice



Daring Do flew through the chamber, dodging to the right to avoid a shooting flame, ducking down to evade an iron-tipped arrow, dipping to the left to miss a crossbeam, diving below a swinging ax, and dodging to the left to avoid a massive pillar.

Landing on the other side of the room, the sweaty pegasus glanced back at the dozens of deadly traps and snares that had nearly taken her life. Letting out a sigh of relief, she removed her hat to wipe her brow when she noticed the arrow lodged in her tan pith helmet.

“Darn,” she muttered. “I’ll have to remember to update the number of arrow holes in my new book…. Not that anypony will care.” She paused for a moment in thought. “Except Rainbow Dash and Quibble Pants.”

She donned her trusty helmet again and removed a torch from her saddlebag. Lighting the torch, she held it out in front of her to illuminate the dark, partially collapsed tunnel that went deeper than even the torchlight could reach. Shaking her head, she entered the tunnel.

Daring Do somehow squeezed through tight crevices too narrow for her. She climbed over jagged boulders that threatened to cut her and shimmied under buttresses that had long ago buckled and collapsed from the overhead weight. Once she had to scare off a venomous snake that hissed and spat at her. The musty smell would have been overwhelming if not for the dust clogging her nostrils and choking her lungs.

At last, the tunnel ended and the torchlight lit up a giant chamber fifty feet high by a hundred feet long. On either side stood towering statues of gods no longer worshipped, their names forgotten centuries ago.

Warily she traversed the room, keeping an eye out for any swing axes or shooting arrows or flaming geysers. Every hoofstep was carefully tested, lest it spring a trap. Crossing the room may have been slow, but she ensured it was safe.

At the other end of the room, she gazed up at the ancient carvings. Taking a notebook out of her saddlebag, she compared her scribblings and thoughts and decipherments against the inscriptions. Finally she got to the end. “Buck,” she declared.

~~~

“No.”

“You know it’s not easy for me to ask for help,” admitted the secret adventurer known as Daring Do reclusive writer A.K. Yearling, “but I really need it.”

Applejack shook her head. “Ah’m sorry, but Ah’m afraid Ah wouldn’t be of much help.”

“You’re a farmer. You can grow anything,” insisted Daring Do.

“While Ah appreciate the complement, Ah’m an apple farmer. Ah don’t know anything about rice,” countered the farmpony as she lined up for another buck.

“I really need it.”

Bam! The tree shook and dozens of apples fell down.

Plonk! An apple bounced off of A.K. Yearling’s head. “Hey.”

“Sorry sugarcube. Ah assumed that since you were good with dodging traps, y’all would have been able to dodge an apple.”

“When I’m Daring Do. Now I have to keep up appearances as timid A.K. Yearling.”

Applejack sighed. “Why don’t ya head down to the market. Ah’m sure you can buy rice there.”

“You don’t understand. The temple requires an offering of golden sun rice. It’s not something that you can just buy.”

“Why can’t you ask somepony with more experience?”

“I need somepony that I can trust,” explained A.K. “You and your friends have been able to keep the secret of me being Daring Do. So I can trust you with this.”

Examining the writer who looked more like a librarian who had never set hoof outdoors, Applejack said, “Well, Ah suppose we could set up an area down by the creek. We don’t really farm that land, but from what little Ah’ve heard about growing rice, it needs to be in sumthin’ called a ‘patty.’ That should work well enough.”

“Thank you, Applejack. Once I get the rice, I can open the vault and protect the treasure inside. I haven’t heard anything, but Dr. Cabelleron is after any valuable he can get his hooves on.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Ah’ve got a lot of chores to do. That’s why you’re going to help grow the rice.”

“What? But I don’t know anything about growing rice.”

“Me neither.”

~~~

Breakfast was a special time around the kitchen table for the Apple Family. This early morning was no different, despite the new addition to the usual lineup of ponies.

“Applejack?”

“Yes, Apple Bloom?”

“Why is A.K. Yearling havin’ breakfast with us?”

The author quickly spoke up. “I will be starting a new series centered around a hardworking character called ‘Faithful Farmer.’ Applejack agreed to let me stay and work on your farm for a while so I can research the topic.”

“If ya want to learn farmin’,” spat Granny Smith, “we’ll put you to work.”

“Eeyup,” added Big Mac.

“Finish your plate,” ordered Applejack. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

A.K. quickly shoveled everything into her mouth, not taking the time to savor – much less taste – the food.

With breakfast done, Applejack rose from the table and headed outside followed by the writer. Reaching a large field, Applejack harnessed A.K. to a plow.

“What does plowing this field have to do with growing rice?” she asked.

“Nothin’,” said Applejack. “But we’ve got to get it and the other chores done before we can grow your rice.”

“Oh,” she responded.

Applejack grinned and slapped her on the rear, “Gitty up.”

A.K. took off, creating deep furrows in the field.

Several hours later…

“Well, we’ve done all the chores for the day, so now we have time to grow rice.”

“Yay,” said a panting, sweaty, and dirty A.K.

“Ah’ve been reading up rice cultivation from a book Twilight loaned me,” said Applejack. “We will need to dam the creek to flood the field. Then we’ll plant the rice, an’ then we’ll have to tend to it for several weeks.”

“Weeks!”

“Eeyup. Don’t ’cha worry. By the time we’re done, y’all will be as strong as me or Big Mac.

“Yay,” repeated an exhausted A.K.

~~~

And so it was that, for several weeks, the worldwide traveler/adventurer Daring Do well-respected author A.K. Yearling served at Sweet Apple Acres. Every morning she rose with the rest of the family well before sunrise to plow and plant the fields. While her applebucking couldn’t compete with Applejack or Big Mac, she used her wings to hover next to trees and pluck apples directly from the branches. She could even be found mucking the pig pens when Apple Bloom was off crusading. When everything else was done, she and Applejack lovingly tended to the rice patty, intent on growing the special sacrificial grain. And every night A.K. fell into bed, more tired than the day before.

~~~

Applejack tied up the open end of the sack. “Well now, Ah know it’s been hard work, but y’all finally got yer special rice.”

“I certainly have a new appreciation for farming,” added the pegasus dryly.

“Well, you’ve made one heck of a farmhoof. Why don’t ya stick around an’ help us through cider season?” said Applejack, failing to contain a chuckle.

“I think I’ve had enough farming for a lifetime.” She examined the bag in her hooves. “But it will all be worth it to guard the treasure.”

“What do ya suppose it is?”

A.K. shook her head. “I don’t know. Perhaps some sacred idol. Or the crown jewels of the ancient kingdom. Or maybe a powerful magical artifact. Whatever it is, it has to be something extremely valuable to be hidden away in a booby-trapped temple.”

“Well, let me know when you finally find out.”

“Or you can read about it in my next Daring Do book,” smirked A.K.

~~~

Award-winning author A.K. Yearling Brave adventurer Daring Do stood once again before the ancient carvings, with two additional arrow holes in her helmet to show for the effort. She pulled out a bag marked “Sweet Apple Acres” and poured the grains of rice onto the altar. Taking her torch, she lit the offering. A light gray smoke drifted upwards.

Suddenly the ancient carvings became an illuminated manuscript, glowing a shimmering green. The eyes of the surrounding statues turned bloody red.

Daring Do took a hesitant step back and spread her wings to take flight and escape.

Grrrr. The ancient stone door slowly opened, the rusted hinges grinding the entire time. A blast of ancient, stale air greeted the adventurer.

She held out her torch and peered into the vault. Inside stood a carved pedestal with an ancient manuscript sitting on top.

Daring Do carefully stepped inside, on guard for any traps that may try to kill her. Reaching the pedestal, she blew centuries of dust from the cover of the tome. Coughing, she looked down at the ancient script before she pulled her notebook from her saddlebag.

Scanning her notes, she worked to decipher the text.

“Secrets….”

She flipped through the book.

“Of….”

Turning more pages, she ran her hoof through the entries until she found another word.

“Raising….”

She scanned her book and found the last word.

“Rice.”

Her head snapped up in realization. “Secrets of Raising Rice !?”