Daring Do and Rainbow Dash and the Trials of Temptation
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Chapter 3
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The cloudscape was silent, the vast plane of white seemingly devoid of features to anything but a weather pony, save for the two equines resting on a cloud somewhere above Ponyville town centre.

The bluer of the two was pacing back and forth, her wings reflexively standing at attention as her body screamed at her to get out of there, her natural desire to fly away from danger only kept in check by years of self-training. She was in trouble, she knew - in her fantasy world, it was only a matter of time until the great storm tore both her and Daring Do away to their doom, and in the real world, it was only a matter of time until Twilight Sparkle finished reading her piece. Before any editing work, even.

The purpler pony sat there in rapt silence, slowly reading line after line. The manuscript was illegible, and that was if she was feeling generous. Mere apparent illiteracy had not been enough to stop Dash from writing it, and it would not be enough to stop Twilight reading it - among her vast knowledge of spells and enchantments lay the Sight spell, granting insight into seemingly impenetrable situations. The paper in front of her certainly was impenetrable, but before long the scribbles and squiggles were rearranging themselves into the forms and shapes Dash had meant them to take. Then she read.

Twilight wasn't sure what to think - on the one hoof, Dash was an appalling author, her characterisation of Daring Do was weak at best, and the self-insert companion was generally reserved for the most shameless of works, but on the other she seemed genuinely interested in it, and her core idea wasn't all that bad.

Rainbow Dash was growing more excited by the minute as she kept glancing over at the engrossed librarian, watching the way her mane shifted slightly as she moved her head down to read another line, or the way the slight smile remained on her face as she turned the page. Twilight was sure to like it, it was expertly written. Maybe it could even be the thing that finally broke the ice between them - Dash had tried to get her feelings across many times, from skywriting to leaving flowers, but something always intervened, whether it be that making words out of clouds is in violation of many weather codes, or that abandoned flowers don't last long in a town of hungry ponies. Always, something in the way.

Twilight continued her reading, applying more spells to try and extract the image inside Dash's head, not her inexpert retelling of it. While Dash's constant misuse of words and illogical phrasing would have ruined the tale, without them the story was quite acceptable, especially within the realm of fan fiction, something Twilight was ashamed to say she had quite some experience in. Her own notebook was a closely guarded secret, kept away from even Spike, and enchanted to burst into flames should anypony but her attempt to open it.

Twilight turned the page and the smile fell from her face - she hated cliffhangers. Dash hadn't finished, she was nowhere near.

"So what'd ya think, huh?" Dash asked with a grin, confident in her own abilities.

"Well, you're certainly very enthusiastic, Dash. The story is fun, but your writing is... I'd be very happy to edit it when you're done, before you show other people. Any other people." Twilight diplomatically suggested, trying her best not to insult Dash. In reality, Twilight assumed that the closest Dash had gotten to a dictionary was finding one and pulling out all the words that weren't in it, but saying that would have been mean.

Dash got the idea - Twilight wanted to read more, and before anypony else, because of how good it was. Of course she did, it only made sense. Dash could imagine the scene now, Twilight clutching a quill in her awesome magical grip, making minor changes here and there, reading by the light of her fireplace while Dash leaned close, their fur brushing together and their faces blushing as their desires finally got the better of them, and the story was left forgotten. That was surely how it would go down, of this Dash was certain. Finishing her fiction was now more important than ever, and after agreeing a time for Twilight's next reading, Dash took off for her home, where her trusty writing desk rested waiting for her.

"Dash, we're trapped!" shouted Daring Do over the loud, yet distant sound of raindrops smashing against the temple walls, and wind rushing through it. The two felt around for each other in the pitch darkness, wanting to know the other was alright before attempting an escape. Feeling the reassuring grip of each other's hooves, they pressed on, feeling around the walls until Do found a rock that felt looser than the others. As she pressed it, light streamed into the corridor as one of the blockages receded, allowing them access deeper into the temple.

The first room was caked in dust, lit only by the glowing crystals that lined the walls. There was a pillar in the center of the room, engraved with ancient Equestrian writings, which Daring Do immediately set about translating. Dash, not being proficient in anything beyond modern Equestrian and the few words of Prench she managed to pick up on the days she was actually paying attention in class elected to look around, searching the room. Lining the far wall were three statues, each representing a member of each pony race, surrounding what was clearly a doorframe. There was no handle, or switch, or lever visible, however, and the door seemed quite stuck when Dash gave it a push.

"Got it!", exclaimed Daring as she found the right dialect, and started to read. "Welcome, adventurers, to the Trials of Temptation. Our society is crumbling and our secrets will be lost forever unless we blah blah blah stuff stuff stuff... aha, instructions! To proceed, you and your companion must prove you are pure of heart and intention by passing each test. Fail, and you will be lost forever. How ominous!"

Daring Do joined Dash at the far side of the room as they stared, unable to figure out what the puzzle was, never mind how to solve it. A little more poking around revealed that a section of stonework could be pulled out, revealing two stone horns and four stone wings, looking like they could be attached to the statues lining the walls. Furthermore, the statues could be rotated to face away, revealing a hole of the correct shape to accept a pony of that type.

"Don't you see, Dash? We're two Pegasi, we need to change one of these statues into another!" exclaimed Daring Do as the pieces finally fell into place, before grabbing a set of wings and sticking them in place, watching as the hole behind slid and creaked into its new shape. Peering into the dark recess in the rock, she could almost make out the light of the second room - success!

Before long, the two had shuffled through, the small hole and difficult terrain leaving both of them panting and sweating heavily by the time they reached the second, dimly lit room. As they entered, they heard the sound of stone scratching against stone as the passageway they'd just come through closed up, blocking their exit. The only way is onwards.

The room was dimly lit, the only light source being from the few candles spread around the room. The candles rested on tables, and around the tables were comfortable looking seats. Almost like a romantic dinner, except one unseen by equine eyes for thousands of years. Both of the present ponies were excited by this idea.

Taking one more step, another trap was inadvertently sprung, shattering their false senses of security as holes along the wall opened, and the gurgling of a pumped liquid echoed into the room.

Slowly, a trickle began to flow from them, the thick, goopy fluid collecting in little puddles under them. Dash felt unable to resist investigating, dipping her hoof in the spill and having a quick lick.

"Do, I think this is pudding. It tastes really, really sweet.", Dash paused, her eyes unfocussing as she began to realise the severity of the second puzzle. Even in the dim light, her sharp Pegasus eyes could see the exit to the room, clearly open and unrestricted. Her eyes couldn't stay focussed on it for long, however, as they found themselves drawn to her adventuring companion's body as the true purpose of the drugged pudding became clear in her mind. The heat from her loins spread through her body as the heat was triggered in her head, and the thought of exiting the room vanished, replaced entirely by the thought of making Daring Do exit her clothes.

Rainbow Dash lifted her quill from the paper. The sun had set and it was getting more and more difficult to write. She decided to continue in the morning, safe in the knowledge that her writing's true purpose had been made clear to her - to impress Twilight and make her intentions clear. The message could only possibly be sent through the medium of erotic fan fiction, and Rainbow Dash swore to do the proud, valuable medium justice, and not besmirch its good name.