History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E4DaringDont

'''Pinkie Pie:''' Maybe...or, maybe A.K. Yearling's just a terrible, horrible, unbelievable slob!

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Rainbow Dash has accomplished some amazing things (Sonic Rainboom, fighting the Changeling army, defeating an evil god with her friends, etc) but has built up Daring Do so much she herself feels inadequate. Twilight snaps her out of it in time for the final act.

** A. K. Yearling is an {{Expy}} of Creator/JKRowling, as well as a play on series writer Amy Keating Rogers (in initials and status among the fandom); the name might also be a reference to [[Literature/{{Animorphs}} K.A.]] [[Literature/{{Everworld}} Applegate]].
** When Rainbow Dash begins her list of things the Mane Six could help A.K Yearling with, she puts a hoof across Applejack's shoulders and puts her other forehoof up, mirroring the "Delicious hot Schmoes" scene in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''.[[note]]This image has been exploited in several preceding episodes, but given Applejack's expression -- which nearly matches Woody's in the scene in the Toy Story film -- and her huge Stetson party hat, this looks like an intentional shout-out.[[/note]]

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Rainbow Dash has accomplished some amazing things (Sonic Rainboom, fighting the Changeling army, toping evil gods with her friends, etc) but has built up Daring Do so much she herself feels inadequate. Twilight snaps her out of it in time for the final act.

* ClarkKenting: A.K. Yearling`s outfit (that includes glasses, of course), hides her Daring Do identity.

-->'''Rainbow Dash''': ''WHAT?!'' Two more ''months?!'' I've been waiting so long! I don't think I can wait another two months! I'll never make it! *faceplants*
-->'''Fluttershy''': Yeah, I can vouch for that.

-->'''Ahuizotl:''' RRRRRAAARGGH! (''after smashing through several trees'') '''CABALLERON!'''

* RefugeInAudacity: One can very well argue that this is how Daring is able to sell her books yet avoid ponies realizing it's real; an adventure archeologist that fights armies and works her way out of death traps etc sounds too [[ActionHero Action Hero-y]] to be real. It helps that there are probably are FAR stranger things out there in Equestria.

* SpitTake: Rainbow Dash after Twilight informs her that the next book will be delayed for two months.

** Rainbow Dash trying to fight alongside Daring Do as a sidekick (while unintentionally causing damage in the process) and Daring Do telling her that she works alone, reminds you of how Buddy interacted with Mr. Incredible from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''.

* NoPronunciationGuide: Dr. Caballeron's name is derived from the Spanish word ''caballero'',[[note]]meaning horseman[[/note]] which is pronounced with a "y" or "j" sound rather than an "l" like it is throughout the episode. Possibly deliberate, to sound more like "Belloq".

** The plot of the episode (an adventurer who writes novels documenting his/her real life adventures, disguising it as pulp fiction) seems to be a big shout out to the 1986 movie ''Film/JakeSpeed'', a film similarly inspired by ''Franchise/IndianaJones''.

* SymbolSwearing: One of Caballeron's mooks has grawlix as a cutie mark. The others, similarly, have different comic book effects for cutie marks.

* CoolHat:
** Besides Daring Do herself, there's Pinkie Pie wearing a fez with her cutie mark, Twilight gets a party hat with hers, Applejack gets an oversized red cowboy hat with white apple polka dots, Rarity gets a heart pattern tiara, Fluttershy gets a purple top hat with some flowers, and at the very end there's a picture of Rainbow Dash wearing a baseball cap.
** Among the villains, one of Caballeron's thugs had a black fedora one would expect to see on a member of the mafia.

Twilight and the others catch up with Rainbow to find her kicking herself over letting her hero down. Just as Rainbow decides to head home, her friends insist that Daring needs her help now more than ever -- she may be her hero, but she's a pony like anyone else. Rainbow has a change of heart and swoops into Ahuizotl's nearby temple lair to save Daring from a pool of piranha fish. Daring relents and brings Rainbow to the temple's central altar while the others distract Ahuizotl and his henchponies from completing their ceremony. Rainbow and Daring remove all of the mystical gold rings from the altar, causing the temple to collapse and thwarting Ahuizotl's plans. Daring thanks Rainbow for her help and flies off to start her new book, which she mails to Rainbow Dash: ''Daring Do and the Rings of Destiny'', with an {{expy}} of Rainbow on the cover.

* ThreatBackfire: As Ahuizotl slowly approaches Daring Do, demanding she give him the ring and jumps at her for it, Daring DO turns his threat around on him by flirting with him and saying she can't give him the ring without a proper marriage proposal first, as if it were an engagement ring.

* {{Adorkable}}:
** Rainbow Dash gets plenty of squeeing fangirl moments around Daring Do, so much that she makes her famous [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E4ApplebuckSeason "So Awesome!"]] face. She also gets one at the end when she gets an advance copy of the book she was desperate for and says "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!!!"
** Twilight as well, since she's about as big a fan of Daring as Rainbow Dash, if not bigger; she's just not as vocal about it. That is, until they get caught up in an argument over Daring Do's adventures book-by-book that none of their other friends can follow (except Pinkie Pie).

* FoeRomanceSubtext: Daring Do and Ahuizotl have this In-Universe; see page quote. Rainbow Dash gets a knowing smile after witnessing this certain ShipTease.

* PiranhaProblem: The water in the death trap Ahuizotl locks Daring Do in is filled with piranhas.

*** The golden ring being lost into the fireplace and then pulled out and quenched is similar to what happens to the [[Flim/RaidersOfTheLostArk Headpiece of the Staff of Ra]] at Marion's bar. (This also is possible reference to [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings another major story about rings...]])

'''Daring Do:''' Now, Ahuizotl, [[FoeYay you know I love you, but I can't give you the ring till I've properly proposed]].

->Written by Dave Polsky

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: The episode reveals Daring Do and her adventures are real, with Daring herself writing under the penname A.K. Yearling. [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory She makes some adjustments to the story, such as giving Rainbow Dash a baseball hat and bag.]]

* FoeRomanceSubtext: Daring Do and Ahuizotl have this In-Universe; see page quote. Rainbow Dash gets a knowing smile after a certain ShipTease.

* ShipTease: Daring Do invokes this with Ahuizotl In-Universe when he demands she give him the ring, and she turns it around on him saying she can't without a proper marriage proposal.

* MacGuffin: Daring Do's golden ring, which is part of a set of rings known as the Rings of Scorcherro that, when gathered, will place an 800-year curse of sweltering heat on the valley.

* MenOfSherwood: An evil example in Caballeron's henchponies. While none of them clear the temple before it collapses, a few are shown to poke their heads through the wreck.

** This is averted with Caballeron's thugs, who eventually dominate her by attacking all at once.

** When Rainbow Dash begins her list of things the Mane Six could help A.K Yearling with, she puts a hoof across Applejack's shoulders and puts her other forehoof up, mirroring the "Delicious hot Schmoes" scene in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''.[[note]]This image has been exploited in several preceding episodes, but given Applejack's expression - which nearly matches Woody's in the scene in the Toy Story film - and her huge Stetson party hat, this looks like an intentional shout-out.[[/note]]

** Rainbow Dash learns not to put others on a pedestal if it risks forgetting her own self-worth

* BrokenPedestal: Interestingly played out, in that it wasn't so much that Daring Do let Rainbow Dash down by being a jerk (though it could be justified in that Dash ''was'' being a creepy fangirl), but that Rainbow felt she let ''Daring'' down for getting the latter distracted, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone then captured by the enemy]]. Thankfully though, the rest of the Mane Six convince Dash to go back and help Daring anyway, and the two make amends at the end of the episode.

* {{Badass}}: Daring Do. She's a considerably skilled [[BareFistedMonk hoof-to-hoof fighter]], and smart enough to set up a BatmanGambit to get inside Ahuizotl's base.

* CollapsingLair: Removing the final ring from the monument in Ahuizotl's temple causes the entire thing to collapse. Invoked by Daring Do, [[GenreSavvy who knew this would happen.]]

* InsistentTerminology: Caballeron insisted on being called ''Dr.'' Caballeron when he is introduced.