Daring Don't

Did You Know?

• Brian Lenard of Hasbro Studios called DHX expanding on the lighting effects of Season 4, particularly in Daring Don't, a spectacular surprise.
• Phil Caesar of DHX Media stated he tried to base the episode on an Indiana Jones kind of feel in lighting and color.

Plot

Believing author A.K. Yearling is too busy with mundane tasks to write, Rainbow decides to find her and offer help with chores. Twilight reluctantly agrees to locate the author's residence, and the Mane Six travel there. They find the home ransacked and apparently abandoned, but the author soon returns and begins searching through debris while ignoring them. Three stallions break in and surround A.K. Yearling, who throws off her disguise to reveal she is actually Daring Do. Dr. Caballeron steals a golden ring from her and escapes with his henchmen. Rainbow Dash volunteers to help retrieve the artifact, but her nervous excitement repeatedly sabotages the mission. During a nighttime confrontation at Caballeron's camp, Rainbow alerts the villain Ahuizotl to Daring's presence while trying to return a dropped helmet. Ahuizotl captures both the ring and Daring Do and carries her into the jungle. The Mane Six follow to his fortress, where Ahuizotl prepares to use the ring in a ritual that will bring oppressive heat. The Mane Six disrupt the ceremony while Rainbow rescues Daring from a piranha-filled death trap. Daring admits she intentionally got captured to access the location but needed Rainbow's help to lift heavy artifacts. After the rings are removed, the fortress collapses, thwarting Ahuizotl. Daring Do departs to finish her novel, and later Rainbow receives the completed book with cover art depicting both Daring Do and Rainbow Dash.

Reception

Sherilyn Connelly, author of Ponyville Confidential, gave the episode a D rating, noting that some viewers criticized show creator Lauren Faust for racial undertones in the episode, though Faust had been long unaffiliated with the show by then. Jen A. Blue described Daring Don't as frankly bizarre and criticized the decision to make Daring Do a real character rather than remaining fictional, calling it utterly baffling. Blue argued that Daring Do's insistence on working alone conflicts with the show's core theme that Equestria runs on the magic of friendship, and criticized the episode's structure as awkwardly stitching a complete Daring Do story onto an incomplete Friendship Is Magic story, transforming jarringly into an action-heavy show. Blue expressed concern that the episode represented a troubling trend away from character-focused roots toward action and adventure. Daniel Alvarez of Unleash The Fanboy gave the episode a 4 out of 5, calling it a fun adventure story with great action and praising how Daring Do steals the show, though noting Rainbow Dash was rather annoying with her constant whining. Sofie Liv of The Agony Booth gave a 2 out of 5, calling it below average and criticizing that the message had been done before and better, and that Rainbow Dash was rewarded for imposing on Daring Do rather than learning about respect and decency. Megan Crouse of Den of Geek described the episode as an earnest, upbeat episode but one of the less magical events in the season, functioning more as a detective story about Yearling keeping her alter ego secret.