Daring Do and the Sun-piece

Chapters

The failure
The deal
Temple of the unholy nightwatcher
Way down to the desert of Solitude
The real reasons behind the piece
The final confrontation
Epilogue

The failure

“Far beyond the known borders of Equestria lies a vast and empty wasteland of unexplored ground. Legends have been born about those places, the horrors they house. And the fortunes hidden.”

Those exact words same were spoken by a single pegasus mare. There was a small smirk appeared below her muzzle. “That is why ponies like myself are needed. To explore those regions and sniff out the hidden treasure the land holds. And just have a good time,” she added to them.

“Daring, are you sure this is a good idea?” a red coated, unicorn mare asked to her. The unicorn was looking rather nervous around their surroundings. Daring would have just glared into the distance, further into the rain forest with the overgrown valley. She found herself standing with one hoof on a rock. Her mustard coat almost appeared to be shining in the afternoon sun, while her graybow manes were looking as beautiful as ever while it waved in the faint breezes of wind.

She tapped her hat and adjusted her vest a little bit. “Yeah, I am sure, don't worry about it too much,” she said in the hope to reassure the other mare. Her eyes fell deeper into the valley and the smirk began to change itself into a smile of glee. “We found it. The lost temple of Princess Platinum. Come on,” added Daring. She jumped off the rock and began to look for a way downhill.

“No offence, Daring, but you are a pegasi, you can just fly, right?” asked the other mare. The nervousness still hadn’t left her when she caught up with the explorer.

“On one end yes. On the other, I have never been a good flyer and my wing never fully healed. Now, shall we go, Elly?” The red mare nodded and kept trotting next to the mare. Daring had been hired by her for the expedition. “I prefer the ground over air anyway, air happens to be so empty,” added Daring with a smile and a gently nudge on Elly’s back.

The unicorn had gathered all of her guts in order to walk out a little bit before Daring. Almost if she was trying to prove herself something. The further she got ahead, the more the pegasus began to notice something on her shoulder. It made her tilt her head to a side. All of the sudden did her eyes open wide. She knew just what happened to be moving on her companion’s back. “Elly, do not, move, one, bit,” Daring spoke with a calm voice. With a hoof she reached out for a stick.

“What? Why?” Elly asked in confusion. If there was one thing she learned on that particular travel, was that it would be a good idea to listen to Daring. There she then stood, standing like a rock while a small hissing sound finally caught up in her ears. Elly’s eyes widened up at the sounds. The unicorny could only pray it wasn't the thing she thought it would be. Daring took out a rather large pincer from one of her pockets. She couldn’t reach for any kind of stick. She walked up the unicorn to remove the thing on the back. Mere seconds later could the sound of something going through the thick vegetation be heard. A soft chuckle came from the explorer before she returned the pincer in her pocket.

“I know how much you hate snakes, Elly,” said Daring while she gave her a wink when she passed by. “Mind if I take lead from here on?” It took the unicorn quite the time to figure it out just what happened as her ears dropped themselves once more and a thankful smile appeared on her face. She gave a nod to the words spoken and quietly began to follow the mustard coated pegasus, onward to the place they were looking for.

---

The two of them kept moving through the thick vegetarian of the jungle. Elly called upon her magic to cut through the branches, thus creating a somewhat safe passage. Though the journey also began to exhaust her. She had travelled for over a week and found herself in conditions she normally never would have found herself within. And the worst part of it all had to be the humidity in the air which was sometimes just unbearable for her. “Just how far is it now, Daring?” she spoke in a soft voice. She tried to hide the annoyed and tired undertone yet the streams of sweat traveled down her coat.

“We must be pretty close by now. By my compass, we need to head east now, and keep walking that way for...” replied Daring in first instance. She allowed her eyes to look at over the trees. There she found it. She had found the very spot they stood before while another smile appeared on her face. “…About ten minutes.”

The unicorn gave a small nod of both approval and understanding as she continued on her job of creating a pathway. “What do you want to find there anyway, if I may ask?”

“Whatever there is to find Elly. Treasure, story, history,” replied Daring. A bright spot became more visible through the trees. Just a couple more steps and then they would be there. But so would the dangers be as well. “Remember that you wanted to see it first,” she added with a chuckle.

It wasn’t much later before they stood at the opening, looking over the structure that had risen. “Ah, it is here. Behold, the temple of Princess Platinum herself,” Daring Do spoke to Elly. They walked further to the open plain in the legendary Jungle of Nothing. Both of the mares gave their eyes the time to look around for two things. One being any form of danger, which did not happen to be around. The second thing being the entrance towards the temple. One which was naturally overgrown by vines. Daring only began to smile more when they found the actual entrance. They did it, after a week in the jungle, a week of horror and almost no sleep they found it. The ancient temple of Princess Platinum has been found by the pair of them.

“Are you coming, Elly?” the explorer asked after her companion had cut away the vines before the entrance.

But instead of the desired answer of ‘yes’, she get a bit of a different reaction. “I rather not Daring, you know how I am against that. I mean, it is her temple after all. I don't want to be known as a defiler of holy,” replied Elly after her horn had been discharged.

“Alright then, I will, hopefully, see you in a bit then.” With those words spoken had she disappeared into the darkness of the ancient temple. A temple nopony had even found or ventured into for the last twenty-five hundred years at least. Outside of it had the unicorn made herself a bit more comfortable in the soft grass, bathing a little bit in the sun as between the leaves and darkness of the jungle, figures could be seen moving around. Figures that caught her attention.

---

The more Daring walked forward through the temple, the more the pure darkness began to surround her. That alone gave her a rather uncomfortable feeling. The mare took out her whip just in case it would be needed. Yet her eyes tried to peek through the dark. On either side of the wall she found torches and knew it was of essence to take them. So Daring took her whip into her mouth before she reached for a set of fire stones in another pocket. Without any hesitation in her body for what she might find, the explorer walked over to them. She smashed the stones together to let the sparks emerge, hoping that her little plan would work.

After a couple tries did her hopes became a reality, the dry wood in them caught fire. The created light illuminated the hall she stood in. Though it also revealed slightly what laid ahead of her. The hall was far longer than she ever would have expected it to go and many more torches could be found. But as she looked even closer, the hallway was actually divided into multiple sections which crossed each other. And on the very end was another small light to be found. Daring kept her eyes peeled at everything that was visible for now while her suspicion never lowered itself. But as brave as she was, she simply walked towards the unknown, determined to find whatever laid beyond.

The pegasus kept slowing going through the hallway and lit up all the torches that came into sight. The light came into the dark temple of the princess which also revealed written words on the walls. Words writing in the ancient language of the unicorn kind. Daring stood still by one as she gave her eyes the time to read the words and to translate them into her head. Many of them she knew from books and own exploration, but there was one that was new to her. “The change of a life, begins with the help of another,” she mumbled softly after having roughly translated the words in her mind. And it was that mind that began to think about the words written before smiling at their deep and double meaning. “Wise princess I must admit that. I wonder what caused her downfall though.”

After some careful further trotting did Daring found herself by the stone archway. The one where seemed the light came from. The mare took off her hat and ventured under the arch with care, straight into the room ahead. Her eyes glared over the circular room, only to widen themselves in both amazement and slight fear. Many statues became visible for her eyes, statues that were all of the princess of the unicorns. Each of them molded out of the finest platinum the land had to offer and each stood in a different pose. But one thing they all had in common was the fact that their eyes she stared at the same point in the room.

"My goodness,” was all the daring pegasus could say upon seeing the sight. Yet her voice echoed freely through the room. Of course she caught the manner in which the statues looked upon the room, but didn't wanted to believe it at first sight. Daring walked further into the room with care. In her eyes fell the exact item she was sent out for too collect. A little statue made of the finest platinum, with rubies for eyes and a emerald encrusted crown, in the shape of the fallen Princess.

She walked up to it but a shock went through her as it was only now that the very thing her prize was surrounded by revealed itself. Her prize laid in the boney hooves of the deceased unicorn princess. And that made everything crystal clear all of the sudden. “This is no temple to worship her, this is her tomb,” said Daring under a soft gulp while her eyes kept on looking. As much as it was true she was an explorer, she wasn't a grave robber of any kind. Though the bits given for returning with the artifact was just a little bit too tempting to let it lay around for her liking. “Where have I come?”

Under a deep and rather annoyed sigh did she began to search for a way to open the glass coffin. Minutes slowly crawled by and the attention of Daring was focused on three points. The first being the doorway leading out, the second being the massive statues and the third on actually trying to get it open. Many wiggles and punches later would a loud inhale of air echoed through the room and with one last pull, the entire lid of the coffin flung open. The force was strong enough that it sent the mare back to the ground.

Daring shook her head lightly after the events had taken place and she placed her hat right on her head and spoke her words on the matter. “Right then.” The pegasus walked up to the little artifact, which was a staff that was rumored to wield great powers, and began to examine its surrounding. She was looking for any hidden traps that could have been placed within it to make sure it would stay safe in the coffin.

But her eyes caught nothing that could possibly lead to something like it and in a moment of overconfidence did she just took the staff. Her eyes gave one look over to the body of the princess before she hid the object under her wounded wing and stepped away from the coffin. "Sorry your highness, but you have nothing on this anymore," she spoke as her excuse to the body inside.

---

After she turned herself around in order to simply walk out of the doorway there was a tremor that could not only be heard but also felt in her bones. That caused her to be frozen on her spot. Her eyes narrowed themselves before she took a deep inhale through her nostrils. “Time to go!” Then she was just gone. All of her body parts thawed themselves in a millisecond. She changed her pace into a gallop in order to not only leave the room, but the tomb as a whole. Daring had just reached the stone archway before a large cylindrical boulder came rolling down the ceiling. It had barely missed the glass coffin and set the hunt on Daring. Who had to run even faster.

The pegasus knew what was coming behind her back but she didn't want to look at it to lose precious seconds and she just kept galloping towards the light of the torches and exit. All while she prayed that she would be on time. Sweat of fear began to run down her face while the rolling sound of the builder came ever so closer.

There was only one thing she could do by then. A thing she wasn't looking forward to do. Daring closed her eyes and send all her power towards her hind legs for a massive jump towards the exit. And there it came, the powerful jump which would have sent any normal pegasus high into the air. While she was suspended in the air, the mare passed through many spider webs she had avoided on her way on and could feel the hairy legs on her back. Something that caused a cold shiver to walk over her spine.

Aside from the towering pillar of dust that left the cave, her face was met by the soft grass of the outside world. The burning sun that shone down upon her mustard coat. The many spiders kept tickling her for a little while before they all returned into the darkness of the stone building. Not even five seconds after that, the crashing sound of the boulder was heard against the entrance, blocking it for all of eternity. Or at least that would have been the plan for it.

It was only after she heard the crashing sound that Daring dared to stand back up on her hooves. With a couple quick motions had she allowed her eyes to fall upon the blocked tomb. She wiped away most of the webs from her vest and hat before she turned herself back around. The pegasus had the hope to find her companion somewhere lying around. "Wasn't so bad... If you don't count the spider webs. Elly? Are you still here?" she spoke up to herself and called out.

Instead of the unicorn mare was Daring greeted by an old foe of her. A stallion with a gray coat, brown mane and tail and wore his almost signature dark blue vest while his green rimmed eyes stared on a small pocket watch. He didn't even look at the mare as his deep voice spoke up. "It seems I am you again one step ahead miss Do. You do the work, I claim the prize. The staff, hoof it over."

"Hmfp, over my dead body, Bolocs. And what have you done to Elly?" Daring replied under a small grow. She assumed a more battle ready pose. She wouldn't give up all of her hard work that easily. Not in a million years. Though in the back of her head did she knew how it would end.

The stallion just rolled his eyes in response and signaled a unicorn companion of his own to charge up its horn. "I give you ten seconds, then he will fire and thus grant your wish. As for miss Elly, she's safe, miss Do, I can assure you of that," Bolocs said before he placed his pocket watch back in his vest. Finally he allowed his eyes to rest on Daring. "Be a wise pony, we both know you are that," he said in a taunting tone towards her.

But to add even more insult to injury came the voice of Elly herself which spoke from behind the explorer. “You were a fool to trust me, Daring. I was working for Bolocs the whole time and you didn't suspect a single thing. Blinded by the thrill you happened to be, making it perfect for me to leave the breadcrumbs.” With that statement were countless thoughts that began to race through her mind. Daring knew she did not had to mess with that unicorn aiming for her.

She had to admit her defeat against her nemesis or face a hellish pain before it would be taken from her. With pain that originated from deep within her heart she untucked the wing and allowed the staff to fall in a hoof. "Fine then. But you will pay for this eventually, Bolocs!" she spoke before she allowed a soft sigh to be released. "Here, catch."

The staff was thrown over to the earth pony stallion who caught it without any trouble. His eyes examined the whole thing to see if it was the real deal and then hid it away in a bag of the unicorn stallion who rose back up. "A pleasure doing business with you once more, miss Do," Bolocs spoke sarcastically. Then he turned himself around and erupting into a sinister laughter. As quick as they all came, they simply left again. They left the broken Daring Do behind in the Jungle of Nothing, which ironically and unfortunately honored its given name.

Feeling humiliated by her so maniest defeat against him, the pegasus began to run in a unknown direction. She just ran away from everything that had happened. She tried to find an escape of some kind. The more she galloped, the more tears of sadness and hatred ran passed her cheek as she lost all sense on the world around her.

The deal

It took her some time, but eventually had Daring managed to leave the jungle behind her in all of its sadness. Instead she found herself sitting in a in a shady bar located in a small town where not much passed through. There she did the only thing that she possibly could think of. Which happened to be drinking away her troubles with one hard cider after the other. Her eyes were mixed with emotion and alcohol. To her it seemed like her whole life had been flushed down the drain. Fairly much the worst of the worst, according to herself, she couldn’t reach any lower. Little did she knew the reality of the matter. "Barkeeper, give me another one, will you," Daring muttered up after she had set yet another glass on the bar.

The unicorn barkeeper gave her one glance and simply rose his eyebrow as his horn kept drying some glasses. "Haven't ya had enough fer tonight?" he spoke to her in a serious tone.

Daring returned the looks to him with a deep sigh. "Me? Nah, pour me another one, would you?" The stallion couldn't do much else then giving her another glass, but something in him told him she wasn't drunk at all, in fact, she was sober as one could possibly be. Little did he knew just how good she could hold her liquor.

“Here ya go, on the tab I take?” the stallion spoke while he passed her yet another mug.

“Would be nice,” replied Daring. under a soft chuckle. She took a swig from the fresh mug of hard cider, hoping for something to happen.

Then the door swung open and in the opening were two stallions in black trench coats with hats that covered their eyes to be found. They walked into the bar with a gentle pace and didn't cause much of an attention roar. The two of them took place behind a table that wasn't located that far away from where Daring was sitting. They began to speak to each other a bit before one of the waiters took their orders. They silenced for a moment before they returned to their words.

But the half-drunk Daring would have caught up some of the spoken words while she finished her cider. Most of them were just business talk, but some sparked her interest. "We need an explorer to get it for us," one of them said. "A good one for the matter, can't fail on any aspect of this."

"I know...I know... Otherwise the boss is not going to be happy, since this is, the expedition of a lifetime. Piece of the Sun, it can mean anything, but there is one thing for sure, it is valuable as the heavens," the other whispered. Words that were just loud enough for Daring to hear them.

Growing more and more curious to the words, Daring gave the two of them a slight look over her shoulder. If their words were indeed true, she could turn every single wrong into a right again. What did she had to lose and what did she had to gain? With all of her hope and bets placed upon the stallion, the pegasus took a deep swig of her cider and prayed for the best.

"Excuse me, gentlecolts, but I heard you needed an explorer? The name's Daring Do, at your service." The mare had introduced herself quite unorthodox after she had swung around on her stool. Her mysterious, magenta eyes fell upon the two stallions. There even was a slight smirk that could be found below her muzzle. All in all, she eyed drunk, but also professional.

The two figures looked up to her and they couldn't believe what fate just had thrown at them. “Would you excuse my companion and myself here, for just a moment, miss?” one of them asked in a polite manner. Daring did the only thing she could do and that was giving them a nod.

After the nod was done, the both of them stood up and would have made their way over to an empty table further way. They took place there to discuss their matters in a bit more privacy. Their matters were sensitive and not meant for other ears to be heard. Especially those of Daring. The pegasus could only guess what they were saying to one another.

---

Daring just turned herself back around and felt the defeat coming up again. Their leaving had crushed her last hope for a job in the profession of explorers and adventures. She didn't saw it sitting anymore, especially since every time she got a job, that cursed Bolocs always managed to mess around with her plan. He let her do the dirty work before he struck with the honor himself. “Barkeeper, one last hard cider,” she muttered after she had finished her last mug.

The stallion behind the bar rose his eyebrows in a surprised manner that time. “The last one? Alright then.” Within seconds was the last mug of hard cider that was served for her. Daring made the decision to enjoy it both deep and great. The adventurer just wanted to forget everything for a little while, just her and the drink. She set the mug on her lips and started to drink faster than she had ever done in her life.

It took her mere seconds before the whole mug of cider was just gone. With a loud tok the mug was placed back on the bar and Daring smirked as a burp left her. Even the barkeeper looked up in a surprised manner at the sheer speed she had consumed. But she said it was her last one and he would keep to that no matter what she would speak in gibberish.

It may not have been long that she had drunk it, but it was deeply enjoyable for herself. “That is enough for tonight.” With the fresh booze behind her teeth it also gave her some hope that those stallions would not have forgotten about her while her own mind began to drift off into thoughts of adventure, fortune and fame. The times as she remembered them to be.

Stories and tales came and went in her mind. But she also thought about of making future expeditions. One in which she was particularly interested in, happened to be one that led her into the Frozen North and beyond the Crystal Empire. She would be going to a place that many had called, The Final Frontier or The Edge of the World. Only the princesses could guess what she would discover within and behind it.

After having spent some time in thought, Daring was tapped on her shoulder without a warning. It was something that caused a light shock to travel through her. One that was strong enough to pull her back in the world as it is known. She then turned herself around to see one of those mysterious stallions. “Miss, Do, was it right? Would you like to join us for a moment?” he asked in a polite tone.

“Daring Do is the name yes,” she replied under a nod and took off her hat. "And lead the way." Then she left the stool and followed the black, trench coated stallion to the table. The very one where he and his companion had taken their retreat on behind.

The stallion moved one of the chairs back for Daring and she took place on it in a gentle and careful manner. “Would you like something to drink before we begin, miss Do?” the standing stallion asked after she had taken her place.

“Some soda, I have been drinking the hard stuff for most of the night now,” she replied with a chuckle. He gave her a simple nod in response. He walked back to the bar where he ordered two glasses of water and a soda for the table.

With time having passed a little bit, he had returned with the drinks and gave them to everypony on the table. Once that was done, he took place himself once more. The stallion who already sat there, kept his mouth shut for the whole time. Something that caused the other to do the word. “Miss Do, you showed us quite the interest in the expedition my companion and myself have planned out,” he said after he had taken his own place behind the table. Yet his tone was a low and quiet tone. Obviously, they didn't want any other soul to know even a bit about it.

Daring nodded at those words and took a sip of her soda, the stallion then leaned closer in and signaled her to do the same. Giving in to the signal almost instantly, the pegasus leaned forward just before the next words left his mouth in a whispering tone. “What do you know of the Sun-piece and Nightmare Moon?”

The explorer allowed her thoughts to be pondered deeply on both of the subjects. But all she got were blank spots. “Not much about either. Though I do know more about the latter then the first, but what have the two in common then?” she then replied with a raised eyebrow.

The quiet stallion next to him kept scanning the entire bar for unwanted ears while the speaker spoke once again. “Before we continue, I need to know one thing, are you in? But know this: once you are in, there is no way out until the job is done.” He stared deep into the eyes of Daring Do with his own, deep yellow rims. He had to be certain that she wouldn’t bail out before it was time.

In her eyes it could be seen for just a moment. That hesitation that was being created deep within her body. But her curiosity and lust for adventure managed to have gotten the better of her rather quickly. Daring Do would have replied with three simple words. “I am in.”

The stallion gave her a nod and stood up from his place. “If you would like to follow us please miss Do. What we are going to discuss further, needs to be done in the utmost of private.” The other stallion also stood up and Daring couldn't do much else then just go with them. The three of them left the table. On it were enough bits to pay for both their drinks and Daring’s long tab of cider.

Each of them walked over the bar's floor and then went up the small wooden stairs. One which led over to the upper level of the bar. Once they stood on top, Daring was guided down a hallway to one of the many room that were up for rental by the owner himself. Sounds could be heard through some of the doors but she didn't gave them any mind.

When she had least expected it, it was the quiet stallion who opened the door and bowed in a polite manner for her to enter. A small smile appeared on the face of the pegasus. “Why thank you,” she said in a rather unusual polite tone. Daring made her way into the room where she would have waited for the other two to enter. It was a thing that took them only mere seconds. Once they were all inside, it was the quiet stallion who closed the door and locked it back up again.

Daring had allowed her eyes to look a little around the room she had found herself in. It was an average bedroom with a two-pony bed, a set of small desks on either side with some candles. There was even a big desk and a little bathroom. But to her biggest surprise, there were three chairs standing in the room. The quiet stallion extended his hoof to one as if he was saying she needed to take place there, which she did without questioning.

The stallions themselves took place on the remaining chairs and the Pegasus couldn't hold her mouth anymore over a little matter as she boldly asked. “Say, did he lost his tongue or what?”

The stallion who always spoke did the word again as he shook his head. “No, he is always this quiet when being around others. But let’s talk business now shall we? Because there is one very important connection between Nightmare Moon and the Sun-piece. The Piece is said to be a very ancient relic, one that came from the time when the princesses were young. And not to mention, a powerful one at that. If the queen of darkness gets it, she'll use it topple Equestria in eternal darkness as she had promised all those years ago. She must not get it miss Do, no matter what.”

Daring had listened to the words with great attention and still was a little stunned by hearing it all. Though there were questions that popped up in her head, questions she wanted answers on. “Hold up a moment here. Let me get this straight, you want me, to find an ancient relic, a powerful ancient relic and keep it out the hooves of Nightmare Moon? Didn't she like, got destroyed by Celestia when she returned from her thousand year imprisonment? Where do you suggest I start looking? And for who do you work for again?” were just some of the questions she had.

“On two of the things I can say you are correct, as for the other two it lays differently. We may not tell for who we work, it would bring the organization in greater dangers than ever, as for the location itself, there have been rumors. Rumors of an old temple that lays hidden deep within the Everfree Forest near the town of Ponyville. Good luck, miss Do, grab what you need while you can, in an hour there will be a carriage standing ready for you,” the speaker told to her

The quiet stallion stood up and opened the door again for her to leave. “The Everfree you say? I will grab what I need and then be on my way as soon as I can,” replied Daring just before she stood up. She nodded to the colts and left the room for what it is.

But once the door was closed again there was a smirk which began to appear on the face of the speaker as he spoke in a sinister tone. “That mare has no idea where she just walked into.”

---

Having her way made back to her own room a couple doors down the hallway, Daring opened that door with a bright smile. “I am back! Back in action,” she spoke to herself Her eyes looked over her own room which was the same as that of the stallions. Only it was a bit more messy given her nature and duration of her stay. The pegasus placed her hat back on her head and began to both gather and find things she would be needing for the upcoming adventure. Her trusty whip, an extra set of vest and some other things all got placed in a big suitcase.

After she had packed everything she needed made Daring her way down the stairs and out of the bar without a single word spoken. Then it would simply be waiting for the carriage to arrive and take her to the little town of Ponyville. She had heard many things about the place in her travels, but never was the destination she always wanted to go to for some reason. Because of the whole fact that certain aspects of the town were giving her more than the creeps. Everything seemed to be so, if not too, perfect.

---

But in the meantime and hidden far away from the little town the explorer could be found in, deep within the bowels of the Canterlot Garden, there a statue was to be found that was unlike any other one. A horrifying statue of somepony not even the bravest of hearts wished to encounter. The moon found itself much higher in the skies than usual. Its wonderful light shone down upon that statue, it began to both crack and crumble. The statue of the incarnation of hate and fear itself was about to break loose and roam free over the world once more.

More and more cracks appeared in the stone and only extended even further. Under a loud creaking sound that went mixed with a terrifying roar, the deed was done. The statue had broken into many pieces and there she could be found on the base itself. Her purple misty mane flowing freely in the wind for the first time in a long time while as her catlike eyes only glared over the garden. The coat was blacker than the deepest night as a pair of wing began to spread themselves. “Revenge, is, mine,” the being spoke before it let another roar of ancient power leave. Then it was gone. Blasting off into the skies with the wings, leaving a trail of darkness and dust of stone behind it.

Temple of the unholy nightwatcher

The pegasus arrived in Ponyville a couple days later by the carriage. It was after she had settled herself in a small hotel wanted to trek out again. Daring Do just wanted to find whatever the object might be to help her in her quest. An object that was apparently located within the Everfree.

Granted she had to admit that the town was nice but some of the weirdest ponies she had ever seen happened to be living there. The kind of types she rather didn't make any contact with whatsoever. Daring laid the matter to rest after she was done with the strolling around and made the decision to go to bed really for a fresh mind.

It would have been in the early afternoon of the second day of her stay that she found herself leaving the hotel. She would have gone over the ways nopony ever took. The pegasus ventured without being spotted by any other soul to the very entrance of the mythical Everfree forest. A forest that rightfully gave her the creeps when it came to the matter. She took a deep exhale. “It is now or never, Daring, you know that” she mumbled to herself. With a confident look in her eyes had she mindlessly stepped into the borders of the woods, continuing on her journey.

The more Daring ventured into the forest, the more confident she got in actually finding the mythical piece. She fixed her hat just a little bit before a nod came. The pegasus didn't encounter any of the dangers the forest was said to be housing though. Yet since it was midday when she walked into it, it meant that most predators were asleep, so she hoped. “Now, if I were a temple myself, where would I hide? Out of sight for everypony as an obvious fact.” That little line made a spark to come up in Daring’s eyes before she grinned. “Hide! I need to get off the road,” she said into herself after a small eureka moment. Daring’s eyes looked over the vegetation before she went from the path she was walking on into the real forest and therefore the real wilderness of Equestria.

The pegasus then just kept walking while she never allowed her guard down for anything that may happen. The further she got in, the more the trees became darker and twisted in her eyes. Their brightly brown barks had turned into a unpleasant black while not a single leaf could be seen on their branches. It was an eerie situation to say the least and the explorer felt it deep within her body. She shouldn't be there, yet she continued to go.

Daring took a couple sniffs in the air but almost immediately began to cough from the sheer scent, or better said: stench. She had recognizing the smell a bit too well as it was the smell of something rotting from the inside out. Yet what surprised her the most was the very fact that not a single creature even dared to come in that part of the forest. No birds, not even insects dared it. It was almost like the darkness, or possibly Death, itself lived in there. “What horrible creature did all of this..?” Daring asked herself out loud as she looked at the sight and held a hoof before her nose.

The pegasus knew she had to trek further. She was at the right way for as much as she could tell to herself. She just needed to continue deeper into the darkened part of the forest. A thing she didn't do with much pleasure at heart.

---

It was a bit further in the distance that her eyes spotted something that appeared to be a stone structure. A structure that stood literally in the middle of nowhere. The pegasus turned her head back and far in the distance there were the few splashes of the brown and green trees that could be found as the songs sung by the birds echoed in her ears ever so faintly.

Daring then turned her head back towards the stone structure and would have gazed at it for the moment. There was a thick and low hanging fog that began to crawl towards her. The pegasus slowly gathered all of her guts for as much as she could. She then confidently started to make her way further over the blackened wasteland. It was the only thing she could do in the moment.

With each step that she took, she felt herself a bit more uncomfortable and Daring didn't even dare to look at the ground for unexplained reasons. She kept her eyes fixed upon either the skies above her or the trees in the distance. But the further her gaze went, the more it stared into simply darkness. A darkness that didn't move, that didn't expand. It was just there.

A chilly blow of the wind went passed the pegasus. It sent a shiver down her spine of utter discomfort. To make matters even worse, there was a whisper that went through the air. It echoed almost peacefully, almost like a mother's voice which would speak to her newborn foal. “Daring...”

Yet the mare didn't gave it too much attention at first. She didn't even wanted to know what it was. While her head tried to block the calling of her name, her ears caught up something that she didn't hear in years. A voice of which she had thought to be forgotten so many years ago. The voice of the forest had turned itself into a more motherly one, one she remembered well. “Daring...Do...”

It was only then that her eyes shot up and looked into every direction. Her head moved around and around followed up by the body. “M-M-Mommy..?” she quietly asked into the sheer nothingness of the wasteland.

“Yes my dear, mommy is here for you.”

“Where are you mommy!?” the mare asked out loud as some tears of memories from ages ago began to build up under her eyes. “Where are you!?”

And again out of nowhere, there was that chilly wind that did its turn again. But the second time it came from behind and gave the pegasus the biggest shiver she ever had. In response she quickly turned herself around to witness what could have caused it.

Though she simply stared down in the eyes of a misty ghostpony. “My sweet, little Daring,” the ghost spoke under a soft smile. But Daring took one good look at this cursed being and knew one thing for sure, it was everything but her deceased mother. Quickly did the pegasus manage to turn herself around again and just galloped away in mere seconds from the horrifying sight.

That action had angered the ghost sincerely. It began to gallop after her under a terrifying, loud screech. The pegasus had set her eyes on the very opening of the, for so far she could tell, stone igloo shaped temple and set everything on the hope she would make it to the entrance. A small puff of steam left her nose and in one sharp turn, she turned herself over to the entrance of the temple. “Let’s dance!” she yelled through the air and kicked her legs into their highest gear. “Shall we?”

The ghost was closing in on Daring and screeched even more in delight. But the pegasus was almost there. With one last jump had she closed her eyes and prayed for the best possible result.

There were long seconds of just nothing which were followed up by a hard, cold stone floor of the igloo while the ghost kept screeching. But it never appeared to be coming closer. The explorer quickly got up again and watched to the world on the outside. Her dark pinkish eyes just watched as the spirit walked before the entrance as if it was waiting on something or somepony. From time to time it tried to enter with a charge, but every attempt failed as it was blocked by a shield of magic. It released another loud scream before it disappeared into the air, knowing that Daring had won the round. But there would be others, there would be others indeed.

---

With the disappearance of the ghost did Daring turn herself around once again and allowed her eyes to fall into the darkness of the temple as she fixed her hat. Not much could be made up with the exception a staircase that went down at the end of the short hallway and a torch holder. “Now, what do we have here..?” Daring spoke to herself. She took out her trusted whip. She made her way over to the staircase. She tried to look down in its darkness, but without success. Her attention turned over to the unlit torch. The idea was sparked in her mind. Soon enough had she got it lit and held a burning torch in her hoof. Finally did she had some form of light with her, she wanted to know if there was anything on the walls that might be of interest for her. Maybe something that could help?

Her eyes went over the walls as she walked by then, watching the overgrown marking they had. By some she wiped away the plants to have a better look before shining her torch by them. It was only the first painting she had undone from its green before a shock went through her. “What in the name of Equestria is this?” Daring spoke in a whisper to herself. The more her eyes stared at it, the more they began to play a scene before her eyes.

The paintings revealed a new look on Nightmare Moon as an entity, a new part of her history that was never told before by any official mouths. When the princess of the sun had banished the monster into its millennium during imprisonment, Nightmare began to wait a long time. Simply waiting for an eclipse to take place which would be used as a near perfect opportunity. For a long two hundred years she sat on the moon. Then one finally took its turn and she gathered every ounce of dark magic in her. Every last bit of it was then shot towards the very sun that covered the lands.

A plan that backfired on her almost instantly. Her plan was to corrupt the very sun by making it become a black sun thus succeeding on her plan of eternal night. But where the beam was supposed to do that, the part that got hit became corrupted almost in an instant. There was one thing she didn't took her measurements for: the defense systems of the sun came up and fought off the corruption in the only way it knew.

The corrupted piece was simply released and fell off of the sun before it landed somewhere in Equestria. something that caused the guards for many weeks to look for it and eventually the only remaining princess herself found it. She ordered a temple to be built around it, a temple to block it off from the world for one major reason. “…For this piece is too dangerous to be seen by mortal eyes…” Daring spoke to herself. She had read what was written below each of the paintings.

By that point in time she had uncovered all the paintings from their vegetation and she was simply shocked by the messages they carried, for she never expected this kind of thing to happen. “But after the Monster of the Night was released once more, the Princess of the Sun destroyed her once more, releasing her sister from its torment and locking it up in stone… Bloody goodness, where have I gotten myself into this time!?” Daring said to herself. She held a hoof to her mouth. The words that she read had a much bigger impact on her then she had expected them to be.

After she had calmed down from the story she just read, her attention focused itself on the staircase. Slowly she began to descend from its circular steps, holding the torch in front of her. Slowly but surely she went further down while more and more pants came out of the walls. And to make things even more uncomfortable, the distance between the walls became narrower with every forty steps. The descend was long and Daring didn't had any idea where it would lead her too.

---

Eventually she found herself at the very bottom of the staircase and she released a deep sigh of relief but her dark pinkish eyes fell upon the long hallway that stretched out before her. From as far as she could tell, there was nothing within it. But she knew deep in her guts that something was waiting for her. Daring took a good look on the hallway and noticed the markings of Nightmare Moon herself being drawn on the walls. And on the floor there was a stained glass image of the Empress of the Night herself. The walls had no vegetation on them and almost no dust was found on the floor. Whereas the upper part and staircase were not cleaned in years, this particular hallway looked like it was cleaned the day before.

The pegasus carefully walked down the hallway and rest her eyes at everything to be seen, but nothing moved. With every step she took rose, the feeling of discomfort rose up further. Fears began to crawl up in her body like never before, fears that came from within the very depths of her soul as she approached the archway to the final chamber which appeared to be lit with light. “Just what is this place? A temple for her? To honor the being that wants to drop Equestria in eternal darkness..?” Daring questioned herself out loud. Her mind began to recall everything she had seen so far. Though time was up when she walked through the archway and stood within the final chamber of the hidden temple that laid in the Everfree forest. Answers would come in their time.

The chamber itself was made of a darker type of stone and circular of shape. Daring looked up and noticed how the structure came together in a dome-like shape. Plants nor dust were nowhere to be seen either while the many torches kept the room lit with light. All while the pegasus looked right across the room and got the scare of her life.

A life sized statue of Nightmare Moon that stood in the most horrifying pose. It stood on its hind legs while kicking her forelegs into the air. The dark wings spread out wide and a strange grin in her face revealing some fangs in high detail. While two crimson red rubies acted as the eyes. The statue almost looked like the real Nightmare due to the way the stone was cut and the high attention to details. Only master carvers would have been able to make such a thing a reality.

Once Daring had calmed herself down once again, she slowly approached the statue while she kept an eye on it for any surprises and noticed a chest by the base of the statue. She carefully maneuvered herself under the statue and looked at the chest. In her eyes she noticed that the thing was truly something old, probably five hundred years by her best guess. Yet somehow it was still in a good condition. The pegasus took a good look at it and ever so carefully opened the lid of the chest.

Under a soft screech did the lid opened and allowed the eyes of Daring to peek inside. In there she found a piece of paper, a document that was rolled up and sealed by a sign that was unknown to her. “Hello, what’s this now?” The daring pegasus took out the piece of paper with care. She then closed the lid of the chest again after which she made her departure very slowly. Her eyes were focused on the statue, she was looking for any movement it might make. After some anxious minutes, Daring was back once again in the hallway where she let go a deep sigh of relief.

---

But unknown to her and hidden deeply away in a dark cave unknown to every single soul, the figure that had left the stone statue sat on a makeshift throne as the eyes shot open the very moment the chest got opened. Its lime green irises and cat like pupils staring towards the entrance of the cave as it spoke in a female voice. “The document...” The horn of the figure shown a deep purple and a blast of magic got released which began to form itself into a mist.

The mist would have left the cave in order to roam over the lands. “Celestia, you made a big mistake! Soon enough,” were the last words spoken by the figure as some of its white fangs revealed themselves under a sadistic grin while the eyes closed themselves. After some time it calmed down and white fangs disappeared. Only the moving deep purple manes and tail of mist indicated that something was there to be found.

---

Back inside of the temple had Daring managed to walk back up the stairs again and took one last look at the markings by the entrance. “Just what was your goal by corrupting the sun? To exterminate the day..?” she questioned herself out loud before resting her eyes on the entrance again. She knew that the ghost would still be out there, but in her mind she got an idea which might work out well. She took out her whip again and took a couple deep breaths before simply walking towards the entrance with a risen head.

When she set a hoof outside there was nothing that happened but the very moment she left the magical shield did the ghost become visible again as its eyes were filled with utter rage and hatred. “You!” it shouted during the charge straight towards the mare.

Daring only smirked a little and with one powerful leash, the whip broke the sound barrier and the sonic boom stopped the ghost dead in its tracks. The adventurous pegasus did it a couple more times as the ghost only began to walk more backwards under some hisses. “Leave now, and do not disturb me again!” One last dark hiss left the ghost the realm. It made its return into the depths of the woods. Daring rolled her whip up and began to make her run back to the main path of the forest, moving over to the wastelands for one last time.

The explorer galloped back into the real forest where the leaves were green and the sounds rich but that didn't slow down her pacing. The document that she had in her possession was something she wanted to know the content of.

---

Once she had finally entered the little hotel once again, Daring Do made her way back up to her room and glared over the key she was given the previous day. A room was given to her until she would leave again, which might be sooner or later then she wanted. The door unlocked itself and rest her eyes on the rather simple room before her.

The room was a little bit messy given her nature but she couldn't complain as it was a lot bigger than one she had on the bar. A large one pony bed, a table to study on, a chair to sit in and a chair by the study table. She walked in and closed the door behind her. She untied her vest and dropped it on the bed. She threw her hat to the pillows of the bed under a little grin. “Much better this way,” she smirked to herself.

Daring would have opened the door to the bathroom and placed some towels on the ground while the bathtub started to fill up with warm, steamy water. After a little minute, the bath was quite full and the water supply got closed as the pegasus placed her hoof in the water and let go a rather comfortable ‘hmm’. Without much hesitation did the explorer got into the tub and made herself comfortable in it while her eyes closed themselves off from the world.

The hairs of her mane and tail were floating freely in the tub while Daring gently began to drift off into a light slumber, letting the water release her from both stress and filth of Everfree.

After a long time did Daring finally open her eyes again before had left the tub. The mare began to dry herself off and wrapped her body in a couple of towels. She then left the room and dropped herself on the bed. With a hoof had she taking the document out of her vest. “What content do you house inside you?” she wondered to herself aloud.

When her manes were all dried up again she removed the towels from her head and took place behind the study table, dropping the ancient piece of paper before her. “I must open it...” Daring spoke in a doubtful voice and under a deep sigh, she broke the seal and started to read through it.

“The Desert of Solitude, that's where it landed.” Then it all become clear to her. Her mind began to work in overdrive as she recalled her memory on the many rumors and legends she had heard about the place. Words said that a long time ago, the Desert was a place full of life. But all of it changed one day due to an event little is known about. Long was it said that princess Celestia was the cause of it all when a Solar Eruption spell went horribly wrong. Many agreed to this rumor for it seemed to be the most logical one.

But in her hooves she had the true proof. That the mythical Sun-piece had found its final resting place in the desert and wiped out all life in it. The story with Celestia was a cover-up, for one of the biggest threats in the land. And Daring, was going to find it. “Goodness great. This has to be one of the biggest cover-ups in history. But who do those stallions work for? I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this all. But only time will tell if I made a good or right choice,” the pegasus stood up from the chair. She glared out of the window for a while into the darkness. After some time had passed, she would have brushed her teeth and went to a well-earned night rest. Whatever would be standing in the documents, it was something that could be waiting to the following day in her mind.

Way down to the desert of Solitude

The eyes of Daring shot open in a motion of pure fear. She was sweating from all sides in her bed. Daring quickly removed the blankets from her body and she jumped out of bed while she was almost panting of her life. Her hoof tried to reach for her heart to calm it. She had been haunted by a terrible nightmare of memories she had rather forgotten then being rich. A nightmare in which her fears were so realistic that it almost seemed real. “Nightmare Moon,” she spoke under her breath to herself and simply stared out into window, watching the early sunrise over the land.

With the sun being up and shining brightly over the town and Daring made her way over to the bathroom to refresh herself thoroughly. It was there when she came to a conclusion which she spoke out loud to herself. “Daring, you look like nothing today.” A light chuckle did its turn through the bathroom and she began to do her daily morning routine under a soft hum.

Being finally done with her morning routine, the explorer sat down on her bed with a map of Equestria before her and was on the lookout for the closest town by the infamous Desert. “The town of Dust Bin, appropriate name.” She quickly got on her hooves and gathered all her belongings before simply leaving the room as it was and walked outside in the hope to get a carriage that could bring her to the train station.

A few minutes later could Daring Do be found on the small station of Ponyville. She would have taken place onto the train. The one that went from Canterlot Station to where she had to step over for another train. Given the duration of the trip, Daring made herself comfortable in her spot and placed her hat before her eyes. They were closed in order to get some more sleep.

---

Finally had the train rolled into its final stop and the pegasus couldn't be happier. Under a loud whistle of the mighty steam engine had the wheels managed to come to a standstill while it kept puffing steam majestically. The daring pegasus opened her eyes and placed her hat back on her head just before she started to look outside and witness the world as it was.

It was a true sight for sore eyes that came into hers and Daring took out her luggage from under the seat and made her departure from the train as a whole. But the second she left, all her bones snapped back into place while she released a couple uncomfortable sounds and winces.

That didn't stop her from going out anyway. No, Daring Do was a tough mare who could withstand those kind of small setbacks with ease. Seconds later did she found herself in the final town before the desert would begin. The last frontier before sand reached as far as the eye could see. Her dark pinkish eyes looked down at the single street of Dust Bin and it appeared to be coming right out of a western novel, which it sort of did in her eyes. The little town was known for its harsh nature and it had been that way since the last two centuries. A simple town of simple needs, would describe it at best. Something that had both its elegance and darker side.

Daring Do was no stranger to that as she knew how rough the towns in the west could be from time to time. And most like that this town wouldn't be any exception to that rule. All she had to do was making sure she didn't get involved in it and focus on her task at hoof.

While she walked through the long street, all the eyes of the villagers told her the same thing, they knew she was a stranger and it seemed they didn't like it at all. Yet Daring didn't gave them that much attention as her eyes caught something of interest, the local bar named: the Raging Mare. A smirk appeared on her face after she had read the name and went inside where she checked in for a room for at least two months of time.

When she entered the room it happened to be smaller than her previous two rooms. Oddly enough it still had a bathroom but there wasn't a desk to be found. Then again, next to a bed and bathroom she didn't truly need. She placed her luggage on the bed and looked through the window to see the sun setting once again. The whole day she had been traveling over the land's railways. Going from east to west, north to south, she had seen it all.

“It is too late to go now, I will head out tomorrow, and find that thing after some supplies have been taken care of,” she said to herself in a whisper. With a confident nod did she walked out of the room, locked it and then walked back downstairs to the bar itself for good luck.

Daring made her way down the stairs and took a seat by the bar and she allowed the pleasant mood of the bar to surround her. All around her were ponies laughing, playing some games with each other and a pianist played happy tones. She began to smile herself at the sight and then looked into the room itself, it just looked like an old wild-west saloon and she knew, time has stopped her. But why would it progress? They all had a good life like this so why complain? Why make it better? That were just some of the question going through her head. Eventually she walked up to the bar and took place on it, signaling the barkeeper who happened to be a unicorn stallion.

“What can I bring this lovely mare tonight?” the barkeeper asked, which resulted in Daring shocking up from her thoughts. She didn't expect him to come that early or fast.

“A mug of cider will do,” she spoke up to him after the question had drilled through her mind. The barkeeper gave her a nod and moved over to the other end of the bar and began to fill up a mug with the ordered liquid before returning back to her.

“Here you go miss. Say, you are not from around here now are you?” he asked of her.

Daring took the mug and took a swig from it. “Not at all. I am just here on a stop before I travel further,” the mare replied to him with a confident tone.

The barkeeper both nodded in understanding manner. Yet rose an eyebrow to her answer. Though he knew not to meddle himself too much into others their business too much. "You know it's just desert out there, right?" he asked of her, just to be sure.

"I know, but there are things that I need to take care of in there," she said against him and he knew more than enough. “If you can believe that to begin with.”

"Suit yourself." The stallion returned to his work while continuing on his work. And while the evening ventured on further, Daring only drank cider and water while her mind was thinking about the upcoming day. Things would turn out differently for certain. It was something she knew from a gut feeling. But that was the only thing that was sure though.

“You dirty cheater!” a stallion all of the sudden yelled in anger through the whole bar before he nearly flipped the poker table over and punched another stallion right in the face.

The barkeeper's eyes glared over to the fighting two while letting go a deep sigh. “Ugh, not again.” And almost instantly, the whole saloon began to fight. The barkeeper removed his hat and below it was an already charged up horn hidden which fired a blast in mere seconds, getting everyponies attention aimed towards him.

With a huff did the energy disappear and he looked over the clients with a stern look. “Here at the Raging Mare we are civil folk, fighting happens outside. You two, out, now,” he said with an even sterner voice and pointed to the two who began the fight. “Let the sheriff take care of it.”

Rightfully fearing the power of the horn, they left the saloon muttering against each other and continued outside. But nopony gave them anymore attention. After the two had removed themselves, the barkeeper placed his hat back upon his head, hiding the horn once again. “How often does that happen?” Daring asked while placing down her empty mug, resting her eyes on the stallion behind the bar.

“At least once a week. I can consider myself lucky if there isn't one in every week. You want another one?” replied the barkeeper chuckling. Laughing was the best way to forget the situation.

The explorer just went along with him. She then shook her head a bit before she paid for the drinks. “Thanks for everything, but I need some rest now.” It wasn't long after that, that she found herself undressed in her room and just laid down on the soft bed with her eyes closed. The adventurous pegasus fell asleep rather quickly and the alcohol continued to race through her body.

---

The mare her eyelids gently twitched before they were opened up. With a moan and groan she rubbed them before she took a good look around at her surroundings. Only to have found herself waking up in the middle of the desert. She seemed to have been resting in front of what appeared to be a temple. A place where the stones were literally twisted and darkness itself emerged from the entrance. The shape of the temple was something never seen before, pillars of twisted stone rising, holding up a black dome. Countless screams of pain and agony echoed loudly in her ears. Though there was not a single soul to be was found in her surroundings.

With all the strength that was to be found in her body did Daring try to make her way over to the entrance. She wanted to have a peek inside. She wanted to see what was going on. Though before she could pull herself through the entrance there were two blue, cat-like eyes that emerged in it. Almost in an instant had she jumped back with her heart was racing in her throat. The pegasus then gathered all her guts as a puff of steam left her nose and she literally yelled into the thin air. “Leroy, Jenkings!” And then she simply galloped at her greatest of speeds through the eyes and darkness, praying for her life she didn't made a single mistake.

Her face met the stone floor on the other side of the darkness. Daring tried her utmost best to hoist herself back up on her hooves . Her eyes stared into every direction of the room she was in. Within them she saw the circular shape of it. The stone being made out of darker ones while many torches shone in the chamber. What struck her the most was the big, dark stone in the middle of it.

Daring walked up to the stone with care. Yet each step that she took, she felt herself more uncomfortable around it. The pegasus found herself then so close to it, that she could almost touch it. In her mind did the screams of agony do again their turn. There was an even louder screech did its turn. In the stone of darkness it could be seen that Nightmare Moon was galloping towards her with her horn aimed towards the chest of Daring.

The explorer began to fear for her life and tried to move out of its way, without any success. A sharp pain went through her chest. Her eyes stared at the scene before her and unbelievable sight they saw. Darkness began to crawl in them, resulting in her blacking out from her gotten injuries.

---

The eyes of the mare shot open wide all of the sudden. She found herself once again in a bed filled with her sweat once more. While her eyes kept staring to the ceiling of the room while a deep purple mist made its departure through the small gaps in the door, going as mysteriously as it came.

With a quick and uncomfortable movement she left her bed and simply began to stare out of the window while mumbling in herself. “This is going to be hell today...” But while her eyes gazed further than the window, nothing but the darkness of night could be seen and Daring turned herself around quickly. She made her way over to the bathroom where she began to refresh herself for the day, but in her mind she tried to remember just what place in the desert she had been visiting as connections with her known knowledge were made. “If something impacts somewhere, it creates a shockwave... The shockwave is usually a circle or a dome,” she mumbled to herself, explaining it all.

The mare left the bathroom looking as tidy as that was possible for her and she took out the map from her vest and placed it on the bed. Her eyes scanning every single inch of it while another revelation was made in her mind. “The desert is almost a perfect circle, find the middle point of that circle and you will find the impact spot! ...Just manage to keep a straight line. Shouldn't be all too hard with the tracks still visible. The desert should be littered with that stuff.”

With her eyes she quickly scanned over the printed desert, Daring tried to figure out where the exact midpoint would be and took out a small pencil. She drew a big circle around the very midpoint and a smile began to form itself on her face. “There, there is where I need to look.”

Daring fold the chart back up and placed it back in the pocket of her vest and took everything she would need before hoisting herself in her signature piece of clothing and letting the hat rest on her head. She was ready for it. But nothing could have truly prepared her for something so alien like, something that came from the sun goddess herself.

---

Hours upon hours later had the pegasus found herself in the deadly heat of the desert for real. Daring Do managed to walk forward with the greatest of struggles. For many and countless hours had she been wandering through the sands by then. She had tried to keep a straight line so she would come to the middle but the desert wasn't named like it is for no reason. Many ponies had met their final resting place here and the skeletons all told their stories. Tribes and cities had exiled them to there. The princesses had send the worst kind of criminals there to spend the rest of their lives to grow crazy and even kill themselves so they would uphold the look as the peaceful rulers.

Wiping off the sweat of her face had the mare found herself panting deeply while her hooves were covered in sand. A sand that was boiling hot below them. Her eyes simply stared into the distance as she hoped for something to see on the horizon. But nothing ever came up. “Stupid Daring, thinking it would show itself after having walked for hours… You need to think in days in this kind of hellhole!” she spoke to herself while getting the map again. In her mind she got yet another setback as it appeared she didn't made any form of progress. Daring released a deep sigh at this and tucked the paper back away in her vest again, walking further like a stubborn mule.

Despite being well packed for the travel, having stored enough water and food to survive out there, it was still harsh and hellish to trek through. The conditions of the desert were brutal and primal. The days were almost unbearable due to the heat, the nights freezing cold. All that time she managed to keep her mind together. She had her eyes set for the mysterious temple on the horizon to appear once. Maybe it would take her days, maybe even weeks if things worked against her. It didn't mind her, Daring was determined to find it and discover the secrets truly hidden behind it.

Aside from the water and food, Daring was also carrying a small tent with her and some other much needed equipment to set up camp what she did every single night. The screams she heard in the distance were disturbing at first but they never appeared to get closer or to get further away. Always on that same distance. The thought crossed her that would might have been insane. Daring placed her head on the pillow while letting the fire of her camp going and she closed her eyes. Only to end up falling asleep quickly from the sheer exhaustion.

---

Half a week she had been risking her life in the burning heat and freezing cold in the hope to find where she was looking for. But it came with the price of growing ever more closely towards the edge of insanity as time progressed. Daring found herself wandering through the sands again and was kicking it up a bit in the air. Then it came down just as fast, for not a single breeze of wind blew.

Yet then there was something on the horizon that began to do its turn, something that appeared to be a dome or at least share it's shape. Daring just blinked a couple times in utter confusion and disbelief. She would have told herself it was just an illusion set up by her mind and she simply kept walking. The more she walked, the more she came to the slow realization it wasn't an illusion. Right there on the horizon it rose up. A dome that was held up by pillars of twisted stone.

The pegasus changed her pace from a steady one into a galloping one with all the strength left in her body. Each step she took brought her closer to the lonely building. The very building that she had seen in her nightmare. Each step taken made the structure look even bigger. The mare forgot her own pain and misery of the travel and adrenaline got pumped into her body. Something which made her stronger than she ever could imagine.

There she stood, next to one of the twisted pillars, smiling like a madmare at the structure. Though the search came later. She began to set up her little camp. Despite her eager nature to just go and investigate Daring still managed to keep herself calm enough to set up her gear the proper way and within minutes it was all set up once again. Now she was ready to find the mythical piece.

While she made her way through the archways created by the stone pillars, something wasn't quite as she remembered it from the nightmare. There was no darkness that could suck her in, there was no other visible entrance to the thing. There was just nothing at all that would indicate that there was any form of access by the building.

Daring walked back to her tent and dropped herself on the small mattress. There she started to ponder her mind over the matter. She tried to figure out if she had missed something important. Many hours would pass by before the sun began to lower itself to make way for the moon.

The mare sat outside now by her small campfire and took a bite out of a sandwich she while watching the moon to rise up out of the sands. Its mystical light shining down upon the desert as the eyes of Daring fixed themselves on it for a little while before they turned themselves over to the stone structure.

Light was shining straight past her and directly into the arches. Something began to happen in one of them. Out of nothing there was a small orb of darkness that emerged and it expended on itself. Slowly but surely it began to attach itself on the stone while appearing to be boiling.

A piece of bread fell out of the mouth of the mare. She quickly rose up from her seat and shook her head at the revelation that happened before her eyes. She remembered that the entrance in her nightmare just looked like this. “My goodness... So this, is it,” was the only thing she could say while carefully moving herself towards it, willing to enter it as she did in her nightmare.

She was about to enter it and rose one of her shaky forelegs. Out of the created entrance, pure darkness was shot and it knocked her back into the sand of the desert. It blew it both far and wide. Daring would have closed her eyes in order to protect them.

It was only after she had reopened her eyes again, that she found herself in the exact same position as she was during her nightly adventure. With some struggling of her legs, she managed to crawl back up on her hooves and fixed everything on her, but most importantly, her hat.

Even more careful than the last time, she made her way over to the boiling gate of darkness while speaking to herself. “It was no dream, it was a vision...” Many doubts started to fill her mind all of the sudden. Doubts that caused Daring not to simply enter the structure yet. All because of the simple fact she wasn't ready, she wasn't ready for anything what could be lying behind the darkness. Simply because it was unlike anything she had ever witnessed or done in her life.

The real reasons behind the piece

Hidden deep inside the darkness of the cave did the blue eyes of the figure opened themselves again before it let out a mighty roar of pure hatred and primal power. Soon enough it was followed up by the clattering of hooves that echoed through the cavern and the being of eternal darkness spread her wings. Which on their turn revealed an even more terrifying shadow against the back wall.

“The gates of darkness are open... Celestia will pay tonight. And the night, will last forever!” it spoke in the female voice after which a grin of pure evil took form below her muzzle. A grin that showed the fangs and ragged teeth it had and then it was off. And then it just rocketed off into the darkness of night with one destination in her mind. The being flew even faster than the fasted pegasus alive and wherever she went there always was a trail of purple mist left her tail and mane.

---

Back in the desert itself was Daring still standing in front of the boiling darkness. Though her ears caught another sound in the skies. A sound that came closer with each passing second. Within a split second had the pegasus turned herself around. She took out her whip while her eyes began to watch the skies above her for anything that would be heading her way.

Finally it came into her sight, the creature that emerged from the darkness, the Empress of the Night herself had arrived. The figure dropped herself in the sand which send it sky high before dropping down again. There she stood, the black coated alicorn with the misty mane and tail of deep purple. Its blue eyes falling upon Daring and its expression turned like snow before the sun into an angry one. “You are not Celestia nor any of her servants! What is your purpose here?” it growled.

“My purpose, is to retrieve the Sun-piece,” Daring tried to reply as brave as she could.

“Do you not know who I am, foal? Do you not know the history of the Sun-piece?” the being replied to her with a menacing grin. Everything was falling into their rightful places.

“I know you, Nightmare Moon. And I do know the history of the Piece. And I am going to get it for those two stallions,” countered Daring Do with a massive smirk.

The creature of darkness began to chuckle deeply in herself. She would have tucked her wings back against her body again. Her tone suddenly changed from its dark and evil one into a quite normal one. “Right you are... Go ahead, grab it. The entrance is free for you to use,” Moon spoke before the two stallions appeared from behind her and calmly took their position next to her.

Daring her eyes opened themselves in utter confusion upon seeing them again as she stumbled over her words. “What? Y-You, two!?”

Nightmare chuckled lightly at the reaction. Her tone had changed into a rather joyful one. “I planned it all along, these two are nothing but my servants. Worthless puppets that are extensions of myself so to speak. I told them to find somepony who could help me to retrieve the Piece. I do admit, I didn’t know who they had found. Though I thought that ghost in the Everfree would have killed you there.” Her eyebrow rose at the mentioning of the spirit, wondering just how she got passed it.

“Ha! There is more needed than a ghost to get rid of me,” Daring replied in a teasing tone against the entity. Something she shouldn't have done to begin with.

The two stallion began to dissolve into the thin air and they entered the body of Nightmare herself. The dark coated alicorn consumed them with a great pleasure before she rested her eyes back on the daring pegasus. “Now, let me enter my temple so I can succeed on what I failed so long ago!” she spoke regal but her undertone had returned to the dark one.

“And letting you turn Equestria into a land of eternal darkness, over my dead body!” Daring replied as she readied her whip to go into the confrontation against her.

“This shall be easy,” Nightmare replied up under a grin. She then assumed a charging stance.

The two beings stood ready to face off against each other in a bloody battle in the sands. Nightmare began to charge up her horn and fired bolts of dark magic towards Daring who avoided them like they were nothing. The pegasus gave a couple heavy lashes with her whip. Lashes that caused Nightmare to wince a couple times in pain before letting her eyes fell on her chest. A small stream of black blood left through the open wound as her gaze turned back to Daring and she huffed with every exhale. “You will pay for that, you foal!” she yelled in utter rage.

“Bring it on then!” Daring replied in the same tone while leashing a couple more times with her whip, sending the sonic booms through the air. “All bark, but no bite, are you?!”

“You think you can scare me like that?” Nightmare spoke before she released even more beams of magic into the surrounding. As quick as she was on her hooves, Daring almost danced around over the cold sand as she avoided the blasts. But every blast evaded caused the patience of the alicorn to be shorter. She tried everything she had in her package. Even hoof to hoof combat.

Her hooves made a couple good hits on the body of the Pegasus but she returned the punches and kicks just as hard. In a hopeful attempt to get away from the being of darkness, Daring took a leap into the air while spreading her wings. She hovered for some yards before tucking her wings back in and landing in the sand where she quickly readied herself for another round. But the fight had been exhausting her deeply, Nightmare allowed her eyes to fall upon the panting Pegasus who just couldn't give up. “Come on then,” she managed to speak under her breath.

“Hmhmhm, with pleasure,” replied Nightmare with a grin. “You cannot finish me, you are far too weak to defeat an Empress! Step aside and let me into the temple, and I might spare your life.”

“Might? Then, I take, my chances...” Daring said to her. Moments later had she lashed out with her whip multiple times again. Some of them hit nothing, whereas some hit her opponent on the forelegs and chest. Resulting in her wincing deeply in pain from the sharp cuts.

“I have had enough of you little foal!” Nightmare yelled while she guarded herself with her wings. But Daring was blinded by rage and exhaustion. She would have kept on lashing into the wings. She would send cuts all over them. They began to bleed fast enough, making her wince a bit.

Daring stopped for a minute and at this the alicorn removed her wing to the side. Her horn coated itself once again the magical aura as she began to snicker like the devil she was. Soon after it did a sharp pain began to race through the very heart of Daring. It felt like a needle and thread were jammed into each side of her heart and starting to tear it apart like it was nothing, but very slowly.

With the pain that was racing through her chest did the pegasus drop herself to the ground and simply reached for it while she tried to hold in her screams. But many tears rolled down her cheeks with the alicorn laughing darkly. “The Weaving of the Heart, something I should have done a long time ago on you, little foal.” She walked up to Daring in order to make the pain even worse.

But the mare didn't want to die here and certainly not by her hooves. Painfully and unable to hold her screams of agony, she tried to reach the boiling gate. Much to her own luck had Nightmare closed her eyes while listening to the agony of Daring. “Music in my ears,” she spoke to herself as the pegasus almost had reached the entrance. She lifted a hoof towards the boiling darkness with care.

The very second she placed her hoof on it, Daring was sucked into the darkness of it under a loud slurping sound which caught the attention of Nightmare. Her eyes opened themselves again and turned over to the entrance, only to see the boiling darkness fading away. “What!? No!” In one last hope to reopen the gates, she called upon most of her magic and released it into whatever was left, but nothing worked and soon enough, there was nothing left of the entrance.

“I will get that foal!” she spoke in utter rage while starting to think about a way to open her temple again. “Just mark my words on the matter. I will get you for that, I will get what is mine!”

---

Daring found herself lying face flat against the stone floor. The pain in her heart was gone and she felt her strength returning in her body. Carefully raising herself back up on her hooves, her eyes watched the room she was in now. This room, was the very room she saw in her vision. There was no more doubt now, for Daring Do had entered the very temple of the sun piece. In the very middle of the room it could be seen, a big piece of dark stone that was boiling in a black, tar like substance. Fears crawled up on her for she was now standing eye in eye with the very thing she was sent out on to find. “The... The... Sun... Piece,” she said while shivering in utter fright.

With each step she took more towards it, there was a horrible image that popped up in her head. Imagines of death, destruction, forgotten pasts and chaos all started to haunt her. “I, I can’t... It is not worth it,” spoke Daring while she shook her head deep. She tried to get her gaze off from the rock. Her eyes traveled further around the room where they saw many scrolls and painting. On many of the painting Nightmare Moon could be seen posing on many different thrones like she was ruling the land. “Who made these in the first place?”

---

Back outside in the sands was the entity still trying to find a way to get the open the entrance. “I will get that little foal and make the world mine as it should have been!” In her horn she gathered every single ounce of dark magic she had in her, something she did five hundred years ago as well and under a loud roar released it all upon the gate, hoping it would open up for her. A small cluster of darkness emerged as her eyes grew in excitement. “Yes..! Yes..!” she spoke with a joyful voice. Time didn't had to progress much longer before the entrance was filled with the boiling darkness again.

Being pleased with the result, Nightmare began to walk over towards it with a regal pacing and was willing to let herself become consumed by the boiling blackness.

But something inside of it, made her stop. She was prohibited from gaining access to what she had created ever so long again. Many more attempts would follow in the hope she could enter, but everything failed.

“What sort of treason is this!?” she turned around facing the desert and lifted off the ground releasing the loudest roar to date and she spoke furiously. “Celestia, you will pay for this!”

---

Inside the temple had Daring been looking through most of the documents and she was simply ready to leave the place, just get out and away. For she had been discovering many things about the piece that were better be hidden away from any single soul. She was reading through one of the many scrolls that made her cringe even more. “Once the piece is placed back into the sun, the corruption will keep move on. After months of study, I've finally discovered that.”

She took another scroll and began to read that one out loud as well. “Too much time, I have spent down here, she warned me about the dangers of the Dark Arts. But I was foolish enough not to listen, I do not know how much time I have left, before it fully consumes me, before I am part of, it.”

Daring gazed upon the scrolls and looked up the dates of writing, only to make yet another terribly discovery. “Not even a year between them, what happened to the poor soul that wrote them to begin with?” She ventured a little bit more around. She tried to dispatch of the horrible images in her mind and picked up another scroll. A scroll that was covered in dried up blood. Daring broke the seal open and she began to read once again out loud. Fearing what was inside of it.

“This will be my final report. I shall tell on this very paper that what I have discovered and its history in the two years I have been working on this, piece of the sun. That is become corrupted by the most powerful Dark Art, the Arts that Nightmare Moon studies and that the sun itself, cast this piece into our land in order to repair itself, to uncorrupt itself. However, the impact wiped away an entire city and made everypony go crazy that came near it. This temple was built around it in order of Celestia and I was placed in charge of it, to make sure nopony would enter it. It was I who placed a spell on the entrance to make sure she wouldn't get in. I also discovered, that the longer one stay in its presence, the heavier the images get and the more horrible their meaning becomes. The power this Piece houses, is unmatched and only Nightmare can control it, the walls are thick enough to stop any magic radiation coming from it so nopony can become corrupted due to it. I need to speak a spell on my own, to clean my mind from the corruption every day. But unfortunately for me, it is too late to return to the world. I will sacrifice myself in order to make sure this stays hidden. If anypony by dumb luck find this, you know what happened to me now. I gave up my body and my soul now rests into the afterlife.

-Starswirl the Bearded.”

The explorer blinked a couple times in an attempt to see if she had been reading things correctly. “That poor soul, was Starswirl himself!?” Her eyes fell upon the date of the last scroll and she recalled the other two she had been reading. But her memory wasn't the most clear one at the moment. She needed some physical evidence to see what the dates were.

While she walked back to the other scrolls, there were many light screams that popped up in her head together with the images. In another attempt to just dispatch herself off of them, she stood still the very second she found the other scrolls and another horrible revelation had been made. “Not even one month after this one, the last one was made!” she exclaimed to herself.

Daring fold up the last document and hid it inside of a pocket within her vest. The pegasus had seen more than enough of the place as a whole and was even regretting to have introduced herself to the shady figures back in the bar. She galloped back over to the spot where she originally had landed. The images became only worse with every step she took. But then they were strong enough to have put her further on the edge of insanity.

The only bright side happened to be that Nightmare had opened the portal again and that created an exit for Daring to use. One she more than happy to take without a question even though she knew what she would find on the other side of it. Finding her death at the hoof of the entity of hatred was a lot better than the cursed item that laid inside of the tomb.

The final confrontation

Back outside in the nightly desert could Nightmare be found. She was hovering in the air while being deep in her own thoughts. Though the flow was being disturbed when she heard something that dropped in the loose sand. She turned herself around in order to witness the account. In her eyes she caught the body of the explorer and the mighty alicorn dropped herself in the sands as well, tucking her wing back against her body while starting to walk up to her. “Where is it?” she spoke in anger.

Daring would have just risen her head and let her eyes fell into those of the Empress, panting lightly. She tried to formulate the words. “Down there, deeply hidden, from you!” she snarled to her.

That answer made the alicorn not just angry, but furious. She switched over into a mood that made her just wanting kill the explorer. In the sands she was already moving closer to do just that. “I ordered you to get it for me. And now you fail me of all! I don’t like ponies that disappoint me. I dispatch of them by sending into realms beyond. Prepare to meet your end!” Nightmare snarled towards the pegasus as her horn allowed itself to be coated within the dark blue, purplish coloring.

Just when she wanted to charge up her horn to speak a spell of death there was a bright blue light that appeared behind Nightmare. The dark alicorn turned herself around to face the new thread. The creature placed its bleeding wing before her face when the light only got brighter.

Out of the light emerged another figure. A figure that was a lot smaller than Nightmare. Yet the same mane style was carried. It was flowing without the wind while it had a dark blue coat. Its blue eyes rested on Nightmare when the light dropped itself behind her. She spoke in a regal and calm voice yet its undertone was demanding and stern. “Be gone, filthy creature, you have nothing to seek here!” she spoke against the creature of hatred.

Nightmare lowered her wing and grinned darkly at the emerged figure. She knew exactly just who it was as the two had shared a rather close time towards one another. “Luna, it has been too long. Last time I saw you, you cried for forgiveness by your sister, you pathetic weakling!”

Luna would have just huffed in response before she spoke her words. “I am not a weakling anymore. I began to train, became more powerful in my arts of the night until I mastered all of them. And I'm going to give you a choice, leave now or suffer before me.” Nightmare gazed over to Luna and then back to Daring before she let out a dark hiss. The pegasus could only pray that the two wouldn't charge at one another. The powers that they carried could literally ravage the land. And with all of the information she had gathered over the course of time, all the myths and legends, she didn't want to get caught in the cross fire at all. Seconds ticked by while she feared for everything.

Luna managed to maintain her posture. Though she was determined to at least harm the monster if the charges would come. Yet she prayed to the fact that it didn't came that way. With the power surging through her horn like never before, her blue eyes were fixed upon those of Nightmare and the two exchanged glares of utter hatred for one another.

But then Nightmare's eyes tore themselves away from the staring contest and she lowered on her forelegs. Where Luna and Daring expected the fight to erupt, there were words spoken in a tone of pure mockery and defeat. “Fine then, I shall leave the scene for this one time. But I will return one day, Luna ex machina. Then the night will last forever as we promised! And when that day comes. All of you will bow down to me and me alone!”

With one powerful and high jump into the air she was off again. Her wings spread to their maximum width. Then the creature of darkness just rocketing through the skies back to her hidden caverns. The place where she would be plotting her revenge once more against the land of Equestria.

---

With the whole scene behind them, Daring rested her eyes on the princess while she crawled back up on her hooves with a gulp. Yet once she stood straight again, she lowered through them for a deep bow. “Princess,” she spoke in a tone of the highest respects.

Luna discharged the energy of her horn before she gently made her way over to the pegasus and replied in the most regal of tones. ”Do you know what you just did? You just entered the most forbidden place in the whole of our land,” she spoke to the pegasus with a stern set of eyes.

The mare gave a simply nod at the accusing. She had begun to wait what other words would come out of the mouth of the princess. But instead of words, she was greeted by deeds. For it was Luna who then allowed her horn to collect power and aimed it towards the skies.

Before she even know it there was another flash of bright blue light that did its turn and the ground below her began to swirl around before it slowly disappeared into nothing but black while the swirling began to turn the other way around. It took them a few seconds before the tiles that occupied the throne room would be seen in her eyes.

When the lights dropped once more, Daring met a rather nervous looking princess Celestia. One who was patiently waiting on the throne. The princess of the sun let her eyes fall upon her sister and the pegasus and released a sigh of pure relief. “Thank goodness that the both of you both are alright,” she spoke afterwards. Her eyes –or better said eye– lightened up from her mood.

Luna walked to her sister and they hugged each other tightly while she told her just what happened after which she took place on the throne as well. Taking the seat next to the white alicorn.

“Miss Do, explorer in heart and mind. You have been undertaken your greatest adventure but also your most dangerous one to date. It was better for everypony that this stayed hidden. Now, if you have taken anything from the temple, please give it to us,” spoke Celestia up in an honest sounding voice. The princess was asking something, a request that shouldn’t be denied by any.

Daring hesitated a bit and then reached in her vest. “I only took this out of it,” she said before she took out the scrolls and gave it to Celestia.

The mighty mare of the day nodded in a thankful manner while speaking. “Miss Do, you are free to leave, continue your explorations, but speak to nopony about these events. And if you encounter any problems with Nightmare Moon or any of her agents, don't fight them head on. Turn around and run as the wind carries your wings. I think you understand why,” the alicorn said to her.

“I will do my best to grant your wish, your highness's. And thank you both, for everything you did for me,” said Daring just before she bowed deeply. After that she just left the royalties alone. She was done with the two of them and didn't had the desire to become a pain in their sights.

The elder sister carefully opened one of the scrolls after the departure was made and she gently began to make her way through it with Luna willing to watch what it said. “What is it sister? What does it say?” she asked impatiently.

“Something only for my eyes and what will only be seen by mine, Luna,” she replied while rolling up the scrolls again and leaving the throne room for a little while.

Luna found herself a little bored looking as she awaited the return of Celestia who eventually did came back. “Sis, are you going to tell me what that document was?”

“No Luna, the less ponies know of this, the better,” spoke Celestia while she took her seat on the throne again. The princess of the night simply released a deep sigh. She gave a nod of understanding before she lost herself in thought of just what her alter-ego would be doing, how her revenge would be taking place.

---

After having strolled through the metropolis of Canterlot a bit, Daring traveled back to Dust Bin by train. When she entered the town again after her disappearance, the same looks were given to her as when she first entered it. But the looks didn't do anything to her as she made her return to the hotel and back to her room.

She plopped herself on the bed and covered her face with her hat before wandering off into the events that happened to her but also into those that would be coming soon enough again. But being that deeply in thought, made her fall asleep for some well-earned rest.

Epilogue

Rainbow Dash found herself lying on her bed and for the first time since she had opened the book, her eyes managed to get themselves off of them and wiped a small tear away while a bright smile formed on her face. “That, was, amazing!”

She let out a fangirl squeal and kicked her hind legs in the air while cuddling the book closely against her chest. “So, awesome!” Eventually she stood up from her bed and flew over to the little bookshelf that Big Macintosh had made for her together with Applejack and placed the novel in its respectable place.

The latest edition in the ever going series of the fictional explorer Daring Do had taken residence on it. Rainbow only began to smile even more at the completed sight. Every single book ever released in the series, could be found on that single shelf in the cloudpalace just outside of Ponyville. All in possession of the rainbow maned pegasus.