Daring Do and the Wendigo Shrine

by ThePartyCannon

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Adventure, Daring Do
Length: 61328

Daring Do and her partner race to stop an evil pony from conquering Equestria

When a foreign pony threatens to conquer Equestria using a device known as 'The Wendigo Shrine', it's up to Daring Do and her partner, Jackhammer, to bring an end to him! She will travel to the ends of Equestria in an attempt to stop him, but will she succeed in saving Equestria? Or will the dangerous elements, and henchmen cut Daring Do's adventure short?

Feedback would be pretty awesome. I'm trying to improve the quality of my writing, but that's kind of hard to do when I don't know what to change.

Cover art is done by me, ThePartyCannon, at DeviantArt (http://fav.me/d4rne8b)

Published 2012-03-03 22:34:04 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-23 02:19:38 UTC

Chapter One - A letter from Jack

A light brown pony shuffled his hooves as he stood silently inside a long warehouse. It was dark, but he could clearly make out the two dozen other ponies in the room with him. They were all similarly clad, wearing scarves, goggles, and other winter garb, and were lined up alongside one wall, facing a multitude of carts and wagons. Surrounding the carts were scores of large wooden crates. The brown pony turned to a dark pink mare next to him,

“Yo, the name’s Notes. Any idea what’s going on?”

The mare turned her head sharply and shushed him harshly. The stallion recoiled and continued to look forward into the dark warehouse. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and his breath went cold. He shuffled his feet even more nervously as he prepared himself for what was to come. His eyes darted around worriedly, not daring to move his entire head. His ear perked up as he heard a faint noise to his right.

The clanking noise was soon followed by the nigh-silent sound of the clopping of hooves on the cold cement floor. The source of the noise soon came into Notes’ vision. He squinted his eyes to get a clearer picture. There were two ponies, one much larger than the other. The smaller of the two could be heard whispering something very faint, followed by the baritone acknowledgement of his bulky partner.

The smaller pony stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of the line of ponies, pacing between his recruits. He started at the far left, and slowly walked down the line, taking a long look at several meager looking ponies. He came to a complete stop in front of Notes and peered into his eyes.

The overseer, if that was what you could call him, was a light grey, small earth pony. A pair of round-rimmed spectacles sat on his nose, catching a tiny bit of light. Behind the glasses, his pale green eyes squinted as he looked over the pony quivering in front of him. He brought a hoof up and scratched at his ashen beard before continuing down the line.

The brown pony let out a long exhale as quietly as he could. He craned his neck to look at the supervisor. He stopped only one other time to whisper something to a light blue pony before moving back to his large friend in front of the carts. He stood for a moment before letting out a sharp whistle. Seemingly at their own will, several blinders were thrown off the walls, letting in large shafts of bright light from the windows, despite the cloudy skies of Stalliongrad outside.

In full view of the light, everypony was able to get a good look at the duo. The grey pony’s features could be seen in full; his light grey coat, his neatly trimmed ashen mane, his bow-tie, and his textbook cutie mark. His accomplice, who surprisingly wasn’t a pony, but a zebra, looked far more intimidating. His jet black Mohawk added to his gargantuan size, and he adorned his legs and neck with ivory trinkets. On his tail he had tied a bright red piece of cloth, the use of which was unknown.

The grey pony stepped forward and cleared his throat. His voice was very formal, with a hint of a rasp to it. His accent was foreign, the location of which couldn’t be described by anyone.

“Guten tag, everypony! I trust that you’ve enjoyed your stay so far?”

He was met with silence.

“That is to be expected, I was quite secretive about this procedure. I’m sure you’re all wondering why you are here, no? Well, you’ve been hired to run two sets of supplies to my employers on the other side of the Chorda Mountains, and in Istanfoal. The pay is extensive, for every one of you, as long as there are no questions asked. Understood?”

The ponies in the room nodded and mumbled agreements. In response, the grey pony clapped his hooves once,

“Wunderbar! You may call me Reinerth. Dusty Reinerth. Now, get these crates onto the wagons. Mach schnell!”

Notes and the other ponies scurried around, dragging crates and other utilities to the carts. Meanwhile, Reinerth and the zebra slowly headed to the corner of the room, where an extravagant covered wagon sat. The zebra held the door open as Reinerth stepped inside.

On the warehouse floor, Notes went to work dragging crates to various wagons. Around him, the other ponies began to become freindlier with each other and started to socialize. Notes dumped his crate at the nearest cart and felt the need to do the same. He scanned the room, and spotted a lone blue pony who was struggling trying to move a large crate. He trotted to his side and helped him push.

Breathing heavily, the blue pony introduced himself,

“Thanks for the help. My name’s Jackhammer, but just Jack for short.”

The two stopped in front of an empty wagon, and waited for more ponies to assist in the heavy lifting.

“Nice to meet ya, Jack. Name’s Notes. I don’t reckon you’ve got anything to eat, do ya?”

Jack shook his head, “Sorry, I already-”

He was interrupted when a large shadow engulfed the two ponies. They looked up into the eyes of the zebra, who gazed down on them menacingly.

“Which one of ya is Jack?” he said in a baritone voice through clenched teeth.

The blue pony stepped forward, visibly shaking.

“Mister Reinerth wants to see ya.” he turned to Notes, “Get back ta work!”

Jack followed the zebra on shaky legs to the private wagon. By the time they had reached it, he felt about ready to fall over from fright. The zebra opened the door and beckoned Jack to go inside. Clumsily, he clambered into the little wagon.

Inside the wagon was even more luxurious, if not a little cramped. Across one wall, large maps of Equestria and outlaying lands were hung up. Jack spotted a small cupboard full of bottles of purple and red liquids, and covered in fine dinnerware and plates. Finally, he noticed Reinerth, who was sitting at a desk with his back turned to Jack. The zebra poked his head inside,

“Sir, I’ve go the archaeologist.”

Reinerth turned around, and his eyes widened as he saw the timid pony.

“Ah, splendid! Come in, don’t be shy! Thank you for bringing him.”

The zebra nodded his head and closed the door, returning to the warehouse floor.

“So, you’re our archaeologist. Heh, you don’t match up to what I imagined, nein.”

Reinerth walked over in front of Jack, investigating his short, but shaggy black hair. He pulled at his saddlebags, and looked over his every feature. The longer he looked him over, the more nervous Jack became. He wasn’t supposed to be caught up in something like this. All he was doing was trying to catch a ride back to Canterlot!

He’s not supposed to know I’m an archaeologist! What happened...?!

Reinerth finally back away and extended his hoof,

“So, what is your name, fremde?”

What do I say? What do I say?! Think... What would she do? After several precious seconds of frantic thought, the idea came to him. Lie!

“Chan. My name’s Chan.” He lied.

“Ah, Herr Chan! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Reinerth exclaimed as he firmly shook the pony formerly known as Jack’s hoof, “I can’t say I’ve heard of your work before.”

Jack understood the basic workings of espionage, which to him consisted of one thing; lie, and if you get caught, lie some more.

“I worked once to the north of here, digging up some dragon bones. It was a private dig. Pretty underfunded too...”

Reinerth grunted, obviously losing interest in the bumbling pony. He turned back to his desk and leaned over a dusty old tome. He flipped through several pages as he questioned Jack.

“Do you know the real reason for this expedition, Herr Chan?”

Jack shook his head, “No, sir, I don’t.”

Reinerth chuckled, “Gut. Then I did a good job keep it a secret. Tell me, what do you know about ‘The Wendigo Shrine’?”

A chill ran up the archaeologist’s spine as Reinerth held an open book in front of him. On one of the pages was a sketch of a columnar rotunda, adorned with statues of pegusi and wengidoes alike. Shooting out from a metallic apparatus on the top were several arcs of lightning, going directly into a swirling maelstrom of clouds above. Jack’s heart dropped into his stomach as he realized what danger his pseudo-espionage had gotten him into. He cleared his throat,

“I... I know a lot, sir.”

The tan mare sat up in her cot with a jolt. She looked around, her heart racing. She recognized the walls, and the furniture laid about the room. Sighing, she said to herself,

“Calm down, you’re home. You’re safe.”

She stood up and stretched her wings in the small room. It was nearly bare, as usual. There was no sense in decorating your room when you were almost never there to see it. Of the few things in the room, her cot in one corner and the bookcase in the other were the most prominent. The bookcase was covered in many books, all of which had been read at least a dozen times by the intellectual mare.

The pegasus took a moment to get fully awake before heading to the door. She grabbed a shirt from a hook by the door and quickly threw it on prior to grabbing her iconic pith helmet and dunking it on her head. She straightened it as she stepped outside.

Normally, if a pony were to live in Canterlot they would be considered ‘upper crust’ by everypony else. However, this pegasus was an exception. She was always covered in dirt and grime, and smelled of sweat and foreign lands. Her choice of clothing was so ‘crude’ that it would make any Canterlot fashion designer cringe away in disgust. Her attitude alone would exclude her from any formal gathering. But despite her drawbacks, she was always welcomed with open arms nearly anywhere she went. Perhaps it was her idealistic adventuring nature, or her prominent intellect. Whatever the case, everypony loved her.

She trotted down the road, receiving waves and greetings from passing ponies. One pony even stopped to offer the pegasus some of her lunch, to which she humbly denied. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the time to stop; the truth was she didn’t even have anywhere to be. The mare just got restless when she had to stay in one place for too long. When that happened, she enjoyed wandering the streets of Canterlot, letting her mind roam freely.

She turned left down an alley, then turned right through a crowded street. She took a shortcut through a marketplace and hopped down a flight of stairs leading to a large opera house. All the while, her mind drifted in and out of her adventures in the past.

The sweat on her brow, the dirt in her hooves, the feeling of the foliage against her coat. These were the feelings of a true adventure. Her heart pounding as she flew as fast as she could under the canopy of trees, weaving in and out between large tree trunks. The wind ripping at her mane, tearing at her ears, but still she had to go faster. There was no such thing as too fast when it came to these situations. She looked over her shoulder and-

Without realizing it, the mare had begun sprinting through the streets, unaware that she was living her past experiences. Only when she collided head on with another pony did she come to her sense. She lay on her back, momentarily stunned by the impact. All around her letter and notes fluttered to the ground, littering the area. She craned her neck around to see a bewildered unicorn, sitting wide-eyed with shock. His lip trembled as he stammered out,

“M-miss Daring Do? A-are you alr-right?”

Daring Do quickly sprang up, shuffling the letters around her into an unorganized pile. She grinned as her cheeks went red with embarrassment,

“Sorry about that! I guess I need to get my head out of the clouds.”

The mailpony laughed as he levitated several letters into his saddlebags,

“Don’t worry about it, Miss Do. It happens to me all the time!”

Daring Do scratched her grey-scale mane in confusion as the mailpony walked off. She stared at him a moment longer, and was about ready to wander off when he suddenly turned on a dime and galloped towards her with a wide grin on his face,

“While you’re here I might as well give this to you!” He levitated out a simple envelope, held together by an unmarked wax seal. “It’s addressed from Stalliongrad. Have any friends there?”

Daring Do took the note in her mouth and shook her head ‘no’. The mailpony shrugged,

“Well, surprises are fun too! Take care, Daring Do. And try to pay attention a bit more!”

The mare waved farewell to the awkward mailpony. She trotted back towards her one-room home with the letter in her mouth. It was only a few blocks, which gave her little time to think,

Who is in Stalliongrad that I know? All the professors left after the industrialization. And no one told me they would be going on a trip.

The more she thought about it, the more tempted she was to read it then and there. She rarely got mail as it is, but to get mail from Stalliongrad, from an unknown pony, was more than exciting. She picked up the pace as her building came into view.

She quickly threw open the door and went inside. She tore open the envelope, and began reading the letter aloud,

Dearest Daring Do,

I know we haven’t talked in over a year, but this is important. I was working on a dig outside of Stalliongrad when my funding was cut. I didn’t have the bits to get a ride back to Canterlot, so I tried working to get enough for a train or something. A pony on the street told me of someone named ‘Dusty Reinerth’, you might know him as Professor Reinerth, he worked in Canterlot for a year or two when you first started your ‘career’. Anyway, he claimed that we would just run supplies into the Chorda Mountains, and he hired about twenty ponies to do it. but it’s a lie! He called me to talk in private. Apparently he recognized my as an archaeologist by my cutie mark... He started talking about ‘The Wendigo Shrine’. That’s right, Daring Do; you know what I’m talking about.

Daring Do raised her eyes from the letter, horrendously confused at what this ‘Wendigo Shrine’ could be.

I got overexcited, and kinda lied a bit about who I was. He thinks I can lead him to the shrine, so he could use it. I’m not sure how he’s going to go about doing that, but he’s insistent. In the meantime, I’ll play the role of a spy and see if I can get more information on what he’s planning to do. If you don’t mind, I’ve chartered an airship to fly you out of Canterlot to Istanfoal. You’ll know where to got from there. I realize our past is ‘sketchy’, but this is really important. Please, Daring, if he can do what he says he can do, then we don’t have much time before he activates the shrine.

-Sincerely, Jackhammer.

Daring Do folded the letter back up and stared at it for a good ten minutes. She hadn’t heard from Jack in over a year (fifteen months, to be exact. She’d been keeping count.) And the first thing he says to her is something about an old professor and some nonsense about a mystical shrine. He was always one to exaggerate stories, but this was something else entirely. Daring Do sighed and put the letter on her bookcase, next to an old photograph.

“Jack, Jack, Jack...” she tsked to herself, “What kind of a mess have you gotten yourself into this time?”

Daring Do remembered Jack as the clumsy, tongue-tied pony who got into trouble on a regular basis. Yet, through his nigh-incompetence in adventuring and goofy disposition, Jack had been Daring’s most loyal friend throughout her career. She was more than surprised to see a letter from her old friend, considering his disappearance and resignation from the museum.

She went over the letter in her head over again, thinking intently on Reinerth. The name didn’t ring a bell immediately.

“Maybe the curator will know something about him.”

Daring Do started out the door again, looking back one last time at the letter,

“And maybe she’ll know something about the Wendigo Shrine too...”

Chapter Two - The Henchmen Visit

It was dark and the streets of Canterlot were nearly empty. Quickly and silently, the three figures dashed across the street and ducked into a nearby alleyway. They were silent throughout their actions, not even breathing audibly. As they progressed down the alley, they found their target; an open window.

Two ponies knelt beneath the window, bracing themselves as they lifted the third one through. He landed on the floor with a soft thud, and scanned the room quickly. Empty. Perfect. He helped the other two ponies through and when they were all in the room together he said,

“Search everywhere. If it’s not here that means she has it on her.”

The ponies abandoned their subtlety as they overturned tables and rummaged through desks. They threw books off of the shelves, cluttering them on the floor. One pony stopped to look at a photograph; a tan pegasus and a blue stallion standing next to an ancient looking temple. He turned to one of the others,

“Yo, it’s her.”

The second pony looked over his shoulder, ceasing his search.

“Who’s the dude with her?”

“Beats me. I sure as hell don’t know him.”

The third pony interjected, “Knock it off and get back to work! We don’t have much time.”

They dropped the photograph onto the messy floor and continued looking through drawers and cupboards. The room was small, and felt smaller as they continued to throw items into a pile on the floor. After fifteen minutes of turning the place upside-down, they stopped, catching their breath.

“It ain’t here, boss. She must have it.”

The third pony sighed, “Damn. Then we’ll wait here. Crash, you take lookout.”

The pony named ‘Crash’ nodded and jumped back out the window. He took a position at the edge of the alley, obscured by shadows, where he could see down both sides of the street.

“Boss, what do we do when we get it from her?”

The boss chuckled menacingly under his breath, “Reinerth said we could kill her.”

Earlier that same day, Daring Do entered the museum. She trotted through the quiet halls, gazing at the well known exhibits, most of which she attained herself. As she passed by a statue of an ancient griffon commander, Daring spotted the curator. The alabaster mare was conversing with a rich looking unicorn. She waited until she was done talking, and passed the time looking at the surrounding artifacts.

Across the hall from her was a tapestry of a draconequis battling with a unicorn. It was elaborate and huge, measuring at least seven feet across. She winced as she remembered the three ribs she broke trying to get it back from temple thieves. To her left she saw a golden plate inscribed with runes of an old earth pony tribe. It was covered in jewels and gemstones of varying colors, each more exquisite than the last. She was in the middle of wondering what could have happened in that adventure when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned to see the grinning face of the curator. Daring Do smiled in return. She had known the curator since before she started treasure hunting, and she had been the closest thing to a family Daring had.

“Miss Do! It’s an absolute pleasure to see you! How went the trip?”

The curator’s voice was excited, as usual, and very posh, like all Canterlot ponies.

“Not too good, unfortunately.” she frowned, “They got away with the idol.”

The curator’s grin faded, “That’s a shame, I’m sorry to hear that. But at least you’re back in one piece! What can I help you with?”

“Well, I got a letter from Jackhammer today, and he-”

“Jack! That’s wonderful! I haven’t heard from him in ages!” the curator interrupted.

Daring Do was used to the mare’s excitable behavior getting the best of her, and tried her best to work around that.

“Yeah, I was surprised to see his letter. Anyway, he mentioned a professor that worked here; Reinerth? What department was he in?”

The curator scratched her chin with her hoof, thinking hard, “I believe he was in ancient pegasus history. Gosh, that was... six years ago? Maybe more. What did Jack say about him?”

“He also mentioned the Wendigo Shrine? Do you know anything on that?” Daring Do asked, ignoring the curator’s question as politely as she could.

The curator laughed, “The Wendigo Shrine? Even for Jack, that’s childish! It’s just a legend, Daring. An old mare’s tale!”

Daring Do figured as much, but that didn’t explain why Jack was so worried about it. She was still curious.

“What books do you have on the subject? I’d like to read into this.”

The alabaster mare trotted off towards the museum library, with Daring following closely behind her. They reached the round room, where the bookshelves went upward thirty feet before hitting the ceiling. Around her, ponies silently had their heads in books, reading about physics, old plays, or other generic library subjects. The curator led Daring down a section covered in brightly illustrated books. She felt a little awkward in an area that was intended for foals, but knew that this was the best place to learn about ‘old mare’s tales’.

The curator pulled three books from the shelves, each more whimsical than the last. She balanced the colorful books on her back as she approached a table on the other side of the room.

“There you are. They may be childish, but they’re the three books that cover the subject the best.” the curator explained, unloading the books onto the table.

Daring Do tipped her hat, “Thanks. I’ll be in here reading if you need me for anything.”

The curator laughed loudly, disturbing several nearby ponies.

“Don’t get too into this, Miss Do. It’s just a legend.”

“Maybe. But isn’t that what you said about half of the exhibits here? I managed to find those.”

The curator let out another laugh, causing several ponies to cup their ears and concentrate harder on their reading.

“Well, you’re free to do what you want, Daring. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, she walked out of the large room, waving a hoof goodbye as she went. Daring pulled the first book off the top of the pile and opened it to the table of contents. The words were printed large, undoubtedly for young fillies to read easily. Daring found the page and flipped to it. The entry was only five paragraphs long, and had bad puns strewn about throughout them. Daring sighed and thought to herself,

Jack, if you’re making me read through these filly’s books, this better be important. There’s hardly any information on here!

Daring Do forced herself to begin reading through the large font and first-grade grammar.

Reinerth’s party had yet to depart from their warehouse in Stalliongrad. The ponies were loading the last of the crates onto the carts as Reinerth and Jack paced throughout the large building. For the past hour the two had been sharing their knowledge of the Wendigo Shrine. Although everypony was convinced it was an old legend, Jack and Reinerth both knew otherwise.

“Herr Chan,” Reinerth whispered, as to not draw the attention of the other ponies, “I promise to reward you greatly for your archaeological assistance, but I was wondering if there was one more thing you could do.”

Jack tilted his head, “Uh... Sure. What is it?”

Reinerth pulled Jack closer as they walked, “When we get to the shrine, the other ponies are sure to want a share of the power. I’ve got two or three loyal ponies, but the ones I hired off of the street can’t be trusted with the end result.”

“I think I know what you’re going to say...”

“I want you to help me... dispose of them when we’re done. Judging by your past experiences, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Uh...” Jack’s mouth went dry. Earlier, during his espionage, he had told Reinerth that he was part of the royal guard who scoured the land, fighting dragons. Now he wished he could omit the entire thing, “Uh... Maybe? Well, um, talk about it when we get closer to the Shrine.”

Reinerth beamed, “Ausgezeichnet! You and I, Chan. I sense a good relationship in the future between us two.”

All Jack could do was force a smile. This pony was sick! First he proposes a plan to destroy Equestria using the powers of the Wendigo Shrine and rule from the wreckage, then he talks about killing his own crew! Jack’s gut told him to run out of the building, run far away from Stalliongrad. He could go warn the royal guard in Canterlot and stop the whole thing! But another, less cowardly part of his mind told him to stay and be the hero himself.

Just like Daring Do. She wouldn’t run!

The two had made their way around the warehouse and now stood in front Reinerth’s decorated wagon. The ponies around them had packed the last of the crates onto their wagons and now began hitching themselves to the front. Several of the smaller ponies sat in the back of wagons where there was space. As the duo looked over the scene, the zebra trotted over to them,

“Reinerth, we’re ready ta go. Jus’ give da signal.”

“Danke, Kuwinda. By the way, this is Chan. Treat him with respect, he’s important.” Reinerth then turned to Jack, pointing a hoof at the zebra, “This is Kuwinda. I saved his life and now he works for me. Just don’t get on his bad side and you’ll be fine. Now, es geht los!”

Reinerth climbed aboard his wagon, leaving Jack to find his own ride. He trotted around, looking for an open seat in on of the many wagons. Near the back of the room, surrounded by ponies in winter clothing, was a single cart with one spot left. He galloped straight to it and jumped in the back, clambering up to get his spot.

He looked at the faces around him. There was a pink mare who was smiling to a yellow pegasus at her side. The pegasus had a pair of goggles over her eyes, obscuring her light blue eyes. The two mares were giggling about something oblivious to Jack, who blushed at the attention he was getting. Sitting next to him was the stallion, Notes, from earlier. He gave Jack a small wave before being interrupted by a booming voice in the front of the room.

“Listen up! We’re gonna be travellin’ in two teams! One of ya is headin’ for da Chorda Mountains, followin’ Reinerth. Da other group is headin’ for Istanfoal to pick up a set of packages. After dat, ya’ll be headin’ into da Chorda Mountains as well. We’ll meet up at da rendezvous in three days, and then set out as a group to da third location.” He looked specifically at the cart Jack was sitting in, “Try not ta get lost.”

He ended his little speech on that note and began reigning himself to Reinerth’s cart. Notes gave Jack a friendly punch to the shoulder,

“Yo, I remember you! What did that foreign guy wanna talk about anyways?”

Jack stammered, “Uh, I’m... related to one of his business partners. We were just... catching up!”

Notes nodded, and pointed to the pink mare, “That’s Chilly and that’s Bonnie.” He said, pointing to the goggle wearing pegasus, “This here is Jack, right?”

Jack began to nod, then immediately corrected himself as he blurted out, “Chan! It’s Chan, actually.”

Notes raised one eyebrow, “Are you sure? You introduced yourself as Jack earlier.”

Jack floundered for an answer, “I was... out of breath. You must have misheard me. It’s Chan.”

“Whatever,” Notes said, throwing his hoof in the air. “I know what I-”

He was cutoff by a high pitched screeching sound coming from the front of the warehouse. All heads turned to the noise, and saw the front gate rising on rusty hinges. Bright light flooded the room, causing many ponies to raise a hoof to their eyes. Outside, the chilly winds of Stalliongrad whistled through the cloudy skies. Jack watched as three ponies ran out the door, unaccompanied by a cart.

“We leave in half an hour! Any business ya gotta get done, get it done now.” Kuwinda bellowed deeply from the front of the room.

Jack turned and dug through his saddlebags, bringing out an inkwell, a quill and a few sheets of parchment. Hastily, he scrawled a latter, making sure Notes and the mares didn’t read it.

Daring needs to know about this as soon as possible. If she can’t stop it, nopony can. If I can get a letter to her soon, maybe she can get a head start on Reinerth’s plan. He thought, going over the newly written letter.

He signed his name on the bottom and folded it in half. Pulling out another piece of parchment, he wrote down his second note,

Dearest friend,

A matter of grave importance has come up. I’m just going to skip the formalities and cut to the chase. I need you to take your airship to Canterlot and pick up an old friend, Daring Do. Fly her to Istanfoal immediately. Once you arrive, give her two days to get what she needs, then fly her to the Chorda Mountains. I’ll meet you there, and pay you substantially. How does 150 bits sound? But you have to go fast! Time is running out.

-Sincerely, Jackhammer

Jack addressed the first letter to Canterlot, and the second to Trottingham. He was sealing the letters with wax when Chilly poked her head over his shoulder,

“Who’s that for?” she asked cheerily.

Jack spun around, shouting loudly, “No one!”

The pink mare recoiled, falling backwards into her seat. She was about to chastise the strange pony when he jumped off the cart and galloped to the front door, letters clenched in his teeth.

Outside the warehouse, the bitter cold of Stalliongrad numbed Jack. He ran down a cobblestone street surrounded by tall wooden houses. Beyond the thatched roofs, the thin columns of black smoke could be seen rising from factories. Jack ignored his surroundings, searching for one thing in particular. His hooves splashed in slushy snow as he galloped to the small rectangular box on the corner of the street.

He reached it, completely out of breath. He shoved the two letters into the small opening, and stepped back. Jack looked around quickly, noticing only ragged looking ponies who were old, hungry, and very dismal. But there! There he was! Coming around the corner was a pony clad in a blue uniform dragging a small two-wheeled cart behind him. He made a bee-line for the mailbox, nearly knocking Jack out of the way to get there.

Jack watched as the mailpony dumped the contents of the mailbox into his wagon and continued on his path. His heart leaped as he watched his letters of distress go on their way to their destinations.

Now, he thought, It’s time for Chan to blend in.

Jack made his way back to the warehouse, where everypony was gossiping about the strange, compulsive archaeologist.

Daring Do had been in the library for hours and had been studying the Wendigo Shrine the entire time. Every book she read said the same thing; Deep in the Chorda Mountains, thousands of years ago, a sect of pegasus ponies had built a magical shrine. This shrine, in honor of the fabled wendigoes, was built to control masses of weather over the entire land. The creator, Chaplain Tornado Winds, and his pegasus followers used it to regulate seasons over a vast area. However, the power of the shrine was too tempting for Tornado Winds, and he succumbed to his temptations. He began to use the shrine to lay waste to his enemies, the griffons.

Eventually, Tornado Winds became so powerful that he threatened to crush the other pony tribes with tornadoes, blizzards, and earthquakes if they didn’t bow to his will. To end this, his followers overcame their leader and banished him to roam the cold mountains. To prevent the shrine from being used for evil, the harnessed the magical energies into a single object; The Thunder Stone. They hid the stone far off in the Sahoofa Desert, where nopony would find it. Without the stone, the Wendigo Shrine became useless, and stood only as a monument to Tornado Winds’ sins.

Over the years, the pegasus followers died off, and the shrine was forgotten. The location was lost to time, and the Thunder Stone was never recovered. Any pony that went searching for the shrine in the Chorda Mountains was either lost, or was taken victim by the elements. Daring Do could clearly see why Jack would be worried about such a thing, but also felt that the entire situation was silly. The Wendigo Shrine was just a myth, right?

Daring yawned and looked at the clock. It was past midnight, much to the shock of the pegasus. She had been reading about the Wendigo Shrine, Tornado Winds, and the Thunder Stone for hours nonstop. She stood up, stretching her legs, and walked out of the library.

The museum was open all day and night, but even so, there were few ponies that were willing to look at a few exhibits in the wee hours of the morning. Daring exited the museum without being noticed, and trotted down the silent streets of Canterlot to her home. It wasn’t a long walk, only four or five blocks. Daring knew the path like the back of her hoof. She thought as she walked,

Reinerth wants to find this shrine and use it to rule Equestria. But he can’t do that unless he has the Thunder Stone, so why bother?

Daring Do recalled Jack’s letter having mentioned something about her having to go to Istanfoal to fulfill some unknown task.

Istanfoal is on the edge of the Sahoofa Desert! I bet Jack wants me to find the Thunder Stone before Reinerth can get to it!

Daring came to her house and opened the door. She stepped inside, and immediately froze in her tracks. The house was a disaster! Around her, books were strewn about and papers were thrown to and fro about the room. She trotted into the room further, in shock of what she saw. Behind her the door closed.

A pony wearing all black clothes jumped out from behind the door, tackling Daring Do to the floor. She was taken by surprise, and wasn’t able to fight back for a few precious seconds. As the pony struggled with Daring Do on the floor, a second pony stepped out of the shadows. He dove to the floor and held Daring’s hooves down. She was pinned; there was no way out of it.

She ceased her struggling as a third pony came in through the door. He was larger than the other ponies that were holding her down, and stood directly above Daring Do,

“Where’s the stone?” He asked, his voice dripping with venom.

Daring Do answered bravely, “What are you talking about?”

The boss swung his hoof, connecting with Daring’s jaw. Her head whipped to one side, letting loose a string of saliva.

“Don’t get smart with me, Do. The Thunder Stone. You have it! Where is it?!” he roared.

Daring Do turned her head, seemingly unharmed, “I don’t have it.”

The boss brought his hoof back, ready to swing again, when Daring Do drew all her strength and pulled one of the ponies on top of her. As the boss brought his hoof down, he hit the henchman in the back of the head. The blow nearly knocked him out cold, and he lost his grip on Daring’s back legs. Taking the opportunity, Daring spun herself around so that her legs were facing the wall. She planted her back hooves firmly on the wall and pushed with all her might, knocking the second pony away.

Daring Do quickly sprang up just in time to catch the boss’s left hook with her face. Her head went fuzzy for a second, but regained itself in time to see the second hook coming from the right. Daring thought fast and ducked underneath it, leaving her helmet hanging in the air above her for a split second as the henchman’s hoof flew harmlessly beneath it. The helmet fell back onto Daring’s head, and she used it to head butt the bulky pony in the chest.

He staggered backwards, hitting the other wall. Swearing, he advanced on Daring Do, who bravely stood her ground. She was about to make a move when one of the other ponies grabbed her from behind. She bucked wildly, trying to kick him off, but to no avail. She saw the hoof come straight at her face at nearly lethal speed. Without thinking, Daring turned her head to one side, letting the hoof go through the empty air, only clipping her ear. She heard an impact, and the second pony’s grip went limp as he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Taking this as a stroke of luck, Daring scanned the room for a chance to make a move. On the floor were two unconscious ponies, and in front of her was a very large, very angry stallion. To her left was the open window, the source of entry for these brutish henchmen. She mentally facehoofed and scolded herself for not closing it when she left. With blinding speed, she shifted around the threatening foe and jumped out the small window. She brought her wings closer to her body to ensure that she would fit. The pegasus fell through the air and landed on her stomach with a hard thud.

Daring Do ignored the vulgar language that was bellowing from inside her house, and took to the skies, her wings flapping powerfully in the night. She made her way to the Canterlot airship docks, her head aching.

“Jack, when I find you, you’re in for it.”

Chapter Three - The Onyx Wind

Daring Do flew over the packed airship docks built into the side of a cliff outside of Canterlot. She admired the beautifully crafted ships and wonderfully painted hulls as she scanned the docks for her designated ride. She figured it would be a commercial flight, and not a merchant or military vessel. After flying had failed to produce results, she came in for a landing at the farthest dock, where a large purple hot-air balloon was unloading packages.

She trotted down the line, observing the working ponies on the ships and the eager passengers on the side. The passengers all seemed to be Canterlot unicorns, by the way they were dressed and the way they held their heads up high. But the workers on the ships seemed to be from all over Equestria. Among numerous ponies there were zebras working in the rigging and griffons maintaining propellers and other mechanical equipment. Daring even spotted a diamond dog or two among the crowd.

Too distracted by the view of exotic travelers to see where she was going, Daring bumped into the back of a zebra. She began to apologize when he turned around and gave a smile that was so disturbing that it left Daring at a loss for words.

“Daring Do! I recognize you, I can’t believe you’re actually here! Jack sent me.”

Daring Do tried not to look directly into the zebra’s frighteningly friendly face, and instead looked to the side at one of the airships,

“Yeah, he told me about a ship to Istanfoal. Which one is yours?”

The zebra finally relaxed his expression, no longer flaunting the insane grin. He turned around on his long, lanky legs, looking curiously at the numerous ships. He scratched his shaved head, and ran his hoof down the back of his neck nervously. After a long moment, his brown eyes shot open and he pointed his hoof into the distance,

“It’s over there! Nearly forgot where I docked her.” He let out a hearty laugh.

Daring Do followed the zebra, who appeared to skip everywhere he went. He didn’t seem like the normal zebra, that was for sure. To begin with, his accent was nothing like that of the traditional zebra accent. His accent sounded much more Equestrian, and by his dialect, Daring suspected he was from Trottingham. His attire contradicted this fact, as he had ceremonial golden medallions and trinkets hanging from his neck, and a bright blue ribbon tied to the base of his tail. Daring knew that colored ribbons were used to mark what tribe you belonged to in their native land.

They walked down further across the long dock, and ended up near the end. Around her, Daring saw several pastel colored airships and hot-air balloons. They were huge and extravagant, with masterfully carved hulls. She was hoping he would lead her to one of the larger, fancier ships, but instead he led her down to a small overhanging pier. At the end was a dainty little ship. Its hull was splintered and missing boards in several places, and its balloon sagged on the back end. The paint-job was only on the underside, and consisted of a sloppy, unevenly spread black coat. The bladed propeller in the back looked as if it had never been cleaned in all its years of service. The crew was composed of numerous races; griffons, zebras, donkeys and ponies all worked together on the small deck, cleaning it with mops and sponges. The zebra led Daring Do to the small boarding ramp.

“This here is ‘The Onyx Wind’! She’s not pretty, that’s for sure, but she’ll get you from here to Istanfoal faster than any commercial flight you can find. Now, let me introduce you-”

“There! Stop her!”

Daring Do spun around and stared down the pier. At the airship docks, galloping towards them, were the three henchmen. Daring hadn’t seen them since roughly midnight.

How did they find me? she thought as she gazed at her once-defeated foes.

They were approaching fast, each brandishing a look of pure rage on their faces. Daring Do turned to the zebra,

“We need to leave, now!”

The zebra brought a hoof to his mouth and whistled sharply, making Daring’s ears ring. Aboard the Onyx Wind, the crew members began running around in seemingly random directions. They untied ropes to the dock and began to fire up the propeller in the back. The blades slowly churned as the machine let out mechanical coughs, spewing out thick black smoke. The three thugs were nearly at the boarding plank where the zebra stood to meet them. Daring used her wings to fly over him and stood on the deck as she watched the scene in front of her unfold.

“Run him over, we just want the pegasus!” one of the smaller ponies shouted through broken teeth. Daring assumed that this was the pony who had taken a flying hoof straight to the face earlier.

The ponies gained speed, intent on tackling the zebra blocking their path. But instead of plowing through him, they were each thrown back down the pier as the zebra jumped into the air, delivering a spinning kick that connected with each of their faces. He landed flawlessly back onto the foot-wide boarding plank, keeping an eye on the thugs to see if there would be more trouble. Inevitably, there was.

“How much longer until we shove off?!” The zebra shouted over his shoulder.

“Give us another minute or two, captain!” yelled a young donkey from over the railing. Crew members rushed faster to perform the necessary takeoff tasks.

The zebra captain walked onto the pier He kickee the boarding plank into the canyon below as he went, leaving a six foot wide gap of open space between the pier and the airship. The henchmen stood up, two of them with bloodied noses.

“Oh, you’re gonna regret that, you son of a-”

The lead pony was unable to finish his insult as he was hit in the knees by a small metal ball. Not four seconds after his knee was crippled was he hit in the back by the same metal ball. He looked up through tear-filled eyes to see the zebra standing on his hind legs, concentrating on his balancing act. In his mouth he waved a long rope in circles above his head. The wounded pony could only assume that the metal ball was tied to the end of this rope, which had to have measured fifteen feet long and moved at an uncanny speed.

After seeing their leader felled by this exotic fighting style, the two other ponies hobbled back towards the main dock, leaving the third to lie in the dust. The zebra slowed the spinning of his rope, letting the weighted end fall to the ground. He wrapped the rope around his front leg, and turned around, making his way towards his ship. His ear perked up as he heard the rapid clopping of hooves on the wooden pier.

He was hit with all of the pony’s weight as he was tackled from behind. The two tumbled over the edge of the pier, falling towards the ground hundreds of feet below them. Wind tore at their faces as they looked down at their rapidly approaching doom. Even in the face of death, the thug pony was intent on teaching the captain some manners. In the middle of the free-fall, he continued to throw punches and kicks in the direction of the zebra. A few of them made contact, forcing him away from the falling pony.

The zebra unwound the rope and held it by the weighted end, letting it trail upwards above him. He continued to endure the blows of the flailing pony next to him as he watched the airships above him shrink. Then he saw it; a single black dot coming over the side of the airship. It slowly grew as it approached them.

Daring could see the two soon-to-be victims of gravity as she plummeted down along the side of the cliff. Her ears popped, adjusting themselves to the rapidly changing pressure as she hurdled towards the captain and the pony. She kept her wings folded in, making the descent faster. It was going to be close.

Daring was twenty feet above them when her wings shot open. Her entire body was jerked as her speed was drastically reduced. The rope whipped in the wind just a foot or so in front of her, and she reached for it with her hoof. She swung, hoping to catch it, only to have it brush against the tip of her hoof. They were one-hundred yards above the ground now; Daring was going to have to make a move.

She brought her wings back in for a moment, and bulleted through the air and smashed into the zebra, wrapping her hooves around him. She spread her wings, and once again, was rocked by the change of speed. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the flailing pony frantically trying to attack the duo. As much as it pained her to do so, she had to save him.

“Grab the rope!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing her head to the trailing rope behind them.

The stallion looked at it, then back at Daring Do. He drew his arms back, shouting loudly, “I’d rather die than be saved by-”

The rest of his sentence was lost as Daring Do started to pull up, just fifteen yards above the ground. They heard the audible ‘whump of the impact, and dared not look back. As she leveled out, Daring was a mere four feet above the grass and travelling at an unimaginable speed. She slowed down, using her feet as brakes in the grass. Dirt flew up as she slid to a stop with the zebra clinging onto her back. When they were finally stationary, he fell off to one side. He lay on his back, staring up at his savior,

“Mother of Discord... That was incredible!”

Daring Do blushed at the praise. Her legs wobbled and her heart beat faster and faster in her throat. She hadn’t been in a life-or-death situation in months, and had nearly forgotten the thrill of the flight. She smiled back to the zebra,

“Thanks. I don’t think I’ve flown that fast in years.”

“Well, it it’s any consolidation, I don’t think I have either.” The zebra chuckled as he motioned to the crater behind him. He didn’t look directly at it but he knew what he would have seen, and just the thought of it made his stomach churn. “An old friend?”

Daring shrugged, “I couldn’t tell you they were, but they wanted something from me. Come on, I’ll give you the whole story when we’re airborne.” She knelt down, letting the zebra cling onto her back once again. He was heavy, but not unbearable. She would still be able to make the several hundred foot flight upward back to the docks.

As Daring Do began her ascent, she turned her head back to the clutching zebra, “By the way, I didn’t catch your name; you were too busy almost dying.”

The zebra cocked his head, “I’m sorry, I must have lost my manners in that fight. My name is Mbarka. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Do.”

“Likewise.”

The two reached the top of the docks after a fit of rigorous flying. Daring’s wings ached from the trek, and she was more than relieved to see the comfort of an airship in front of her. She stumbled behind the zebra, who seemed to have enjoyed his free ride skywards. He led her to the middle of the deck.

The airship was still stationary on the end of the pier. Alongside, several ponies gazed at the mismatched crew of misfits, and at the zebra captain who had nearly gotten himself killed. Luckily, nopony was around to see the brawl between Mbarka and the three ponies, and the boss’s death wouldn’t be discovered for several more days. Daring Do still felt sick to her stomach having to leave a pony to die like that, especially inside Canterlot. But that was in the past, and it was his choice to die. Daring couldn’t do anything to change that.

Coming out of the cabin and from the rigging above, the crew of the Onyx Wind quickly surrounded Daring Do. They mercilessly bombarded her with questions about her travels, and if the rumors of her adventures were true. She was overwhelmed b the massive amount of attention she was getting from such a diverse crew. Mbarka tried to settle down the crowd as best he could,

“Now, now, calm down! Miss Do will tell us about all her adventures as soon as we’ve set sail.” He turned and shouted towards the closed cabin doors, “Navigator Borealis, we’re ready!”

Out of the cabin, a young white unicorn galloped out. She was younger than Daring, but still looked old enough to live on her own. She was shorter, coming up to Daring’s eyes, and her long, dark grey hair cascaded around her shoulders as she queried the crowd on the deck. Around her waist she had tied a belt, and on it she fastened a shining cutlass. Daring’s keen vision distinguished that it was dull, and most likely just for show.

The young unicorn stumbled for a moment when she saw Daring Do, but focused her attention to her duties. She ran up to the helm of the ship and pulled a series of levers and ropes, creating a ruckus of coughing and wheezing sounds. In the back, the mechanical rotary blades began slowly churning the air, squeaking ever so slightly as they went. The unicorn leaned over the railing, looking down at the motor. She pointed her horn directly at the machine, and let loose a series of magical energies. The blades were given new life, and spun at a blazing speed.

She turned herself to the wheel, and taking it in her hooves, turned it completely around. Slowly, the ship began to bank into the open space of the canyon. It sluggishly made its way away from the docks, past the other extravagant ships and excited ponies. Daring could see several ponies waving as their ship floated past at a lazy speed. Below her, the deck’s boards began to creak and shift under the stress of flying. She turned to Mbarka,

“Are you sure this can actually fly?” She asked, shifting her hooves nervously as the motor choked, spitting out a fairly large cloud of black smoke.

Mbarka laughed, “That is the same question I ask myself every time we shove off. We’ll find out, I suppose.”

Daring Do couldn’t have felt less comforted.She had been on worse rides, that was for sure. She reminisced at one in particular; it was in the desert, and she had almost been caught by a group of marauding bandits. The only way she escaped was by hiding inside of a horse-drawn cart, stuffing herself under piles of woolen blankets. The heat was unbearable, and the trip lasted two days across the arid desert. Yet, despite her sweltering cart ride, this airship felt more dangerous; mostly due to the fact that the ship was, to put it lightly, falling apart at every possible location.

Mbarka approached Daring Do before the crowd could drown her in questions again. He put a hoof around her shoulders and led her below deck.

“Let me show you were you’ll be staying. Since you’re a mare I’ll give you the room where the other mares stay. There’s only one, Navigator Borealis, but that just means there’s more room for you, right? Anyway, it’s just below deck.” He explained.

The pegasus was surprised that a ship this small even had a ‘below deck’. The hallway leading to the four rooms was very narrow, barely wide enough for Daring Do to pass, and was completely impossible for two ponies to stand side by side. After squeezing down the entire hallway, the duo ended up at the final room. Mbarka nudged the door open with his snout.

Inside was cramped, not to Daring’s surprise, but felt very charming. The entire room was lit by a single lantern, which hung from the low ceiling and burned dimly. Books were scattered around the floor, most of which were concentrated next to a bundle of blankets in the corner. There were quills and parchments scattered around messily, leaving little floor space. On one wall, a large blueprint of an airship was hung up, sparing no details in its design. Upon seeing the mess, Mbarka sighed and cursed to himself in his native tongue,

“I told that filly to clean up after herself... Don’t mind the mess; Navigator Borealis is a generally sweet mare, despite her shortcomings in interior decorating. Well, make yourself at home. There are extra blankets in...” He thought for a moment, “Nevermind, we threw out the blankets to make room for the whiskey. Just borrow the Navigator’s.”

Daring Do nodded and stepped into the room. She slowly shut the door behind her. Mbarka quickly trotted off to instruct his crew on the flight, leaving Daring Do in the strange, dark room alone. She discarded her helmet in the cleanest corner, and lay down there. She wondered how Jack had gotten into relations with this mix of mercenaries. Jack wasn’t really considered a ‘social’ pony, and to converse with these strange characters seemed to be a struggle for any pony.

“You can ask him when you see him.” She said to herself. Just saying that turned Daring’s stomach around. It was odd to her that she would be nervous about seeing her old friend, and not nervous about the whole ‘end of the world doomsday plot’ that he had carried on about.

Jack sat in the back of the wagon. It was nighttime, and the caravan continued to push through the foothills. It was still going to take them a full day to reach the base of the mountains.

Plenty of time for Daring to catch up.

He stared up at the night sky trying to recognize the constellations he had learned as a young colt. He could see Ursa, the bear, but that was about it. There was a reason he was an archaeologist and not an astronomer. He preferred to work with things he could get his hooves on. Tangible things.

He stopped looking at the stars and turned his attention to the passengers in the cart with him. Notes had his head hung back and was snoring loudly. On the other side, the two mares were leaning against each other, silently sleeping soundly. The driver of the wagon, a grumpy old pony who refused to socialize, continued to walk on tirelessly. Jack shifted his weight as he sat in the back; he hadn’t been able to sleep since they started moving.

He was nervous. Any second someone could figure him out. He had nearly blown his cover once already, and refused to make a similar mistake. He had to be on the tips of his hooves, ready to make up a lie at any moment, about anything. He was going over his alternite reality life in his head when a strange noise caught his attention. It was the rustling of a cart. But not just any cart; a Canterlot cart. Jack recognized it immediately, as he had lived in Canterlot nearly all of his life, and could recognize the jingling noise of the cart’s bells anywhere.

He looked behind him and saw it. It was a Canterlot cart, he was right about that, but those weren’t Canterlot ponies in it. In the dark, it was difficult to make out who was in the vehicle, but they were in a hurry and moving to Reinerth’s covered wagon. Jack decided that this would be the perfect time to gather some answers.

He slumped out of the cart, barely making a sound. He crept through the convoy, making his way to the wagon. The two ponies had discarded their Canterlot cart and had entered the extravagant wagon. Jack crept up to the back and flattened his ear against the wall, hoping nopony could see him. He strained to hear the conversation inside,

“Reinerth... We’re so sorry to wake you, but...”

The voice of the new pony sounded scared, almost sad in fact. It wavered with what Jack assumed to be tears, and he began to choke up,

“He’s dead. She killed him! Threw him off the pier!”

Through the wall, Jack could hear the distinctive accent of the foreign leader of the expedition,

“What? You mean, she killed one of my people? One of your friends?!” He sighed, “Now you see why she must be stopped. Daring Do is a danger to this mission and we all know it! If we could-”

Jack moved away from the wall after hearing them mention Daring Do’s name. He rejoiced on the inside, she would have no choice but to get involved now! He began to giggle like a little school filly, but caught himself before someone heard. He got up against the wall again. On of the thugs was talking,

“-got away on some ship.”

“What kind of ship? Did it have a name?”

“We checked the docking logs. It’s filed under the name ‘The Onyx Wind’. It was a mercenary ship, someone probably hired it to pick her up.”

The wagon came to a sudden stop, forcing Jack to run into the back of it. He backed up, shaking his head to clear the fuzziness of the impact. He peeked around the side and saw the zebra, Kuwinda, enter the cart as well. With four voices in the cart, it became much more difficult to distinguish who was talking.

“What about the ship? What was it like?”

“A piece of-” A cart passed by the stationary wagon very close to Jack, who nonchalantly leaned against the wall and attempted to whistle. The driver of the cart merely looked at Jack with one raised eyebrow, clearly confused. As soon as he was out of eyesight, he pressed his face against the wall yet again.

“-kicked us and that’s when we had to run off. He and the boss stayed after that for a while, but the zebra had some kind of a metal ball on a rope that he used to fight with.”

“Mbarka...” the deep, baritone voice of Kuwinda sounded through the wall.

“Your brother?” Reinerth asked, bewildered.

There was silence as the zebra made a response too quiet for Jack to hear. The conversation continued;

“Anyway, that’s when Daring Do kicked him off the dock and flew away. I don’t know where they’re headed.”

“Well, if she didn’t have the stone, than she’ll be heading to Istanfoal to get it. She’ll undoubtedly get there before we do! Verdammt! No matter... I want you to get some rest. There’s an empty wagon near-”

Jack pulled away and trotted to get back to his own cart, which had already passed Reinerth’s motionless wagon. While he tried to catch up, he thought to himself,

Daring Do couldn’t have killed him! I mean... She might not have. Sure, she’s killed ponies before but they were all bad! And she had good reason! The way he described it sounded like she killed him in cold blood... That’s not the Daring Do I know. A second part of his mind interjected, He’s lying, just like you do! It’s just a way to get Reinerth’s favor! He pushed these thoughts away. No, I can’t jump to conclusions. For now, I have to believe the thug, no matter how outlandish it is, it’s the only story I have to go on. I’ll find out what really happened when Daring Do catches up with us.

He reached the cart and climbed inside. As he settled himself on the bench next to Notes, another thought came across his mind,

IF she catches up.

Chapter Four - The Griffons

The humid jungle heat weighed Daring Do down as she slithered and squirmed through the dense vegetation. She wiped the sweat off her brow and looked upward, into the thick, green canopy above. Pulling her pith helmet further down into her head, she pushed on. She was getting closer to her goal; she could feel it. Years of studying and searching had lead her here, into the depths of the Amarezon Jungle.

The branches and twigs that littered the forest floor snapped as she bounded through a wall of plants. Warm sunlight bathed her tired body as Daring landed in a clearing. In front of her, monumental in the empty clearing, was what she had been searching for. A stone temple, reaching up into the clouds hundreds of feet above her and covered in thick vines and creepers. She walked slowly, in awe, to the base of the massive building.

Her feelings of fatigue were diminished as the shadow of the temple enveloped her, taking her into its cooling grasp. She sighed with relief, unable to believe the fruits of her labors. Her investigating eyes noted the stone blocks used in the construction of the temple; they were covered in runes and hieroglyphics unknown to Daring. She reached a hoof out to feel the massive blocks. As her hoof grazed the surface, she felt a low rumbling rise up her legs and down her back. She spun around rapidly.

The familiar trees and foliage of the jungle fell and seemed to disappear into the ground. From their fallen trunks, tall brick and mortar buildings sprang up at unimaginable speed. The temple remained unmoved as cobbled streets worked their way up through the grass, and lampposts pushed their way out of the ground. The dizzying skyline of Manehattan blocked out the setting sun, and out-shined the wondrous temple in the now-modernized clearing. Ponies began filing out of buildings and from around street, completely oblivious of the massive stonework structure and the bewildered mare standing next to it.

Optimism was replaced by confusion as Daring Do surveyed the picture in front of her with wide eyes, her heart pounding. Through the bustling streets and dark alleys, a cold wind howled in the Manehattan air. Daring looked skyward. Huge black thunderheads lazily rolled into view, shadowing the city with their mass. Lightning arced between the clouds in long, spindling strands, contrasting heavily with the jet black of the storm-clouds. They were directly overhead, readying themselves to let loose a downpour of freezing rain.

The ponies around Daring continued to go about their schedule, ignoring the grim skies above. As fat raindrops began to descend upon their heads, they continued to pay no attention, remained stalwart on their paths. The rain intensified, creating a deafening noise that drowned all other sounds, including Daring’s own thoughts. Soon, water began trickling down the streets in small streams. Then in large rivers. And finally, they roared and crashed through the streets of Manehattan in a tidal wave of destruction.

Ponies were swept off their hooves and thrown into the air as the waves crashed to and fro. The white, frothing maw of destruction was rapidly reaching Daring Do, who was frozen in terror at the sight of it. It came smashing down around her, the sprays of water obscuring her vision. It had parted in front of her, and roared past on either side. Daring could faintly hear the sounds of crashing bricks and breaking stone past the deafening sounds of the water.

Slowly, it calmed, until it remained nothing more than a trickle. The once bustling scene of Manehattan had been crushed, leaving a pile of soaking debris around her. She gawked at the wreckage, which sprawled out in every direction as far as she could see. However, on the horizon, standing out of the destruction like an island, was a lone building. As Daring focused on it, the fallen buildings began to move around her. With her hooves still firmly planted on the ground, Daring Do rocketed towards the building.

Her speed was incredible as the building came closer and closer. All four hooves were still on the ground as she stood at the base of the object. It was built on top of a craggy pile of stone and rocks. Her neck craned upward, investigating the strange survivor of the waves. Again, by an unknown force, Daring was thrust upward, her hooves now dangling in the air as she levitated next to the structure. Columns held up a small rotunda, adorned with expertly crafted statues and busts. Inside, resting on a stone pedestal was a shining crystal. It glowed a dark, forest green and pulsated to the rhythm of Daring’s beating heart.

Out of the shadows, a single grey pony strode into the room. One side of his face was bloodied, and he had a bad limp. His glasses had shattered on one side, and now hung on the end of his nose. He stopped in front of the pedestal, grinning madly as his eyes enveloped the crystal. He began to laugh, low at first, almost inaudible. It soon grew to a horrifying cackle as he threw his hooves in the air, laughing madly at the dark sky above him. Out from the top of the rotunda, red lightning shot across the air, striking nearby rocks, clouds, and the tan pegasus.

Her muscles went limp as she fell to the ground, which appeared to be miles below her. Her mind was blank, but conscious as she plummeted down to the debris-covered ground.

Daring nearly felt the impact of the ground as her eyes shot open. She was drenched in sweat and her heart felt as if it were about to explode. Her harsh breathing filled the dark room of The Onyx Wind as she clumsily rolled over and made her way to the door.

Still breathing heavily, Daring Do made her way to the empty deck of the airship. It was night, and the moonlight reflected off of the desert sands below. Overhead, thousands of stars painted the night sky in a marvelous display of refinement. Daring Do slowly began to collect herself from her dream. She had had nightmares before, but never one so real. She had never had one that was so vivid. As she leaned on the railing, admiring the waves of sand below, she heard somepony softly clear their throat behind her.

She whipped around, still a little jumpy from her dream, and saw the young navigator. She was shuffling her hooves nervously under the magenta eyes of the pegasus.

“Are you... um... okay?” she squeaked. Her voice was soft and sounded tired.

Daring was about to reply, but found her mouth completely dry. Instead, she merely nodded.

“Okay. I was just wondering.” she yawned, “My name is Borealis. Sunny Borealis. I already know who you are.” She chuckled apprehensively.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Daring managed to say in a cracked voice.

“You too, Miss Do.” the unicorn navigator began to warm up to Daring and scooted a bit closer. “I’ve been up all night flying. The cap’n says that I should get some sleep sometimes, but I figured if I stay up and fly we’d be in Istanfoal by mornin’. What’s so important in Istanfoal anyways? I’ve been there before, and I didn’t like it. It smells.”

“Um... Well... An old friend of mine wants-”

“Jack?” Sunny interrupted.

“Yeah, Jack. How do you know him?”

Sunny leaned on the railing, resting her chin in her hooves as she looked out on the horizon. “He worked on the ship for a while. He left a month or two ago, and I haven’t seen him since. He talked a lot about you though.”

“Oh, that’s interesting... Anyway, he wants me to get something from Istanfoal. It’s really urgent though, which is why he asked your captain to fly me there.”

“Huh. Okay.”

There were a few moments silence before Sunny became more talkative.

“Did you really go to the Amarezon jungle?”

Daring’s heart skipped a beat as the vivid images of her dream raced through her mind again.

“Jack told me once about how you went to the Amarezon jungle to get some sapphire thing. And that you broke your wing, but your wings look fine now...” Sunny continued after a few seconds.

Daring Do relaxed as more peaceful memories swam through her head.

“Yeah, I’ve been there. There was a sapphire idol hidden in a temple, deep in the jungle. I’d broken my wing in the descent,” she waved her right wing in the air in front of Sunny, “and I had to get there on foot. There were savage cats, and deadly traps all around! But I managed to get the idol and get out of there alive.”

Sunny’s eyes widened with intrigue. Daring could see the excitement on the young mare’s face as she continued her story.

“You see, I might not have made it out alive if it weren’t for my quick wits and a bit of luck. Another fella was after the sapphire stone too; his name was Ahuizotl. He had trapped me inside a room filled with snakes and spiders, and where the walls were covered in spikes and slowly crushed you to death, all the while being drowned in sand!”

“How did’ya get out?” Sunny asked, trance-like from the story.

“I ricocheted my trusty helmet off the wall and flipped the switch. After that I swooped down, got back the stone from Ahuizotl and got away safe.”

Daring Do raised her chin high and flipped her grayscale mane to one side as the young mare gazed at her with wonder.

“Wow!” Sunny exclaimed, “I wanna go on adventures! Will ya take me?!” she nearly shouted.

“Well, kid, adventures aren’t always that grey, you know. You get hurt. A lot.”

Sunny puffed out her chest, “I can handle it! I’m tough!”

Daring Do laughed a genuine laugh, “I’m sure you could. Tell you what, when all this Istanfoal stuff is over, I’ll think about taking you on an easy one. How’s that sound?”

“Kay.” She said plainly, “I guess I should go get some rest. Watch the ship to make sure it doesn’t do a nosedive or something like that. The cap’n doesn’t like it when that happens...”

As the morning sun rose over the desert horizon, Daring Do remained at her post at the railing. She hadn’t moved all night, she just sat there and thought. It wasn’t often that Daring had a chance to just sit down and think, and she cherished the time when she could. She used to sit around and think with Jack; the two would ponder ideas and study ancient temples and tombs together. But those times were gone as Daring became more interested in the adventuring aspect of the job; something that Jack wasn’t able to follow as much as he would have liked to.

Mbarka stepped out of the cabin, stretching his legs. He spotted Daring Do, and trotted over to her side by the railing. At first he said nothing, and simply stared into the sunrise over the desert. Eventually, Daring was the first one to talk,

“Mbarka, how did you meet Jack?”

The zebra took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gathering his memories.

“He was looking for a ride out of Equestria, and my ship happened to be the only one flying that day. On an unrelated note, we also happened to be smuggling spices. We were just over the border when a rival group of pirates raided our ship. To this day, I’ve never seen a pony as cowardly as he was.” The zebra captain paused, “But he got over it. Despite him being the most frightened pony in the known world, he managed to hold his own against a rather nasty pirate. I guess he loved the excitement, ‘cause he joined our crew for the next few months after that.”

Daring Do nodded slowly, “Hmm... I was just curious. I never saw Jack as the adventuring type. In fact, that’s half the reason he left the museum. Too many bandits and thieves involved for his taste.”

Mbarka didn’t respond. He continued to stare at the red sphere that was slowly rising over the horizon on the starboard side. Daring Do was uncomfortable with the silence, but let it be. She preferred silence over the awkward conversations of piracy and Jack. She kept looking around, expecting to see Sunny, but to no avail. The unicorn was probably still asleep. Daring decided to switch the topic to something new,

“So where does Sunny fit into this?”

Mbarka rolled his eyes as he scratched at his shaved head. “That one. Yes, she’s a hoof-full alright. She’s a nice pony, don’t get me wrong; she’s just a bit stubborn at times. We found her below deck years ago, hiding in the crates. We don’t know how long she had been down there but she was just a little one, I’d guess no more than a year old. Since she was so young, we don’t really know much about her. Her parents could be looking for her, or they could be dead, I don’t even know.”

“She was just there? No name or nothing?”

Mbarka kicked his hoof at the air, “Nay. We’d taken to calling her Sunny after her cheerful nature as a filly. It wasn’t until she had proven herself to be a natural-born navigator that we added Borealis. It was the middle of the night and I’d accidentally flown directly into a huge thunderstorm.”

Daring raised an eyebrow at the captain’s incompetence.

“I had had too much to drink. So what?” he retorted before continuing. “I eventually passed out, either from the alcohol or the fright, I can’t honestly say. When I came to, I learned that Sunny had steered us through the lightning into the clear skies all on her own.”

“That explains the ship’s wheel as her cutie mark then. But you’re saying that she’s never lived with anyone but you?”

Mbarka nodded.

Daring Do said nothing else and stared into the desert again. She remembered her dream, much to her distaste, and decided to talk with Mbarka about that. She turned to him, and had just opened her mouth to talk when her right ear twitched. Her eyes widened and her heart sped up, preparing itself for the imminent action. She reached her hooves out and grabbed Mbarka by the shoulders, and violently threw him to the ground just in time to save him from being beheaded by a wicked scimitar.

From the floor of the deck, Daring stared up at the patched balloon keeping them aloft. A figure flew beneath it, going from port to starboard at lightning speed. Daring recognized the split-second shape. Griffons. She sprang up on her feet and looked over the side. Flying in a triangle formation were five griffons, three of which branded diverse bladed weapons in their sharp talons. The lead griffon, who was wearing an eye patch and a red cloth tied around his feathered head, gave out a shrill screech as he dove back down to the deck.

“Mbarka! Go get the others!” Daring shouted over her shoulder.

“Are you kidding? It’s the crack of dawn, it’s impossible to wake those idiots up!”

The griffon leader and two wingmen landed on the deck with a loud thud, causing many planks to groan under their combined weight. The lead griffon was balancing on his lion hind legs, using his wings occasionally to adjust his balance. He swung his scimitar lazily from side to side as his shrill voice spat,

“Daring Do, eh? Who’s this pathetic sap?”

The griffon waved his sword at Mbarka, who stepped dangerously close to the shining scimitar.

“I am Captain Mbarka of The Onyx Wind! And just who might you be, you grimy little mongrel?”

The griffon shrieked in disgust, “That doesn’t matter, zebra filth! Only one thing matters; our pay! Reinerth sent us to intercept you, and that’s just what we intend to do. No doubt you remember Reinerth, Miss Do.”

“You’re not stopping us!” Daring boldly said, ignoring the cocky griffons’ attitude. “We’re going to beat Reinerth to Istanfoal, and he’s never going to find his precious Thunder Stone!”

The three griffons on deck filled the air with their squawking laughter. From behind Daring and Mbarka, the remaining two griffons landed on the deck. They grabbed the pegasus and the zebra from behind, pinning them with their razor sharp talons. Daring could feel warm blood slowly trickle down from her shoulders where the griffon cruelly grasped her. The one-eyed griffon leader stepped in front of Daring Do, raising his cruel scimitar to her chin.

“I don’t think that’s up to you to decide.” he snarled.

He motioned his clawed hand at his two wingmen, who approached Daring Do and Mbarka. They held their blades to their throats, the cold steel against their skin making them shiver. The lead griffon made his way to the helm, and took the wheel in his talons. Slowly, the ship began to turn around, forcing the griffons to concentrate on their balance more. Daring Do shifted her eyes in Mbarka’s direction.

“They’re turning us around. That isn’t going to wake your crew?”

“They’ll sleep like rocks! Except... Oh no.”

“What?” Daring nearly shouted.

“Only Sunny is that sensitive to the ship’s movements.”

One of the griffons backhanded Mbarka, who bit his tongue upon impact. He spat out some blood as he turned his head towards the cabin as far as the knife-wielding griffon allowed him to. Instantly, the door swung open and the half-asleep navigator stood in the doorway. Her eyes widened as she noticed the burly griffons holding her idol and her captain hostage at knifepoint.

She reached somewhere behind the door and pulled out a dull, unpolished cutlass. A field of silver light shone around the sword as she levitated it in front of her. One of the griffons spotted the tiny pony, and motioned his beak in her direction. He cawed up to the helm,

“There’s a crew member down here! She’s got a sword!”

Before long, the one-eyed griffon crashed down onto the deck again, shaking the whole ship. He flapped his wings and brought his weight onto his back legs as he held his scimitar out in front of him. He tried to refrain from laughing as he saw his challenger.

“You’re it? Are you the only one who can help?” He asked, turning to the hostages. “A friend? A daughter, maybe?” He playfully swung his sword closer and closer to the young mare. “It doesn’t matter. In few seconds she’ll be dead. Along with you.”

He thrust the scimitar forward, expecting to hit the unicorn easily, only to find himself losing his balance and falling forward. Sunny had slipped in between his legs, and slid along the deck, stopping at Daring Do’s hooves. She immediately tackled Daring to the ground, wrapping her hooves around her as if to protect her. The pair slid several feet away from the danger, and got onto their hooves as quickly as possible. The sword remained levitating behind where Daring had previously been just seconds before, and was fending off the perplexed griffons.

Daring Do quickly took off her helmet and flung it at the knife-wielding griffon standing next to Mbarka. The solid helmet hit the griffon in the beak, whipping his head to one side. The knife staggered, and Mbarka used all of his strength to throw the griffon holding him over his back. The two crashed onto the deck, splintering boards, but incapacitating the griffon.

The three ponies stood with their backs close to each other. Around them, the four available griffons formed a circle, with the lead griffon eyeing Sunny with a mixture of pure hatred and ominous curiosity.

“She’s a feisty one, isn’t she?”

Sunny smirked, too worked up to think of a clever comeback.

“Too bad it won’t help you.” the griffon snarled.

The eye patch wearing griffon feigned a charge, to which Sunny faltered backwards. On the other side of the circle, a griffon wielding a one handed bearded axe charged at Daring Do. The commotion on deck was growing wilder, with ponies dodging attacks everywhere, trying to land a punch or two where possible. Sunny was overwhelmed by the high-tension situation, and worked her way to the helm of the ship, leaving Daring Do and Mbarka to fight off the griffons alone.

Doing the only thing she could think of, Sunny turned the ship’s steering wheel sharply to the right, turning the ship back to its original orientation. Suddenly, an idea invaded her head.

“Hold onto somethin’!” She shouted from behind the wheel.

She spun the wheel continuously to the right, forcing the ship to bank at an impossible angle. She could hear the muffled sounds of crates shifting and crashing into things below deck, and fought hard to keep from sliding off the side of the ship. Down below on the deck, Sunny could see Daring Do attempting to fly away to escape the new angle, only to be thrown back down to the deck by a griffon. The fight raged on, with blades slashing and whistling through the air.

Sunny wiped the sweat from her hooves and turned the wheel sharply the opposite direction. After a moment, the deck of the ship was leaning at nearly a forty-five degree angle, and griffons and ponies alike flailed to grab onto something to keep from falling over. Sunny herself nearly fell, but remained stalwart, grabbing hold of the wheel and turning it sharply back to the right. The ship rocked once again as the griffon leader swore loudly before flying up to the helm of the ship.

He approached Sunny with blood in his eyes. The scimitar was held out in front of him, pointing directly at the innocent mare’s face. A wild slash from the scimitar was easily dodged and bought Sunny enough time to begin to turn the wheel again. The ship was leaning at a very steep angle to the left when Sunny was kicked in the ribs by the griffon. She fell down, scraping her hooves against the wooden floor for grip, but failed. She tumbled over the side, barely managing to grab hold of a dangling rope with her teeth to save her life.

She began to climb back onto the deck of the ship, and as she pulled herself up she noticed the griffon leader. He wasn’t interested in Daring Do or anyone anymore. Instead, he began flying along one side of the ship, scimitar in hand. As he passed by the ropes connecting the ship’s deck to the balloon above, he swung his sword against them. The twanged as the pressure was released, causing the ship to spin violently on its axis as one side of The Onyx Wind was disconnected to the only thing keeping them aloft.

Daring Do and Mbarka slid off the deck towards the golden sand below. Quickly, Daring took Mbarka by under his arms and flapped her wings intensely, trying to gain altitude. She looked back at the deck, which was now nearly perpendicular with the ground below. The griffons had taken flight and were catching up to Daring Do. She zipped over the ship’s balloon, and dumped Mbarka on top before landing hardly on the inflated surface. The griffons strafed the balloon, slashing at the duo with their blades.

“Mbarka!” Daring shouted after falling close to the balloon to dodge a griffon. “Remind me to never fly with you again!”

“Noted, Miss Do.” He replied, breathlessly.

Mbarka laughed almost maniacally as he noticed another griffon preparing to swoop down. As he approached Mbarka, the zebra captain jumped into the air, crashing into the mid-flight griffon. He wrapped his hooves around his neck, attempting to force the griffon to crash into somethin. A sharp, cold pain hit his leg followed by warm blood slowly gushing out. He looked down and noticed a dagger’s hilt protruding from his upper thigh. He grimaced as he continued on, trying to ignore the distracting pain in his leg. The griffon dove and swooped around all over the place, trying to dislodge the stubborn zebra from his back, but to no avail. Mbarka had him in a vice-grip. The griffon gave up control, letting Mbarka steer him at his will. A sharp turn to the right brought the griffon crashing head on into the perpendicular surface of the deck. Boards were torn loose and the griffon plummeted down to the sands below. Mbarka had shoved his hoof in an empty space on the deck where a board should have been, holding himself up with one hoof as his leg continued to spill blood onto the ground below.

Sunny was running alongside the side of the ship, jumping over portholes and cannon windows as she made her way to the bow. Following closely behind her was the one eyed griffon, nearly frothing at the mouth in frustration. He was on her heels when she tripped, hitting her face against the splintered wood. Her head went fuzzy, and she rolled off the side of the ship. The griffon ended his pursuit and flew off, leaving Sunny screaming in her descent. Atop the balloon, Daring Do heard the shrieks of the filly and jumped over the side, rocketing down towards the mare.

How many times am I going to have to do this? She thought to herself as the wind ripped at her face, bringing tears to her eyes.

She deftly flew beneath Sunny, catching her on her back. The navigator scrambled around, fumbling to get a good grip. With the extra weight, Daring Do was slowed down, and allowed the remaining griffons to catch up with her. The two remaining mercenaries took positions on either side of her, brandishing their weapons. In return, Sunny withdrew her own cutlass from her belt and levitated it in front of her as she prepared for combat.

Sunny took the initiative, swinging at the large griffon flying to Daring’s right. Her attack went too far off; leaving herself vulnerable to the second griffon on Daring’s left. The skinnier griffon on Daring’s left too the opportunity to swing a hefty spiked club in Sunny’s direction. She was barely able to bring her sword around to deflect the blow.

Daring Do banked around the crippled ship, held together by only three intact ropes and a balloon. She performed barrel rolls and loops to try and shake the griffons off her tail. But no matter what she tried, the persistent murderers were right next to her. Sunny became bolder in her attacks, leaning towards the griffons as she savagely swung her cutlass. Occasionally she made contact with one of the griffon’s wings, or the tips of their talons or legs. In one case, she had delivered a solid blow to the side of the grey griffon, but failed to pierce the skin with the dull blade. Daring Do saw the attack, and aided by ramming her body into the stunned griffon.

As the larger griffon attempted to recover, Sunny relentlessly attacked the griffon on Daring’s left. Most of her blows were blocked by his mace, but several made it through his defense. She pelted him with lashes across his back and wings, and despite the blade being unable to cut through anything, the griffon still pulled away from the fierce duo. As the two flew around the ship, the larger griffon caught t up and took his position below Daring Do. He attempted to attack upwards while flying upside-down, but was stopped when Daring rolled 180 degrees. Sunny now hung from Daring’s back as she flew upside-down over the griffon.

The awkward angle made it difficult for either foe to make any significant attack. The griffon switched to the defensive as Sunny performed a flurry of strikes with unusually superior tactics. A blow to the head was barely parried by the griffon, and Sunny easily dodged a potentially fatal slash to the chest. The inverted fight continued, and Sunny felt the blood beginning to pool in her head from hanging upside-down.

“Daring Do! Do something quick!” She shouted through clenched teeth.

The griffon was fixated on the pair, never taking his eyes off of the two. Daring Do thought up a quick plan in her head and moved fast to engage it. She picked up speed, flapping her wings vigorously. The griffon continued to keep pace with her, despite her now lightning fast speed. She weaved her way through the hanging ropes and rigging above the deck, deftly moving through them as if they were hardly there at all. Sunny looked behind her as the large griffon’s wings got tangled in the hanging ropes. He flailed about, attempting to break his bonds, but only making his situation worse. Daring turned around sharply and flew as fast as she could. As she passed over the griffon she dropped one hoof, hitting him square in the forehead. He stopped flailing and went limp.

The two found the most level spot on the side of the ship, which was still at a horrible angle. They relied on each other to hold onto as they shuffled their hooves to get a grip. They looked around, bewildered. With the griffons either gone or knocked out, the two finally had a chance to take in their surroundings. Around them, boards were splintered and ropes were frayed. Daring Do couldn’t believe it, but The Onyx Wind looked worse now than when she first laid eyes upon it.

From over the side of the ship, from the deck, Sunny could hear muffled grunts. Ignoring the perilous angle of the ship, she galloped over and peered over the side. Hanging onto a few splintered planks by one hoof was Mbarka, struggling to climb up. Sunny extended her hoof, which Mbarka wrapped around his own. Daring Do grabbed the unicorn from behind and helped pull the two onto the slanted side of the ship. From there, the three made their way through a window, into the deck below where they could easily rest against the wall.

Inside, the three ponies stared at each other. They were covered in blood, with bruised and frayed coats. Sunny was the first to start laughing, followed by the hearty baritone laughs of Captain Mbarka. Finally, Daring Do joined in, filling the cabin with fits of laughter and giggles. Mbarka grimaced as the knife in his leg brought new pain. He ignored it for the sake of Sunny; he didn’t want her to see him in pain.

From down the cramped hallway, a donkey poked his head out awkwardly from one of the sideways doors.

“Captain?! What in Celestia’s name happened to the ship?!”

Mbarka pointed his hoof towards the crew member, “Wake up the crew. Tell them they’re fired.”

The broken remains of The Onyx Wind landed on the outskirts of Istanfoal, kicking up clouds of sand as it made a very hard landing. Daring Do and Sunny helped carry Mbarka across the sandy dunes. He had left what remained of the ship to his first mate, an incompetent diamond dog that was likely to run off at the first sign of command. He wanted nothing to do with the lazy crew anymore. Daring Do promised the two that she would help them find a new ship.

“No.” Mbarka replied sternly. “One ship is enough for me. I think I’m going to look for an alternative job.”

Daring Do looked to Sunny, who seemed rather sullen.

“How’re you holding up, kid?”

Sunny shrugged, “Not too great... But at least I’m in one of your adventures.” She smiled up at Daring Do with her big green doe eyes. They were tired, not to Daring’s surprise, but seemed as happy and joyful as always. “That ship was my home for as long as I can remember. But for some reason, I don’t really care to see it go.”

“Fair enough.” Mbarka interrupted indignantly. “Let’s just find a doctor to get this knife outta my leg. Then we need to find whatever Jack wanted and get the hay outta here.”

The trio approached the front gates of Istanfoal, which graciously opened at the sight of the tired group. A couple dark brown ponies rushed out, taking Mbarka onto their backs. A larger, more rotund brown pony clad in purple robes and wearing a turban atop his head trotted out to greet the pair of mares.

“Welcome to Istanfoal! My stallions will take your friend to a doctor, don’t worry! Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home!”

Sunny and Daring cantered in as Mbarka was carried off. They scanned the crowds and market stalls that lined the streets. Ponies were trying to sell carpets, pottery, fruits and anything else that could be sold. They were following the large pony through winding sandstone streets, lined by similar sandstone buildings. Eventually, he led them through the crowds to a large circular building of white stone. He stopped in front of the door.

“This is my home! As governor of Istanfoal, I grant you permission to rest here as long as you like! We’ve all heard the stories about you, Miss Daring Do.” He gave a low bow, to which Daring politely returned.

“Thank you.” She said kindly, “We’ll try not to be a burden.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

He opened the large brass doors to the main chamber. Around the room, mares sat on the floor, obscured by curtains and shades. In the center of the room, underneath a beam of sunlight emanating from an ornate hole in the rooftop, where three thrones. The middle one, which was large and made out of gold, was obviously for the governor. Daring couldn’t tell who the second, slightly smaller golden throne was for, but her heart dropped as she saw the third throne.

He sat motionless, grinning wickedly at the pegasus. His taloned hands clasped together as he gazed at Daring Do and Sunny with his one available eye. His shining scimitar was leaning against the side of the throne, still with traces of blood on the surface. The eye-patched griffon chuckled under his breath as he came face to face with his foes for the second time that day.

Sunny leaned over to Daring Do, “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”

Daring Do gulped as the doors shut behind them. “Big trouble, kid.”

Chapter Five - Prisonbreak

Reinerth’s caravan sluggishly made its way up the rocky slopes of the Chorda Mountains. His wagon creaked and groaned as the snowy winds buffeted it from every angle. Outside, in the cold, the rest of his expedition was freezing as Reinerth stayed comfortable inside his warm cart. The grey pony groaned as his wagon came to a halt. He waited a few seconds for Kuwinda to open the door.

The zebra poked his head inside, shaking off bits of snow from his Mohawk mane.

“Misteh Reinerth. Dere be a letteh for ya.” He growled.

Reinerth stood up, trotting the small distance between him and his servant. Kuwinda held out the letter from his mouth, gingerly holding it between his worn teeth. Reinerth savagely took it, swiping it almost harshly out of his mouth. He unfolded it out on the table, and adjusting his spectacles, began to read.

Dear Mister Reinerth, from Governor Murad of Istanfoal

I am pleased to report that Daring Do is currently in my palace in Istanfoal. I’ve locked her away in the most secure dungeon I have as she awaits her execution. Unfortunately, she was not in possession of the Thunder Stone. Her travelling companion, a zebra captain by the name of Mbarka is being treated in my hospital and is unaware of Daring Do’s condition. The two were found with a third pony, a young unicorn navigator named ‘Sunny Borealis’. The three will be put to death at the earliest convenience, and no later. I might conduct a bit of ‘persuasion’ to see what they know, if you grant me the permission. My stallions will begin excavating the Tomb of Osman in search for your Stone. On an unrelated note, the griffon party I had dispatched-

Reinerth averted his eyes from the letter, with a wide smile upon his face. He stared at Kuwinda as he quietly snarled,

“Daring Do is caught! Dies ist eine gute nachricht!” he began to talk at an unintelligible speed in his foreign language, which Kuwinda struggled to understand. As his sentence tapered off, he began to talk normal,

“Bring me the archaeologist. I need to speak to him!”

Daring Do awoke in a damp cell. Her head ached and she tasted the faint copper taste of blood on her tongue. She took in her bearings. Her cell was made of sandstone and dirt, with the floor littered by bones and tattered cloth. Chains hung from the ceiling, attached to skulls, ribcages and Daring’s hind legs; the chilled, rusty iron bracers chafing against her tan coat. She shifted her weight around, trying to get a look around the corner of her cell.

The dimly lit hallway challenged Daring Do’s eyes as they adjusted to the change in lighting. Her night vision slowly enhanced until she was able to recognize basic shapes outside her cell. Along the hallway were more cells, most of which were empty. Daring Do spotted no guards, and took a chance to call out,

“Sunny? You out there?”

A whimper from the next cell over.

“Sunny? Is that you?”

The whimper grew louder, and eventually Daring could pick up the minute sounds of the young unicorn.

“Daring Do. I’m… hurt.”

Daring could hear her fighting back tears. She pulled herself along the floor, dragging the restricting chains behind her. She reached her hoof out in between the cell’s bars, and held it out in front of the neighboring cell. After a moment Sunny’s hoof wrapped around her own.

“It’s gonna be alright, kid. Trust me.”

Daring Do tried her best to be reassuring, but she had no idea what was happening. The last thing she remembered was walking into the throne room, and seeing the one-eyed griffon. After that her memories were fuzzy. She vaguely remembered a club, and being dragged down some stairs. She closed her eyes tight, trying to bring back the memories of yesterday.

The door at the end of the hall slammed open, and two brown ponies staggered through. Even from the large distance between Daring and the guards, she could still smell the strong scent of alcohol on them. The two guards were walking side by side, with one draping his hoof over the other’s shoulder. The stumbled their way down the hall, stopping right in front of Daring’s cage. The first pony hicced,

“What’sh this? A, hic, Daring… Daring something!”

The other pony laughed as Daring Do straightened her grayscale mane. She let go of Sunny’s hoof, reluctantly, and stood up, meeting the guard pony’s eyes straight on.

“It’s Daring Do.” She politely corrected. “Any chance you could let us out? I’ve got things to do today.”

The two ponies gazed at each other, bewildered, before bursting out into drunken fits of laughter. Their cackles echoed in the hallway, stirring other prisoners. The first of the two guards retorted back,

“Sure, we’ll let ya out… The… The, uh…”

“Governor!” the second guard perked up, before belching loudly.

“Yeah, him! He shaysh he wants you upshtairs for a talk.”

The second pony fumbled with the key, and eventually managed to get the door open. It squeaked on its rusty hinges as it swung open, letting the two guards drunkenly stumble into the cramped cell, unchaining Daring Do from the wall. She moved slowly, taking care to not agitate her headache more. She let the guards escort her out of the cell, not wanting to fight back due to the splitting pain across her temples.

It wasn’t until Daring Do passed in front of Sunny’s cell that she got a good look at her. Her friendly demeanor was replaced with sullen defeat. Her ear was mangled and leaked blood down the side of her cheek. One of her legs was badly twisted at an awkward angle, but remained unknown as to whether it was broken or not. She looked up at Daring Do through tear-filled eyes, not saying anything, just meeting Daring’s magenta eyes with her own. The pegasus’ heart fell, and her headache diminished as it was replaced by a mixture of fear and rage.

Daring now understood where the guards were taking her. From the looks of Sunny, they were taking her to be tortured.

Daring Do, now ignoring her headache, spun around delivering a kick square to the chest of the first drunken guard. As the second one took his time to react, Daring smashed her hoof against his face. He spun around, knocking himself into the iron bars of Sunny’s cell. He lay on the ground, knocked out easily from the combination of alcohol and Daring’s assault. The first pony had clumsily gotten to his hooves, ready to face off against the unruly prisoner. He tried to throw a punch, but stumbled and fell forward, much to Daring’s delight. He knocked his chin on the ground hard, and remained motionless afterwards.

The key lay glistening in the dim light. She reached down, picking it up with her teeth, and used it to unlock Sunny’s cell. The unicorn remained lying on the ground as Daring undid the chains that were wrapped around her legs. She tried to stand, but fell in a heap.

“Come on, Sunny! Let me help.” Daring Do pleaded as she tried to pick Sunny up onto her back. Her injured leg made the transition difficult, but not impossible, and after several moments Sunny was riding on Daring Do’s back for the second time in the past day. Daring Do trotted quickly to the door, despite the added weight and her weakness.

The two made it to the door exiting the room. She stopped and put her ear to the door. Even though her head was in splitting pain, she could clearly make out the sounds of guards on the other side. She withdrew her head from the door and devised a plan.

“Sunny?” She asked, turning her head to her side to get a view of the unicorn on her back.

“Yeah?” She murmured back, warming Daring’s neck with her breath.

“Hold on as tight as you can.”

Her hooves gripped Daring’s neck tight as the door swung open, bathing the dungeon with a bright light. Immediately, Daring Do shot out as fast as she could in one direction. Immediately outside the dungeon was a large rectangular room, filled with carts, boxes and guards. It took the golden-armored guards nearly ten seconds to realize what was happening. Soon, the sounds of shouting and clanking armor filled the room as a dozen guards gave chase to the two escaping prisoners.

Daring Do saw a large loading door on the other side of the room that led to a sandy courtyard outside. She turned on a dime, nearly dropping Sunny, and ran headlong into the throng of guards. They met her retreat with fierce resistance; kicking, punching and bumping into her as she pushed her way past the guards. Once, a guard had grabbed Daring around her hind legs, only to be bucked in the shoulders by the weakened Sunny. Despite their best efforts, the guards failed to grab hold of the slippery Daring Do.

She had nearly made it out the door. She could smell the desert air and feel the hot winds against her coat as she galloped outside. The change in terrain caused Daring to lose a bit of traction on the sand and fall to the ground. Sunny tumbled over Daring Do and lay on the ground ten feet away, trying her best to stand up. The noise of the guards was fast approaching, and was so close that Daring didn’t even have to look back to know that she only had a few seconds. She went into a flat-out gallop straight ahead, picking up Sunny by her belt and throwing the unicorn onto her back.

The courtyard was mostly empty, save for a few guards stationed here and there. Around the perimeter, a high sandstone wall was erected where a few guardsponies walked. Daring scanned the area with her eyes, and found only one escape; the main gate. But it was closing fast, and would soon trap everyone in the courtyard where there would be no escape for them.

The guards had formed a semicircle around Daring Do when she bolted off towards the nearly-closed gate. It was lowering itself down at an alarming rate. It would be close. Her hooves kicked up clouds of sand behind her as she ran, and her breath was jagged and raspy. Her headache had intensified, but she paid no heed to it as she locked her eyes on the door. It was three feet above the ground when she reached it.

Quickly reaching behind her, she grabbed Sunny by her belt and threw her under the gate. It closed with a thud, creating a cloud of blinding sand.

“Run, Sunny!” Daring shouted past the thick door separating the two.

Daring didn’t hear a response, but didn’t need to. Immediately, she turned to come face to face with twenty guards. They apprehensively surrounded her, slowly drawing in closer to encircle her. She scanned the guards. They were burly, tall and tough, with thick armor covering nearly every square inch of them. She looked for the weakest one, with difficulty. They all seemed equally strong; strong enough to easily defeat Daring Do in a straight on fight.

Squinting her eyes against the glare of the sun, Daring tried to open her wings. She was met with sharp pain at the base of her right wing; it had been dislocated. She shrugged off the pain and got low to the ground. She was going to have to hoof it.

The guards made their move, throwing themselves at the mare. She jumped as high as she could, letting a few stallions fall to the ground beneath her; but there were still more. With more than a dozen more guards left in the courtyard, Daring Do gulped and prepared herself for the inevitable chase.

Sunny was slowly limping down a narrow alleyway away from the jailhouse. She frantically looked over her shoulder, checking for any pursuers. Her thoughts raced concerning Daring Do; What was she doing? Was she okay? Did she need help? She shook her head, pushing these thoughts aside.

Mbarka would know what to do!

The young mare hobbled down the tight alley into an open street, bustling with ponies. They paid no attention to Sunny, remaining faced forwards at all times. Their hooves stomped rapidly as they nearly ran down the streets. It would be impossible for her to keep that pace with her leg in the condition it was in. She looked around and spotted an open door down the street a few yards away. She flattened herself against the wall and slid her way down, trying not to get bumped by the mass of ponies.

She poked her head inside and looked around. The building wasn’t too busy; there were a few ponies sitting at a bar, and a couple asleep in the corner. She pranced inside as painlessly as she could. The bar-pony saw her, and narrowed his eyes as she approached the counter.

“Hi! Uh, can you tell me where the hospital is?” Sunny said, completely out of breath.

The bar-pony huffed, and leaned in closer, “Say… You look familiar.”

Sunny gulped and shuffled her hooves.

“Yeah, you’re the one unicorn the griffons threw in jail! What’re you doing here?”

Several ponies had now turned their heads to the newcomer, investigating the young mare. She began to sweat, and rapidly scanned the room with her eyes. She was in no condition to run, and was far too outnumbered to fight. The bar-pony jumped over the bar and took Sunny by the back of the neck in his hooves. Other denizens hopped up from their spots and trotted over to Sunny’s side.

“What’re we gonna do with ‘er?” One of them drunkenly slurred.

“We’ll hide her.” The bar-pony said flatly. Sunny stopped squirming and looked up at the stallion. But in his eyes she didn’t see any mercy, or compassion. She saw cold maliciousness. He opened his mouth to speak again, “And when the time comes, we’ll kill her.”

The ponies in the bar laughed. Sunny’s heart raced but she remained still, too scared to move. They dragged her around the back of the bar, and down into the dank cellar.

Daring Do sprinted down the courtyard with a dozen armored guards on her heels. Her lungs were about to burst from exhaustion and she felt the faint trickle of blood from her ear. Behind her the guards were shouting obscenities loudly in a foreign language; to which Daring counted herself lucky that she hadn’t gone with Jack to study linguistics back at the museum. The pegasus had circled around the courtyard, and found herself back at the door. She had a few seconds of thinking time, and grasped the opportunity.

She scanned the area once more and found one exit route; over the wall. The only way onto the wall was a small wooden ladder, which the guards on the wall had brought up out of her reach. On one side of the courtyard were a group of empty carts, but even if they were stacked they still wouldn’t be able to boost Daring Do enough to reach over the wall. The only way that she could remotely get over the wall was if-

No, that wouldn’t work… She thought, grimacing. But it’s the only shot I have.

Daring kicked off her hind legs and resumed running, much to the discontent of her splitting headache. She focused her eyes on the group of carts and ran full speed in their direction. When she reached them, she immediately hopped behind on one and pushed with all her might. It gained speed moving directly into the group of guards. They split ways, avoiding the heavy wooden construct.

It had gained a dangerous amount of speed, and threatened the life of anypony who would be unfortunate enough to stand in the way of the cart. Guards dove and jumped out of the way of the careening vehicle as it made its way to the high sandstone wall. Daring stopped pushing, and pulled herself up onto the back of the cart. She closed her eyes and held on tight as momentum brought the cart head-on into the wall.

Wood splintered and buckled as the heavy cart crashed into the wall. Momentum had brought the back end of the cart flying into the air, with Daring Do firmly positioned on it. The impact had jarred her, and she nearly lost her balance at the last minute. But as the back end of the cart reached into the air, Daring kicked off the back and jumped forward. She landed on the wall with her front half, and spent a few seconds pulling herself up. The guards on top of the wall were rushing to her position, but they were too late. By the time they reached her, she had already dived over the side of the wall into the busy streets of Istanfoal.

The governor of Istanfoal was sitting on his golden throne, eating out of a bowl of fruit when his large bronze door slowly opened in front of him. A lone guard adorned in extravagant golden armor approached the throne and kneeled before his ruler. He looked up, visibly shaking, and addressed the governor in a wavering voice,

“M-my lord. Your p-prisoners… They’ve…” He took a second to take in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, “They’ve escaped. D-Daring Do and the little unicorn; they’re gone.”

The governor waved his hoof and laughed heartily into the air. He continued laughing for nearly two minutes, until being stopped by nearly choking on a chunk of fruit. He cleared his voice,

“Well, that’s not the best news I’ve heard all day.” He said lightheartedly. “But it shouldn’t be too hard to fix. I assume our torturers broke their legs before this event occurred?”

The guard pony hung his head and slowly shook it, “N-no sir. They were… intoxicated and couldn’t finish the job.”

The governor’s smile slowly began to fade as he leaned back into his chair. He pulled at his beard and from the folds of his hair he withdrew a short knife. The carelessly tossed it to the guard, who apprehensively took it in his mouth. The governor rested his head on his hoof and closed his eyes.

“You’re going to need that.” The governor said dimly before pulling a lever on the side of his throne. In front of him, the floor began to creak and moan. The floor underneath the guard rapidly slid out from under him. He lost his balance and fell into the dark pit, screaming as he went down. After a few seconds, the governor heard the audible thud of the guard landing down far below, followed shortly by the throaty, bestial roar from his ‘pet’. He pulled another lever, and the floor slid back into position.

The large pony lifted himself off of his throne and made his way further into the palace. He opened a chamber containing a high spiral staircase and slowly began his ascent towards the top, all the while cursing himself.

“Those good for nothing guards! How could they let her slip through my hooves! I had them!” He increased his pace as his adrenaline spiked, “My pay! What about my pay!” He was nearly flying up the stairs to the top of the palace. He slammed open the wooden door at the top, revealing a fenced balcony overlooking the entire city. He leaned over the edge and cleared his throat.

Daring Do was silently making her way through dark alleys, hiding in the shadows or behind boxes anytime a guard ran by. They had been running out of the courtyard searching the area of any sign of her, but Daring knew how to cover her tracks. She knew the best places to hide and how to hide well. She would never get caught.

What Daring had to do now was to find Mbarka and Sunny. She figured Sunny couldn’t have gotten far with her injured leg, and rushed to find her before the guards did. As she rounded a corner into a tight alleyway, she heard a voice. Her ears perked up as she tried to locate the sound.

“It sounds like it’s coming from the palace.” She said to herself, turning her head back to the large building behind her.

“Citizens of Istanfoal!” The voice bellowed. It was out of breath, but amplified enough to be heard anywhere throughout the city, “By order of me, the governor, the pegasus known as Daring Do is know a ‘kill-on-sight’ target by the guards. Any civilian who comes across Daring Do is required by law to bring her in to the nearest guard. Anypony who does not comply will also be put to death. The pegasus can be distinguished by-“

Daring Do ignored the rest as she continued to sprint down the alleys.

“This is gonna complicate things.” She said sullenly, out of breath. The winding alleys were perfect for hiding, but they were getting her nowhere fast, and now that every pony in Istanfoal knew about her escape, there would be no way to get any help. Her thoughts swamed in her aching head as she thought of a plan. First, she’d look for Sunny; she was injured and wouldn’t do well on her own. Next she would find the hospital and somehow get Mbarka out of there. But how?
“One thing at a time, Daring.” She said to herself again, sharply turning a corner.

As she ran she extended her wing once more. One wing opened about halfway before the pain set in at its base. Daring rolled her eyes as she brought her wing back to her side. She would have to refrain from flying for the moment, until she had the time to pop her wing back in place. Her mind began to wonder if there would be any permanent damage caused by the repeated injuries to her wings. She shoved these thoughts aside and focused on running.

Nearly a fourth of a mile from the palace courtyard, Daring stumbled across something that made her stop dead in her tracks. She knelt down, inspecting the small brown belt. It was blood stained on one side, and lay crumpled and discarded on the side of the alley. Daring Do picked it up between her hooves and immediately recognized it as Sunny’s belt. Her eyes began to well up with tears, which she forcefully blinked back. The only good consolidation she had was that she was getting closer.

Scores of ponies were lined up in the courtyard as the governor made his appearance. The shattered remains of one cart were still strewn across the wall, bringing unneeded attention from the nearby ponies. They had shovels and hammers with them, reflecting the bright glare of the sun from their shiny surfaces.

“Ponies.” The governor stated, letting his eyes wander over the crowd of workers, “I know you’ve heard of the Daring Do rumors, and let me assure you; they will be dealt with speedily. In the meantime, my employer demands that I bring a fabled item to him within the next few days. That is where you come in. Legends have revealed to me the exact location of the Thunder Stone, which is hidden in the tomb of the first ruler, Osman. You are going to excavate the tomb as thoroughly as possible; I don’t care if you have to desecrate it, just bring me that stone!” He slammed his hoof in the sand for emphasis.

The crowd of workers raised their hooves in the air and gave a short, foreign chant. Piling into carts, they departed the city into the bleak desert beyond. A dark shape formed behind the governor, watching the brigade of ponies leave.

“Listen here,” The governor started, turning around to face the griffon mercenary. “You’ve failed me once in bringing Daring Do to Istanfoal; it was mere chance that she stumbled into my grasp. However, you have a chance to redeem yourself. Bring me Daring Do, alive if possible, and I’ll be sure to reward you double the amount I earlier promised.”

The griffon gave a curious caw before inquiring, “And what of the unicorn? Do you want her for anything?”

“From what I understand, she’s your grudge, not mine. Feel free to do whatever you want with her; I couldn’t care one way or another. Just bring me Daring Do!”

The griffon nodded before shooting into the air, kicking up a cloud of dust beneath him. The governor turned back to the palace, laughing uneasily.

Sunny cowered in the corner of the bar’s cellar. Above her, the cries and laughter of the drunken patrons made its way through the floorboards. The only light penetrating through the darkness of her prison came through the minute cracks in between the floorboards above her. Her captors had chained her to a large keg of horribly pungent alcohol, wrapping the restraints around her injured leg.

Her thoughts began to swirl together. She thought of Daring Do. Here she thought that going on adventures would be fun. Having the chance to explore the world with Daring Do, of all ponies, would have been the most exciting thing in the world! She looked back on everything that had happened since she met her; she had nearly been killed on multiple occasions by griffons, she had been tortured and beaten, and she had been thrown into confinement twice. She hung her head as far as it would go and began to sob. Her tears stained the broken stone floor at her hooves as she vented her emotions.

Suddenly the floor shook and dust fell from the floorboards above her. The hoots and hollers from above ceased, replaced by dead silence. From the stillness the muffled voice of the bar-pony sounded.

“What are you doing here? We don’t serve your kind.”

Silence, followed shortly by the unmistakable sound of a sword exiting its sheath. The commotion climbed upstairs as ponies rushed to and fro. Sunny couldn’t see what was going on up there, but knew that it wasn’t good. She could hear a large figure moving deftly through the bar. She could hear ponies shouting in pain and falling to the ground, only to be silent moments later. Soon the entire bar was still.

The cellar door slammed open, almost coming off of its hinges. Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the incoming light was the familiar shape of the one-eyed griffon. Sunny groaned,

“What do you want?! I don’t have anything!”

The griffon approached Sunny, wielding his ungainly scimitar in his talons. He swung it hard in her direction, missing her by hairs, and hitting the chains tied to her leg. They broke, scattering bits of metal across the stone floor. The two stared at each other for a moment, letting the silence envelope them both. Around them, the faint patter of blood droplets sounded as they fell through the planks. The griffon extended his talon.

“You can either make it on your own, and indefinitely get caught by the guards, or you can come with me and be guaranteed safety.”

Sunny sat up, unable to completely stand due to her leg.

“Where will we be going?”

“The governor’s palace, where you’ll be kept in a cell until your fate is decided.” He answered.

Sunny scratched her chin, “So either way I’m dead?”

The griffon nodded, almost excitedly.

“And what if I refuse to go either way?”

The griffon leaned down to Sunny’s level, staring her in the eyes with his single eye. He snarled, filling Sunny’s nose with a disgusting mixture of smells,

“Dead or alive, you’re coming with me.”

The hospital was cozy enough. There weren’t individual rooms; instead multiple patients were put in the same, large room. Around the walls were beds, each laden with a pony suffering from some ailment. Luckily Captain Mbarka was set apart from the run of the mill ponies. He had a bed in the corner, where almost no ponies were. He had gauze and bandages wrapped around his midsection tightly.

He watched the nurses and doctors frantically scurry between patients, trying to keep everyone in tip-top shape. Istanfoal was a sick place, Mbarka thought. It seemed that everyone was violent, bloodthirsty and dangerous, and if they weren’t then they were either sick or on the verge of death. He assumed it was the exhausting city life, coupled with the consistent heat of the desert that put everyone on edge.

A messenger pony coming in through the front door broke Mbarka’s thought. The pegasus hovered above the ground before clearing his throat and speaking loudly.

“Attention! I’m looking for Captain Mbarka. He was admitted here earlier and-“

He stopped talking as one of the doctors ran up to him, pointing a hoof to the far corner of the room. Mbarka cowered a little under the bed’s blankets as the stranger flew over to him. He was shaking, and his eyes constantly shifted around the room. He kneeled by Mbarka’s bed and whispered into his ear,

“Play along, mate. I’m getting you out of here. Okay?”

Mbarka nodded. The pegasus stepped back and cleared his throat again.

“Everyone, this zebra is a criminal and a threat to Istanfoal. He is charged with treason and conspiracy to overthrow our governor! His sentence,” He pulled out a knife from the satchel at his side, “is death!”

Without hesitation, he plunged the knife into Mbarka’s chest. Mbarka felt the point of the knife contact his sternum, before it collapsed into the hilt. He grinned on the inside, but remained confused as to why this stranger was ‘rescuing’ him. Ponies around the room gasped in horror, and some screamed. Almost everypony backed away slowly from the murderous pegasus. Mbarka went limp as he played along with the pegasus’ plot.

“I’m taking this usurper to our governor! Let it be known that this is what happens to treasonous ponies. Long live Governor Murad!” The pegasus shifted Mbarka onto his back and rushed out of the hospital before anypony could investigate his ruse closer. As they left the hospital via the back door, Mbarka chuckled and dismounted the awkward pony.

The pegasus was tall, lanky and awkward. His grey coat blended with his blond mane, which was currently tied back underneath a red hood. The satchel at his side, which contained the trick knife, hung lazily over his shoulder partially obscuring his cutie mark, which appeared to be a pyramid. The newcomer shifted his eyes to Mbarka, and extended a hoof.

“Thank the spirits you’re alive! I was worried when I found out Daring Do was to be put to death.”

Mbarka was shocked, and reeled back, “What?! Is she alright?”

“From what I can tell, she escaped the palace. I don’t believe anypony off the street is going to turn her in though; her reputation is too great.”

Mbarka ignored his remarks, “What about Sunny? What about her unicorn companion?”

The pegasus’ ears perked up as the clanking of guards approached them. “There is no time!” he shouted, pulling Mbarka by the hoof, “I’ll take you to our chapter leader, and explain everything when we meet up with Daring Do!”

Daring Do pushed her way through a tight crowd of ponies. The end of the alleyway opened into a busy street, filled from side to side with scores of ponies. Daring was looking for the nearest door to dash into to hide from the guards, and saw several. Smoke billowed from some open doors, and the jaunts and cries of drunken rabble exited from others.

“Canterlot isn’t this barbaric…” She said to herself in the midst of the sea of ponies. She was surprised that nopony had noticed her, especially after the governor had set a bounty on her. He gave a detailed description of her, which added to the confusion as to why they wouldn’t turn her in for the reward. For a minute, she thought about asking a pony about why they hadn’t, but quickly set that idea aside. It was a stupid and dangerous risk for something as petty as that.

Suddenly, from up ahead, the crowd began to break apart as some commotion broke out. Daring couldn’t see it, but she heard everything. Ponies were shouting ‘griffon’ and ‘unicorn’ and the caws and shrieks of the duo were distinguishable. She forced her way through the crowd and saw them; Sunny and the griffon.

The griffon had Sunny across his back, and was about to take flight when Sunny noticed Daring. Her eyes widened and she dove off the back of the griffon into the thick crowd. Daring ran up to meet her and threw her arms around the young unicorn’s neck, ignoring the crowd and imminent danger looming over her.

For a second, it was only her and Sunny, alone in the streets of Istanfoal. The other distracting sounds were gone, replaced by the calm sounds of their combined breaths. The scent of Sunny’s blood and sweat stained hair smelled refreshing to Daring; it was pleasant enough to know that she was alright. She hadn’t known Sunny that long, but the connection between the two had grown strong enough-

Crippling pain shot through Daring’s back as the griffon buried his talons into the back of her neck. He lifted her into the air, hovering over the ground a few feet. In his other talon he brandished his sword, which now positioned itself on Daring’s throat. The griffon was saying something, but Daring was still absorbed in her own world and failed to hear his words. She felt the blade slowly begin to slide, and suddenly stop. The pain in her neck left as quickly as it began, and she fell to the ground in a cloud of sand.

Sunny lifted her up and stared back at the griffon. Surrounding him were unicorns, pegusi and earth ponies, each wearing distinctive red hoods. They held his arms and legs down, frantically trying to cease his dangerous beatings. From behind her, Daring heard the approaching guards, and was about to take Sunny and hoof it, when somepony grabbed her from behind. A pair of red-hooded ponies was pushing Daring and Sunny into an alleyway, where they threw white robes onto them. The guards, who were more distracted by the blood-covered griffon, didn’t notice the escapees as they fled down the narrow alleys.

They ran silently for ten minutes, until they came to an empty courtyard built around a fountain. Gardens sprouted around the perimeter, and the houses around the courtyard were lavish with extravagant accessories. The pair of hooded ponies shoved them to the middle of the courtyard before turning around and running back down the alley from where they came. Daring and Sunny stood in the heat of the sun.

Each of them was covered in blood. Daring’s neck continued to bleed down her back, and her ear had a small trail of blood. Her wing, which was still dislocated, hung loosely at her side. Sunny was in far worse condition, with her leg only barely managing to hold her weight. Her ear was bleeding too, in a far larger stream, and one of her eyes was blackened. As the two stared at each other’s injuries, they started to laugh. They laughed at their safety, which had finally been granted to them. The two embraced each other in a hug in front of the fountain.

From one of the houses, the zebra captain stepped forth, accompanied by a grey pegasus. Compared to the other two, Mbarka could have just returned from a luxurious spa, as he was completely void of injury, save for the neat bandages around his stomach. He stopped in his tracks as he laid his eyes upon the two bloodied hugging ponies.

“Sweet Celestia…” He muttered, “You two look awful.”

Reinerth’s caravan had stopped on the side of the mountain path. In front of them, a group of a dozen ponies were shoveling away a mound of snow that was blocking the road. Jack sat a distance away, staring up at the mountainside next to them.

“It’s up there somewhere…” he muttered. He was nervous, of course. The Wendigo Shrine was no longer a fantasy to him, it was all too real. And so were the dangers associated with it. He would give anything to just be able to leave and go back home to Canterlot. But he had a job to do. He had to stop Reinerth and save Equestria.

He stood up as Reinerth’s zebra henchman trotted toward him. As he approached, Jack gave a bow, to which Kuwinda did not return. He merely narrowed his eyes and pointed his head in the direction of Reinerth’s caravan. He knew what he meant, even if the zebra didn’t talk much. Reinerth always wanted to see Jack, since he was the ‘head archaeologist’. At least that was halfway true, unlike most of the lies he had told to keep his cover. They made their way through the blowing snow to the caravan, where Jack promptly hopped in.

Like always, the inside was well-lit, and Reinerth was sitting at his desk, studying maps and drinking his wine. He motioned for Jack to sit and take a glass. Jack sat, but didn’t feel like drinking anything; he just wanted to get this over with.

“Hello, Herr Chan. I trust that you’re enjoying yourself?”

Jack shrugged, “Well, you know how it is. Climbing a steep mountain through freezing blizzards and all…”

Reinerth chuckled, but not in his usual way. He was usually upbeat, yet serious. But now he was just sinister. He turned to look at Jack, revealing his tattered look. His mane was frayed, his eyes bloodshot, and his glasses hung on end. He was losing himself.

“Listen, you remember when we talked about Daring Do?”

Jack nodded, too intimidated by the mad look to respond vocally.

“Well, good news! She’s dead!” he cackled loudly.

Jack withdrew, scooting farther away. His heart beat in his chest.

“How… Um, when was this?”

“Well, Jack, she arrived in Istanfoal and was executed by my associates!” the foreign pony explained and exclaimed.

“That’s, uh, good I- Wait. What did you call me?”

Reinerth shed his madman visage and returned to a more serious phase. He straightened his glasses and grinned at Jack. He shook his head slowly and tsked.

“How long did you think you could keep it up? I’ll admit you fooled me completely at first. But I figure out everything eventually.” He stood up with a start, forcing Jack to cower into the corner. “The games up, Jack; I know who you are.” He withdrew a crumpled picture from his desk drawer and threw it at Jack.

Jack picked it up and unraveled the photo to see him and Daring Do standing in front of a temple. On the back, scrawled in hastily hoof-written ink was; ‘Daring Do, Jackhammer, Amarezon Jungle’. He stammered, trying to say something, “How...Wha- Where did you get this?”

“One of my henchmen I sent to Canterlot brought it back from Daring Do’s house. I checked my old museum records book and found out that you are Herr Jackhammer, an archaeologist, and from what I can gather, an intimate friend of Miss Daring Do.” He explained, pacing.

Jack shook his head, changing the subject, “Daring Do isn’t dead, and I know it. And trust me, she’ll stop you! I guarantee it!”

Reinerth reached into his desk drawer, chuckling. He withdrew his hoof, which now had a large metal weight on the end of it. He swung his hoof overhead, bringing it down on top of Jack’s skull. The weight vibrated as the impact sent Jack to the ground, unconscious.

“Auf wiedersehen, Herr Jackhammer.”

Chapter Seven - Reunion With Jack

It was a little after midnight when Daring Do broke through the smog layer above the Istanfoal skyline. The sandstone buildings below her were illuminated with dim lights from nearby fires and lampposts. and the streets were nearly empty compared to earlier in the day with only a few scattered ponies milling about. The noise had drastically decreased from the frantic shouting to a gentler tone of almost complete silence.

Daring Do wheeled around in the sky and landed softly on top of a several-story apartment building. She began down the stairs on the side of the building, looking for where the Chaplain had hidden. She found him on the third floor, slumbering soundly in front of a dwindling fireplace, snoring contently. As softly as she could, Daring climbed through the open window and walked down the hallway and into the spare bedroom.

Sunny and Captain Mbarka were sharing one of the two beds in the room, and left the other one for Daring Do. The confined room felt very homely, but was able to put Daring’s mind to ease. She set the Thunder Stone down on the small end table, and just as she was about to fall into the bed, Sunny’s voice chirped from behind her.

“You’re back!” she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible under her excitement. “What happened?”

Daring Do motioned her hoof towards the large emerald gemstone sitting next to the bed. “I got what I was looking for.” She whispered.

Sunny trotted to the stone, wide-eyed at its magnificence. It was half the size of Sunny’s head, adding an almost comical sight to the room. She craned her head around the gem, investigating every side of the powerful artifact.

“What’s it do?” she asked quizzically.

“You know… I’m not entirely sure. It’s supposed to work with the Wendigo Shrine, but I have no idea how.” Daring tried to explain.

“Well, I like it. Can we keep it?”

“We’ll see, kid.”

Daring turned back to the bed, longing to rest herself on its softness. She hadn’t slept in a decent bed since her adventure began, and didn’t want to pass on an opportunity. She hovered herself slightly in the air, ready to fall down onto the bed when,

“Miss Do!” the Chaplain exclaimed from the doorway loud enough to wake Mbarka and cause Sunny to jump three feet in the air. “I’ve already heard about the mess you caused in the tombs! Did you even try to be subtle?” he shouted.

“I’m sorry.” Daring said meekly, “But I had to do something fast. I might not have made it if I hadn’t!”

“That’s fine, Miss Do. But thanks to you, we have to move again. It’s not safe here now that everyone is talking about you!”

“Daring got back?” Mbarka managed to mumble as he shook the sleep from his head.

“Unfortunately. I’m not repeating myself for you, Captain. Allow your companions to fill you in on the details; I need to go arrange for new quarters.” The Chaplain stormed out of the room with a huff.

Mbarka turned to Daring, raising an eyebrow above his sleepy eyes.

“The Chaplain wants us to move again. He’s just being cautious is all. I don’t blame him.” Daring replied.

“Yeah, but he was a jerk about it. You did just what he wanted and he still raised his voice.” Sunny added from Daring’s side.

“He’s probably just stressed out, Sunny. He’s got a lot to deal with, being a leader and all.” Mbarka clarified.

“But I never saw you get stressed. And you were a Cap’n, which is sorta like a leader.”

“True. But my job was a lot easier. The crew was always drunk.” Sunny tried to stifle a giggle, “Now go get our things from the front room, Sunny. Apparently we’re leaving.”

Sunny bounded out of the room, waving her hoof ‘goodbye’ to Daring. Mbarka watched the joyous filly and smiled.

“She likes you.” Mbarka said as he rolled out of his bed.

“I can tell. Is she this way with every new pony?”

Mbarka shook his head, “No. Only with you. She wasn’t even this excited with Jack, and she actually liked Jack.”

Daring Do didn’t reply, and Mbarka began to worry that he hit the wrong chord with the pegasus. He searched her expression, a mixture of fear and annoyance. Quickly he thought of something to say to comfort her.

“Jacks gonna be alright. He’s a capable pony, for the most part.”

Daring Do laughed, “I’m not worried about Jack.”

She lied.

Dawn rose over the dunes as Kuwinda and Jack continued their tireless trek to Istanfoal. They were halfway across the Sahoofa desert, moving along a cobblestone path through the sands. At the rate Kuwinda was going they would reach Istanfoal by midday. During the journey, Jack couldn’t help but worry about the Thunder Stone and their imminent trade with his old friend.

If she gives up the Thunder Stone, we all lose. She can’t do it!

But you know she will. She won’t let you die, even if it means risking the world.

We’ll find a way! Just like in Boarneo, we’ll make the trade, then loop it around and get both prizes in the end. Everyone wins! Except Reinerth.

Is that really how it’ll work out? Boarneo natives are one thing, but highly educated and deadly madmen are a completely different matter.

Jack shook his head, clearing both sides of his conscience. He closed his eyes, trying to bring his thoughts to a complete halt, and close his mind entirely. He just hoped that everything would work itself out in the end.

Kuwinda snorted in front of him. Jack looked up, investigating the zebra. He was still sprinting, after nearly twelve hours. Sweat flew off of his body in fat droplets, and his white tongue lolled out of one side of his mouth. Veins bulged out from his legs, and his mohawk was plastered against his head from the sweat and the consistent force of the wind.

“Are you doing alright? Do you need some water?” Jack asked, genuinely worried.

He shook his head hard, spraying sweat everywhere. “No. Reinerth said to get ya to Istanfoal as quickly as I could. And dat’s what I’m doin’.”

“Just stop for a moment, get some fluid in you. If you keep up at this pace you’re going to kill yourself.”

“If I die, then my debt to Reinerth will be paid.”

Jack fell back, not understanding his zebra logic.

This could be a good thing. If he collapses from exhaustion when we get to Istanfoal then the trade will go swimmingly for Daring and I.

Jack took in the situation, analyzing the pros and cons of every point. He was excited to a part of something again, instead of just sitting in a dig site looking through dirt and dust. On the other hoof, he couldn’t help but feel anxious about seeing not only Daring Do, but his other friends as well. He hadn’t seen Mbarka for quite some time, though they had exchanged letters often. As for Sunny, his last contact with her was months ago.

Suddenly, Jack remembered the relation between Kuwinda and Mbarka, and tried to get the zebra captain out of his head too, worried that it might somehow upset his travelling companion. In the distance the thin grey smog of Istanfoal was barely reaching over the horizon. Jack swallowed a lump in his throat as his destination slowly inched its way towards him.

By morning Daring Do and her party had made it to their newest safe house. It seemed that Istanfoal was in no short supply of hiding places, and the Chaplain knew about each and every one of them. Their newest one was in the top floor of the inn, four stories above the street. It was a private suite, given only to dignitaries and political officers. Or, in this case, fellow members of a secret society of guardians of ancient artifacts.

Sunny had sprawled out on the wooden floor of the inn, stretching her leg. Despite the miniature fracture along its length, she had still managed to put weight on it and even walked about a bit.

“It’s funny how that works,” Mbarka said, “How one minute a child can be tortured and beaten within an inch of death, and the next minute she’s her happy-go-lucky self again. That’s probably how you were, Miss Do.”

Daring slowly nodded. Though she would never talk about her childhood with someone she had only met a few days ago, she had to admit that Sunny reminded her of herself as a young filly. They were both energetic, adventurous and always faced danger with a hint of lightheartedness. She wondered about her future. She might make a good treasure hunter, and Daring occasionally thought about teaching her the ropes of it.

Brother Hail politely walked into the room, bowing his head at his companions. He cleared his throat,

“Congratulations, Miss Do! The governor sure is gonna blow a fuse when he finds out the Thunder Stone is missing.”

“Thanks. What do we do now?”

“Well, we have a variety of hiding places; none of which are anywhere near here. We’ll probably send it to Saddle Arabia, where we have a contingent branch of our chapter. It’ll be safe there. We’ll have someone come pick it up sometime this evening. In the meantime, just sit back and rest. You’ve earned it, Miss Do.”

He bowed his head again before turned around clumsily and walking out the door. He trotted down the flight of stairs and emerged in the front office, greeted by a yellow mare. As he was about to walk into the harsh sunlight of the Istanfoal streets, the Chaplain grabbed him from behind.

“Where are you going?” He asked, worried.

“Just out. I need to send a letter to the Chaplain in Saddle Arabia and let him know that we’re sending the Thunder Stone his way.” He explained, stuttering.

“No. It’s too risky. The guards are all over the street, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re checking the mail too.”

“That seems a little extreme, don’t you-“

The Chaplain forcefully manhandled him against a wall, out of view of the front desk. He whispered harshly, projecting spittle as he did so.

“Listen, Hail. Maybe you don’t understand the gravity of the situation. If you screw this up, even a little, tiny step, we all die! This isn’t something to take lightly, and I want you to carefully think through your each and every step before you do anything. We can’t risk Equestria just because we wanted to mail a letter!”

The Chaplain broke off in a series of hacking coughs. He held his hoof to his mouth, stifling the assault, and brought his hoof back bloodied.

“Just… Be careful. We can’t have you making bad decisions when you’re the Chaplain. You’re free to go, just don’t mail anything.”

Brother Hail squirmed past the Chaplain and rushed outside, not saying a word. The Chaplain, still coughing slightly, worked his way up the four flights of stairs to their hiding spot. He was winded when he reached the top, and as he gasped for air he listened in on the laughter of the trio. He rolled his eyes.

Inside, Mbarka and Sunny were playing a form of wrestling, only they were using their front hooves only. The idea puzzled the Chaplain, but that didn’t stop him from interrupting it all the same.

“Good morning.” He declared through a scratchy throat.

The trio looked up from their wrestling match. Shortly thereafter, Sunny, taking advantage of Mbarka’s distraction, slammed his hoof against the table. She smiled childishly at her victory, and then turned half of her attention to the Chaplain.

“Good morning.” Daring replied as politely as she could.

“Morning.” Mbarka declared quickly before adding, “Do you have any idea when we’re going to be able to get out of here? Your city is nice and all, but it gets tiring having to run from the guards all the time.”

“In fact, Captain, you’re leaving tonight. We’ve arranged a caravan to take you to Canterlot. After that you’re free to go about with whatever you please; our organization won’t bother you anymore.”

“Fair enough.” Daring said, “It's been an honor working with you and your organization, Chaplain. But you never told us the name of your group.”

“We are called the Wendigo Repentant, named after the shrine that we once created, thousands of years ago.” The Chaplain croaked.

“Interesting. Well, we have a few hours until your friends from Saddle Arabia get here. Would you like to try hoof-wrestling?”

The Chaplain sat down at the table, propping his elbow on the surface as the others did.

“Explain to me, what is the purpose of such a game?”

“Fun!” Sunny chimed.

“Or just to pass the time.” Mbarka added.

“Just try to force your opponent’s hoof onto the table.” Daring explained.

“Like this!” Sunny exclaimed before throwing all her weight into Mbarka’s hoof. The zebra allowed it to move a few inches before stopping it with no real effort.

“I see.” Mumbled the Chaplain before wrapping his own weathered hoof around Daring’s.

“Ready?” Asked Daring from across the table.

Reluctantly, the Chaplain nodded.

Within hours, the Chaplain was grinning from ear to ear. He was on a winning streak, never having lost a single hoof-wrestling match. He even challenged Brother Hail to a match when he stopped by to check in, much to the apprentice’s confusion. They had been at their game for hours, until the sun’s rays grew softer and the air outside became cooler as evening approached.

Sunny was resting her head on the windowsill at the side of the table. They opened it as the air become cooler, and now had a splendid view of the palace from their little hiding spot. The Chaplain explained how, since there were so many ponies in Istanfoal, that nopony would ever look into somepony’s window. Especially on the fourth floor.

Sunny became more distant from the group as they began to talk about more adult things. Politics, laws, and other boring stuff that an adventurous young filly would have no interest in. Eventually she took to just looking out the window at the hundreds of ponies that passed by below her. Through the crowd she could see zebras balancing huge clay pots on their heads, and teams of ponies that pulled carts of fruits or chickens. Once, she had seen a top-hat-wearing pony pulling a live manticore by a leash. She wondered if he was in the circus, and thought about asking the Chaplain, but he seemed distracted by talking about some kind of ‘inflation’. She had no idea what it was, but he was listing numbers and percentages, which immediately bored Sunny.

There were a lot of ponies that looked familiar to Sunny. She figured that, with this many ponies that some of them had to look similar. She saw a donkey that looked a bit like the chef on the Onyx Wind. Across the street she saw a zebra that looked an awful lot like the zebra in the pictures that Mbarka keeps in his captain’s quarters. He even had the mohawk and everything, but Sunny knew that it couldn’t be him. Mbarka said how he lived in… some far off country that she could never remember the name of. There was another pony that caught her eye. He was blue, and stumbled through the crowd awkwardly. He reminded her a bit of Jackhammer, which she found a bit funny. She always thought that Jackhammer was a silly pony.

“Hey Daring, do you think Jack is silly too?” she asked over her shoulder.

Daring either didn’t hear her, or was ignoring her. At either rate, the lack of attention drew Sunny’s interest back to the window. She found the blue pony again, with some searching. The more and more she watched him, the more he seemed like Jack. Eventually, a pony on four stilts caught her eye, and she watched the entertainer make his way above the crowds of ponies. She forgot about the blue pony, and the zebra, and all the other ponies she had seen as she picked new ponies to spy on. From behind her, Mbarka broke into a fit of laughter, followed shortly by the other two. The mere sound of the comforting noise began to make Sunny want to laugh, but she held it in. She didn’t even know what they were laughing at.

Minutes later, Sunny heard the door swing open. She figured it was Brother Hail, but she had her back turned to the door and wasn’t able to tell for sure. It wasn’t until the room went completely silent that she turned around.

Daring and Mbarka both had their mouths agape, staring at Jackhammer. His mane was windswept and untidy, and his eyes were wide open, shifting between Daring Do and Captain Mbarka. Sunny, immediately seeing her friend, jumped up gasping loudly.

“Jack!” she shouted as she clumsily ran on her broken leg to greet him.

But as Sunny reached him, she felt that something was wrong. Jack looked and smelled like he hadn’t had a bath in weeks, which was a completely foreign concept for the tidy pony. He was trembling slightly, and his nigh-silent breathing was erratic. Daring Do noticed to, and as she stood she asked, bewildered,

“Jack? Is… everything alright?”

Behind Jack, the broad shape of Kuwinda appeared. Sunny cowered back, unaware of whom the zebra was. Mbarka sprang to his feet, nearly knocking the table over.

“Kuwinda?”

The new zebra nodded slowly before walking past Jack and into the room.

“What the hay are you doing here?!”

“Repayin’ my debt, jus’ as ya should’ve done, brothah!”

“What? Are you still on that? I told you, Kuwinda, there’s no-“

He ignored his brother, and turned to face Daring Do. The orange pegasus stood her ground and extended her wings, making herself look larger than she actually was.

“Daring Do? I want the Thunder Stone. In return, I’ll give ya this sap’s life. If ya refuse, then he's dead.”

Jack, still remaining silent, shook his head.

Daring was stuck at a crossroads. She looked to the Chaplain for assistance, but he looked as if he still had yet to transition to his former self, and was stuck in his ‘social form’. The Thunder Stone was sitting on the foot of the bed, wrapped in packing paper and tied with twine. Slowly, she inched her way to the stone and took it in her mouth. She approached the zebra, and as she did so the Chaplain shouted,

“Miss Do, what on earth do you think you’re doing?! You’ll kill us! You’ll-“

He was silenced as he was struck upside the head by one of Kuwinda’s powerful legs. The snapping and crunching of bones was painfully loud in the quiet room. He fell onto the table, hitting his head a second time, before falling to the ground.

“Now, are ya gonna hand it over, or not?”

Daring quickly laid the parcel at his feet. He nudged it slightly with his large hoof, and the stone rolled out of its confinement. The zebra’s eyes widened as he stared at the gem.

“Good. Take yer friend before I change my mind and kill ‘im.”

Taking the stone in his mouth he pushed past Jack again and exited down the stairs. Jack, now free for the first time in days, fell to the ground. Sunny and Daring rushed to his side and Mbarka tended to the Chaplain.

He looks so much more… different. Daring thought as she looked at her old friend, now lying on the floor. He was breathing heavily, his eyes shut, and his hooves were involuntarily shaking. He was obviously terrified, despite probably having prepared himself for his encounter.

Mbarka got up from the Chaplain’s side and rushed out the door, leaping over Jack and Daring. He flew down the stairs, pursuing his brother into the streets. Outside, Mbarka had difficulty finding the zebra in the crowd. Instead, he chose a single direction and sprinted down its length, hoping to come across Kuwinda’s trail in the process. He raced down the streets; his natural zebra legs giving him the added boost he needed. Suddenly he spotted something!

A thick cast-iron skillet crashed into Mbarka’s face, smashing his nose and drawing blood. From behind a market stall, Kuwinda stepped out. His large size and aggressive behavior caused the ponies around him to back away, clearing a space for him and Mbarka. He spat on the body of his brother,

“It pains me that it’s gotta come to dis, brothah. But you deserved it.”

Kuwinda grabbed a butcher’s knife from the stall next to him, and wildly slashed downwards. The knife landed between Mbarka’s legs, missing him by inches. He pushed himself backwards, and getting to his feet, assumed a fighting position. Kuwinda, who was a foot taller than Mbarka and might have doubled his weight, kicked the dust with his hoof and began to charge. Mbarka expertly sidestepped his brother’s awkward attack, and countered with a swift kick to the ribs. Kuwinda, undeterred by Mbarka’s efforts, swung around and knocked Mbarka down with the side of his neck.

Again in the dirt, Mbarka scrambled to make use of his situation. Around him, ponies began to cheer and chant, but for who was a mystery. They just wanted a show. Kuwinda quickly got above Mbarka, and reared onto his hind legs. He was about ready to drop his hooves onto Mbarka’s head when the Captain brought his leg up into Kuwinda’s crotch. His brother’s hooves landed loudly at the sides of Mbarka’s head, splashing dust into his face.

“Jus’ like when we were young… Ya never fought fair…” Kuwinda growled through clenched teeth, panting as pain coursed through his lower body.

Kuwinda roared as he leapt at Mbarka, delivering a crushing right hook to Mbarka’s jaw. His head snapped to the side, sending deep spikes of pain down Mbarka’s neck. The large zebra reached for his discarded knife, and plunged it downward. Mbarka rolled to his side, only allowing the knife to clip the end of one ear. He stood, dizzy, and faced his opponent. He would have to do something quick; there was no way he could beat his brother in a straight on fight.

He looked to his left at the chef’s stall and noticed a frying pan over an open fire. As Kuwinda made another sweeping attack with his bulky hooves, Mbarka rolled out of the way, landing next to the heated fire. He grabbed the skillet in his hooves, and buried it deep in the coals of the fire. As Kuwinda approached him with blood in his eyes he raised the skillet with all his might. Burning coals and embers bombarded his face and eyes, bringing the large zebra to his knees. He clawed at his face with his hooves, swearing in Zebrani.

Kuwinda got to his feet, still sweeping the burning embers off his face. As Mbarka saw his determination, he tried a new tactic,

“If you’re so dedicated to your silly little debt, then you’d take that stone to Reinerth! You’ll always have a chance to kill me, especially if you’re ruling the world with that freak. But if you fail him here, think about what he’d do to you!”

Kuwinda growled, and spat at his brother’s feet.

“You disgrace our family.” He said, turning his back to his brother. He pushed through the sea of ponies and eventually drew his speed to a gallop. Within seconds he was out of eyesight.

Mbarka turned and made his way back to the inn, followed by scores of ponies who were all talking about his brawl.

Jack had awoken in the inn and now sat in the corner, collecting his lost nerves. Beneath his blue coat his cheeks began to glow red with embarrassment as Daring Do and Sunny ceaselessly stared at him. He just smiled awkwardly at them both, unsure of what to say. He had hoped that their reunion would go over a bit smoother, but for now he was just happy to be safe. For the moment everything that had just happened seemed to fade away. There was never a Thunder Stone, and the Wendigo Shrine didn't exist. Jack was at ease, for the most part.

“Jack? Are you going to say something, or just sit there with that grin all day?” Daring asked, a touch of amusement in her voice.

Jack silently nodded and wiped the grin off his face. He stood up, shaky at first, and managed to walk over to the Chaplain, who lay motionless on the floor. Gazing at the body forced Jack back into reality. His hooves went cold and a lump formed in his throat. He lifted one of the Chaplain's hooves and held it between his own. After a while, he let it fall to the ground.

“Who is he?” Jack finally asked. The sound of his voice caused both the mares’ hearts to race.

“He was-“Sunny began.

“He was a Chaplain to a society; the ‘Wendigo Repentant’. He helped us find the Thunder Stone.” Daring interrupted. Sunny glared at her.

“Was he a friend?” Jack asked, his voice wavering.

“Sort of… Why?” Daring said hesitantly.

Jack gulped, “I’m not sure if he’ll live. Kuwinda broke his neck pretty severely with that blow. Is there a hospital we can get him to?”

Daring shook her head, “Not one where the guards won’t find us. We’re all wanted for treason.”

Sunny’s stare ventured between the two ponies, and eventually landed on the Chaplain. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at the unconscious, dying pony. She may not have known him much, and might even have thought he was grumpy all the time, but the fact that he was dying forced a lump in Sunny’s throat. She started to shiver, and huddled up against Daring’s leg, shielding her eyes away from the scene.

What do we do with him? Daring mouthed, sparing Sunny’s ears the conversation.

Jack shrugged. Does he have a family? Jack immediately thought that was a silly question as soon as he asked it, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. But Daring nodded all the same.

Neither of them asked any more questions, and they let the silence fall over them. They stared at each other, and at the Chaplain, and at Sunny. Five minutes might have passed before Mbarka barged into the room, gasping for air. Sunny removed her face from Daring’s leg and stared at Mbarka through red, puffy eyes. Her cheeks were soggy and grey from her shed tears.

Mbarka spotted the motionless Chaplain, and looked to Jack, who merely nodded. The zebra approached the elderly pegasus and grabbed him by the waist. Awkwardly hoisting him onto his back, Mbarka took the Chaplain out into the hall, leaving the three ponies in a room void of a dying pony. He remained in the hall and waited for Brother Hail to return.

Kuwinda was outside the city now, and raced down the desert path. Without the chariot slowing him down he was able to move much faster. He was a dark blur across the golden sands. At his pace he would be back to Reinerth by morning. Clenching the Thunder Stone in between his teeth he sprinted forward to bring about the end of Equestria.

Later that evening, Brother Hail ascended the stairs with a warm smile on his face. Behind him a muscular red pegasus followed, wearing green and gold robes signifying his role in the Saddle Arabian chapter of the Wendigo Repentant. They were both chatting away about business, and of how their fellow members were doing. It wasn’t until they reached the top of the stairs and came face to face with Mbarka that their demeanor switched.

Mbarka took Brother Hail aside, away from the Chaplain’s body and explained the situation. Daring and Jack watched from the doorway, only managing to make out what they were saying by their lips. At first, Hail appeared distraught, and possibly even hysterical. But as the conversation went on his attitude appeared more intensified, and his expression became that of stone. Daring and Jack withdrew back into the room.

Sunny was asleep on one of the beds, exhausted of tears. Jack, who was also exhausted from the day’s travels and events, sat down on the ground by the window. From the dimming sunset Jack looked out across the desert.
“I’m sorry about your loss, Daring.” He said, staring out the window.

Daring didn’t say anything, and sat opposite of Jack at the window. She sighed,

“Well, things happen. But we can’t keep focused on them when we’ve got more important things to deal with. Jack, what did you learn about Professor Reinerth?”

“Right down to business then? Not even a proper ‘hello’?” Jack asked, smirking.

Daring sighed and gave a tiny wave of her hoof. She was still hesitant of Jack and his abrupt arrival, but it was at least nice to see him.

“That’s better.” Jack continued, “For one, Reinerth is completely mad! I’ve never seen a pony as bonkers as he is. There’s no doubt he’s gonna follow through on his threat to destroy Equestria.”

“How can we stop him? What’s his weakness?”

Jack brought a hoof to his chin and thought, “His pride. He’s so insistent that he’ll win that he doesn’t worry about his well-being. As long as you can get past his lackeys, he shouldn’t be too hard to take down.”

“The last time you were there, how close were you to the shrine?”

Jack shrugged, “Daring, nopony knows where the shrine is. We could’ve been right next to it, or a hundred miles away. I have no way of knowing.”

“But if we went back, you could lead us to the exact spot you were at?”

Jack nodded slowly, “As long as we do it fast, before the memory fades.”

“I plan to make this fast, Jack. We don’t have any time. Do you have any plans on how to get back?”

Jack scoffed, “Unless you can run sixty miles an hour, then no. You could fly, but that would leave me behind.”

“No, you’re right. We’ll fly.” Daring said, her eyes brightening as a plan formulated in her head. She galloped to the hallway, where Brother Hail and Mbarka were engaged in a conversation. The Chaplain’s body had been moved, presumably by the Saddle Arabian pony.

“Captain, do you think the Onyx Wind can be salvaged?”

Mbarka turned around suddenly, caught off-guard by Daring’s presence. “M-maybe. But good luck trying to get me to fly it!”

“You won’t have to. We’re short on time, Mbarka, we need your help.”

Mbarka turned back to Hail and bowed his head, whispering something too quiet for Daring to hear. Brother Hail returned his bow and headed down the stairs. As soon as he was gone, Mbarka trotted back and forth across the wooden floor.

“We could salvage enough parts from my airship-“ he stopped pacing and looked to Jack, “Former airship, mind you. I’ll explain later. But we could get enough parts to create a balloon of some sort. Or maybe even a miniature airship. But you’ll need a navigator; somepony who can judge direction.”

Jack looked back towards the room, thinking about Sunny. But Daring Do asked the question that was on Jack’s mind,

“What about Sunny? She’s flown before, she can do it again.”

“She’s just a filly, Daring. Are you sure you want to get her involved in this?” Mbarka asked.

“She’s already involved, Mbarka.” Daring added, with more of a grim tone than she would have liked.

“But… how’s she feeling? She doesn’t deal with death well, you know. What if… What if one of you two… You know… Imagine how she’d react then!”

Jack trotted over to Mbarka and threw his hoof around his neck. “Captain, you do realize who you’re talking about? You’re talking about Jackhammer and Daring Do here.”

Mbarka rolled his eyes, “The same Jackhammer that cowered in the corner during a wee thunderstorm?”

Jack blushed and ran a hoof through his black mane. Mbarka sighed, and hung his head.

“Fine. You can take her. Just… keep her safe, please?”

“What about you, Captain?” Jack asked, “Aren’t you coming?”

He shook his head, “I’ve had enough dealings with the end of the world. I’m going to Canterlot, and I’ll warn the guards about Reinerth’s plan. Hopefully that’ll give you the help you need.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Daring politely said, bowing her head. Jack turned and gave Mbarka a crushing hug. Mbarka reluctantly hugged back.

“It’s nice seeing you again, Captain.”

“You too, Jack. Now you two get a move on, you gotta beat the apocalypse.”

Daring Do, Jack and Sunny ran through the darkened streets as night descended across the Sahoofa Desert. Sunny was riding on Jack’s back now, who appeared to be struggling under the weight. But despite his handicaps, they still managed to make it out of the city and to the Onyx Wind’s crash-site in commendable time. In the dark, the Onyx Wind only appeared as a bulky dark shape, with black shrapnel scattered across the sands. Jack gently set Sunny down near the wreckage.

“Okay, Jack. We’ve got an hour to build something skyworthy. Think you can do it?”

Jack scoffed, “Daring, I read the twelve volume History of Equestria in a week; something that everypony said couldn’t be done! I’m sure I could build a simple little balloon in an hour.”

Sunny laughed at Jack from her position by the wreckage.

“We’ll see, Jack.” Daring replied before turning to Sunny, “Do you mind giving us some light, kid?”

Sunny nodded excitedly before straining her magic. Soon her horn glowed a mystical silver color and bathed the area in its intense light. Now with adequate light, Daring and Jack rushed around the crash-site, gathering ropes, planks, and pieces of cloth. They laid down a series of planks about ten feet across and fifteen feet long. It wasn’t big, but it would have to do.

Jack laid extra planks crosswise on their original setup, and used scavenged nails to hold them in place. Meanwhile, Daring Do lashed a series of ropes to the sides and prepared to tie a small balloon to them. Sunny watched from the sidelines as the two ponies hurried about their construction. Her horn was getting tired as thirty minutes passed. As the night progressed, the project began to slowly take shape.

It had no walls, and was merely a large wooden board held together by rusted nails and ropes. Above it, Daring attached a small balloon that she fashioned from the ship’s original balloon. It would have to be filled with hot air in order for it to float, but Jack had thought ahead. He soaked several torches in oil, and had them ready to be burned during the flight. He also filled several leather sacks with oil, both for ballast and in case they ran out. Sunny suggested that they could also use them as firebombs, an idea that Jack appreciated, but Daring found unnecessarily violent.

With the contraption made up, Jack and Sunny boarded. With only the two of them it was rather roomy, and had enough space for one of them to sprawl out and sleep comfortably. Daring took position at the front of their vessel, tied to a few ropes. As soon as they were airborne, Daring would pull them along using her wing-power.

Daring gave the signal, and Jack lit two of their torches, generating a large amount of hot air. The balloon slowly inflated, and began to ever-so-slightly lift their makeshift airship off of the ground. It was arduously slow at first, taking nearly ten minutes to raise itself to Daring’s height. But as soon as Jack lit two more torches and added them to the preexisting two, the balloon quickly ascended. It was no more than fifty yards into the air when Daring took off.

Slowly, the balloon gained speed. For the first few minutes of the flight it travelled at a speed that could be matched by a slow cart, or even a pony running at a leisurely pace. However, the wind was to their backs, something that Daring couldn’t be happier about, and they were soon off at a blazing speed. Well, blazing in terms of a do-it-yourself hot air balloon. From the front of the balloon Sunny gave coordinating directions, making minute changes to Daring’s path to keep them on course with the Chorda Mountains.

Jack lay down next to the torches, warming himself up as he prepared to sleep. He had hoped that he could have used this time to catch up with Daring Do, or maybe even Sunny. But as he could plainly see, they were both busy. Jack thought it was a shame, but could clearly understand Daring’s persistence in saving countless millions of innocent lives. He closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him as Daring Do and Sunny endlessly toiled through the night.

Morning rose over the horizon and Jack awoke to find Sunny curled up against him. He looked around at the scenery, trying to grasp his location. It appeared that they had passed Canterlot sometime in the early morning, and were now flying towards the Chorda Mountains far off in the distance. Three of the four torches were still burning, and Daring continued to fly at the head of the ship, though her speed had diminished greatly. The wind was still strong, and pushed them along, giving them more than enough power to fly without Daring’s help.

“Daring, you can take a break. We’re making good time as it is.”

Slowly, she stopped flapping her wings and gently landed on the ship. It started to sink, but not enough to make a big difference; they were still a couple hundred yards above the plains below. Daring sat down across from Jack, her wings still erect from the long flight. Jack didn’t know what to say, despite him wanting to talk to her for the past week. Luckily for him, Daring broke the ice,

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Jack nodded, “I take it you’ve stayed with the museum?”

“Yeah. There are so many new exhibits. You’d love it.” She explained excitedly.

“I’m sure. But how did you come across those artifacts? Pillage and plunder?”

“Jack, let’s not get into this. They’re better off in a museum.” Daring said, facehoofing.

“No, Daring. They belong in their temples and their tombs. They belong exactly where their ancestors put them.”

“Forget it, Jack. The point is they’re safe. Let’s change the subject.”

Jack nodded, but remained silent. He wasn’t sure what to say, and felt a little sorry for snapping at Daring.

“How did you like the spy business?” Daring asked jokingly.

“I don’t think I could get into it. Its fun and all, up until they tie you to a chair and beat the snot out of you.” Jack turned his head, pointing underneath his right eye, “Is there still a mark there.”

Daring scooted closer, investigating his blue coat. Indeed, there was a mark; it was a tiny little scrape, no larger than a paper cut running across his cheek under his eye.

“Looks painful.” Daring deadpanned.

“Yeah, Reinerth hit me upside the face with this… giant club-thing.” He held his hooves apart, almost as wide as he could, “It was huge and must’ve weighed a half a ton. I wondered how he was able to hold something that big, but I figured that wasn’t important after he knocked me in the head with it. I tried to fight back, but he was vicious. I managed to get off one or two good hits, but he eventually called in his zebra servant, and the two of them managed to get me. I could’ve taken ‘em, you know.”

Daring laughed, “I’m sure you could, Jack.”

“Yeah. What about you? How was the ride to Istanfoal?”

“It wasn’t bad. There were these griffons though,” Daring explained the griffon battle, sparing several details and being rather humble about the entire thing. After she was done with that, she talked about how she broke out of prison, and how she got the Thunder Stone from the tomb. Jack looked as if he was going to detest Daring’s plunder of the tomb, but kept his mouth shut.

“It sounds like you had a blast.” Jack said before looking down at Sunny, who was still sleeping soundly against Jack. “I see that you two have become good friends in the past couple days.”

Daring nodded, “She talked a lot about you though.”

“She and I worked in the same area on the ship back when I rode on the Onyx Wind. I’d tell her about our early adventures, and how we’d get chased by natives, and how we’d find all these ancient temples and stuff. She seemed to really enjoy them, and now she’s sort of living the stories.”

“She’s strong, I’ll give her that.”

“She reminds me of you, back in the day.”

Daring nodded before looking ahead of them. The mountains in the distance were slowly approaching, rising out of the landscape and reaching into the clouds. In front of them was a large, expansive forest. It was covered in mist and fog, and looked like it could hold forgotten treasures. Behind them, the faint view of Canterlot slowly diminished, leaving behind them their only source of help.

“The Captain is sending the royal guard. How long do you think they’ll take before they can get to the mountains?”

Jack looked to Canterlot and back to the mountains, judging the distance in his head.

“Mbarka said he’d get there by midday today, and if he hurries through the administration, I’d say they’d get there in… two days. That’s too long; Reinerth will have the Thunder Stone and probably be at the Shrine by then.”

Daring didn't know what to say. Under normal circumstances she would have been able to deal with impending danger just fine. But she'd never had to work under the shadow of the end of the world.

“I had a dream a while back, when I first left Canterlot.” Daring said, changing the subject. “I was in the Amarezon jungle; you know, where we found that temple. But all of a sudden, it all changed into Manehattan. Then there was this rumbling and I looked behind me. These tidal waves came crashing through the streets, destroying the city.” Jack looked at her with increasing interest, “I survived, and somehow flew over to the Wendigo Shrine. At least, that’s what I think it was. I don’t remember much of it, but I think I died after that.”

Jack nodded, “We all have weird dreams, Daring. It probably doesn’t mean anything.”

“But it was so vivid. And so relevant. What if it does mean something? What if that’s what’ll happen if we lose?” Daring asked.

Sunny’s voice broke the silence, just barely awake enough to talk, “You can’t lose. You’re Daring Do!” she said, smiling.

Daring laughed, followed by Jack. Sunny, who was still dazed from her sleep, couldn’t decide whether to laugh or not and just sat there, staring between the two ponies. Her gaze landed on the mountains ahead of them, causing her eyes to widen in horror and in amazement. She pointed a hoof in its direction,

“That’s not good.” She said sleepily.

Daring looked up. At the crest of the mountains, contrasting the white fluffy clouds were giant, swirling vortexes of black thunderheads. Their maws were spewing lightning, and the distant rolling of thunder could be heard. They had materialized in only a few short minutes since the last time Daring had looked in their direction, and she could only assume that it was related to the Wendigo Shrine.

Without saying anything, Daring flew over and positioned herself at the front of the balloon. She flapped her wings as hard as she could and raced towards the maw of black on the mountain’s edge.

Kuwinda raced up the mountain, lightning clashing at his heels. From overhead, the black clouds spit forth hail, snow and rain, all pelting against his untidy coat. He held the Thunder Stone in his jaws, and its immense power channeled into the environment the closer it got to the Wendigo Shrine. That being so, the weather around Kuwinda became so intense that he began to fear for his life.

But hope was ahead of him as he caught up with the wagons at the back of the convoy. Ponies cowered underneath tents and shades as Kuwinda galloped past them at full speed. Lightning struck a nearby cart, engulfing it in flames. Ponies ran frantically to and fro, trying to put out the fires and remain safe from the elements at the same time.

Kuwinda reached the head of the group where Reinerth’s caravan was. The thin atmosphere at this height was taking a toll on Kuwinda, who was taking ragged, deep breaths trying to supply his lungs with the much needed oxygen. As Reinerth opened his cart’s door, Kuwinda came face to face with the familiar pony.

He had tidied up since Kuwinda left, and looked much more presentable than earlier. He had carefully trimmed his goatee to its regular sharp edges, and pressed his bowtie and straightened it on his neck. His glasses had been shined and sat comfortably on his nose.

“Kuwinda? Is… that-?”

The zebra nodded, too out of breath to answer vocally. He presented it to the foreign pony.

“Wunderbar! I knew you could do it, Kuwinda! Come in, come in, rest up! You’ve deserved it, mein freund.”

Kuwinda sorely stepped into the wagon and found a spot in the corner, covered in soft pillows and blankets. He threw himself on the ground, resting his tired body. Meanwhile, Reinerth took the Thunder Stone to his desk and placed it in the center. It was glowing a light green and made a quiet humming noise. Reinerth touched it with his hoof, and was immediately followed by a ear-splitting crack of thunder from outside.

He laughed, “This is magnificent! And perfect timing too; my scouts say that the Wendigo Shrine is only a day away, if we hurry.”

Kuwinda slowly rose from the pillows and made his way towards the door.

“No, no. There’s no need for you to pull the cart. You deserve your rest.” Reinerth interrupted, pushing the zebra back into the corner. “You brought me this stone, the one thing that I need to complete my plan. You don’t need to do any more work for me. For now.”

Kuwinda nodded and rested his head back on the soft heaven of the pillows.

“You saw Daring Do, yes?”

“Ya.” Kuwinda replied, nearly asleep already.

“How was she?”

“She looked tired. Her unicorn friend was hurt. And Mbarka got away.”

“Gut…” Reinerth rolled the Thunder Stone in his hooves, accompanied by the howling of the wind, and the pelting of hail. “Do you think they’ll reach us before we get to the shrine?” Reinerth asked, genuinely worried.

Kuwinda shook his head, “No one can run faster than me. It’ll take ‘em days to get here.”

“And by that time we’ll already be in control of the shrine. Gut…” Reinerth repeated the final word several times under his breath. In front of him, in his hooves was probably the single most powerful artifact in Equestria. It hummed with unbridled power, just yearning to be harnessed.

I will be the one to harness it… Reinerth thought sinisterly, I’ll use it to crush this world. All that time waiting… All that time studying and biding my time… It’s finally paid off. By tomorrow’s end, I shall be the new ruler of Equestria, and all will bow before the power of Emperor Reinerth!

Chapter Eight - Chasing Reinerth

It was midday in Canterlot as Mbarka calmly trotted down the cloudy streets. A soft rain dampened his coat as he made his way down to the authority’s station. Despite the gloomy weather, several ponies continued to partake in their everyday activities of shopping, dining in cafes, and participating in social gatherings. Mbarka had to push past several stubborn ponies that were adamant in their actions of walking at an uncomfortably slow pace.

“Look at that, Reginald.” Cawed an elderly pony wearing a massive hat to her stallion companion, “It seems to me that this lowly zebra thinks his business is more important than ours.”

“Quite so, Beatrice. As if he would ever be important enough to be considered equivalent to us.”

“Indubitably!” stated the old mare before throwing her head back in a posh cackle.

Mbarka rolled his eyes as he pressed on, “How could Jack or Daring live in such a place? This is intolerable.” He grumbled to himself.

He made it through the city into the interior districts, and arrived at a high-walled courtyard filled with grand statues. Above the gate were the words,

Canterlot Royal Guard

Mbarka gulped and pushed his way into the building. It was built like every other building in Canterlot; unnecessarily expensive and luxurious. The inside was adorned with crystal chandeliers and costly suits of armor. The front desk, which was lavish in gold trimming, stood as one of the more humble assets to the room. Behind the desk was a small orange pony, who stared worriedly at the Captain. As he approached her she stammered out,

“Can I help you?”

He nodded, “My name is Captain Mbarka, and I’d like to file a potential threat against Equestria that calls for immediate action.”

“Um… Okay, let me just… Uh…” She fumbled around below the desk for awhile before coming up with a large stack of papers. She tossed a quill to the zebra before continuing, “If you would just fill out this paperwork, we’ll be happy to look into your request.”

Mbarka flipped through the several-score pages of bureaucratic nonsense before sighing heavily, “Look, ma’am, this is beyond dangerous. If I don’t get to speak to a guard in the next twelve hours, I can guarantee you that we’re all going to be dead.”

“You’ll speak to a guard alright.” The mare stammered, attempting to retreat from what she had mistaken to be a threat on the zebra’s part. A buzzer rang from behind the desk and within seconds doors from either side of the room slammed open. The Royal Canterlot Guard swarmed into the room, their golden armor shimmering in the light. They quickly surrounded the zebra, who meagerly raised his hooves into the air.

“Ponyfeathers…” he cursed.

Daring Do, Jack, and Sunny had landed their flying contraption on the ground and positioned themselves at the foothills of the mountains. Overhead were enormous black thunderheads, each discharging huge amounts of lightning. Every few seconds a fresh batch of thunder would split the skies, sometimes loud enough to make their ears ring. And to make matters worse, it was raining heavily, falling from the sky in giant, fat droplets.

“Daring… You’re not going in there, are you?” Sunny asked, motioning towards the mountain pass. It was covered in thick fog, and ascended into the mountains where it eventually reached into the black clouds.

“Yeah, kid. That’s where I’m gonna find him.”

Jack looked at Sunny, who was balancing on three legs, trying to keep her weight off of her broken leg. “Daring, I don’t think Sunny is able to follow us. Look at her.”

Reluctantly Daring turned her head towards the unicorn. He was right; she would never be able to keep up without one of them having to carry her. It pained Daring to have to leave her behind, but she knew that it was necessary.

“It’s okay. I’ll find someway else to be useful! I think…” Sunny chimed cheerfully. She looked around at the rolling plains behind them, and at the rocky crags in front of them. She was clueless as to how she could help and decided that it would be best if she just stayed put. She plopped down on her rump in the grass, being careful not to nudge her injured leg too much.

“Sunny, we’ll be back for you, okay? Just stay here. If you get scared, you can make a tent out of the balloon there.” Daring explained, pointing to their hot air balloon that lay in the grass a few feet from them.

Sunny nodded before zipping over to Daring in a flash. Before Daring could realize what happened, Sunny had already wrapped her hooves around Daring’s legs, embracing her in an affectionate hug. She stayed that way for several minutes until Jack pried her off with some effort. Daring smiled back at Sunny before turning around and heading into the mountains with Jack on her tail.

Sunny watched them leave, disappearing into the foggy mountain path. Then she was all alone, in the middle of an empty field at the foot of the Chorda Mountains. She was glad that it was raining, and that Daring couldn’t tell that she had been crying.

Ancient artifacts are powerful things indeed. Not only can one destroy the world with no real exertion, but they can also unhinge reality. As was the case with Professor Reinerth, who had, at one point, been a brilliant mind both in science and history fields. But with his recently discovered power in the form of the Thunder Stone, Reinerth began to lose grip with his mortal restraints. And with his once-cherished brain.

He stood atop his wagon as a band of ponies pulled it upwards through the stinging rain and hail. The foreign pony carried a crazed look on his face, and cackled like a madman through the mountains, letting his voice echo deep into the range. He held aloft the stone into the sky, letting arcs of lightning shoot off its surface. Beside the caravan, Kuwinda cowered from his master.

Not an hour ago, Reinerth had been as sane as could be, as far as evil masterminds go. But now, after being huddled over this stone, he had turned into something far more than an evil genius. He had become an evil genius without reasoning or morality. He would use the Thunder Stone to redirect lightning straight into the carts that once held his own companions. One such cart had been full of ponies when the lightning struck and although they all escaped, they weren’t left unharmed.

His lackeys began to question their own intentions, and thought about stopping Reinerth themselves. One such pony stepped forth from the crowd and confronted Kuwinda.

“Yo, what in Equestria is he doing?!” He yelled.

“He’s mad!” Kuwinda responded over the howling wind.

“No question! Are you gonna do anything about it?”

Kuwinda shook his head.

“Okay then, it’s up to me.”

Boldly, the brown stallion marched in front of Reinerth’s caravan. The team pulling it stopped in their tracks, sinking into the snow. They eyed the stallion with eyes of fire. Being in such close proximity to such power had tampered their minds as well, and they weren’t about to let somepony overthrow their wondrous leader.

“Yo, Reinerth! Are you gonna throw that rock away, or am I gonna have to come up there and kick your sorry flank to next Tuesday?”

Reinerth gazed down at the stallion. “Who are you?” He asked.

“The name’s Notes. Now, about that flank-kicking. Do you want me to-“

Notes was cut off as a blinding arc of lightning shot from the sky, impacting him straight on. The air hummed with energy as the superheated plasma rocked through the stallion’s body. He convulsed as tufts of smoke billowed from his mane and coat. After several agonizing seconds the lightning stopped, leaving a blackened, charred mass of flesh in the path.

Reinerth’s cackling filled the air, mixing with the howling wind and clashing of thunder.

“Leave him for the buzzards!” he shouted before laughing as if he had just made a hilarious joke.

The cart moved on, running over the ashy remains of Notes with its wooden wheels. Kuwinda, for the first time since his life debt began, questioned his master. He was honor bound to Reinerth, and not the sadistic pony that stood before him. For one fleeting moment he started to hope that Daring Do would arrive.

Daring Do and Jack raced up the rocky slopes of the mountain. They were still a long way behind Reinerth’s convoy, and Jack knew it. If they didn’t pick up the pace, or find a shortcut, then Reinerth would win. There was no question about it.

“Daring! I recognize this place!” Jack called out ahead of him at the pegasus. She skidded to a halt, and craned her neck around to her friend. “It’s another couple miles until we get to the spot where Kuwinda kidnapped me!”

“Well then hurry! There is no time to be lost!” She shouted before sprinting even harder. Jack gasped for breath as he attempted to keep up with the mare. This was one of the parts of adventuring that he loathed; the physical activities. He was always one for examining or disarming traps, or for decoding and translating ancient texts, but the running and the jumping and the swimming always made Jack bitter.

Daring didn’t miss a beat, and never slowed down. She may not be the fastest runner, and was definitely slower than Kuwinda, but she knew that she had to do this. It wasn’t until the lightning started that she realized that stopping Reinerth would be more difficult than previously thought.

Lightning sparked from higher in the mountains, raining down on Jack and Daring. It split rocks and threw debris into the air. Some arcs missed Daring by only a few gray hairs on her head. One particularly large arc slammed into the ground behind Jack, flinging him into the air like a ragdoll. He landed hard on his face near Daring, and slid to a halt among the jagged path.

He rose as fast as he could and continued running. He ignored the blood seeping out from his legs and chest and ran through the pain.

“Daring, just a quick heads up; the ground is sharp!”

Daring Do turned her head around, looking at Jack. The faint red of blood was barely visible beneath his blue coat, and Daring shook her head.

“Oh, Jack. Don’t be so reckless.”

Ahead of Daring, the sound of clattering wood broke the consistent howling of the wind. Out of the fog, a trio of carts careened down the mountain. In their beds were nearly a dozen ponies, each brandishing blades and clubs. Daring couldn’t be certain, but she could have sworn that their eyes were glowing a fiery red.

One swerved in front of Daring Do, missing her by scant inches. One of the ponies was unfortunate enough to have been grabbed by Daring in the ear and thrown to the ground. He landed among the gravel, groaning as the jagged stones pierced his back. His club fell to the ground, and Daring kicked it in Jack’s direction.

“Use it, Jack!” She shouted demandingly.

“Uh… You know, Daring… I’m more particular to, uh… fencing. Not baseball.” He said, picking up the hefty club in his hooves. But he ceased his arguing when one of the carts changed course and came full-speed at him. The lead pony, who was straining to pull the cart at the speed it was going, was the unlucky one to have his feet swept from underneath him by Jack’s swing. He lost his balance and rolled forward, unhitching himself from the cart and being thrown underneath it.

The cart that had targeted Jack was now crippled, having only one draw-pony instead of the normal two the others had. Jack took this to his advantage and chased it down. As he ran alongside it, club in his mouth, the ponies inside began to poke and jab at Jack with their blades. They didn’t apply enough force to penetrate his skin, but it was enough to keep him at bay. Searching for a solution, Jack’s clever mind quickly saw the answer.

With all his might he charged sideways into the cart. His body slammed into the wood, hardly moving the cart at all. With a mighty swing of his head, he brought the club straight into the wheel. The wood splintered and the axle snapped in half underneath the wagon. The front half fell forward and got caught on uneven ground. The back end was thrown forward by momentum, ejecting the remaining ponies onto the sharp ground, where they lay moaning in pain.

Meanwhile, Daring had her own problems with the remaining two carts. They were travelling side by side with Daring Do in the middle. She remained on the ground, not trying to fly due to the strong winds, flashing lightning and the pelting hail. The carts were travelling uphill, further into the mountains. As they progressed up the trail, they emerged at a place in the path where one side opened up into a ravine. The sheer drop off the mountainside gave Daring an idea.

She rammed herself into the side of one of the carts. It budged, but just barely. The ponies inside took this as a threat and slashed their weapons downward at the mare. She dodged them, easily, forcing the cart to merge closer to the second cart, and closer to the open drop. She was trapped with even less room now, but her plan would soon bear fruit.

Ahead of her, the path narrowed into a width wide enough for only a single cart. On the right was the rocky mountainside, and on the left was the drop down into the ravine below. With the carts so close to each other, Daring sprinted forward, keeping pace with the draw-ponies. While running, Daring took the reigns from one cart in her mouth and reached them over to the second cart. She tied the pair of reigns together, all the while dodging attacks from the passengers. When her knot was secured, she flattened herself on the ground.

The gravel burrowed into her knees, drawing blood, but also slowing her down. The cart passed harmlessly over Daring, and continued down the path at full speed. When they reached the narrower path, one of the carts attempted to come to a stop, only to be pulled forward by the second cart, due to their reigns being tied together. The two carts went down the path together, with disastrous effect. The leftmost cart’s wheels slid over the edge of the drop, and gravity ensued. It rolled down the mountainside, pulling its counterpart with it. From below the ridge, Daring could hear the massive objects splintering and crashing as they tumbled down the rocky slopes together.

When the commotion died down, and only the wind could be heard, Daring stood up. Her knees her smeared with her blood and stung wildly. She spun her head around, getting her bearings.

“Jack!” she shouted into the mountains. He couldn’t have gone far. Daring alone had only run two hundred yards up the path.

“Jack!” she repeated frantically. From in front of her a shape appeared.

“Jack, come on! We’re almost there!” She shouted, running towards the shape. She slid to a stop ten feet away from the figure. Staring at her through blood red eyes, each arcing lightning from one another, was the merciless zebra henchman; Kuwinda. He approached her and with every step he took, lightning sparked across the ground where his hooves landed. He grinned wickedly as he readied himself for the bloody onslaught.

Mbarka sat on a chair, his hooves chained behind his back. A bright light shone directly into his face, forcing him to squint his eyes to avoid its intensity. In front of him stood the captain of the guard. His extravagant armor reflected even more light back into Mbarka’s face.

“So, run this by me again, Captain. If you really are a captain.” The guard commanded.

“Of course I am! I’ve docked in Canterlot nearly a dozen times! I remember once your guards even seized my ship!”

“All the more reason for us to be wary, sir. Now, enlighten me.”

He leaned back, “Professor Reinerth. He worked here in Canterlot, but resigned from the museum a while back. They found him in Stalliongrad, where he hired a ton of ponies to look for some shrine in the mountains.”

“Right, this… Wendigo Shrine. I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s not supposed to exist.” Mbarka replied.

“Then why would he-“

“Just listen, Captain. It doesn’t make much sense to me either.” He cleared his throat and continued, “This shrine has the potential power to destroy Equestria! It could bury Canterlot under a mile of snow, or crumble Trottingham to the ground in massive earthquakes, or drown Manehattan in tidal waves! Listen, I kid you not!”

“Captain, I mean no offense, but your story sounds rubbish! How am I supposed to believe some old mare’s tale about a weather shrine coming from a zebra who smells like he just drank half the city’s cider!” the captain exclaimed, pounding a hoof on the table.

“I know it’s difficult to understand, and I apologize. When Daring Do tried to explain this to me, most of it flew over my head too. I was just-“

“Wait, Daring Do?” the captain asked, his voice lifting to a more polite tone.

Mbarka would have facehoofed if not for his hooves being restrained. He should have known better than to leave Daring out of this. Everypony knows Daring Do, and if he merely mentions her name in association with his own, he could get out of anything.

“Yes… Daring Do. She went to stop him. And she asked me to send some guards her way so she can actually succeed. But somepony isn’t making this easy!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I had no idea that you and Daring Do were working together!” he stammered, quickly untying Mbarka’s hooves. The light dimmed, giving Mbarka’s eyes a much needed rest. “I’ll send a battalion of guards to her as quickly as I can. They’ll travel by airship; it’s the fastest way.”

The captain led Mbarka outside into the courtyard. The weather had intensified, and now rained heavily everywhere. The wind blew hard enough to send the rain flying sideways. As they made their way to the barracks, the captain turned to Mbarka,

“As I said, an entire battalion will be dispatched. If Daring Do is in on this, then it must be serious. But we need a captain to get us there as fast as possible. What do you say, Captain?”

Mbarka swiftly shook his head, “No! My flying days are over!”

The pair turned the corner, revealing a large section of the sky.

“Even for this?” He asked, pointing his hoof at a marvelous airship. She was nearly four times as long as the Onyx Wind, and twice as wide. Three decks were stacked; each deck brimmed with cannons and harpoons. Two balloons held it aloft, and two giant propellers powered it from behind. Mbarka nearly shed a tear.

“It’s… mine?”

“If you can fly us there and prove to us that what you said is true, we’ll work something out.”

Mbarka stammered, looking for something to say. “What… Name? What’s the name?”

“The Glory Eternal.”

“No.” Mbarka quickly argued. “That’s a stupid name.”

The captain was taken aback, “Well… What would you have named it?”

Mbarka thought a moment before tapping his hoof on the ground. “I’d name it The Corona. Or, if I were to captain it, The Onyx Corona.”

The captain chuckled and rested his hoof on the zebra’s shoulder. “Then The Onyx Corona it shall be called.”

Mbarka smiled from ear to ear, “Raise the sails!”

Blood trickled from Daring’s nose as she took another hit. She lay in the gravel, underneath Kuwinda’s rage. He was swinging wildly, not even worrying about technique or precision; he just swung as hard as he could in the general direction of Daring Do. As she took another shot to the ribs, Daring began to fade. Her vision was blurry, and her thoughts were inconsistent and erratic.

Kuwinda laughed maniacally, almost cackling, and raised his hooves. He was ready to bring them down onto Daring’s skull, crushing it under his might, when he was struck in the back by a large club. Daring heard the impact, and her heart soared when she saw the blue legs of Jackhammer.

Kuwinda was only mildly deterred by Jack’s surprise attack. The club had splintered over Kuwinda’s muscular back, and now lay strewn across the path, useless. Without a weapon Jack was at a major disadvantage. He timidly swung his hoof at Kuwinda, who easily blocked it and returned it with a similar strike of his own. Jack felt a sharp pain in his lower chest, but continued to fight.

“Daring! Run! I’ll…” he paused to duck underneath Kuwinda’s right hook, “…Hold him off!”

Daring shook her head, causing more pain but clearing her vision. She had been beaten badly, and worried that she wouldn’t be able to finish this. She stood, with difficulty, and walked slowly up the path. Her legs were aching from the sharp gravel and her chest and back were bloodied and bruised from Kuwinda’s onslaught. Still, she brought all the willpower she had into catching Reinerth.

She didn’t look behind her, but could clearly hear the struggle between Jack and Kuwinda. There was grunting from both ends, both of pain and exertion of strength. Occasionally she could hear the impact of a blow, and she winced every time she did. Her head was clear enough to start jogging, and as she did she looked back at Jack.

He too was losing badly to Kuwinda. The zebra had floored Jack and now stood above him, ready to finish him with his powerful hooves. Daring quickly changed course and sprinted towards the zebra, flapping her wings to add extra speed. She reached him and tackled him to the ground. The impact shook the immediate area and threw pebbles and rocks into the air.

Jack groaned and rolled over. He was stained with blood, akin to Daring Do and even Kuwinda, who appeared to not be as invincible as they thought. Daring Do flew straight up into the air as much as her sore wings allowed her to, and came back down, flying hoof first. She landed on Kuwinda’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to stay on the ground. But she knew it was only temporary.

She ran over to Jack, who remained on the ground. “Jack, come on! We gotta hurry!”

He shook his head, still lying on the ground. He was clutching his stomach with both hooves.

“Jack, don’t be so stubborn!” She shouted, grabbing him by his front hooves. She picked him up, using her wings for support, and stood him up. The two started to trot slowly up the mountain. Their bruised bodies were tired beyond belief, and their injuries slowed them down to just a fraction of their previous speed.

“Daring… This is the last place I can remember. This is where Kuwinda and I left.”

Jack looked around, it was all so familiar. Even in the thick white fog it was easy to tell. Lightning flashed again, bringing Jack’s attention back to the mission at hand. But… the lightning wasn’t coming from overhead. It came from directly behind Daring Do and Jack.

They spun around, confronting Kuwinda yet again. He bellowed a battle cry, arcing lightning from his mouth as he roared. One of his eyes had burned a dark ring around his eye socket from the lightning it emitted, and his hooves were charred and blistered from the heat. He approached Daring, but not in a threatening manner.

“K-Kuwinda…?” Daring asked gently.

He nodded, seeming to be struggling with his inner self.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Reinerth… The Stone…” as he spoke, the lightning crackled inside his mouth, distorting the words. His face contorted with each word, as if it pained him to talk.

“What about it? What’s he doing with the stone?” Jack asked assertively.

“He’s… C… Co-“ he shouted into the sky again as the lightning in his body intensified. Gritting his teeth, he finished, “Control.”

“He’s using the Thunder Stone to control ponies now?” Jack asked, bewildered.

“It is magic, Jack. We don’t know its limits.” Daring said, never taking her eyes off of Kuwinda.

“You… Gotta stop…” Kuwinda struggled. “Leave… me. I’ll give ya… time.”

Daring Do and Jack watched as he struggled against the stone’s will. He brought himself to the edge of the path and looked down at the drop. Looking back at Daring and Jack, he was struck with an epiphany. He felt genuinely sorry for both the ponies, and actually loathed himself for being so uncouth to Jack. He realized that Reinerth, no matter what debt he owed him, wasn’t the pony he needed to serve. The couple standing in front of him, covered in blood and staring wide-eyed, were the ones that really needed his help. He took a deep breath.

“Kuwinda… get away from the edge!”

“Sorry, Jack.” He said before stepping down the slope. The rocks slipped, and Kuwinda tumbled down the mountainside with expert skill. The descent wouldn’t kill him, but would give the ponies enough time to get to Reinerth without having to fight him again. Or at least, fight the ‘possessed’ Kuwinda. For the first time in his entire life, Kuwinda felt as if he had actually accomplished some good towards a pony, instead of some menial task that was asked of him.

Back on the path, Daring and Jack stared at the edge with mouths agape. They had no idea of Kuwinda’s survival as he slid down the mountainside, and had only assumed him to have just killed himself. Jack stammered with surprise,

“He just… Just…” He threw his hooves forward, motioning the act of falling.

Daring nodded slowly, “And he did it for us, Jack; to make sure that we get to Reinerth before he finds the shrine. Don’t let him die in vain!”

Jack continued to stare down at the ravine, not daring to look over the edge. Daring walked past him, progressing up the path further. Her wounds still plagued her with weakness and fragility, and she could only assume that Jack’s condition was the same, if not worse. She kicked the loose gravel with her hoof, gritting her teeth while doing so.

She was furious. Every fiber of her being was raging at her situation, and she felt as if nothing would bring her mind to ease as long as Reinerth was still alive. Her heart jolted as she realized what she was thinking. Killing a pony in cold blood was never in Daring’s forte. She looked a Jack, hoping for a comforting word, but only saw him slowly trudging up the path with the wind whipping at his mane. He looked up through weary eyes,

“Are you okay, Daring?’

“Yeah.” She said, but she knew she was lying. She had never felt so low and down before in her career, not even on her worst adventure. Not even after she was bound, gagged, and nearly burnt at the pyre in Boarneo. She had been tortured in Stalliongrad, and imprisoned in Istanfoal, but she always knew that there would be an upside eventually. However her mind failed to realize any positive outcome of her current situation.

“Let’s just keep going.” She said sullenly before plodding on through the hail to her certain doom.

Reinerth’s crew had halted on their path; even though they knew full well that Daring was on their heels. The entire party had gathered in front of Reinerth, who stood a madman among the silent crew. His mane was frayed and loose, flying wildly in the harsh winds. His eyes were wide and bloodshot as he looked over his slaves.

He held out the Thunder Stone, feeling its mystical power course through his limbs. It vibrated and hummed with energy as he focused it on his minions. Glowing blood red lightning shot from its surface, combining itself with the natural lightning in the clouds to make a harsh purple web of plasma. It flew down, striking multiple ponies at once.

The victims arched their backs and groaned as the painful electricity racked their brains. It arced from their open mouths, harmlessly discharging itself onto the rocky ground. As soon as their cries of agony ceased, they fell to the ground in a heap. Their breathing increased to hyperventilation and their heart-rate raced to dangerous levels. As they opened their burnt eyes, they saw the world in a new perspective.

Everything was new to them, and everything was dangerous. Their hooves were prepared to fight anything in their way, just for a sense of security. The only thing they were certain about was the gray pony standing madly before them. Their brains had been rewired through a cognitive reboot to be eternally loyal to their insane leader, as long as the Thunder Stone was in his control.

“It is time!” Reinerth shouted over the wind to his army of slaves, “Daring Do makes her way to us now, not far down the mountainside! Bring me her head!” he commanded.

The ponies obeyed without question, and nearly all of them marched down the pathway, some even galloping eagerly. The remaining ponies, few though they were, hitched themselves to Reinerth’s wagon and pulled him along the mountain, on his way to the Wendigo Shrine. Atop his vehicle, he let loose another series of cackles as he admired his new brainwashed ponies. Everything was falling into place for him now, and soon he would be granted the biggest prize of all.

Equestria.

The newly named Onyx Corona made its way out of the Canterlot docks with Mbarka at the wheel. Across the massive deck, three groups of guards were formed in tight formation. Mbarka guessed that, in all, there were at least a hundred guards on the airship. Each one of them was clad in shining silver armor, led by a lieutenant wearing more extravagant golden armor. In front of the three groups was the Captain of the Guard, signified by his cape and plumed helmet.

He made his way to the helm of the ship, facing Mbarka.

“Captain, how much longer until we arrive?” he asked formally to the zebra.

Mbarka shrugged his shoulders, still grasping the wheel in both hooves. “It’s gonna take a while, sir. There’s a big storm between us and the mountains, and we might have to go around it.”

The Captain of the Guard nodded before adding, “Do you think you could fly through that? It would save us time, wouldn’t it?”

Mbarka sighed, “Flying through storms isn’t that easy, sir. Especially in an airship this big, we’re bound to get hit by lightning. And unless you like your steaks well-done, I suggest we move around it.”

To be honest, Mbarka wasn’t worried about lightning or about the storm at all. He knew full well that the ship would be able to handle it without a problem. He felt incredibly guilty at his selfishness, and even though it was dangerous, but he just wanted to fly the ship for as long as possible. Risking all of Equestria was a small price to pay for flying one of Canterlot’s finest ships.

“What if we flew over it?” The Captain asked.

Mbarka sighed. The pony sure was persistent, and why shouldn’t he be? He supposed that, since he lived in the heart of Equestria, he was permitted entitlement to its safety. Reluctantly, Mbarka turned around and faced a series of levers and pulleys at the back of the ship. He flipped a few switches and tugged at some ropes, and soon the twin engines in the back came to life.

The blades spun through the air almost silently. Mbarka was impressed by their efficiency; they were far larger than The Onyx Wind’s engine, and only made a fraction of the noise. He presumed that they were far more powerful, and was proven right as the ship began to move forward at an unprecedented acceleration. It slowly raised skywards, breaking through the low cloud layer. The ship was enveloped in the puffy whiteness of the clouds as it slowly rose into the atmosphere.

When they broke the cloud layer and emerged above them, they were greeted by a sight of awe. In front of them were the peaks of the Chorda Mountains, reaching above the clouds enough to be seen, even from scores of miles away. But the mere sight of the mountains didn’t impress them, nor did the sea of white that they soared over. What caught everypony’s eye was the massive vortex of lightning that was forming over the Chorda Mountains.

It spun upwards miles into the sky, and probably went outside of the atmosphere into the vacuum of space. It flashed ceaselessly, making arcs that measured miles long. They all funneled into a single spot on the mountains, where they impacted the ground with fierce vigor. Mbarka fearlessly turned the wheel in its direction and sailed straight towards the anomaly.

“That’s what you were talking about?” asked the Captain, his words drenched in fear.

Mbarka nodded, “And that’s where we’ll find Daring Do and Jack.”

“What about Professor Reinerth? Will he be there to?” The Captain asked, squinting his eyes toward their target.

“If we’re lucky, no.”

“And if we’re not?”

Mbarka turned to look at the Captain, noting his obvious panic of the situation. “Well Captain, I doubt we’ll be alive along enough to find out.”

Reinerth’s ponies cascaded down the mountain in an avalanche of electric fury. Nearly twenty ponies ran in a stampede down a steep slope, heading straight for the pegasus and her stallion companion. Their mouths frothed with unbridled rage, and their hooves raised the sharp rocks into the air. Every trace of intelligence was gone, replaced by primal instincts of the hunt.

Daring and Jack could hear the trampling of their hooves and their howls before they could see them. Visibly frightened, Jack nearly turned and ran down the slope, leaving Daring alone to face the horde, but thought twice about it and planted his hooves firmly on the ground next to the pegasus. Daring, flattered by her friend’s loyalty, stood her ground and waited for the swarm to reach her.

The first of the mindless ponies sprinted out of the fog, and as he caught sight of Daring Do, howled madly into the air. Lightning shot from the sky, and arced into his mouth and eyes as he flew into the air, aiming to tackle Daring to the ground. She sidestepped him, allowing him to fall to the gravelly ground where Jack delivered a swift kick to the side of the head, knocking out the babbling pony.

He investigated the pony while he still had time to. He recognized him from his time as a spy, and his heart sank as he investigated his wounds. His face was burnt from the constant lightning, and was pale from lack of blood. Jack felt his heart-rate, which rattled in his chest at nearly three beats a second. The lightning charged heart never slowed, and Jack feared that it would collapse onto itself from over-exertion.

His fears were heightened when more ponies careened down the mountainside. He took a position next to Daring, being careful to give her the much needed fighting space. The fastest ponies were the first ones on the scene, their legs were a blur with their blinding speed. They crashed into Daring Do at a bone-cracking speed, sending her falling to the ground with a harsh thud. They appeared to ignore Jack, who quickly ran to Daring’s aid.

The attacking ponies never used their hooves in the assault. They cried and bared their teeth at the mare, attempting to bite her and tear into her hide. She fought a few off, hooking a few across the face and throwing them into the gravel beside her. But still more swarmed from the path in a seemingly endless horde of electrically fueled monsters.

Jack stood over Daring and the mind-slave ponies, hesitating to attack. On top of Daring were two mares that Jack recognized from earlier; he remembered that he had shared a cart with them. They had seemed nice then, even friendly. But now they filled the air with shrill cries and buried their teeth into Daring’s skin. As they bit down, lightning arced over Daring’s body, burning her coat and creating small billows of smoke. Jack closed his eyes and shot his hoof out as hard as he could. It impacted one of the mares in the back of the head, stunning her and knocking her off Daring Do.

As she recovered on the ground, Jack took the second mare underneath the arms and picked her up off Daring. He threw her to the side and attempted to kick her away when she redirected an arc of lightning into Jack’s face. He tried to shield himself, but to no avail. He sailed backwards, landing among the stones with his face smoldering.

Daring Do, now standing on her hooves, watched as her friend fell to the ground, limp. She raised her wings and flew to his side, clipping the mare across her jaw as she went. Jack was barely conscious when Daring scooped him up in her hooves and flew off down the path, high above the vicious minions. They screeched and raced after Daring, propelling themselves off the ground in an attempt to grab at Daring’s heels. Expertly weaving her way through them, the pegasus out-flew the group and rocketed up the mountainside, leaving the wild ponies behind her.

Hail tore at her face and stung her wings. Jack’s weight slowed her down too much, and she feared that she would lose strength and be forced to run. Which would mean she would have to leave Jack behind. She shook her head, forcing her thoughts of abandonment away and focused on the path in front of her. The fog had lifted slightly, but only enough to see an extra thirty feet in front of her. She had no idea if she was following Reinerth’s trail, and the fog added to her uncertainty.

Jack stirred in Daring’s hooves, and mumbled something incoherent,

“What was that?” Daring asked urgently.

“I said ‘thanks’.” Jack mumbled.

Daring looked down at him and remained silent. He had his eyes forced shut from the lightning strike. Half his face was blackened, and Daring was nearly positive it would scar. She looked back up at the path ahead, tears rolling down her cheeks, both from her emotions and the wind in her eyes.

As she rounded a bend in the mountain, something flashed before her eyes before she tumbled to the ground, a burning knot in her stomach. Her vision went bright white when she hit the ground, tossing Jack aside. Her ears had shut off, silencing everything in the world. At first she took it as relief, but as the bright light of her eyes eventually faded, she came face to face with Reinerth.

Under normal circumstances, Daring would have compared him to his old self, when he worked in the museum. But considering how she had just taken a massive lightning bolt to the stomach, she didn’t bother with little details. She only noted the glowing red in his eyes as he kneeled over Daring, sword in hoof.

He said something in his foreign language, something which Daring couldn’t hear nor interpret. He smirked as he drew his sword back, placing it in the middle of Daring’s stomach and applying sharp pressure. There was barely any pain as the metal buried itself inside her, missing her vital organs by mere centimeters. She passed out shortly after that.

Sunny sat at the bottom of the mountain, watching the lightning fly across the sky. She had built a ramshackle lean-to from their balloon and his underneath that, shielding herself from the rain. Thunder constantly rumbled around her, vibrating the ground with its intensity. Sunny was scared, and wished for nothing more than Daring Do to be at her side.

She trembled from fright and cold when something rustled the grass behind her. She whipped around, nearly screaming in fright at the sight before her. The bloodied zebra with lightning sparking across his body stood silently, his mohawk flat and plastered against his head from the rain. He tilted his head to Sunny,

“Is there any room for me under there?” he asked slowly, exhausted from the lightning’s pain.

Sunny nodded apprehensively. She scooted her way to the side, leaving enough room for Kuwinda to lie down. He noisily fell to the ground underneath the lean-to and sniffed the air.

“Dis storm ain’t natural.” He said, “You know dat, right?”

Sunny nodded again, too timid to speak outright.

“But don’t you worry. Daring Do’ll stop it, I’m sure.” He comforted, turning his head to the mountain path.

“Did you see her?” Sunny asked quietly, not making eye contact with the zebra and his grotesque injuries.

“Yeah. She was doin’ alright.”

“Good.” Sunny said almost immediately. She mustered the courage to look at the zebra’s face and said, “Why are you being nice? I thought you were the bad guy?”

Kuwinda sighed, “I don’t know what I am. Maybe I’m good, maybe I’m bad. Maybe I’m just…” he paused, watching the lightning race across his hooves and down his limbs. “Maybe I’m just a monster now.”

“You don’t seem like a monster.” Sunny replied, trying her best to be comforting to the zebra who had murdered a helpless, elderly pony right in front of her. “I mean, you had to do whatever whats-his-name told you to do, right? The Cap’n explained how life-debts worked, and he-“

“Don’t talk about my brothah.” Kuwinda nearly roared.

Sunny recoiled in terror, nearly squirming out from underneath the lean-to into the cold rain. “S-sorry!” She muttered.

“He still be a blight on my family, and I won’t rest until my ancestors are given peace.” He explained, ignoring Sunny’s apology. “And you’re not much better den him!”

Sunny tried her best not to cry, and as Kuwinda saw her condition he sighed and swore in Zebrani.

“Listen, little pony, I’m sorry. It’s just… You can’t understand what it’s like to have a brothah, someone who be close to ya, betray you and yer entire family with dishonor.”

Sunny remained silent, forcing Kuwinda to continue.

“And I’m sorry about shoutin’ at ya.”

Sunny turned her head to look at Kuwinda in her peripheral vision, “And…?”

“And? Uh…” He put a hoof to his chin, scratching it as he thought. Lightning sparked between his hoof and mouth, jolting him out of his concentration, “Sorry about bein’ mean to yer friend?”

“What about the Chaplain?” Sunny asked, tired of the guessing game. “Do you even feel sorry for him?”

Kuwinda was lost for a moment, trying to remember who the Chaplain was. Suddenly it hit him, and his cheeks flushed red.

“Ah… yeah… I didn’t realize that-“

“I forgive you.” Sunny interrupted.

“What?”

“Everypony deserves forgiveness. That’s what the Cap’n taught me!” Sunny explained, brightening her mood slightly, “I’m surprised he never taught you that when you two were little.”

Kuwinda didn’t say anything after that, and remained silent through the night. Sunny would eventually ask a few questions, but never receive an answer. After a few hours, she gazed back up at the mountain, wondering how Daring Do was faring.

Jack awoke tied to a chair. Again. He immediately took in his surroundings. He was in a cold, dilapidated warehouse. The roof was abundant in holes, and the musty glass windows were nearly all broken. He shifted in his chair and felt additionally weight tied to his back. He craned his neck painfully around and saw the grayscale mane of Daring Do behind him.

She was unconscious, and Jack could hear her shallow breathing, accompanied by a faster paced, harsher breathing. He turned his head around frantically, trying to find its source.

“How many times are we going to be in this situation, Herr Jack?” Reinerth said from an unknown location.

“As many as it takes, Reinerth.”

“That… doesn’t make sense. Do you still remember my offer?” he asked eagerly.

Jack nodded, adding, “Do you really think that I’ll accept it?”

“I was hoping so, ja.” He said delightfully, “And now you have new incentive! You see, before I strapped you to a chair - just like old times - I stabbed Daring Do straight through the gut.”

Jack’s heart leapt into his throat and he tried to turn around to check Daring’s condition.

“She’ll be fine. If, that is, you accept.” He flew out of the shadows, and emerged right in front of Jack’s face. His red eyes glimmered with insanity, and he sprayed spittle over Jack as he croaked, “Destroy Canterlot, Jack! Do it, and save your friend!”

Jack squirmed under the foreign pony. He had no idea what to do; deny the offer and have Daring die, or accept it, killing thousands but saving Daring Do’s life.

“Which is it, Jack? One-thousand deaths, or one murder?” Reinerth asked savagely.

Jack spat in Reinerth’s face, causing the pony to withdraw backwards. He reached for Jack’s throat, but his rage flowed through the Thunder Stone, causing lightning to stream down from the sky. It struck the ground around Jack, and arced to the wooden walls and roofing. Sparks flew as the wood ignited, sending the building up in flames. Reinerth ceased his advance and smiled to Jack,

“I take it you choose ‘nein’ then, correct?” Reinerth chuckled, “Auf wiedersehen, Jack. For the last time.”

He exited through the wide door as the wooden beams began to splinter from the advancing fire. It spread along the walls, and across the ceiling. It creaked and groaned, and soon parts of it began to fall to the ground, cluttering the floor in its flaming debris.

Jack turned around to Daring Do as far as he could and shouted,

“Daring! Wake up! Wake up! We’re in trouble!”

She stirred slightly, but remained unconnected to the world. Jack began to get desperate, and rocked the chairs back and forth. With an unusual amount of strength, he managed to tip them over and they came crashing down onto the ground. During the impact Daring had hit her head on the floor, raising her from her woozy state.

“What’s going on?” she asked, seeming to not be entirely aware of her situation.

“Oh, Daring. It’s nice of you to join me. We gotta get out of here, I just talked to Reinerth.”

“How was he?” she asked groggily.

“He’s fine. Just fine. He seems to be enjoying his stone. Come on, Daring, quit fooling around!” he shouted.

She shook her head before noticing the pain in her stomach and the warm blood that slowly oozed out. She looked down; her entire coat was stained red and she felt nauseous just looking at her own wound. She struggled against the ropes that bound her to the chair.

“Daring, I think we lost.” Jack said sourly. The flames had reached the ground, and now completely encircled them. They slowly inched their way closer to the duo, bringing their intense heat with them.

“Don’t be so down, Jack.” Daring replied, a new touch of vigor in her voice. She scanned the area, looking for an escape. From their position on the floor, there weren’t many options. She saw one way; a discarded spear from one of Reinerth’s minions. It lay by the doorway, on the other side of the wall of fire.

“Daring, listen. We lost, I’m sorry. But-“

“Not now, Jack!” she shouted, trying to squirm out of the ropes. It seemed that the more she struggled, the tighter they got.

“How’s your stomach doing? If you hadn’t been stabbed, I bet-“

Daring Do quickly shut him up with a roundabout kick to the leg. She was trying to concentrate on escaping with her life, and Jack’s consistent blabbering didn’t help her much. If only we could get to that spear! She thought.

The building creaked from a sudden bombardment of wind. The flames began to flow in a single direction, away from the entrance as the winds continued to increase.

“What in Equestria…” Jack said, dumbfounded.

From beyond the noise of the crackling flames and the crumbling building, Jack could hear a series of… chopping sounds. He looked around, and through one of the holes in the ceiling he could clearly see a massive black shape in the sky. The smoke billowed around its edges at it slowly descended towards the two ponies. It was an airship; that much was clear.

“Mbarka!” Daring exclaimed from behind Jack.

Ropes dropped down from the airship’s sides, and several dozen ponies slid down their lengths. As the figures landed, she could clearly make them out as Canterlot Royal Guards. They quickly grabbed Jack and Daring by the chairs, not bothering to untie them, and attached them to their ropes. The two ponies rapidly ascended into the airship from the ground level, watching the huge shape slowly engulf them.

They were pulled over the side and immediately surrounded by similar guard ponies. Mbarka pushed past them, wearing a fancy blue vest and tricorn hat. He immediately saw the battered, bloodied bodies of his two friends, and fell down to their side, untidily untying their restraining ropes.

“Turn about! Chase down that wagon!” Mbarka commanded to a lanky navigator, who raced off towards the wheel. “Daring, Jack, how are you doing?”

As soon as Daring was untied, she shook her head. She stood, forcing the pain in her stomach to skyrocket. She unfolded her wings and prepared to leap off the side of the ship without saying a word. However, Jack grabbed her from behind and stopped her from leaving.

“What are you doing, Daring? You don’t need to chase Reinerth anymore; the guards can handle it.”

Daring shook her head, “As long as that pony is still alive, it’s my job to bring him in.” she said boldly, facing the entire crew as she did so. The Captain of the Guard approached her, his cape billowing in the wind.

“Miss Do, I’ll respect your decision to take on Reinerth alone. But I insist that my guards give you support! Is there anything we can do?” he asked, almost brown-nosing the mare.

“Deploy them on the ground; Reinerth has a small group of mind controlled ponies. There may not be many, but they’re vicious.”

The Captain nodded and saluted to the pegasus before motioning for two legions of ponies to descend onto the ground. Jack and Mbarka faced Daring, looking over her wounds. She was cut across her chest, legs and neck, not to mention the large gash through her stomach that continued to slowly bleed. She must have lost a lot of blood since her adventure began.

“Daring, stay here, I beg you!” Mbarka pleaded, fruitlessly.

She just looked between the zebra and her friend and bowed to them both before turning towards the edge, leaning over it. Below her the mountains expanded outward, giving Daring a clear view of everything ahead of her. She could see the tiny black specks of Reinerth’s cart and his mind-slaves. And ahead of him, down the path, Daring saw it.

It stood as a tall structure in the middle of the rocky slopes. It rest on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a massive canyon between two giant mountains. She couldn’t make out the details, but she could clearly tell that it was in fact, the Wendigo Shrine. Her heart raced as she saw the ending point to her journey, and possibly the ending point of all of Equestria.

She turned back around to Jack and wrapped her hooves around his neck. Before he was able to hug back, she had disengaged from the pony and was flying over the side of the ship. Guards descended on ropes over the side, racing to catch up with Reinerth. The wind whipped through her mane as she tiredly flew towards the mad pony.

A thought burst through Daring’s mind. She could easily die here. The mare had already been broken, and Reinerth was no simple foe. She regretted leaving her friends as quickly as she had, and her heart dropped into her stomach when she thought about how abruptly she had left Sunny. Silently, as she flew, she promised to herself to try her best to survive. But still, the dangers were clearly present; lightning, mindless mind-controlled minions, and Reinerth himself could easily end her. Daring sighed,

To Hell, she thought, closing her eyes, One last time.

Chapter Nine - The Wendigo Shrine

Chaplain Tornado Winds walked up the stone stairway to his shrine. It had been completed not a month ago, and he was eager to test its capabilities. The warm sun shone brightly in the sky over the lush, green Chorda Mountains when he was greeted by his fellow pegusi.

“Good morrow, Chaplain! I take it thou hast prepared a test for the Shrine today, yes?” One of the younger followers asked.

The Chaplain nodded, “Correct, young one. It hath occurred to me that the hamlet at the foot of our mountains is plagued with drought. However, it is curiosity that plagues me, and I plan to test the shrine for rain.”

“A wise choice, my liege.” The follower replied, bowing his head.

Equestria, still in its infancy, was hardly managed properly. Scores of tiny settlements were popping up, all of them without an organized leader or government to tend to their needs. The Chaplain, seeing the disdain among ponies, resolved to fix this problem with a simple solution; weather. After all, most of these villages relied on the weather more than anything.

He entered the wide shrine, looking up at its height. It was certainly the tallest building he had ever seen in the Chorda Mountains, as it reached higher than many of the trees in the area. Around its perimeter were several columns, each engraved with mystical beasts and heroic ponies. And in the center was the controlling device; a pedestal where the magical energies of the weather could be channeled.

Chaplain Tornado Winds approached the shrine, setting both hooves atop its surface. He wasn’t prepared for the surge of magic that followed and nearly fell over from its intensity. But from support of his followers he managed to stay in control. A single ray of magic shot through the pedestal, straight into the middle of the rotunda’s ceiling. It gathered there, forming a bright white cloud of magic. Focusing his attention to it, the Chaplain distorted this magic into what he needed.

The cloud swirled, growing darker and bluer. The slight rumbling of thunder filled the spacious shrine, and the humidity soon followed. It funneled into a metal rod atop the shrine, and accumulated in a massive cloud cluster in the sky. From there, the Chaplain was able to use the Shrine’s built-in magic to move the storm where he wished, which in this case was to the foot of the mountains.

The followers watched in awe as their leader, a pegasus, was using magic, a commodity that was almost solely used by the unicorns. He stepped from the shrine, a small smile across his face,

“Colleagues, thou have created a fine device, indeed.”

Reinerth’s thoughts could only be described as one thing; chaotic. There wasn’t a thought in his head that wasn’t centered around the coming carnage, or of the blood that would soon follow it. The Thunder Stone’s magic had penetrated the deepest layers of his subconscious, distorting his entire inner personality. What he once thought was grotesque and disturbing now became his center of joy and wellbeing.

His sunken eyes stared onward, casting their eternal reddened gaze on the foggy path ahead of him. He knew the airship was hardly a mile behind him, soaring no more than two hundred yards above the mountain path, but he didn’t care. As long as he had the Thunder Stone and its capabilities, he could never be touched.

The wagon hurdled through the barren, grey mountainside. Reinerth wondered, through his insanity, if there had ever been any trees in the Chorda Mountains. In truth, the Chorda Mountains were once very fertile, and covered in foliage everywhere. However, the entire mountain range mysteriously died and turned into an arid expanse of rock shortly after the completion of the Wendigo Shrine.

The dampened sound of cannon fire echoed through the cliffs shortly before the ground beside Reinerth exploded in a torrent of stones and dust. The projectiles continued to fall around Reinerth as he outran the airship. Any projectile that was lucky enough to be on target with Reinerth was shot out of the sky with massive lightning bolts before they could impact him. He was untouchable from The Onyx Corona.

But he wasn’t completely untouchable.

Daring Do flew as fast as her body would allow. Blood leaked and dripped off her coat into the canyons below, and her head felt light from the loss of her vital fluids. But she had her target in her sights and nothing would stand in her way until she reached it. Her keen eyes noted the cannonballs flying through the air towards Reinerth, and watched restlessly to see if any would make their mark. When none did, and the cannon’s explosions ceased, Daring raced in for the kill.

Reinerth must have known she would be coming, somehow, and was completely prepared for the relatively easy fight. A net of lightning shot out at Daring at an incredible speed. Normally, Daring might have had a fair chance of barreling through the small gaps in the wall of lightning, but given her situation and her severe injuries, she was lucky enough to even fly straight.

The wall of lightning passed over her, igniting every nerve in her body with burning pain. The scent of charred flesh filled her nose as she pushed onwards, closing the fifty yard gap between her and the foreign pony.

“Ich werde dich toten!” his voice sounded through the wind and the fog.

Daring ignored the sounds and flew closer and closer to her target. Materializing in front of her was yet another net of lightning. Luckily for Daring, she was prepared. A quick but sloppy barrel roll to the left and she managed to dodge the wall by a few inches. Without having to slow down, Daring crashed into the cart.

In hindsight, it wasn’t the best plan of attack. But for the moment, running headlong into the cart worked like a charm. The back wheels buckled under the impact and fell off, taking the entire axle with them. Now dragging the cart on two wheels, the pull-team began to slow down ever so slightly. Daring, her head aching from the impact, pulled herself onto the top of the cart, consciously facing Reinerth for the first time.

“Daring Do!” he exclaimed, “I can’t say I’m not surprised to see you! I knew I should’ve gutted you right there instead of letting the fire take care of you.”

Daring Do stumbled on the shaky cart, nearly tipping over the edge, “You… You won’t get away with this.” She said woozily, the blood loss starting to became a violent reality. “I’ll st… stop you!”

Reinerth let out a harsh cackle, chilling Daring’s burned spine, “You really think that, don’t you? Komisch…” he mumbled happily to himself before holding the Thunder Stone outwards towards Daring.

The pegasus saw her opening and charged blindly towards Reinerth. Time seemed to slow as she approached the earth pony. She was inching her way towards him as the world nearly stopped around her. From her sides, Daring could see the intense light building up and the plasma forming as lightning streaked across the sky towards her. She was inches away from the stone and could feel its power lifting the hairs on the end of her legs. It would be close. The sudden cracks of electricity snapped Daring’s mind from its concentrated state.

Daring’s body began to burn, and she fell back to the cart’s surface in a convulsing thud.

Chaplain Tornado Winds had made a name for himself. Across the land, scores of settlements had him and him alone to thank for their good fortune. Thanks to his weather device, crops could grow anytime year-round, and the seasons were more fluent than ever. A council of ponies, each representing the individual kinds of ponies, began to talk about listing the Chaplain’s name among their ranks. But the Chaplain lived a modest life, void of accepting the massive amount of fame and renown that surrounded his character.

He built a small village surrounding the shrine where he and his half-dozen followers lived. From there he mapped out as much of Equestria as he could, from the eastern edge of the Chorda Mountains, where the drop-off was met by an expansive rainforest, to the western edges of the Sahoofa Desert, an endless sea of golden sand. Using the maps he was able to coordinate weather over the largest scale of all; larger than any group of weather pegasus had ever managed before. But his map was used for other purposes as well.

In the northern lands, where glaciers and tundra were abounding, lived a group of barbarians. Monstrous creatures, these half-eagle, half-lion brutes would devastate the pony settlements that bordered their lands. They never listened to reason and never saw any other option than the violent resolution of war. Tornado Winds used his massive map system to judge and predetermine the so-called ‘griffon’s’ attack patterns.

During the heart of winter, when control over the weather was most important, was when the griffons were at their most aggressive. Reports out of northern villages ceased, and a single word whispered through the darkened streets of every pony settlement; griffon. A dignitary came to the Chaplain during this time, braving the fierce forests and mountains to reach him.

“Chaplain, you have a traveler.” Stated a pegasus follower to the Chaplain as he entered the large map-room, leading a portly unicorn inside.

The Chaplain turned around and faced the dignitary. He was a suavely dressed unicorn, obviously lavishly lived. His rotund figure opposed the Chaplain’s frail body, and his extraordinary purple robes brought life to the Chaplain’s plain grey rags he wore.

“Dearest Chaplain. I have heard of your lifestyle here in the mountains, but to see it firsthand is… unique.” The dignitary spoke around his thick moustache and beard.

“Have you come here to gawk at my way of life, or art thou here for a matter of importance?” the Chaplain asked tiredly.

“The latter. I reign as baron over a series of villages in the north. Hath thou heard of the tales sounding from yon region?”

The Chaplain nodded his head, “Aye. Griffons, thou call them?”

“The very same.” He replied grimly. “As of late they have become aggressive, spreading into my lands like locust. They target thine crops.”

“And what of me? What am I to do against such beasts?” asked the Chaplain, losing patience.

“Thou possess a powerful machine! Can thou not use it to target the mongrels?”

“Nay!” the Chaplain shouted angrily, “Thine device over yonder is not for petty warfare! I hath used it solely for utilizing weather for crops, and crops alone! To use this against another being goes against morality!”

“These be desperate times, Chaplain,” the baron persisted, “Mayhap thou could make a single exception? Just once, to show the griffons that pony land is not for the taking!”

The Chaplain slammed his hoof on the ground, “Nopony will use this machine; not as long as it stands in the heart of the Chorda Mountains! To use this machine for your mortal flaws would not only bring a swift end to thine enemies, but to anypony else who happen upon its wrath!”

The baron lowered his head, giving up his fruitless trek into the mountains, “Then may thou burn for your selfishness.” With that, he turned and stormed out of the room. Seconds after leaving, a follower pony bound through the door and trotted to the Chaplain’s side.

“Another one, my Chaplain?”

The Chaplain nodded and fell into his chair with an exhausted sigh, “They never cease. The cruelty and brutality of ponies never disappoints to amaze me.”

The follower patted the Chaplain on the back, “Thou do quite a superb job in warding them off.”

“Aye, but how much longer will it last? When will Equestria find no use for warfare?”

The follower shrugged, “Mayhap they never will. Tis a regrettable invention we hath devised…”

The Chaplain sighed one last time before replying, “Well then, Brother Hail, let us pray that our children forgive us.”

Daring convulsed violently on the wagon as lightning arced across her body for the countless time that day. Darkness began to invade the edges of her vision as she lay on the top of the cart, staring up at the mad pony above her. Veins bulged from his neck as he cackled into the wind, Thunder Stone in hoof. Lightning flew over its green, prismatic surface that Daring once adored. Now she loathed it, and for obvious reason.

Within minutes the lightning stopped. The mad laughing died down and Reinerth approached the smoking pegasus.

“You know, I was a little worried for a while there, Miss Do.” He said almost sweetly. “But now I see that I was a dummkopf. To be afraid of you is… childish.”

He brought his hoof down, connecting with Daring’s stomach. The impact landed directly on her sword wound, and blood gushed from it in a quick spurt.

“I remember hearing your stories when I worked in the museum. You were fearless!” he began pacing, keeping his eyes locked with Daring’s half-shut lids the entire time, “They told me about your adventures outside Equestria! In the far east, and the jungles of the west. You were… inspiring, almost.”

Another kick landed higher up on Daring’s chest. Her ribs began to ache, and she was sure that a couple would be broken by the time this was over.

“Where did that Daring Do go?” he asked, “That was the Daring Do I was afraid of. What I see before me is meek, and just a shadow of her former self.” He placed his hoof on the edge of Daring’s jaw, “Auf wiedersehen.”

Daring felt the slightest bit of pressure before Reinerth was thrown sideways. She let out a massive sigh of relief as she stood up on shaky legs. The cart was moving at a fraction of the speed it once was, and felt as if it would collapse under the weakness in the framework. She whipped her head around, looking for Reinerth. Following the sound of a painful scream, Daring found him.

He lay on the ground off the cart, along the side of the mountain path. One of his lips leaked a thin trail of blood and his knees were skinned, but aside from that he was unharmed. At his side was the dreaded Thunder Stone, still arcing small sparks despite it not being under direct control at the moment. Standing in front of Reinerth was the massive bulk of Kuwinda, still scorched and burned. On his back stood Sunny, raising her head high, proud of her assistance in dismounting the evil pony from his doomsday-bound chariot.

Daring Do hobbled to their side as fast as she could. In her head she could imagine what would happen next; the duo that saved her would drop their guard and Reinerth would use the Thunder Stone. She knew full well its capabilities, and shouted out to warn them.

“Sunny! Look out, he’s armed!” she shouted weakly as she slowly approached them.

Sunny spun around, facing Daring Do. Her face beamed upon seeing her idol, and then turned to a mask of horror as she looked more closely at her numerous injuries. In Sunny’s mind Daring Do was invincible, and nothing could stop her. But standing before her was clear evidence that she was wrong; Daring looked about ready to die.

“No, Sunny, don’t look at me! Get the stone!” Daring shouted.

But Sunny was frozen. She couldn’t help but stare at Daring with shock. Kuwinda too had become momentarily distracted by the new voice and turned his head slightly to look at her. Daring’s heart raced when she saw Reinerth make his move. He fell over to one side, holding the Thunder Stone in both hooves, protecting it underneath his body. From the depths of the sky, lightning rained down on the two ponies.

Kuwinda took the brunt of it, absorbing most of the electricity into his chest. His muscles contracted painfully into themselves, and his back involuntarily curled backwards, throwing Sunny off. She landed on the ground just in time; Kuwinda took the final blast of lightning to the face, appearing to consume it into his body. The lightning diminished and Kuwinda stood before Reinerth, swaying as smoke fluttered from his scorched flesh.

He landed on the ground in a thud, pinning Sunny under his electrically charged body. She squirmed, trying to weasel her way out from underneath his weight. But her attempts of escape were fruitless and she gave up, deciding to try her best to hide from Reinerth under the body of his former servant.

Daring Do stood and braced herself for the inevitable lightning, but nothing came. Instead, Reinerth sprinted off down the mountain path after his cart, which had apparently not noticed the absence of their leader. Daring Do watched as the middle aged earth pony clumsily ran through the mountains into the fog. After a few short seconds of bewilderment, Daring gave chase.

Why’s he running? He knows I can catch him… she thought, Just as long as there’s no more lightning.

It was summer now in the Chorda Mountains. The Wendigo Shrine had been functional for nearly three years now, and its effects around the immediate area had started to take shape. The trees around the shrine were growing grey and ceased to sprout any leaves. Acidity plagued the ground in the area and turned the soil into a dusty plain, void of grass. Chaplain Tornado Winds stared at the site from the doorway of his shack. Behind him, Brother Hail and a mare were sitting, obviously worried.

“It’s just not natural.” Brother Hail stated for the sixth time since their conversation had started. Beside him, the pink pegasus nodded, her long hair bobbing as she did.

“Aye, you’re right. There hath been enough rain for it… Why doth it die?” The Chaplain mused.

“Mayhap it’s the shrine itself?” the mare suggested. She had brought up the one thing the Chaplain refused to accept. He couldn’t allow the shrine, his greatest deed to the world, to be the source of death. He sighed, trying to push the thoughts out of his head.

“My Chaplain, I’m sure it’s nothing.” Brother Hail comforted, “Whether it be the shrine, or some other condition, it shouldn’t affect thou and thine weather.”

The Chaplain shook his head, “Nay, thou be right. Mayhap we’re-“

From down the street a pegasus flew. He raced above the ground, one of his wings looking crippled. Stopping in front of the Chaplain’s door he shouted a single word breathlessly before falling to the ground, exhausted,

“Griffons!”

The Chaplain’s eyes shot open, and Brother Hail held his mare in his arms. Everypony’s heart raced as they approached the window, gazing out towards the edge of the mountains. They appeared as a wisp of clouds, black among the clear blue of the rest of the sky.

“They’re here for the shrine.” The Chaplain explained grimly.

“How can thou be so sure?” the mare protested.

“Why else would they be so far from yonder land? Brother Hail, prepare the rest.”

Brother Hail bowed to his Chaplain before kneeling next to his mare. He kissed her gently on the cheek before racing out into the village. The mare, never taking her eyes off of Brother Hail, asked the Chaplain,

“What will thou do?”

The Chaplain shrugged and shook his head.

“What of the shrine? I know that thou protest its use for violence, but…” she looked down at her hooves, “Think about thine consequences. About thine…”

By the time she looked back up, the Chaplain had already exited the house and was racing towards the shrine. His elderly joints protested his activity as he climbed the weathered stone stairs to his device. He was about to perform the procedures when a harsh voice cawed from behind him.

“So then, yer the Chaplain?” it growled.

He whipped around, sighting a fierce griffon. He was large, with his face painted blue. Across his back he tied a stone broadsword wrapped in leather around its hilt. Even from across the shrine, the Chaplain could smell the awful stench of blood and sweat on the brutish griffon.

“Aye, and I assume that thou be one of the barbarians?”

He was answered by the griffon spitting on the polished floor of the shrine.

“Well then. Your demands?” he asked, trembling as the griffon walked closer.

“I want yer shrine. If ya give it to me now, I won’t kill ya.” He bared his teeth, which were each sharpened to a ghastly point. Outside, the Chaplain could hear the faint cries of ponies and shouts of griffons. He eyed the pedestal, which rested just out of his reach.

“Thou can try. But I assure you, yon griffons shall be dealt with most severely.”

The griffon cawed harshly, “Is that a threat?”

“A promise.” The Chaplain retorted before jumping to the side, grasping the pedestal with both hooves. He had to time for precautions and simply directed the pure magical energy of the weather straight towards the brutish griffon. It crashed into his body, sending him flying out the entrance from its sheer force. With the threat out of commission, the Chaplain began channeling the Wendigo Shrine.

He had never tested its limits before, and chose to use this situation as proving grounds for the shrine. He conjured the magic into the surrounding mass of the mountain’s peaks. They rumbled and surged, spewing forth boulders and rocks in large landslides. It was quick, unexpected, and many griffons fell victim to the flood of rocks and dirt. Choosing a new approach, the Chaplain summoned a swath of black clouds into the sky.

Huge white chunks of hail flung themselves onto the earth below. Griffons ran to shelter themselves from the watermelon sized ice-chunks, and would be slaughtered by ponies waiting within cover. Griffons fell at an immeasurable speed, being taken victim by weapons and weather alike. The Chaplain conjured one last trick to finish off the griffons.

Thunder cracked the sky wide open, loosing thick lines of lightning onto the ground. They impacted houses, engulfing them in bright orange flames, and they impacted griffons, throwing them to the ground in smoking piles. Ponies watched in awe and horror as the devastating weather brought a swift end to the aggressors in a violent manner. They directed their eyes to the shrine, and could plainly see their Chaplain commanding the shrine from its pedestal.

And he was laughing.

Stallions of the 152nd Royal Canterlot Guard division raced through the mountain path, spears held forward with magic. They were led by two commanders; Commander Burnes, of the 58th division, and Commander Dale of the 94th division. The two spearheaded the charge, holding aloft mighty swords of gold and silver. Out of the mist ahead of them sprang forth the hordes of Reinerth’s mind controlled ponies. Turning to his regiment, Commander Burnes shouted to his ponies,

“Fear no darkness, colts!”

“And may the crown forgive us!” Commander Dale finished.

The charging stallions remained silent as they rushed forward into the electrically charged ponies. Their roaring, snarling faces quickly approached the line of sharpened spears. The impact tore through the air as they ran headlong into the wall of blades. The ponies wise enough to not run plunging into the spears stood back, waiting for an opening. This was when the commanders were able to shine.

They swung their swords savagely at the remaining ponies. Their furious blows impacted them squarely, and were able to bring them down without a problem. Blood coated their weapons as a shadow overcame them all. Without needing to look up, they knew it was the Onyx Corona, still pursuing Reinerth and Daring Do. A few ponies cheered at the airship as they were fighting, but most remained silent as they continued with the regrettable slaughter.

Jackhammer stood at the bow, using a telescope to try and spot Daring. They were flying above the layer of obscuring fog, which helped their speed but lowered any chance of finding the mare. Captain Mbarka shouted across the deck from his position at the wheel to Jack,

“Have you found her?”

Jack didn’t answer, knowing that the zebra probably knew the answer already. He scanned the roads, stopping only to examine the Wendigo Shrine that rested on the end of the path, nearly a mile ahead. His mouth went dry, and a lump formed in his throat. It was bigger than he thought, and didn’t even look operational. Over the years its roof had deteriorated and looked ready to collapse in on itself. Jack could clearly make out the structural weakness and cracking in the columns, even from his great distance.

Then he saw them; two black shapes slowly moving through the fog. Daring was moving slower than usual, and he could see that her wings lay loosely at her sides, a sign that she was tired and hurt. He waved his hoof in circles above his head, and pointed it a few degrees to the left. The ship shifted and leaned underneath him as it carefully corrected its course, heading straight for the Wendigo Shrine.

From behind Jack, the Captain of the Guard approached. He cleared his throat,

“Jackhammer, is it?” he asked.

Jack nodded his head without looking at the stallion. He kept his eyes focused on Daring through the telescope.

“Are you badly hurt? We’ve got a doctor on board, if you need one.”

Jack shook his head.

“Okay then. Have you found Daring Do?”

Jack handed the telescope to the Captain, and pointed his hoof through the fog. The Captain turned towards the direction he was pointing in and clearly saw them.

“I see them! They’re not far from the shrine…” That Captain stated, worriedly. “Do you think he’ll beat her there?”

“Doubtful.” Jack answered, trying to keep his words at a minimum, both from shyness and the stress of the situation.

Even without the telescope, Jack could see the shrine and the tiny black specks of his friend and the mad pony that had nearly killed him twice. But the Captain was right, Reinerth did seem to have a large lead on Daring, and was approaching the shrine at an uncomfortably fast speed. Lightning stained the clouds above them at increasingly frequent intervals.

“It looks bad down there.” The Captain said, becoming more intrigued at the far-off struggle. “Do you think she can handle it?”

Jack closed his eyes a moment, “I hope so.”

After the battle with the griffons, the ponies circled around the Chaplain, eyeing him with varying degrees of certainty. Standing before them was their fearless leader; one who had, not an hour before, detested the shrine’s use for warfare. Now he stood among the bloodied, charred remains of the griffons he had so coldly slain with the powerful weather. A sick smile still lingered on his face as he looked over the surviving members of his village.

“Beautifully well fought, my followers.” He stated before his comrades, most of which were covered in blood.

“Ch-Chaplain?” Brother Hail asked, stepping forward from the crowd, “Art thou feeling quite right? Thou complexion looks rather… sickly.”

Indeed, Tornado Wind’s face had become pale from lack of blood and over-consumption of magic. He hadn’t noticed, and in fact felt better than ever. The magic of the shrine still coursed through his body, seeming to rejuvenate his aching joints and pains. Pulling a hoof through his mane, he addressed the crowd again, ignoring Brother Hail’s concerns.

“Thine griffons thought they could take our shrine. Alas, they have been sorely mistaken. As thou can plainly see, thine shrine over yonder is capable of defending itself, and our entire hamlet.” He pointed his hooves around at the village. Aside from a few scorched roofs, and a single burnt-down house, the entire village was relatively untouched.

Unbeknownst to the Chaplain, the arid ground around the shrine had slowly grown in circumference during the shrine’s use. It crept along slowly, almost too slow for the naked eye to distinguish, and it killed everything in its path.

“We, under a new title, shall use the power of this shrine to bolster this new land’s defenses!” the Chaplain announced, “Griffons will no longer encroach unto our territory, nor will they threaten the sanctity of pony’s lives.”

“But… sir? Didn’t thou specifically state that yon shrine shan’t be used for warfare?” Brother Hail asked, still being the only one courageous enough to speak out.

“Aye, brother, I did. That was before, however, I learned of the shrine’s limits, and of the imminent threat of outsiders. We must be ready for when aggressors attempt to breach thine defenses of our beloved shrine.”

Ponies shook their heads, and a few let out gasps of surprise. Never before had the Chaplain acted so brash and immediate to resort to violence. Always being placid, and almost never starting a fight, the Chaplain was the furthest pony to have to resort to such options. But the fire in his eyes brought new life to his figure; something that chilled the spines of everypony.

A few ponies in the back of the group turned around a quietly trotted away to their homes, where they would pack their few belongings and head off to a new settlement; they would have no part in the despair that the Wendigo Shrine was sure to bring. Other ponies stood their ground, curious to see what had changed the Chaplain in just a few short moments.

“So… What art thou going to do now, Chaplain?” Brother Hail asked sullenly, with a hint of confusion.

“Follow me, my friend, and I shall explain to you my future plans.”

The Chaplain and Brother Hail walked down the dirt path side-by-side, leaving the crowd of ponies behind them. They pondered and theorized their leader’s behavior as they looked towards the shrine, which possessed an undertone of sinister nature to it.

Daring Do ran blindly toward Reinerth. She was swaying side to side as she ran as a result from the lack of blood to her head. But her target was right in front of her by no more than twenty feet. She could hear his rasped breathing as she slowly gained on him. His short tail was flying in the wind behind him and Daring could nearly grab it in her mouth, if she could manage to see straight for just a few seconds.

By mere circumstance, Reinerth’s tail brushed past Daring’s cheek. Acting more on reflex than on thought, Daring closed her mouth just in time to catch a bundle of hairs. She stopped her legs, letting her body fall to the ground, dragging the foreign pony with her. The sharp gravelly rocks were replaced by a fine grey dirt that when agitated threw up large clouds of obscuring dust. Out of this blinding cloud, Daring could see Reinerth’s dark shape, and his glowing eyes as he tried in vain to stand up.

Daring managed to get to her hooves before Reinerth could, and stood over her would-be prisoner. As the dust settled to the ground, Daring stood in awe at the sight before her. She was standing at the foot of a large stone staircase, at least a hundred steps tall, that lead to the dreaded Wendigo Shrine. It towered above her, far larger than she had ever imagined. The ‘old mare’s tale’ that was once talked about only as a myth stood before her, in full actuality.

Reinerth saw it too, and his struggling soon ceased. He lay on the ground, mouth agape, at his long sought after destination. His final step. His key to claiming the Equestrian throne. It all was in clear view, only a short walking distance away. He would have nearly forgotten about Daring Do, if he hadn’t felt the few drops of blood that landed on him from the pegasus that stood over him.

He frantically whipped his head around, looking for his fallen possession. As Daring Do continued to stare at the wonder in front of her, Reinerth was able to grasp the Thunder Stone in his hooves once more. He bared his teeth, some of which had been chipped, and growled to Daring Do,

“Nopony can stop me now!” he proclaimed before knocking Daring Do upside the head with the heavy gemstone. Smaller arcs of lightning were flung from its surface that, though not as bad as an actual lightning bolt, stunned Daring Do. She fell to the ground, raising another cloud of dust, and watched from her back as Reinerth slowly ascended the steps, obviously savoring his last moments before crowning himself emperor.

Daring rolled over and tried to stand. Her legs wobbled under her weight, but managed to take a few precious steps toward her goal. One step. Then two. And eventually five. Each step she took she could feel herself losing more and more energy. Her vision deteriorated, and her body began to feel warm. It crept up her tired legs, and down her aching back. She fought the tiredness, working as hard as she could to stay conscious. She shook her head, fighting the darkness that crept into the edge of her vision, and she gritted her teeth as each step she took became more painful.

Then she fell.

Jack had been watching everything from a telescope on the bow of the Onyx Corona. His heart raced as he watched the black Daring Do speck fall to the ground and remain motionless. He dropped the telescope on the ground and turned around, sprinting down the massive deck of the airship. Shouting as he went, Jack descended below deck.

“Prepare the sixteen-inch! Load the powder!” he commanded to the cannoneers below deck. They stared at him with confusion, but went ahead with his demands. They loaded a sixteen-inch circumference cannonball into a massive cannon located at the very front of the ship. It pointed straight at the Wendigo Shrine. As soon as it was loaded, Jack took it in his hooves and aimed.

The crosshairs lined up perfectly. Though the harsh winds called for some minor adjustments, Jack configured the wind’s speed and trajectory of the cannonball in his head, coming up with the nearly-precise angle at which to fire. Taking a blazing torch in his mouth, Jack lit the fuse. It burned down at a horrendously slow pace, almost slow enough to give Jack second thoughts. Then, in an ear-splitting explosion, the cannon released its payload straight towards the ancient structure.

Reinerth was halfway up the stairs when he heard the whistling of a cannonball. Without warning, one of the support columns to the Wendigo Shrine exploded outwards, falling down to the earth. It hit the ground in a tremendous thud, spewing debris and rocks into the air. Some rolled down the staircase, nearly flattening Reinerth as he continued to make his ascend, unmoved by the obstacles. The roof of the Wendigo Shrine buckled slightly from the lack of support, but remained firmly on top of the remaining columns.

Reinerth chuckled to himself as he stepped into the large circular room. Another cannonball whistled through the air before landing on the floor, shooting wide to the right of another column. He couldn’t believe the ponies; trying to destroy ancient history was wrong enough, but trying to destroy his tool of domination filled the foreign pony with a sense of joyful rage.

The pedestal stood before him, giving off a faint green mist. The Thunder Stone corresponded with it, glowing ever brighter the closer it got to the pedestal. Soon, the mist emitted from the pedestal intertwined with the Thunder Stone. It vibrated furiously as it was levitated out of Reinerth’s grasp. He watched in anxious wonder as if floated towards the pedestal, resting itself in the middle of its surface.

Inside, he was beaming. All his work, all his struggles, and all his losses ended here. He balanced on his hind legs, resting his front hooves on the pedestal. He was about to test the shrine when a third cannonball careened into the shrine, striking another column. It fell slowly, filling the air with the deafening noise of crumbling stone. Reinerth looked upwards, investigating the ceiling. Small stones descended from above him, and the ceiling seemed to sway overhead.

He whipped around towards the airship, which was approaching at a very fast speed. Its single forward cannon continued to fire, blasting holes in the Wendigo Shrine, and in Reinerth’s plan. He strained his mind, attempting to focus his thoughts into creating something powerful enough to bring down the floating behemoth.

The earth shook and rumbled. Around him, Reinerth watched some of the mountain peaks crumble apart and descend into the depths. Wide chasms split through the mountains, devouring large swaths of land. From the crevices, fountains of lava shot out skywards hundreds of feet. The ground continued to fall apart, soon leaving the area around the Wendigo Shrine on a single island of rock amidst the sea of lava-filled canyons.

Among the chaos, Reinerth cackled. Tornado funnels filled the sky, and lightning lighted the entire area in bright whiteness. Earthquakes rumbled endlessly, and massive hail descended from the pitch black clouds. Reinerth had done it.

Over the past few months, the Wendigo Shrine worked endlessly. Chaplain Tornado Winds was conjuring weather in far-away lands. Reports from their villages never made it back to the Chorda Mountains, so nopony knew what it was the Chaplain was creating. Some speculated he was destroying griffons with its powers, and others assumed that he had broken his mind and had begun attacking pony settlements.

Of the hundred ponies that once inhabited the village, fifteen remained, and only nine of which were actual members of the ‘Wendigo Guardians’. They weren’t sure why the Chaplain had named their organization that, as they didn’t seem to be doing any guarding. Words from the Chaplain had become scarce to the point of near nothingness, and he spent almost all of his time in the shrine, conjuring weather.

The area of death around the shrine had grown tenfold. It reached through their village and continued down the path. Everything around them was dead or dying. There was no more green; all the trees had turned grey long ago.

The few remaining ponies had gathered in Brother Hail’s house. They talked about the Chaplain’s condition, and how they should address it. Hail, who had been unanimously elected the group’s new leader, would be the pony to stop the Chaplain. He walked towards the shrine, leading the group of ponies to Tornado Winds. His heart raced as he climbed the stairs that another pony, several thousand years in the future, would also climb in his quest to end the world.

He gazed at his leader when he reached the top. Tornado Winds had his head held towards the ceiling, watching the magic swirl around. He had large bags under his eyes that held the only color in his otherwise completely pale face. His legs were gaunt, and the edges of his hooves were blackened and charred from overworking the magic. Brother Hail approached him,

“Chaplain! Cease yourself, we’re here to talk!”

The magical tension in the air broke, leaving the sound of the wind the only noise. Their former leader stared at them, his tired, glazed eyes cutting Brother Hail down in their vile gaze.

“Why hath everypony come? Be there a reason to this madness?” he asked, his voice dripping with venom. Brother Hail had become genuinely frightened of the Chaplain; he had never seen nor imagined his old friend to act like this.

“We’re here to stop you. Thou have been using thine shrine nonstop for months! We’re here to-“

“No!” he shouted, echoing through the open shrine, “You shan’t take this from me!”

The crowd cowered backwards, save for Hail who courageously took a step forwards.

“What art thou even doing? Art thou using thine shrine for war? Art thou using thine shrine for what thou sought to destroy in its creation?” he asked furiously.

“I am using it… for the sake of others.” He retorted, gaining a minute amount of control over himself. “There be threats over yonder that thou could hardly imagine. I’m using yon shrine to destroy them, before they destroy others.”

“What are these ‘threats’ thou speakest of?”

“Griffons!” he shouted again, raising his voice to an unnecessary volume, “Hydras! Manticores! Some ponies, even! Any who threaten the sanctity of thine subjects!”

“Subjects?!” Hail repeated in disbelief, “Who doth thou think thou art? Thou art a mere Chaplain! Thou create weather for good, not to destroy other ponies!”

“Thou think thou can control me?! I shall show thee, show thee all that I am not to be controlled!”

He reached back onto the pedestal, swirling magic around the area. It spun in wide berths sparking lightning everywhere it went. It zipped through in between the columns, whirling around in the open room. Hail, ignoring the potentially lethal magic, charged forth, crashing into Tornado Winds. He disconnected from the pedestal, leaving the lightning-charged clouds without command. They flew aimlessly throughout the shrine, spitting lightning in random directions.

Tornado Winds hit the floor hard, almost blacking out. Brother Hail stood above the frail body, which was too weak to provide a proper fight. Soon the Chaplain began to sob, and he quivered from fear and desolation. He looked towards his former followers and at his old friend, who stood above him with bared teeth. He shook his head, tears welling in his eyes.

“I… I…” he began, not sure how to say what he was thinking, “I… killed them…”

Brother Hail’s expression grew softer, becoming sorrier for the elderly pony. But his heart raced as the Chaplain continued his confession,

“Villages… swallowed in fire. Buried in earth. Drowned in waves. Entire towns just… gone! From me!” he continued in disbelief of his own actions, “The shrine… It… takes… Just, consumes…”

He babbled on a series of mindless thoughts, not even bothering to connect them with each other. Brother Hail took a few steps back, letting the Chaplain stand up. He continued to blather on as he slowly walked towards the staircase. A couple members of the crowd of ponies attempted to stop him from leaving, but gave up when Brother Hail took a position next to the Chaplain.

“Chaplain…?” he asked worriedly.

“I’m leaving, Hail… Somewhere far off, where I can pay for my sins in peace.” He explained out of breath. His thoughts had become sane enough to be understood, despite his voice wavering at an unbelievable level.

“And what of the shrine? Destroy it?”

The Chaplain turned to Hail, wide-eyed, “No… Destroying it would loose the magic upon the world. Find a way to render it useless without destroying it. Farewell.” He stated before turning his head forward and increasing his pace.

Brother Hail stopped walking, leaving the Chaplain to wander down the road alone. He watched him slowly fade into the grey fog before disappearing completely. It wouldn’t be the last time Hail saw his friend, but for the moment, Hail was sure that he would never see the Chaplain. A small colt approached Brother Hail with the pink mare following closely behind.

“Doth this mean that thou art the new Chaplain?” he asked innocently.

He looked into the young colt’s eyes, “Aye, son.” He said sadly.

The pink mare looked at him with worry in her eyes, “What should we do?”

Chaplain Hail raised his head to the crowd, who had assembled behind the colt and mare and were eagerly awaiting the new Chaplain’s orders. An idea formulated in Hail’s mind; an idea that wasn’t guaranteed to work, but was the most solid idea any of them had.

“Find me a gemstone.”

Rain pattered on Daring’s face as she lay on her back in the dust, unconscious. Inside her head she was dreaming. She soared through the bright blue sky, weaving in and out of puffy white clouds. The sun was warm and the wind was refreshing as it blew through her mane and over her young body. Her body wasn’t fully grown yet, in her dream-world, and she flew as if she were just a filly.

It was nothing but bliss. From every angle around her she could see brightness and happiness. The wondrous green of the fields stretched outwards for miles, creating a sea of soft, beckoning grass. Filly Daring’s flights began to die down as she slowly descended onto the bed of grass below her. A warmth rose within her as she touched her hooves down on the cool, damp ground.

She lay down in the dream world, letting the softness overtake her. Even for being a dream, she was exhausted. She let her head rest on her hooves as she curled up, readying herself for a much-needed sleep. She was just dozing off when a noise brought her attention back to the waking world, interrupting the peace of the surroundings. Filly Daring Do looked around her dream landscape, trying to find the source of the noise.

Leaping and bounding through the grass only a few yards away was an energetic light blue earth pony. He jumped up and down in front of Daring, wanting to play a game but not wanting to vocalize it. Reluctantly, Daring rose from her comfortable grass and trotted to the excited pony’s side. But as she approached him, he withdrew. He still beckoned Daring towards him, but never let her get within a few feet of him. Soon, he was trotting across the endless green fields, daring the young pegasus to chase him.

The two playfully bounded through the dream fields, their combined laughter filling the air with their joy. Filly Daring was having so much fun with this new colt that she hadn’t even noticed the darkening of the sky, or the chilling of the wind. The sky above her began to spit a tiny drizzle of rain, much to Daring’s ignorance. She only wanted to catch this blue pony, so that he might be able to have a turn chasing her. She figured that’s how this game worked.

But as the once green grass turned brown, and the sky shifted to a near black did Daring began to have second thoughts. The blue pony raced through the fields, not laughing anymore, but instead crying. His sobs echoed among the dying plains as he endlessly ran towards a dark horizon where shadows fell upon everything. Behind Daring were the cool refreshing fields of grass, under the eternal warming sun. She stopped running, and looked back, unsure of which way to go.

The blue pony stopped too and gazed at filly Daring with a look of worry. His eyes were red from tears, and his face had grown older and more haggard. He motioned a hoof towards the black without a shadow of his former playful self. Reluctantly, Daring took a few steps closer to the blue pony. Above her, thunder rolled and lightning split the sky as she continued to trek into the blackness. Shadows overtook her, forcing her to strain her eyes to see.

It took all of her strength and courage to march into this unforgiving land. It was dark, cold, and loud. In her peripheral vision, shapes twisted and moved through the shadows, but when Daring looked to their direction she saw nothing but dead grass. She was terrified, but pressed on, following the blue pony. He hadn’t stopped aging, and looked to be several years older. His medium length black mane whipped in the shrieking wind as he guided Daring Do to the edge.

It was utter blackness, and Daring could only see minute shapes of black moving in the void. Every so often a tiny spark of light would appear and illuminate basic shapes, but disappear in an instant. The blue pony stopped at the edge, where the thunder was the loudest, and the wind was at its wildest. He pointed a hoof towards the void, and Daring looked at it with terrified anxiety.

But the pony looked down at the filly with trusting eyes. Daring took a tentative step towards the shadows, wanting nothing more than to go back to her fields and sleep in the warm rays of the sun. Another step and tears began to soak her cheeks. Every step was torture to her and seemed to tear her up from the inside. Her hoof crossed over into the wall of black, and she felt the bitter cold winds on the other side. She moved it back and forth, feeling the scattered rocks and pebbles.

Suddenly it all became clear to her. Her heart raced and the tears ceased instantly. Her memories rushed back to her dream self in a torrent of reminiscence. She took one final look to her side at Jack, who smiled and nodded, before jumping straight into the black void and escaping the confines of her mind.

Daring Do took a shrieking gasp of air as she awoke at the foot of the Wendigo Shrine. Around her the air was filled with dust and dirt, and the depths of the earth were exposed in wide chasms, spewing forth molten magma. Cannon explosions rocked the air, followed shortly by the crumbling of stone. She rolled onto her hooves, surprised at how little pain she felt. Instead of taking this as a miracle, she took it as an omen. She knew how weak she was, and how much blood she lacked.

Slowly she climbed the stairs, being careful to not strain herself any more than she needed to while also going as fast as her body would allow. She could hear the racking cackles of former-Professor Reinerth as he commanded his long sought after shrine. The familiar lightning clashed across the black clouds. Before, they would have terrified Daring, but now they seemed to offer some comfort, in a strange way.

She climbed the ancient stairs, taking note of how old they were. Thousands of years ago, pegusi just like her took those exact same steps on a daily basis. And now Daring figured she would be one of the last. She reached the rotunda and faced Reinerth, who had his back turned to the mare. She cleared her throat and tasted blood. Ignoring this, she confronted Reinerth,

“Move, Reinerth! I’m done playing games!”

Reinerth craned his neck around, eyeing Daring Do with a fiery gaze.

“Thou want Us to move? Thou realize that thou have not been the first to say this to Us.” Reinerth retorted in a voice he didn’t own. This voice sounded over his original, shrieking voice, and sounded far older. Reinerth either didn’t seem to notice, or didn’t care, as he went on controlling the chaotic weather around him.

“Enlighten me.” Daring said towards the strange apparition before her.

“You see, Miss Do,” Reinerth began, talking in his original voice again, “You’ve lost. Just as I thought. Game over. Goodbye.”

“Game’s not over yet, Reinerth. I’m still standing!”

“Not for much longer. I have destroyed many score of griffons single-handedly, and thou are far punier than thine mongrels!” his other voice said.

“Who are you?” Daring asked the voice. Under different circumstances, that would have been a very outlandish thing to do.

“We are Chaplain Tornado Winds. Or… we were. Our original host hath not been upon this site for thousands of years. ‘Twas not until yon friend arrived that we had a chance to come back.” The voice of the Chaplain explained.

“So… You’re part of the shrine?” Daring asked.

“Correct. Since the creation of the Thunder Stone, and the disband of the Wendigo Guardian, I have dwelled within the confines of my device, waiting for a pony of great caliber to wield its power once again.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Daring said, feeling lightheaded again from lack of blood, “but in a few minutes your shrine won’t be standing.”

“Cease your blasphemous talk. Master Reinerth, strike yon mare down and continue your work!”

Reinerth chuckled as a cloud of lightning appeared in the sky. It swirled and directed itself towards Daring Do, who jumped out of the way just in time. Her stomach began to ache, and her limbs were cold as she landed on the hard stone floor of the shrine. Picking herself up off the floor, Daring ran towards Reinerth. Seconds before reaching him she lifted herself into the air, readying herself to come down onto Reinerth with all her weight.

She slowly descended onto Reinerth, hind legs extended towards his head.

Chaplain Hail stood inside the shrine for the last time, holding a large emerald in between his hooves. He placed it upon the channeling pedestal, and summoned as much magic as he could. Veins bulged from his neck and he felt the faintest trickle of blood oozing from his nose. His ears twitched uncontrollably as a massive misty cloud formed above his head. It swirled with untamed power, holding rain, hail, tornados and lightning all in one massive cluster of magic.

It slowly descended in a tight funnel in front of him, working its way into the emerald. It managed to take its energy, absorbing it into its semi-magical surface. Crackling with energy, the stone vibrated with such intensity that it nearly fell off the pedestal. Chaplain Hail strained his mind harder than ever to force the remaining energy of the shrine into the stone.

His legs buckled, breaking one of them along the tibia. He shouted in pain, sending his shrieks throughout the mountainous valley. Inside his head, his brain felt about ready to explode, and his eyes were growing sorer from the ordeal. Finally, he had to cut the magic off, leaving the minute amount of weather magic to float away into the mountains. Some of the misty cloud circled around the Wendigo Shrine, seeping in between the cracks of the stonework.

Chaplain Hail lay on the floor in front of the pedestal. Lying on the ground in front of him was the giant emerald, which now arced and crackled with infinite power. It held the rest of the Wendigo Shrine’s magic inside its luminescent surface. Hail’s tiny son ran into the shrine, kneeling down at the sight of his fallen father, who breathed heavily at his recent exertion of magic.

“Father! Thou have done it!” he shrieked, noticing the glowing green rock at his hooves.

Hail nodded, too weak and hurt to stand. He pushed the stone towards the colt.

“We’re done, son. The shrine is safe.”

“Art thou going to destroy it?” he asked, “Is it not safe now?”

Hail looked around at the roof above him. He gazed at the magnificent columns that lined its circumference. Slowly, he shook his head.

“Nay. This shrine shan’t be taken down. This shrine must stand as a testament to all ponies; a monument to the sins of the wicked. An eternal lesson of the power of corruption, and how even the purest of us can be claimed by its grasp.”

The splitting sound caused by Daring’s hooves on Reinerth’s skull broke the magical tension in the air. The two ponies went crashing onto the stone floor, sliding across its length. Around the shrine, the weather began to go out of control. Tornados barreled off of their original paths, and the exploding magma ceased its skyward flight. The Thunder Stone was out of either pony’s reach, seeming to mock them with its power.

“Kill her!” The wind seemed to shriek.

Reinerth quickly stood up and faced the mare. He had an advantage; he was more or less unharmed, and had most of his blood still inside of him. As for Daring, she was injured on almost every part of her body. The fight seemed to be incredibly one-sided.

A quick right hook connected with Daring’s jaw. The blow was sloppy, but still had enough force to make Daring stumble back. Reinerth advanced mercilessly, wailing his hooves left and right at the mare. Some landed on Daring, and many of those were merely glancing blows. But it was the intense flurry of his attacks that stood up against Daring. In her state there was almost no way she could react fast enough to counter Reinerth.

But she might not have to. She looked around the Wendigo Shrine, which seemed to sway on its few remaining support pillars. The roof had stopped buckling and was now precariously perched atop loose stone columns.

If I can just hold him off… Daring thought, trying to work out an escape route. The weather made flying almost suicidal, and escaping on hoof would be too slow. There had to be another way… Reinerth turned around and kicked Daring in the chest with both of his hind legs, sending her sprawling across the floor. She slid along the stones and knocked herself into the pedestal.

Widening her eyes, she formed a plan in her head. It might be dangerous, but it seemed to be the most logical course of action. Reinerth, seeing Daring’s intentions, attempted to sprint to the mare and knock her loose of the Thunder Stone, which she now held in her hooves. The air seemed to vibrate as Daring took control of the shrine for herself, trying to channel something strong enough to stop the crazed pony.

“Thou are not meant for this!” The wind howled again. Daring ignored the strange sounds and closed her eyes tightly. She had no idea how magic worked or how to control it, and resorted to simply clenching her eyes shut and concentrating. It seemed to work, for the most part, as a swift gust of wind blew through the shrine, ripping at Daring’s coat. If she had been wearing her jacket, she was sure that it would have been torn off by the force of the wind.

Reinerth was hit in the side by the wind and fell over before he could reach Daring Do at the pedestal. She saw his fumble and stepped up her magic a notch. Outside, the earth rumbled as the crevices expanded, working their way underneath the shrine’s base. She could feel the ground beneath her sway and move as the foundations began to shift. The shrine wouldn’t be able to withstand destabilization of that magnitude, and would soon crumble down atop the two ponies.

Jack sat in the cannon room below deck, continuing to bombard the shrine. He hadn’t bothered to look out the window; if he had he would have noticed Daring Do controlling the Wendigo Shrine. Instead, he ordered the cannons to fire another round. The tremendous report caused his ears to ring, and he watched the cannonball hurdle towards its target. From outside, he could hear the impact.

It struck the roof, opening a large hole in the top. Rocks and rubble rained down on Reinerth and the pegasus, intensifying their situation.

Collapsing rocks collided with the ground in a cascade of shrapnel and dust. Out of the corner of her eye, Daring could see a particularly large chunk of the roof land in front of Reinerth; blocking the path to her. He quickly zipped around it, taking precious seconds to do so. Daring used the shrine to summon an ice slick in front of the foreign pony, hoping to fell him.

But Reinerth had other plans. He wasn’t trying to get to Daring Do; he was just after the pedestal. Moving around the ice, Reinerth charged at the pedestal, taking it in his hooves. Now both ponies were in control of the shrine’s magic, attempting to tear it from one another. Daring felt the magic being pulled from the depths of her brain, and could see Reinerth feeling the same sensation. Neither pony let go of the pedestal, and continued to war each other mentally. The magical connection that now linked the two gave Daring a viewport into Reinerth’s mind.

It wasn’t as chaotic as she thought. Reinerth’s mind showed Daring a seemingly lavish life in Canterlot filled with riches, education and plenty of mares. Reinerth seemed to have a happy life there.

“Break her!” the wind shrieked, almost snapping Daring Do out of her ‘mind-reading’.

It wasn’t until Daring saw Reinerth’s expeditions that she caught a glimpse of motive in his plans. He was in Hayfrica, tending to a tiny zebra tribe. They were starved; skinny and miserable. He seemed to be promising them something as he left. But what? Help? Food? Both? Daring couldn’t figure it out. He was talking to an Equestrian guard, seeming to be pleading for something; but to no avail.

“Get into her mind, Master Reinerth!”

He seemed distraught, trying everything in his power to aid the zebra tribe. When the local soldiers paid no attention to Reinerth, he moved back to Canterlot. From there he asked the government about the poverty in the south and pleaded them to help. But they refused, carelessly tossing Reinerth out of their establishments. Nopony was listening.

“Destroy her from within!”

Daring could feel the tendrils of magic poking at her mind, but she didn’t want to disengage until she saw the end of Reinerth’s thoughts. She saw him back in Hayfrica, hiring militias to rebel against the local authority. He continued his insubordinate behavior throughout Equestria, trying to irk the government into helping the zebra tribes. But no help came.

Daring’s brain felt as if it was on fire, and she had to throw herself to the ground to escape the pain. The Wendigo Shrine’s magic disconnected the pony’s minds from each other, destroying the psychic link. Reinerth too looked to be in great pain as he held his hooves to his temples, gritting his teeth as he did so. He looked down at Daring Do through strained eyes.

“You have it backwards, Miss Do.” He stated with a low growl in his throat, “I’m not the bad pony here. You are.”

“I saw your memories! Do you think that destroying Equestria will help anypony?” Daring asked violently.

“It would help more than the sacking of temples and the looting of tombs!” Reinerth accused, “I saw what you do. You go into ancient burial sites and dig up artifacts! How is that helping anything?”

Daring was speechless, but thankfully Reinerth continued without giving Daring time to answer,

“If I ruled - if there was a ruler who cared - I could help the poorer ponies in the world! There would be no hunger. No starvation. I would-“

He was drowned out by the sound of another cannonball making its way through the shrine. It impacted another column, sending it crashing down. The roof was now held by seven of the ten original columns, and sagged under the lack of support.

“-perfection! Harmony, even! And there would be no more theft of sacred relics by the likes of you!”

Daring saw that the moral tables had turned. Reinerth had a point - even if his means were outrageously flawed - Daring was just a glorified thief. Sure, she had saved ponies before, but those actions were more of a side effect of her adventuring. She stared Reinerth in the eyes, still not speaking. He broke the silence as he took the Thunder Stone in his hooves and prepared another onslaught of weather.

“How do you help anypony?” he repeated, channeling weather into the sky.

Daring readied her hind legs.

“Like this…” she mumbled under her breath, locking her eyes on Reinerth. She sprang forward, kicking him to the ground. Using her precious energy, Daring delivered a quick kick to Reinerth’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Using the time she had just bought, she raced to the pedestal. Immediately after taking it in her hooves, the ground shook and trembled. The floor shifted sideways, and she could hear the columns losing their structural support.

The roof swayed, and eventually fell. It brought many of the columns down with it in a storm of stone. Daring raced to the exit, trying to escape the hundred-ton blanket of rocks that were descending onto her head. She had her exit in sight and raced towards it with all her remaining strength. She felt herself glide along the floor, and felt herself stumble among her hooves and fall face-first into the stony floor.

Behind her, Reinerth had wrapped his hooves around her legs, screaming incoherently as he did so. His sounds were covered up by the collapsing of stone. It landed around Daring and Reinerth in an endless, earsplitting roar. Daring felt the shrine sliding into one of the gaping chasms, sending loose stones scattering across the angled floor.

A fierce light shone from the center of the shrine as the pedestal dislodged itself from the rest of the structure. The Thunder Stone rolled off its base, and was sent cascading across the floor. Daring could feel herself begin to slide down the angled floor, taking Reinerth with her.

The ceiling had completely fallen, leaving the floor a broken pile of uneven stone. But, even though the ceiling and initial collapse had stopped, the entire shrine continued to slowly slide into canyon filled with lava. Daring had grabbed onto one of the heavier stones that remained stationary on the tilted floor. Reinerth still clung to her hooves, intent on survival. He looked around, tears in his eyes as he mumbled something too quiet for Daring’s ears to pick up.

Slowly, she began to lose her grasp. Reinerth was heavy, and Daring was too weak to hold on with all the extra weight.

“Please! Please don’t let go, Miss Do!” he pleaded, staring at her through tear-filled eyes. But her hoof scraped along the surface of the stone and the plummeted down into the fiery magma below. The shrine followed in a rain of debris. The once cherished structure that had been capable of the expansion and sanctity of Equestria was now destroyed, and would soon melt away in the intense heat of the earth.

The two ponies were directly over the magma pit and falling fast. Daring flapped her wings as hard as her body would let her, and only managed to slow her descent, but they continued to fall to their imminent deaths. Cliffs rose from either side of the lake of lava, and went straight up to the surface of the Chorda Mountains. She aimed her wings toward the cliff-face, trying to guide her descent into the rocky surface.

They were slowly getting closer to the cliff’s surface, but Daring was unsure if they would make it. From her trajectory, she was sure that she would land in the lava just before she would reach the cliff. It would be close. They were a few dozen feet above the lava when Reinerth reached his hoof out and scraped the surface of the cliff. He caught a threshold, and hung on with all his might. The intense heat of the lava rose into them, nearly burning them with its hot air. But they were safely nestled in the side of the cliff, away from the burning magma. From their little overhanging rock on the side of the cliff, Reinerth turned to Daring Do, a sinister smile on his face.

“Danke, Miss Do.” He said, bowing his head slightly.

Daring Do said nothing, and fell backwards onto the ground. She lay motionless on the rocks, catching her breath. Reinerth looked away towards the raining stone. It splashed into the magma, sending waves of molten rock over the lake. He felt saddened by his defeat, but it was overshadowed by the new sensation of superiority. Daring was weak.

“You know, there are other ways to achieve my goal. The Wendigo Shrine was the least of them.” He explained to the tired mare.

She looked up, meeting his gaze again, “You… can’t be… serious.” She replied out of breath, “There’s… no escape… For either… of us.”

He chuckled as he loomed over Daring Do. His shadow blocked the light of the lava as he placed a hoof on Daring’s chest and applied pressure.

“I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of dying. Within minutes, my minions shall provide me with my escape. Feel free to die if you like, Miss Do, I won’t stop you.”

He looked skywards at the falling debris, which had all but ceased. Only tiny stones fell from the sky into the sea of lava. Then he saw it. The powerful stone looked like a tiny green speck from the distance above him, and was mere happenstance that he managed to spot it. It tumbled down towards the lava, falling slower than most of the other stones. It stayed along the face of the cliff, bouncing against its surface as it hurdled toward him. He smiled treacherously as the Thunder Stone landed on the ground just twenty feet from him.

Daring Do saw it too, and tried to get up. It teetered on the edge of the overhanging rock, almost about to fall into the lava that bubbled several feet below them. She tried to run, but her energy was weak. It became harder for her to breath, both from exhaustion and the heat of the air. There was no way she would beat Reinerth to the Thunder Stone, and merely stood back as he took the gemstone in his hooves.

“See, Miss Do? The Wendigo Shrine is expendable as long as I have the Thunder Stone. Sure, it’s not as strong, but that doesn’t matter.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Daring said weakly, “You’ll always be the bloodthirsty pony you are, no matter what you do. There’s no changing that.”

Reinerth snarled and held the stone forward. Daring flinched back, ready to receive the final face-full of lightning, but was relived then the air didn’t ignite. She peered through one slightly-clenched eye at Reinerth, who stared dumbstruck into the sky. The stone in his hooves gave off no light, and looked far murkier than it had before. A smile crept its way onto Daring’s face as she realized the uselessness of the stone.

Reinerth swore and threw the stone away, now intent on dispatching the pesky mare with his own hooves. He dove at her, hoof-first, and aimed for the throat. He was moving almost too fast for Daring to register it, and easily collided with her. They smashed into the ground, feeling the intense heat rising from the rocks beneath them. Reinerth sat on top of Daring Do, crushing her windpipe with his front hooves. Daring’s gasps for air were the only sounds heard for an uncomfortable amount of time, until she mustered enough strength to smack Reinerth across the face with one of her bloodied hooves.

It impacted him solidly in the side of the head, dazing him and forcing him off of Daring. Rolling over, Daring raised herself to her legs just in time to catch another tackle by the foreign pony. He held back no rage this time, and forced Daring across the coarse ground to the edge of the overhand, where the boiling lava waited patiently below. He grinned as he slid the mare closer and closer over the edge. Soon, half her back was hanging above the lava.

The rising heat hurt her head, and she craned her neck around to see the doom waiting below her. The intense orange heat of the magma gave new incentive to Daring, who fought back ferociously. She thrashed about, throwing her hooves in wild directions in an attempt to hit something. Her hooves simply grazed Reinerth’s coat harmlessly. Occasionally she would make a forceful contact, and hear the satisfying whump of the impact, but it didn’t help. She slowly continued to slide above the lava.

She could feel her hips reaching the edge of the overhang, and knew that her weight was positioned so poorly that there would be no way to pull herself back up. Then, another idea raced across her mind in an instant, almost too fast to even analyze in time.

She went limp, almost falling over the overhang. Reinerth, who was now holding Daring by her back hooves, obviously enjoying the near-torture, was caught off guard and stumbled forward. He caught himself just in time, and now peered over the edge of the rocks and stared at Daring Do. He cackled and roared down at Daring,

“You disappoint me! I expected more!”

Daring felt this was the best time to strike. She kicked her back legs up, connecting with Reinerth’s backside. He stumbled again, lost his balance, and fell over the edge, soon followed by Daring Do. She stared down at Reinerth, who plummeted towards the blazing magma, screaming horrifically as he went. Daring’s wings sprang open with harsh pain, and she slowly began to glide over the lava; the intense heat allowing her to rise into the air without flapping her wings too hard.

The last sight Daring caught of Reinerth was his flailing body as it impacted the searing magma. His screams were cut off immediately as he came into contact with it, and slowly sank below its waves. He showed no sign of horror, and his gruesome death was as painless as possible under their current conditions. Within seconds, the madman of Equestria, the pony who would have killed millions to save hundreds, was dead. Daring slowly rose back to the overhang, where she collapsed onto the hard ground with a thud.

She closed her eyes, and her heart rate slowed back to normal. Her mind’s thoughts were eased as the mental checklist crossed itself off. Everything had returned back to zero. The Wendigo Shrine was destroyed and posed no threat to Equestria, nor did the late Professor Reinerth. Finally feeling accomplished, Daring Do closed her eyes to rest a moment.

Still, even after the immediate threats were gone, Daring’s mind soon filled with other possible dangers.

Was Sunny okay?

What happened to Kuwinda?

Is the Thunder Stone going to be a problem?

What if-

Daring shook the thoughts from her head. She emptied her mind, allowing it to be overcome with simple nothingness. She knew what was happening, and wanted her last thought to be something nice, instead of frantic worry. Slowly, a shape appeared in the blackness of Daring’s mind and formed together into a blue blob. Eventually, the shape took a sharper form, and in her mind she could clearly see Jack, standing in a sunny field of green. She could almost feel the warm sun’s rays on her coat as she lay on the ground. Grass tickled her hooves and face as her mind drifted off.

She let out a deep breath as the shadow of the Onyx Corona enveloped her.

Epilogue

Nopony ever knew about the dangers that were nearly present to them. Two days after Reinerth’s death and the destruction of the Wendigo Shrine, the Grand Galloping Gala took place in Canterlot just as it would have under any regular conditions. Ponies from all across the land went about their lives, ignorant to the apocalypse that could easily have risen. And they had no idea the costs that went into saving their lives.

Aboard the Onyx Corona, which slowly soared across the green fields surrounding Canterlot, Daring Do lay in a musty bed below deck. Sunny lay in the bed next to her, soaking its blankets and pillows with tears. Jack contributed his share occasionally, but mostly kept his emotions hidden from everypony. The doctor, who was able to procure Daring Do from aside the lake of lava, treated the pegasus’ wounds. He patched up her cuts and gashes, and even managed to pump some new blood into Daring’s veins. Still, she remained unresponsive.

Three more days past. It was nearly a week after Reinerth was defeated, and Daring Do, Jack and Sunny had made it to Canterlot. Their situation never changed though; they would sit by Daring’s bed in the hospital as she lay there in a comatose state. Ten days after they rescued Daring, on a warm sunny day, Daring Do finally opened her eyes. Sunny was asleep in the adjacent bed, and Jack was sitting in a chair next to Daring Do, staring at the wall.

“Jack?” Daring tried to say. Her vocalization only came out as a mixture of grunts and mumbles from her dry throat.

Jack nearly fell out of his chair at the sudden noise. He whipped his head around to face Daring, leaving several strands of unkempt hair hanging in his face. He beamed, and moved his mouth in an attempt to speak, but no noise came out. After a few frantic seconds of trying to talk, he gave up and threw his hooves around Daring Do. She returned his hug, weakly and looked towards Sunny.

Jack followed her gaze, and made his way towards the young unicorn. He gently shook her awake, and as she began to detest, her eyes landed on Daring Do. She didn’t react nearly as excited as Jack had, and simply continued to lay on the bed. She waved a hoof at Daring Do with exhausted relief before letting her head fall back to the pillow, a warm smile across her face.

It took Daring just a few days to recover, which surprised everypony; even Jack, who had known of Daring’s resilience before. Within two weeks she was able to run, fly and play with Sunny without end. She visited the museum, and explained the Wendigo Shrine to the curator, neglecting to mention anything about Professor Reinerth. Though hesitant to believe her at first, the museum finally acknowledged the discovery of the legendary shrine, but were crushed as they learned of its destruction. And for the first time since Daring had met him, Jack seemed fine with destroying ancient relics.

Newly deemed ‘Royal Captain Mbarka’ had already left Canterlot on his new airship, and was travelling across Equestria with a Canterlot Royal Guard regiment. Royalty had granted him The Onyx Corona, in return for servitude as a Captain. He flew the 152nd Royal Canterlot division across the land, searching for threats throughout Equestria. He had left after leaving Daring, Jack and Sunny in Canterlot, and for all he knew, Daring was dead.

After their initial ecstasy had ended, Daring, Jack and Sunny all settled down in Daring’s small house for awhile. She spent most of her time there, playing games with Sunny or reading books with Jack. Without constant threat to their lives, Jack and Daring were able to catch up, and rekindle their old relationship. Sunny was able to finally get to know Daring on a personal level, having time to just sit and talk with her for a while.

Then, on a cloudy day, as Sunny was napping in the corner, Jack came to Daring Do. In his saddlebags he had a few scrolls, and he clenched a dusty tome in his mouth. Setting it down in front of Daring, he asked her,

“Ready for an adventure?”

She didn’t answer, and stared down at a hoof-drawn map of some coastal area in Equestria that Jack had produced from the dusty book. Along the coast were several towns, which sounded only vaguely familiar to her. They bordered an ocean, which Jack had drawn lines and charts through, all leading to a single spot. At their junction, Jack had drawn a crude picture of a wrecked boat.

Daring knew what it was, but still raised her eyebrow to Jack in suspicion. He nodded excitedly.

“I think I found it, Daring.” He said as he beamed. “Nopony else has ever found the wreck before. We’d be the first.”

Daring stood from her spot, and walked to her desk. Picking up her pith helmet and placing it on her mane, she turned to Jack.

“What are we waiting for, then?”

Author's Notes: So it's done. My first story on FimFiction! I feel it was a little rushed at the ending, and continuity may have faltered a wee bit, but overall I think it's pretty good. Now begins the arduous task of editing before I submit it to Equestria Daily. And yes, there'll be a second one, eventually. Check back in a month-ish time or so.

Chapter Six - The Thunder Stone

Low light shone through the open window as the orange sun set in the skies of Istanfoal. Outside of the safe house, guards scoured the city searching for the elusive mare.

Sitting around a low table, Daring Do, Sunny and Captain Mbarka discussed their plans. Sunny and Daring had tended to their wounds and bathed, washing themselves of the blood that covered their coats. Sunny’s leg had been broken in the ordeal, and now lay in a tidy splint and propped up on a few pillows. She was sleeping rather soundly, exhausted from the past few hours.

Daring Do leaned back, resting her head against the wall behind her, “So where were you during all this?” she asked in Mbarka’s direction.

He raised his head in a snap, “I was in the hospital. I got some rest, they gave me some food. It was alright.” He looked towards the dozing unicorn, “I take it you two didn’t enjoy your stay as much as I did.”

Daring Do needlessly shook her head. The door opened slowly, and the red-hooded pegasus poked his head in. He looked around at the refreshed crew and smiled politely. Daring, seeing that she hadn’t been properly introduced, stood and bowed her head to the newcomer.

“Hello. We all thank you very much for your hospitality. If there is any way we could repay you, just let us know. My name is-“

“Daring Do.” He interrupted as gently as he could. “Everypony knows who you are. My name is Brother Hail, I’m a member of the-“

“Brother!” shouted a more stern voice from behind him. Through the door, a larger robed pegasus walked through. He wore similar red robes, but far more extravagant. His hood was lowered, revealing a thinning grey windswept mane on top of his pale yellow head. “Mind yourself,” he said in a sage-like voice. “This is not the place for such talk.”

Brother Hail lowered his head, “Yes, Father.” Turning to the trio he explained, “This is Chaplain Hurricane Winds, our chapter leader.”

Daring Do and Mbarka simultaneously bowed before the Chaplain as he took a seat at the low table. He reached beneath his robes and pulled forth a crumpled map.

“Now, Miss Daring Do, we know all about the threats approaching from the Wendigo Shrine. I trust that you know the legends?”

Daring Do nodded. She had known that spending twelve hours reading through storybooks would pay off. The Chaplain cleared his throat through a series of coughs and wheezes and continued,

“Well then, let me begin. For two and a half thousand years, our chapter has protected the Thunder Stone’s location. Chaplain Tornado Winds, the founder of the Wendigo Shrine and my ancestor, was banished from his lands. He regretted everything he had done with the Wendigo Shrine, and vowed for it to never happen again. Before his death, he arranged a small group of pegasus followers to guard it’s burial site with their lives. Since then, we’ve used Istanfoal as a-“

“Hold on one minute!” Mbarka chimed in, “Istanfoal hasn’t been around for two and a half thousand years. That’s older than Canterlot!”

“You’re right, it hasn’t. For the longest time, this area was uninhabitable, so our chapter organized in underground caverns and tombs in the region. It wasn’t until the last millennia that we used Istanfoal as our staging point.”

“How many people come looking for the Thunder Stone?” asked the small voice from across the table. Sunny was awake now, barely, and listened with increased interest.

“Until now, no more than one hundred in the past two millennia. But, given recent events, that number has risen dramatically with all the excavators being hired to dig up our tombs. We’ve worked hard to stop them before and we won’t be dissuaded by these newcomers.”

Brother Hail bounded over and whispered into the Chaplain’s ear. The elder pegasus’ face went to stone as he stood up with a start. “We’ve been found; we have to leave.” He looked to Sunny, “Are you alright to walk, young one?”

She stood up, with difficulty, and walked a few clumsy paces, proving her worth. She smiled shyly at the group. Daring Do trotted over and lowered herself onto her knees, inviting Sunny to hitch a ride on her back yet again. The Chaplain watched as they small unicorn clambered onto Daring’s back, getting her grip by wrapping her hooves delicately around Daring’s neck.

“Alright then,” Mbarka said, heading for the door, “Let’s get the hay out of here.”

Jack awoke with a throbbing pain in his head. His vision was blurry, and his hearing was dulled. He moved his head from side to side, trying to shake away the side effects, but without any progress. He attempted to move his legs, but found them tied to something. He focused his mind into his surroundings. Where was he? He was… in a chair. Tied to a chair, to be exact.

In front of him, a blurry shape moved into view. He said something, but the words were lost in Jack’s ringing ears. Soon, the shape moved from view, and Jack felt himself being carried. Bright light bombarded his eyes and the icy chill of the wind whipped at his face. His vision became clearer, and he saw the heavy snows of a blizzard from outside Reinerth’s wagon.
He was pulled back in, now able to see and hear much clearer. In front of him, Reinerth stood. He looked much more collected than earlier, and appeared rather regretful when he looked at Jack.

“Ah, you’re awake.” He said blissfully, “I’m sorry about the ropes, but it’s necessary.”

Jack looked down. His arms and legs were secured tightly to the chair; restricting any movement, save for his head. He tried to speak, but his words came out as babbles.

“I knew I hit you too hard… You see, Herr Chan, I-” He stopped, mid-sentence and corrected himself. “Jack. Herr Jack. I apologize, I’m used to Chan. But you see, I tried to kill you, ja. That much is clear. But, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to bury this knife in you.” He held up an ornate gold sword with tassels on the end.

Jack tilted his head ‘why’.

“You shared my interest in the Wendigo Shrine! You might not have wanted to rule Equestria with it, but you loved the idea of it. That’s something nopony on this expedition has. I didn’t want to kill the only pony that was like me.”

Jack furrowed his brow and bared his teeth. ‘I am not like you’ his expression read.

“Maybe not.” Reinerth leaned in uncomfortably close, “But soon you will be. You see, power has a way of doing that. Even the most humble of ponies can turn bloodthirsty, and attain a lust for greatness if he’s given the right amount of power. I want to know how much power it takes for you, Jack.”

Reinerth’s prisoner turned his eyes away and stared at the ground, trying to get the foreign pony to shut up. But he continued talking,

“That’s why I’m keeping you alive until we reach the shrine. And I’ll demonstrate to you, firsthand, the unlimited power that I shall soon possess. And I’ll offer you an ultimatum.”

Jack raised his eyebrow, still refusing to look Reinerth in the face.

“I’ll set you free, unharmed and open to live wherever you please without any threat. But in return, I want you to destroy Canterlot. Simple as that.”

“You’re sick.” Jack managed to spit out, with indignation.

Reinerth simply chuckled as he turned around. He sat at his desk with his back turned to Jack.

“You might not be so resentful towards my offer when you hear the other half.” He turned his head around, staring Jack down from his desk. He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. Jack knew what would happen should he refuse the offer.

The group of ponies moved quickly through the bare streets of the private district of Istanfoal. Chaplain Hurricane Winds led the pack, running savagely through the winding avenues. They all knew that if they were spotted or caught by the guards, they would be killed on the spot. Not like that changes much... Daring thought.

The Chaplain was taking the group to one of their underground safe houses on the other side of the city. From there, he explained how they would disguise themselves as a dig crew, and sneak out to the Tomb of Osman outside the city where they would find the Thunder Stone. But at the moment, their only priority was evading the guards long enough to get into hiding again.

Brother Hail slowed kept pace with Daring Do; running alongside her at all times explaining things about the Thunder Stone and how to get it.

“I trust that you’ve dealt with traps before?” he asked breathlessly as they turned yet another corner. This was an easy question for Daring Do. Half her job involved traps. She recollected that, in a single temple, she had nearly been shot by darts, hacked by axes, crushed by rocks, fallen down trapdoors, burnt by fire jets, asphyxiated by toxic fumes, and narrowly missed a mauling by a pack of deadly crocodiles.

“I’ve seen my share of traps, yeah.”

“Cool! What kinds?” Asked Sunny, returning to her lighthearted demeanor.

“Well, the Thunder Stone is protected by a multitude of traps.” Continued Hail, ignoring the young filly’s excitement, “I’m not high ranking enough to know the details, but I can at least give you the layout of the tomb.”

Before Hail could get too in depth with his explanation, the group emerged in a large crowd of ponies. They were moving slower as the sun set on the horizon. They easily assimilated into the crowd, blending in with the diverse ponies. Brother Hail pushed his way past a couple of unicorns and returned to Daring’s side.

“The first room you enter is filled with trapdoors. There’s no telling which of them are stable and which lead to your death. So… be careful. The next room is going to-“A burly earth pony barged his way in between the conversing two, splitting the conversation. Daring craned her neck over the pony and strained her ears, trying to pick up what Brother Hail was saying.

By the time the big pony moved, Hail had moved on with his explanation. “And so that’s the second room. The third room, right before the actual Thunder Stone room, there is going to be jets of fire. A lot of them. I actually have no idea how to get past those, but I’m sure you can find a way.”

Sunny leaned in closer to Daring Do’s ear and whispered, “Some help he is. I mean, he just-“

“Brother Hail!” shouted the commanding voice of the Chaplain.

The trio turned to face the Chaplain and Mbarka, patiently waiting at the entrance of a nearby building. He motioned his hoof for them to hurry, and by the time they finally arrived at the entrance, the Chaplain had already left them and gone inside. They quickly followed the impatient pegasus into a large, open roofed building, filled wall to wall with assorted crates. The setting sun dimmed the light inside, making it difficult to see the wall on the far end of the building, but that wasn’t important. Daring spotted Hurricane Winds opening a compartment in the floor behind a stack of crates.

Slowly, they filed down one by one into a dark corridor. When they were all down, the door shut, leaving them in complete darkness.

“Alright everypony. This passage moves in a single direction, just walk along the wall and we’ll get to where we’re going.” Hurricane Winds explained as he slowly began to scoot along the wall.

“I sure wish we had some light…” complained Mbarka shortly after he had tripped over his hooves.

“Hang on, Cap’n! I got just the thing.” Sunny pipped. She focused, and soon her horn began to give off soft silver light. Within time the glow intensified, and grew bright enough to light the corridor in front of them.

“That’s better, kid. Thanks.” Daring Do turned to the Chaplain in front of her, “How long is this passage?”

“Twelve miles.” He grunted contentedly.

Mbarka and Sunny simultaneously groaned. Daring Do could have sworn that she heard the Chaplain chuckle underneath his breath.

Jack was dozing in the back of Reinerth’s wagon. At his desk, the foreign pony was studying charts and maps with great interest. He hadn’t slept since the trek began, and was so close to his goal that he could almost taste it. And with Daring Do dead and out of the picture, the only thing standing in his way was the Thunder Stone. Once he acquired the key, all of Equestria would kneel to his might.

Suddenly, the door to the carriage swung open, letting in the increasingly cold winds. Kuwinda stepped inside, shaking himself of the cold and waking up Jack in the process.

“Misteh Reinerth. We be ready ta move again.” He growled.

“Gut. Carry on.” Reinerth waved a hoof to his servant without turning from his work.

“Dere’s also this note.” He waved a note in between his teeth. “From Istanfoal.”

“Probably just a follow-up on the Daring Do execution. I wish I had been there to see it… Schade.” He sighed. Gingerly taking the note, he unfolded it on his desk and adjusted his spectacles to read.

Dear Prof. Reinerth,

I apologize for the informalities. That blasted Daring Do has escaped, and bested a score of my best guards! I fear that she is in league with a local vigilante group that has been working to secure the Thunder Stone for years. I will inform the guards and workers to take a note of Daring Do. I will not let you down again, Prof. Reinerth.

-Governor Murad of Istanfoal.

Reinerth sat, staring at the note with a face void of emotion. Ten full seconds passed. Then thirty. Then sixty. When he finally looked up, both Jack and Kuwinda were staring at him with wide, round eyes. He put on a fake grin and shakily said,

“Just as I thought! Executed within the hour.” He shifted his head to the side, motioning for Kuwinda to join him. He leaned close to his zebra companion and whispered harshly,

“Take the fastest chariot we have. I want you to take that filth there to Istanfoal. Trade his life for the Thunder Stone. No doubt Daring Do will have it by then…”

“I thought ya said she’d be dead?” he asked.

“That dummkopf governor in Istanfoal let her escape! The point is, I want you to find her in Istanfoal and trade Jack for the Thunder Stone.”

Kuwinda nodded slowly, “And what about my brothah?” he asked.

“What?”

“My brothah, Mbarka. He’s with the Daring Do mare. Did ya want anythin’ from him?”

Reinerth shook his head, "He's all yours. I just want that verdammt stein!" he shouted. Jack raised his eyebrows at the pony, who returned his gesture with a false smile. “Go, Kuwinda. Remember your debt.”

The zebra shrugged crossly and walked to Jack’s chair. He took the back of the chair in his teeth and dragged it unsympathetically outside. Jack struggled to keep his eyes open in the blinding wind, which howled wildly through the mountainous path. They had moved further up into the mountains, where low clouds obscured everything. It would be the perfect chance for him to escape, given the opportunity.

Kuwinda continued to drag the restrained Jack towards the back of the convoy. Ponies huddled together in their caravans, clinging to warmth. Some had taken apart unnecessary commodities and lit them ablaze, creating small campfires at irregular intervals. The entire nature of the crew was dismal, and some looked as if mutiny was on their minds. Few ponies looked at Jack, and the ones who did quickly looked away.

“They looked up to ya.” Kuwinda said slowly, seeming to have read what was on Jack’s mind. “They respected ya. You were their one link to da boss, and now ya be a traitor. They be thinkin’ I’m takin’ ya ta be killed.”

“Great.” Jack said calmly. “But let’s get one thing straight; you’re not going to kill me?”

“With luck, no. I’m takin’ ya to Istanfoal. Now shut up.”

“Fine by me.” Jack surrendered. They had reached the end of the convoy, where a few bearded ponies could be seen through the cloudy fog. Small lights of magic would momentarily break through the haze, lighting up their faces, but only for a moment. They went past them, around to their wagon.

Attached to the side of their large wagon were two small carts. They were sleek, with only two wheels and looked just large enough to fit one pony, maybe two if they were packed together. Kuwinda dropped Jack in the snow and worked unfastening one of the chariots. With a crash, the chariot fell to the ground.

“Get on.” Kuwinda commanded, fastening himself to the front of the vehicle.

Jack complied, he might as well. He didn’t have many choices at the moment. He could either risk it with Reinerth, who would probably kill him when he refused to destroy Canterlot. He could try and run off into the mountains, but he would die alone in the cold. Or he could stick with the zebra, and probably die somehow.

“Not the best odds.” Jack thought aloud as he settled into the chariot. With a jumpy start, the chariot shot down the mountainside, throwing safety to the wind. Kuwinda’s powerful legs propelled them down rocky slopes at tremendous speeds. Wind whipped at Jack’s eyes, filling his eyes with water and his ears with rough noise. Clouds became lighter, and eventually they emerged beneath the layer, into full view of the mountain range.

Around them, scores of rocky, craggy peaks soared. Many of them reached into the clouds, obscuring their snow-tipped points. Below them Jack could see tiny rivers and fields that were at least a mile beneath them. Far away, the black smog and pollution of Stalliongrad stood out like a scar on the horizon. Further from that, the pale-blue mountains of Canterlot could be seen hundreds of miles away.

“And after that, Istanfoal. Even further.” Jack said quietly. “How long is it going to take to get to Istanfoal?” He shouted over the wind at Kuwinda.

“Day and a half, if ya don’t keep distractin’ me!” He replied, only mildly winded.

Day and a half… We’ll be there on Thursday. If Daring Do was in Istanfoal on Monday, there’s no way it’ll take her that long to find the Thunder Stone. Jack thought to himself, staring into the orange sunset.

Daring Do emerged from the tunnel first, bathing herself in the orange glow of the desert sunset. Behind her, Chaplain Hurricane Winds exited, followed shortly by Mbarka who carried Sunny on his back. Brother Hail was the last to exit. The group sat outside the tunnel’s exit, gazing at the expanse of sand in front of them. They left Istanfoal a few miles behind them, and were now placed at the edge of the Sahoofa Desert.

“Follow me.” The Chaplain tiredly said. He trudged along, leaving long trailing tracks behind him. The entire group was tired, but they couldn’t afford to rest. Their plan would only work if Daring Do could get into the tomb with a group of excavators, who would leave in just a few hours.

“We still have a way to go, let’s pick up the pace.” Daring suggested impatiently. She was itching to do some adventuring, despite everypony’s best efforts to deter her via torture and beatings. She naturally increased her speed to a light trot, advancing ahead of the others. She reached the top of a large dune and stared down at the scene below with disbelief.

Mbarka joined her side, and stood next to her. His mouth dropped open, followed shortly by Sunny’s. The two additional ponies joined there side and looked below, remaining stalwart as always.

“They’ve always been there.” The Chaplain said. “As I’ve said; many ponies have been looking for the Thunder Stone. These are no exception.”

Down the slope of sand, less than two-hundred yards away, close to a thousand ponies were frantically working in large pits. Trenches and holes were dug systematically in the sand, filled with ponies wielding shovels and hammers. On the far end of the site was a large sandstone structure covered in guards. It stood out from the site, a gargantuan presence in the flat expanse.

“How am I supposed to get in?” Asked Daring Do, dumbfounded.

“Simple!” The Chaplain responded lightheartedly. “All we need to do is put you in with a group of excavators. They’ll move into the tomb, past the guards, and split up among the passageways. From there, just use this map to find the Thunder Stone’s reliquary.” He handed Daring Do a dirty rolled up parchment, stained with dirt and grime.

“Just remember what I told you about the traps and you’ll be fine!” Hail chimed in. “Now, follow me. We’ll get you some slave clothing so you’ll blend in.”

Brother Hail slid down the dune, hiding behind a tent when he reached the bottom. Daring hesitated, shifting her eyes to Sunny and Mbarka.

“Don’t worry about us, Daring!” Sunny said. “We’ll be fine. I’ll wait for you to come back with that stone!”

“Me too.” Mbarka added, “Just be careful.”

Daring Do nodded, not wanting to drag out the goodbyes. She turned and slid down the slope to meet up with Brother Hail. At the bottom, the site seemed far larger. They hid behind a tent where their presence was unknown to anypony. Brother Hail lifted up the bottom of the tent slightly and peeked underneath it.

“There’s nopony in there! Quick, jump in and get the robes.”

Daring Do slid underneath the tent with ease. She got to her hooves on the other side and quickly scanned the tent. There were at least thirty cots in the little tent, and all of them were filthy. In one corner, a pile of rags and robes were carelessly thrown about. Grabbing the first one she saw, Daring made a quick escape back to Hail.

“Got it.” Daring said with a smirk.

“Good! Now you’ll blend right in. Just be sure to hide your wings and your cutie mark. And maybe your hair too.”

Daring took off her pith helmet and jacket. Both were covered in blood and dirt, as was the norm for most of Daring’s clothing during an adventure. She fumbled around with the large robes, and eventually managed to get them on properly. Once that was on, she took a few rags and fashioned them together into a turban, which she placed on her head, making sure it obscured her grayscale mane.

Brother Hail looked at the new figure in front of him. He could hardly see her coat beneath the beige robes, and her hair was hidden perfectly. If he hadn’t known better, he would easily have been fooled.

“Good. Now hurry, you don’t have much time!” he urged.

“On it. Thanks so much for your help, Hail. I appreciate it greatly.” Daring Do bowed her head to the pegasus one last time before running off into the dig site.

Ponies crowded everywhere in the site. There wasn’t an inch of ground that wasn’t occupied by a pony or their supplies. Daring had to push her way through the unruly slaves to get anywhere. She just head in one direction; towards the gargantuan structure in the distance. Hopefully nopony would spot her through her disguise.

Calm down, Daring. Nopony even knows what you look like. You’re getting worked up over nothing.

Ahead of her, a friendlier group of workers were loosely gathered on the side of the path. They had journals, brushes and other archaeological possessions. Daring figured that, given their more collected appearance, they were the tomb workers. She joined their group, acting as casual as possible.

“Eh, who are you?” One mare asked her, waving a quill in front of Daring’s nose.

“Oh!” Daring responded without thinking. She quickly tried to recover, “I’m an… assistant.”

“To who?” asked the mare. She had a puzzled look on her face and seemed to be looking past Daring’s disguise. Daring Do began to feel sweat bead on her forehead before replying,

“Um… Jack. Jackhammer. He’s from Canterlot.”

“Canterlot, huh?” she resumed; now smiling. “You’re quite a way from home. Why come all the way to the Sahoofa desert?”

“Well, Jackhammer is a real enthusiast for ancient tombs. You know how stallion archaeologists are.”

The mare laughed, “Yes, I know exactly how they are. I’ve been with this group for years now. They never take a break.”

Daring Do faked a laugh, ‘What are you all here for?”

“Some hotshot from Stalliongrad is paying big for some stone.” Answered a short stallion as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. “We figured we’d come in and collect the reward.”

“Why not donate it? What kind of stone is it?” Daring asked, pushing her limits of subtlety.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to donate it! But museums don’t pay seven hundred bits, do they? I figure, with that kind of money, I’ll give anything to this pony.” The entire group slowly began shuffling their way through the crowds to the tomb. Daring Do worked her way into the middle of the group where guards were unlikely to spot her. Overhead, pegusi guards flew about, scanning the workers as the adjusted their grip on long spears. Daring gulped, Some fool I was for worrying about getting in. How am I going to get out?

The tomb loomed in front of them, reaching higher than Daring originally anticipated. Sandstone columns held up the towering roof, and were intricately decorated with symbols of royalty and Istanfoal history. As they ventured further into the dark construction, archaeologists began to split up. They journeyed by torchlight down corridors and passageways that branched off of the main hall.

Daring Do opened her map and studied it carefully. According to the Chaplain’s directions, the Thunder Stone’s resting place was located off the main hall near the back of the tomb. She tucked the map into the folds of her robe and trotted down the dark hall. Echoes of hooves on the stones and the faint hiss of torches were the only sounds in the decrepit vault.

The end of the tomb was unlit by torches and covered in loose sand and cobwebs. The clattering of large spiders could be heard as Daring investigated the stone seal to the Thunder Stone’s shrine. The entranceway was completely sealed, with no apparent way to enter. Daring Do sat down heavily, inspecting the area when something on the floor caught her attention.

From the farthest corner of the tomb’s hallway was a path of slightly discolored bricks leading to the seal. At a quick glance they would have blended in perfectly with the other arranged bricks, but were apparently obvious once spotted. Daring went to the corner, and even in the dark she could see the switch; a raised brick sticking out a full inch above the rest. She closed her eyes and pressed her hoof slowly onto the stone.

From behind her, the door crashed to the ground in an enormous racket. Dust shot up from the floor, coating Daring’s back in its abrasive texture. She shot around, looking down the hallway. Within seconds, half a dozen ponies bolted around corners and shot down the hall after the noise. Daring jumped into the air out of surprise, and dashed into the newly discovered corridor.

Daring Do found herself in a pitch black room. The only light, as dim as it was, came from the open door behind her, which soon filled with other archaeologists. One, the short stallion with the glasses, stepped forward and stood by Daring Do. He lit his torch and held it high. Soon, the entire room was bathed in a soft orange glow, illuminating what appeared to be a perfectly square room, with nothing adorning the walls and floor, and only a single door on the other side.

“Nice find, rookie.” He said halfheartedly. He took a few steps forward.

The crash reverberated through the room, echoed by the collected gasps of the archaeologists. In front of her, Daring watched as a small portion of the floor opened up and swallowed the stallion. He dropped his torch nearby, and it lay sputtering on the floor. Automatically, the trapdoor shut itself, leaving the unfortunate pony stuck under the floor.

“Sweet Celestia!” a mare exclaimed. Ponies began to back off out of the room, and some even bolted out of the tomb. Daring Do kept her ground, and almost laughed to herself as she thought of the solution. She tore her robes off, exposing herself to the other ponies, and opened her wings to their full length. One of her wings was still sore from her injuries, but was far from useless. She leaped into the air, flapping her wings powerfully as she propelled herself above the floor to the other side of the room.

Behind her, ponies gawked and pointed hooves. Daring Do could hear the muffled whispers and murmurs of the ponies all discussing Daring Do’s identity. She turned around to see over half of the ponies disapprovingly staring at her, while the other half wandered off, presumably to warn the guards of the fugitive in the tomb. Daring resumed her course; she knew that time was a limited factor now.

The next room she entered was just as dark as the last. She gulped and took the initiative, stepping gingerly into the room. As she slowly walked, she shouted out,

“Hello!”

The sound echoed down the room quite a ways before bouncing off the opposite wall and returning. From her primitive echolocation, Daring judged the room to be very long and quite narrow. She continued down the corridor at an unnecessarily slow speed, not daring to go any faster, despite the new threat of encroaching guards.

She stopped dead in her tracks when something brushed against her hoof. Thanks to her slow speed, she was able to stop before it snapped. Resting gently against her leg was a tripwire, which ran the width of the room. She slowly let her weight off of it, being extra cautious as to not let it snap. When she no longer felt it against her hoof, she let out a sigh of relief.

“That was close.” She said to herself. She effortlessly jumped over the tripwire, keeping a mental note of where it rested. As she landed on the other side, her weight fell down. She sank into the floor accompanied by the slight grinding sound of stones. From her sides, Daring heard the sound of ropes snapping and gears winding. Something dislodged in the roof and fell down.

In the dark Daring could only distinguish this threat by the hissing of the blades as they cut through the air. She felt the tip of a blade swipe past her tail, before hearing additional snapping ropes and clinking gears.

“Great…” she sighed as more blades began to descend from their resting places in the ceiling and walls. She ignored her original thinking, and sprinted full speed down the hall. As she went, countless more tripwires were sprung, releasing blades of all shapes and sizes. In the dark, Daring left her fate up to luck more than anything, hoping that she wouldn’t run headlong into a descending blade.

Behind her, the racket of swinging pendulums of death increased, and soon drowned out any other noise. The whistling split through the air, filling Daring’s ears with dreadful sounds of disaster. At times she could feel the wind currents caused by the blades blurring speed as they hacked through the air. She increased her speed, shouting again in the dark.

This time, the echo was nearly instant, and Daring could sense the wall was just up ahead. She made one last push, dislodging half a dozen tripwires at once. From inside the walls, the nasty sound of sliding stones resounded tenfold. Daring slid along the ground on her back in an attempt to dodge the incoming onslaught of weapons. All around her spikes and blades shot out from the wall at every angle. Daring had managed to slide right in between a pair of spikes that protruded from the floor. Their cold steel chilled her coat as she slid past them, emerging in safety on the other side.

She stood up, shaking the dirt off of her coat.

“Two rooms down, one more to go.” She whispered to herself. She found consolidation in the fact that this new room wasn’t as dark as the others. Along the top perimeter of the square room were several green crystals, each giving off a faint light. The middle of the floor was still obscured by darkness, as the light wasn’t powerful enough to reach the center, but the floor along the walls was light enough to see.

Daring Do began by walked alongside the wall to her right. The soft green light illuminated the path in front of her as she slowly progressed across the large room. She crossed underneath one crystal, reveling in the security of the light. For a moment, she pondered the significance of the crystals, and how they glowed in the first place. She shrugged the ideas aside, dismissing them as ‘magic’.

She worked her way to the other door, opposite of her starting point. Wandering down the hallway, Daring felt renewed, but also wary. That room was suspiciously quiet and easy, for being a trap. As Daring thought through the sense of it, she smacked her hoof against something on the ground in the dark corridor. Sharp pain rocked up her leg.

She took in her bearings and found that, somehow, she ended up exactly where she started. The blades that had fallen previously now stood as proof, and from down the treacherous blade-filled hallway, Daring could hear the shouts of guards. She turned to the new room, bewildered. She shook her head and went through the room again. She stuck to the outside where the lights were.

Yet again, when she arrived at the door she had found herself back at her starting point. She swore silently to herself, trying to wrap her head around the situation.

“When it feels that I only walk half of the room, in reality I walk the entire way. But that can’t be right…”

Daring Do eyed the middle of the room, still covered in blackness and shadows.

“But what about…”

Daring slowly crossed over into the dark. As she set her hoof down in the shadows, a puff of air came shooting out of the floor. The distinct odor made Daring recoil back in terror, shortly before a gout of blue fire shot out from the floor.

“Gas… Clever.”

In the instant that the fire lit up the darkness, Daring could see a crude layout of the floor. It was designed in a checkerboard pattern, with the gas on every other stone, and a normal stone on the others. She tested her theory, setting a hoof on the ground a foot to the left from previously. The floor creaked, but nothing happened. There was no stench of gas, and the air didn’t ignite.

Daring had her plan; she would only walk on interchanging stones, and ignore the firestarter ones. She closed her eyes, picturing the floor’s layout in her head. Carefully, she place on hoof diagonally across the floor, resting it gently on a solid stone block. She let out a sigh of relief as she remained unscathed. Suddenly there came a noise from behind her. Still hidden in the shadows, Daring looked behind her at the intruders. Two winged guards sat scanning the room. Their gleaming spears reflected the eerie green light of the room.

They said nothing, and only moved their heads from side to side as they investigated the room. They were oblivious to Daring’s presence, which she counted herself lucky for. The only thing she had to do was not make a sound, and not trigger a trap, and she’d be fine. The two guards began walked the perimeter of the room, underneath the green crystals. Daring watched, curious as to what trickery had befallen her earlier.

As the guards walked underneath the crystals, they began to fade. They became more transparent and eventually disappeared altogether. On the other side of the room, they started to reappear under the corresponding crystal. By the time they would have reached the exit, they had been gradually teleported to the entrance.

“Wow…” Daring whispered to herself, amazed at the complexity of the trap.

At once the guards drew their spears. The minute sound of Daring’s voice had drawn their attention to the center of the room. Slowly, they approached the fire traps. Daring moved faster, trying her hardest to stick to the non-trap stones while being as silent as possible. She made it halfway across the room when the smell of gas filled her nostrils once more.

Behind her a plume of fire roared from the floor. One of the guards howled in pain, and recoiled back to the safety of the hallway. Through the glow of the flame, the second guard could distinctly see Daring Do as she attempted to sneak past the trap. There was no time for carefulness. Daring shot out of the center of the room like a bullet, leaving a trail of fire in her wake. The guard pursued, but not for long; he was turned back by the intensity of the flames.

As Daring entered the final room, the first thing she encountered was yet another stone button on the floor.

“Come on, how many of these do they need?!”

The fire room pressurized as massive quantities of gas was pumped into the room. A single click of the igniter went off before the roar of the fire sounded throughout the tomb. The intense heat and light was too much for Daring to bear, and she pressed on, now safely secure with a wall of fire between her and the guards.

Gas pockets continued to be released throughout the room. From high above the floor, along walls and precipices in the ceiling, several small torches gave off low light. The room illuminated, revealing a masterfully crafted temple. In front of her, a large monolith rose from the architecture. A winding staircase encircled its girth, and ended at the top, where a single golden pedestal rested.

Daring squinted her eyes, straining them to see her prize. On the pedestal, resting in the light was a large green object, about the size of a grapefruit. Its octahedral shape reflected light onto the walls in a rich forest-green color. There was no doubt in Daring’s mind that this was the Thunder Stone.

Jack’s head nodded as he attempted to doze off. It was the middle of the night and Kuwinda hadn’t slowed down a bit; he remained galloping as hard as he could across the plains below Canterlot. The bumpy ride made it difficult for Jack to sleep, which in turn made it difficult for Jack to put his mind at ease.

He kept looking up at Canterlot as it passed by, high in the mountains above them. He was so close to his own home, so close to being free of madmen and doomsday devices. He wanted to make his way to the museum, check out a dozen books and read them all in one night; just like in the old days. Yet, he knew with every fiber of his being that he couldn’t go home until Reinerth was stopped.

“Kuwinda?” Jack inquired, “Why was Reinerth upset earlier? Before we got in the chariot?”

Kuwinda’s head slowly nodded before vigorously shaking itself. Apparently, despite Jack’s best efforts to sleep, the zebra was able to doze off just fine. And still be able to keep a sprint while doing so!

“I thought I told ya to not ask any questions.” He growled.

“I know, I remember. I just figured you’d be up for some small talk.”

Kuwinda sighed, “Well, ya ain’t learnin’ why he be upset from me! I’ve gotten meself into enough trouble by spillin’ my tongue on account a’ others. In due time, Jack, you’ll learn for yaself.”

“Sure.” Jack replied sourly. Ever since he had been exposed as his true self, he had been treated with no respect. On a normal basis, he may only receive a few ounces of respect a week, but he would gladly take that over being a prisoner.

“Dey found da Thunder Stone. In case ya was curious.” Kuwinda barked.

“Oh… great? That may be good news for you fellas, but to me that isn’t on the bright side.”

“What about da boss’s offer? Ya’ll be killed if ya don’t. Even if ya escape, ya still gonna die when he activates the Shrine.”

A thought popped into Jack’s head, “Why do you stick with Reinerth? It doesn’t seem like you’d get any benefits from him destroying the world.”

“It’s not that I enjoy him. In fact, I dislike Reinerth with a passion. But I owe him a life debt. He saved me when my tribe was under attack.”

“A life debt?” Jack asked. He was smart enough to know what a life debt was, but he was interested in the way the conversation was heading.

“Ya. He saved my life, so I owe it to him. I was gonna be dead if it hadn’t been for him. You see, zebras have a sense a’ honor that ponies miss out on.” He explained breathlessly, “Any zebra will uphold honor and tradition. It’s always been da way. Until one, dat is…”

“What do you mean?”

“Dere was one who broke da tradition. My brothah, Mbarka.”

Jack gained more and more intrigue as the conversation went on. He remembered Captain Mbarka from his journeys aboard the Onyx Wind, and was now very curious as to how these two were connected.

“My brothah was saved by Reinerth too. But instead of givin’ his debt to ‘im, he left. He went and lived in some pony city, and left behind the zebra way of life. I’ll never forgive him for what he done. It be a shame dat it’s gotta come to this, though.”

“Come to what, exactly?” Jack asked.

“I gotta kill him. It’s tradition. If a zebra don’t hold up his life debt, then the life that was saved is forfeit. When I trade you for the Thunder Stone, I’ll find Mbarka.”

“Trade me? I thought that you already had the Thunder Stone.”

Kuwinda shook his head as he continued to run. “No. Daring Do has it and once-“

He pursed his lips, and faced forward. Jack couldn’t tell, but it appeared that he was humming curses to himself. The archaeologist smiled thinly, chuckling to himself. He leaned back, resting his head in his hooves.

“I knew she wasn’t dead. Thanks for the info, Kuwinda.”

The zebra had slowed down a tad, and now hung his head as he ran.

“And hey,” Jack continued. “I’m sorry about your brother. Maybe you won’t have to kill him. I’m sure you two could work something out.”

But Kuwinda ignored him, remaining silent with his head hung down. Jack rested in the chariot. For once, he felt sorry for the zebra. Now that he learned about him a bit, he didn’t see him as this purely evil henchman. As he gazed up into the starry night sky he wondered,

Could Reinerth be the same way?

The ascent to the pedestal was agonizing. It wasn’t tiring or painful, but it put Daring’s nerves on edge. If she took this stone, she’d be getting into things that she didn’t fully understand. She knew about the Thunder Stone’s importance, and of the Wendigo Shrine’s destructive power, but that was no excuse for her to risk her own life. She was a treasure hunter, and treasure hunting didn’t entail saving the world. Sure, she had saved individual ponies before, and even put away some very evil figures, but nothing had done had ever come close to saving the world.

She reached the top and viewed the Thunder Stone at its zenith of awe. It was huge; no doubt the biggest gemstone Daring had ever seen. Its forest green surface entranced Daring as it reflected light from throughout the room. It rested atop a golden pedestal that was inscribed with foreign letters and symbols. Daring interpreted them as carefully as she could;

Here lies the Thunder Stone in its power and glory,

Should one take this stone from its resting place,

Then let the heavens fall,

And bury them in their arrogance.

Daring thought of what this could mean. Maybe it refers to the Wendigo Shrine? It would explain the third line. But…

Daring’s thoughts trailed off as the guard duo flew into the room. They were both blackened and their armor was charred from the fire, which had apparently run out of fuel. They pointed their spears at Daring Do and flew full speed, readying them to impale the intruder. Daring acted fast, swiping the stone from its pedestal as fast as she could. As she did, the center of it clicked and rose slightly.

“A pressure trap. I should’ve known…”

The stone roof began to shake high above their heads. The guards slowed, shifting their attention to the crumbling structure. Sand began to pour through cracks as the roof gave way.

“Put it back! Put it back!” One of the guards shouted, urging Daring to negotiate. But it was too late. Before Daring could think, large stones began to fall from above them. They crashed to the ground, vibrating the entire tomb. The shower of debris was followed shortly by a rain of sand, quickly filling the room.

We must be under the dunes right now… This means…

Out of the rain of sand and stone, Daring caught a glimpse of stars in the night sky before they were obscured by more dust and sand. Awkwardly taking the stone in her mouth, Daring flew directly towards the funnel of sand. She dodged the remaining roof’s stones as they plummeted to the ground, making a hole in the ceiling large enough to fly through.

The desert air was cool against Daring’s coat as she exploded out of the tomb. From above the dunes Daring saw the destruction; a huge swath of land that was funneling into the ground. Everything within a hundred yards of the exit point was being swallowed into the tomb. She continued to watch the funnel, waiting to see if the guards would make their escape. However, nothing but sand stirred below.

Buried in arrogance Daring thought to herself, eyeing the stone she held between her teeth.

Under the moonlit sky, Daring could easily distinguish Istanfoal by the soft glow of lights in the distance. She flew in its direction, ready to meet up with everypony at the safe house, where they would discuss the next steps.