Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone

Chapters

Chapter one: Free Falling
Chapter three: The Long Lost Temple
Chapter four: The Sapphire Stone
Chapter five: Death
Chapter six: Theif
Chapter seven: Another Day, Another Dungeon
Chapter eight: Defeat
Chapter two: Ahuizotl himself

Chapter one: Free Falling

Daring do stared at her map, she would find this temple and she would find this artifact. She hoped that the Ahuizotl she had heard of in the stories wasn’t real. Daring looked up from her map, she needed to see where she was, she needed to get up high. Suddenly she heard a growl behind her. Of course! How could she be so stupid? Her predators were still after her! She tried to fly up as fast as she could, but the Black Panther caught her hoof, she needed to get free! She flapped harder wiggling her hoof. Success! Finally out of the trees and up in the clear sky Daring Do took a deep breath. Oh it was so good to be up in the clouds again, suddenly pain shot through her right wing like fire. She looked at her hurt wing, it was bent and crooked with the tip of bone poking right through her skin, Daring let out a strangled cry of pain. It took her only a second to realize she was falling. A branch whipped her face, then another; she tumbled down to the unforgiving earth down below. Dust and dirt hung in the air and Daring coughed it away. She rolled over in pain, moaning. She looked over at her wing once again, there was no way she could fly now.

Chapter three: The Long Lost Temple

As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing in the jungle had injured her wing and she was grounded for a few days. A few days---it might as well be a few months, or a few years!
The mosquitoes buzzed loudly, the macaws cried from the high trees; yet, all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of the predators following her every step. Suddenly Daring heard a noise behind her, she turn to look at a tiger, then a jackal, then the Black Panther who caught her hoof, then a leopard. She was surrounded! The last cat caught her eye; a white kitten. Daring smiled to herself. That’s my exit. Making sure not to spread her wings, Daring leaped over the white cat and galloped away. But she wasn’t safe yet. Daring heard the growls of all the cats behind her, how would she get away if she couldn’t fly? Uh oh. Daring thought as the inevitable cliff came towards her. Now she really needed to fly. As Daring got closer she saw a little vine up high, swaying back and forth. She ran faster, using her good wing she jump onto the vine and swung away. Daring saluted them goodbye. Safely landing on the other side, Daring finally allowed herself a moment to breathe. She turned around to find herself face to face with the long lost temple that she sought tirelessly for over sixty day and nights!

Chapter four: The Sapphire Stone

The smell of decay and danger hit Daring Do as she peered the dimly lit entrance of the ancient temple. She felt eyes watching her back as she entered, bugs crawled around and ominous bones lay scattered across the floor. As Daring glanced at her surroundings she felt the ground beneath her move. Of course, she had step on a pressure plate! She ducked as three axes flew across her head and hit the wall with a thud. She stared at them in shock and a little fear. She heard a clanking sound and she spread her hooves wide and sucked in her belly as fire erupted from beneath her, she jumped away. Daring didn’t even get a chance to stand up straight as hungry alligators chomped at her head above her. Daring Do dropped down to her belly and scooted along the floor. She jumped over a guillotine and ducked as an arrow flew past her, she stood up on her hind legs as an arrow flew beneath her. She zigzagged back and forth and the volley of arrows continued. Finally she jumped further away from the arrows into safety. But in fact, she wasn’t safe at all, she stepped on another pressure plate and beneath her a deadly spike flew out of the ground. She kept jumping as spikes protruded from the ground, she looked ahead for a second to see the door across the room slowly shutting. She galloped once again zigzagging to avoid spikes. She ran harder. Daring Do slid on her back just as the door closed and she pulled her head just at the last second.

“Phew!” Daring rasped in relief as she wiped her forehead of sweat. Yet again she heard the clanking sound. “Ugh!” she said in anger as the ceiling began to crumble. More series of death traps continued and Daring Do eventually found herself in the next room. She heard the door clank shut behind her. Oh, my hat is covered in arrows. She brushed them off. Daring Do glanced at the room around her. A blue sparkle caught her eye. The light from the little circle in the ceiling from above moved and shined perfectly on the statue of two twin jackals, the Sapphire Stone. Daring stared in awe at the thing that sat before her.

Chapter five: Death

Daring Do stood at the entrance to the central temple chamber. At last she was face to face with the legendary Sapphire Statue. She put a hoof up to take a step then paused looking at the ground. She backed up, there must be some trap. She looked over at the walls with the peculiar circles that just said to her arrows. She glanced around again; she saw the pebble beside her and kicked it onto the tiled floor. It landed on a tile with a picture of an eagle. The tile lowered and arrows shot across the room. She looked at them stuck against the wall. They were in the exact shape of a pony!
“Hmm.” Daring wondered staring at the tiled floor. “There must be a pattern here, what do all these animals have in commen?” She looked at them again, each tile had an animal printed on it. “Aha! These animals are all predators! Except…Rats!” very carefully she put a hoof on the rat tile. Daring squeezed her eyes shut in fear. “Phew!” she said as no certain death traps came. She hopped from rat to rat. Finally on the other side Daring stared at the blue stone. She took off her safari hat in honor. Stared at and moved around. Nothing seemed to be happening. She waved a hoof above it. She wiped sweat off her forehead and rubbed her hooves together in anticipation licking her lips. Suddenly she stopped. It was too easy, whoever made the temple was stupid. She grabbed the statue with her mouth and put in her hat for safe keeping. She was about to walk again when she heard a curious noise, she raised her eyebrow and looked back at where the statue used to stand. A little peg was rising out of the statue holder. That peg only meant certain death. The ceiling began to crumble and the ground shook, the walls were shifting, the whole temple was going to self-destruct! Daring was about to run back when the floor crumbled to reveal lava. She back up the steps to where the Sapphire Stone used to stand. Pillars fell over on one another, Daring Do was now surrounded by lava, her hooves barely outside of it. Finally she looked up at the hole in the ceiling. That was her escape. She leapt on the fallen pillars, higher and higher as she, slowly but surely, made it to the top. Unable to leap high enough, Daring spread both her wings and jumped and flapped. Daring Do’s arms barely reached the edge of the hole in the ceiling and she struggled to get over the edge. The heat of the sun hammered down on her and she felt the heat of the lava rise, with all the heat and the sweat Daring slipped down to the lava below.

Chapter six: Theif

Daring felt like she was swimming in fear as she tumbled down to the lava. Suddenly a blast of heat came; Daring shot up out of the temple into safety and the sense of relief was over-whelming. Then came the pain her right wing burned with pain and all over she was bruised and battered, the scratches on her hind hooves hurt like crazy, Daring moaned in pain. What about the statue? She thought. It was probably too late anyway. She looked up and the statue flew out of her hat and on to the ground in front of her, another blue figure appeared.

“You thought you could evade me and capture the relic for yourself, but you were sadly mistaken Ms. Do. And now, you shall meet your doom!” Ahuizotl yelled the last part as he held the Sapphire stone. Ahuizotl pulled out a whistle shaped like a cat and blew. Suddenly the cats came back, the tiger, the leopard, the jackal, the Black Panther and the pussy cat. Ahuizotl cackled manically and chortled with gibbering bursts of laughter.

Chapter seven: Another Day, Another Dungeon

Daring Do struggled as the bonds that held her to the table squeezed tighter.

“You won’t get away with this Ahuizotl!” Daring grunted in anger.

“But I already have.” Ahuizotl said simply in that same silky voice. He turned and pulled a lever.

“Ugh! Not again.” Ahuizotl waved goodbye and ran away with his cats following him. Suddenly the walls grew spikes and started to close in. Daring Do struggled more. Spiders began to crawl out onto the spikes. Cobras crawled in and came up to meet Daring’s eyes and sand poured in the room. “Quick sand!” Daring Do said and struggled more. “Feels like the harder I struggle, ugh, the tighter the ropes get.” She struggled even more and her hat fell off. She looked over at the lever and grabbed her hat with her teeth and with her hind leg she launched the hat across the room. The hat flew around the room hitting various objects but she never got the see if it hit its mark because sand came up all around her and filled her nostrils so she couldn’t breathe. Suddenly the sand came down and the ropes busted. The hat hit the lever! She was free! She breathed in the sweet air and chucked sand out of her ears. The door opened and Daring got her hat and put it on. “Another day, another dungeon.”

Chapter eight: Defeat

Ahuizotl sat petting his pussy cat, chuckling. “With Daring Do out of the way, the world with suffer at my hands. I AM VICTORIOUS!” Ahuizotl screeched with laughter. Suddenly Daring swung on a vine and snatched the little blue statue out of his tail hand.

“I’ll take that.” She said smiling. Ahuizotl gasped.

“What? Nooooo!” he yelled.

“Better luck next time Ahuizotl!” Daring said and tipped her hat.

“Curse you, Daring Do!” Ahuizotl yelled after her and screeched insanely…

And so with Ahuizotl defeated, and the Sapphire Statue secured the world was safe and sound once again thanks to Daring Do.

The end

Chapter two: Ahuizotl himself

Daring Do walked through the hot jungle, where she was, she didn’t know. Searching for the temple seemed like a lost cause, she had searched for fifty four days now. The gentle night breeze felt eerie and evil, Daring felt like there was someone there. She paused.

“Who’s there?” she called quietly.

No answer.

“Show yourself!” she yelled. A shadow shifted to her right.

“Daring Do.” A silky voice said to her left, “So nice to finally meet you.”

“Who are you?”

“Oh I think you would recognize my voice,” The voice said without losing its calm. “After all the stories you heard.”

“How do you know who I am?” Daring asked firmly.

“Oh I have my sources.” The deep voice chuckled echoing all around her. A shiver went down Daring’s spine. Daring opened her mouth to speak, but only a gasp came from her. A dark shadow stepped into the moon light. His blue skin rippled as he moved and he had a sharp grin on his face, the hand on his tail bobbed back and forth. There he stood, undeniably real, Ahuizotl himself. All the drawing and descriptions never measured up to his magnificence. Daring’s gaze hardened.

“Ahuizotl.” Daring spat in anger.

“Oh good. You recognize me.”

“Your reputation precedes you.” Daring said with her teeth clenched.

“Look,” Ahuizotl said touching the tip of Daring’s muzzle, he took a step closer, “I don’t want you to think you can take the artifact from me, it’s mine. If you try to take it, there will be a price on your little horsey head.” Daring Do stared up in defiance. It was hard not to shrink down into a little puddle, Ahuizotl was by far the scariest thing she had seen in her adventures. “Bon voyage, Daring Do.” Ahuizotl turned around with his tail hand waving good bye.
Daring stared after him as he walked away. There was no way she was giving the artifact up now, she had searched too long for that. Why didn’t he kill me? Daring thought. No pony had met Ahuizotl and lived to tell the tale. Daring Do shivered even though it wasn’t cold, The artifact is mine Ahuizotl, if I have to kill you for it… She started into a trot, then a full gallop. Then so be it.