Daring Do and the Warlord's Folly

Chapters

Picking up the Trail
Amethyst
On The Trail
Prologue

Picking up the Trail

It was a warm and sunny morning in Canterlot when Daring Do, clothed in her cloche hat, purple shawl, and red, thick-framed, and unnecessary glasses, opened the doors of Donut Joe’s shop, moving inside as the bells on the door tinkled. Glancing around, Daring saw that the restaurant was filled with happy patrons, munching on donuts, eclairs, and other tasty pastries and filling the air with bits and pieces of trivial conversation. Do soon spotted the shop’s owner behind the counter, cleaning a coffee mug with a rag.

Donut Joe was a pale yellow unicorn stallion, with a wild shock of brown hair on his head. He was dressed in a white apron stained with various colours of icing and jelly with a white folded hat on his head. He glanced up at Daring as she approached and nodded slightly in acknowledgement of her presence, but remained focused on his mug. Daring sat on a barstool and waited for him to finish, tapping the counter impatiently with her hoof. She knew better than to rush Joe, despite wanting to get out of the public eye as quickly as possible.

After a short while, Joe set the now spotless coffee cup down next to a long line of equally clean coffee cups before turning to face Daring. He spoke in a gruff accent that wouldn’t be out of place in Manehatten “Hey, ‘A.K’. Glad you could make it.”

‘A.K Yearling’ nodded to Joe. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Your letter said that you’d heard something that might make for a good ‘story’,” she responded, getting straight to business. It had taken Daring several days to travel from her isolated home in the forests, far to the west, all the way to Canterlot, and she was in no mood to beat around the bush. ‘This had better be important, or somepony is going to have a bad day,’ she thought.

Donut Joe chuckled humourlessly. “What? No hello? No ‘how ya doin’ for a pal you haven’t visited in ages? That ain’t how you treat a friend, is it?” Joe smirked at Daring. “Especially not an old friend with the kind of helpful tip I’ve got for ya.”

Daring rolled her eyes and conceded, impatience evident in her voice. “Ugh, fine, fine... so how’ve you been, Joe? Has the donut business been treating you well?” she asked, insincerely.

“Ah, thank you for asking, Ms. Yearling. My business has been doing very well,” he answered, slowly. It was almost as though he were trying to get on her nerves. “Why, as a matter of fact, just the other day I-”

As Joe droned on about business ventures and the rising price of flour, Daring examined the restaurant. It was packed to the brim with cheerful ponies, all talking and laughing amongst themselves. It was no place for the kind of talk she was expecting to have with Joe. Daring briefly wondered if Joe actually had a tip for her, or if he just wanted her to trek all the way to Canterlot to annoy her.

Daring had known Joe since foalhood- having grown up together on the same street in a small town, they were drawn together. Not due to any similarities they had, of course. They were just some of the only foals in town, and the only two on that particular street. When they grew up, Daring had decided to leave the bland existence of life in a small town and seek a life of adventure, and Joe went on to follow in his family’s hoofsteps and become a baker. They had grown apart, but every once in a while, Joe would send her a letter and a tip, usually about some sort of ancient treasure. She had given up asking where he got his information when his first few tips proved fruitful. Apparently, donut shops are just a popular hangout for archaeologists and treasure hunters. Go figure.

Joe tapped his hoof on the counter Daring was leaning on, snapping her out of her musings. “Are you even listening to me?” he asked, exasperated.

“No,” Daring bluntly stated. “So, do you actually have a tip for me, or are you just wasting my time?” Daring fixed Joe with a hard stare, already dreading the long trip home. A new lead would have made the trip bearable, but if she were to go home empty-hooved, she would be unhappy, to say the least.

Donut Joe took on a hurt expression for a brief moment before regaining his composure. “Come on, ‘Yearling’. You know I wouldn’t dream of wasting the time of such a busy ‘author’ such as yourself. Have I ever let you down before?”

“Well, there was that time with the mantico-”

“Other than that! Yeesh, a stallion makes one mistake and he never gets to hear the end of it.” Joe leaned down and grabbed something from underneath the counter, pulling it up for Daring to see. A newspaper was held between his teeth, and he dropped it in front of her. “Check out the headline.”

Daring glanced down at the newsprint.

“Local Archaeologist Missing”, it exclaimed in bold font. A black and white image of a unicorn stallion in adventuring getup was displayed underneath the headline. He was standing in a library, a confident look on his face and a smiling unicorn mare beside him.

Daring sighed. “I’m not a forest ranger, Joe. It’s not my job to go searching for missing ponies.” She made to get up off her seat. “If this is all you have for me, I might as well-”

“Now just you hold on there, Daring, I ain’t finished yet,” Joe interrupted, placing his hoof on her shoulder.

Daring tensed upon hearing her real name, slowly turning back to Donut Joe, first looking down at his hoof on her shoulder, then looking up and fixing him with a sharp glare. Joe knew better than to use her real name in public. “Maybe he isn’t joking around after all?” wondered Daring

Donut Joe didn’t flinch under Daring’s gaze, instead meeting it with his own, even as he removed his hoof from Daring’s shoulder. “There’s more to it. This kid was in my shop a year ago. Some newbie fresh from the university. Heard him talking ‘bout some super important expedition he was about to go on. Said it was gonna make ’em famous.”

Daring took a moment to digest this information before responding. “Assuming this is actually something worth looking into, why didn’t you tell me about this a year ago? Better yet, why didn’t you send me a letter explaining this to me and save me the trip here?”

Donut Joe sighed exasperatedly. “Three reasons- first of all, I get all kinds of yahoos in here claiming to be on the trail of the next Sapphire Stone, and this kid didn’t seem too different from ‘em. Secondly, you ain’t got a monopoly on every major artifact that pops up. Third, and this is the answer to your second question, I hardly ever get to see you nowadays!” Joe was positively fuming at this point. “Is it too much to ask for a visit from a friend? And for reasons besides business? Can’t you just come in every now and then for a cup of coffee, a couple of donuts, and a friendly chat? Or am I gonna have to bribe you with leads for a few minutes of your time until one day, you don’t come back from one of your adventures?”

Daring leaned back and away from the sudden outburst, her ears folding flat against her head. She had not expected the sudden outburst from the usually laid-back Joe. He had barely raised his voice, but it was full of conviction and frustration. And his stare was hard, but genuine concern could be seen in Joe’s eyes. In all the years of coming to Joe for leads, it had never occurred to Daring that Joe would actually worry about her. It was a needless worry, as Daring knew no trapped tomb or temple could stop her, but still…

Donut Joe’s expression softens slowly and he sighs. “Well, that’s it. There’s your tip. Go do what you do best.” Joe rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. “Just… be careful, alright?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Daring leaned forward to give Joe a comforting, if awkward, pat on the shoulder. The gruff stallion blushed slightly out of embarrassment, but smiled anyway.

“I will be careful, Joe. I always am. Maybe once I’ve finished this lead, I’ll come by for those donuts. Maybe we can even have a friendly chat and catch up on things.” Daring gave Joe what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Donut Joe’s smile widened. “I’d like that. Take care, Yearling. I look forward to hearing about where this lead took you. Maybe you could even give me the scoop before your next book is published, eh?”

“I don’t know, Joe. I don’t think that would be fair to my readers.” Daring grins. “Maybe if those donuts are on the house…”

Joe chuckled. “Sure, why not? Seems like a fair trade to me!”

With those parting words, the adventuress left the shop, the bell on the door tinkling on her way out. Before the door even closed all the way behind her, Daring began planning her next steps.

______________________________________________________________________________

Daring, still dressed in her A.K. Yearling disguise, trotted up the streets of Canterlot to one of the richest districts in the city. After a long time thinking in her hotel room about what her next movements should be, Daring had come to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to consult her associate, Rosetta Stone. Rosetta was Canterlot’s premier professor of archaeology and the curator of the highly-renowned Canterlot Museum of History. If anypony knew anything about the young adventurer who had gone missing, or about any ‘super important expeditions’, it was her.

The house in question was more of a mansion. It took up nearly an entire block all on its own, and it towered over the buildings around it with its intricate purple spires and towers. One wouldn’t be wrong to describe it as a miniature castle.

Daring reached the pointed gates of the mansion and pushed on them, lost in thought, only to be surprised when they refused to budge. She pushed again, harder this time, and was rewarded with an unsatisfying clanking sound as the gate strained against its lock.

“What the hay...?” she muttered, her face scrunched up in confusion. She scrutinized the gate, trying to find anything that may explain why the normally unlocked gate was barring her entry. Her expert explorer’s senses found a large sign which had been obviously and intrusively affixed on the gate.

“Gate locked for party preparations?” she mouthed, reading the sign. She shook her head and sighed. “Great...” While Daring could simply fly over the gate, she doubted that Rosetta would appreciate her barging in during party preparations.

Daring looked up and down the street, pondering her next move. She had to get in to speak to Rosetta, but it seemed the only way to do that would be to attend her party. ‘Well,’she mused, ‘I could always wait until after. But that would mean... ugh, waiting. I hate waiting.’

Daring rustled her wings underneath her shawl. She could fly over the gate and just walk into the house, of course. But that would be rude, and the gate being locked was a clear sign that no visitors were welcome. ‘Then again, this is sort of an emergency, right? I need to know where that newbie went so I can save his expeditio- er, so I can save him!’ Daring glances up at the gate, pondering her choices for exactly one second. ‘Eh, the hay with it.’ Unfurling her wings, she flapped them underneath her shawl, rising up into the air and over the pointed tips of the fence gate.

Almost as soon as she made it to the other side, she was surrounded by three sunglasses-wearing pegasi in tight black shirts. The largest one flapped closer to her.

“We’re sorry miss, but this is private property,” he stated with extremely exaggerated gruffness. “Nopony is allowed inside before the party, and only then with an invitation.”

Daring snickered at that. “Heh heh, you can take your warning and stick it where Celestia can’t see it, buddy. I’ve got important business to tend to, so if you don’t mind...”

Daring started flying towards the entrance to the mansion, but was blocked when the three pegasus guards intercepted her. The big one flew in front of her, arms crossed. “We’re sorry miss, but we’re under order to keep everypony out, and we weren’t told about any important business!”

Daring tried shoving her way past him without success. The guard grabbed her before she could get any closer to the mansion. “Hey, let go of me, Twinklehooves!” she exclaimed. “I’m not afraid of some dumb guard-for-hire with a fake attitude! Let go, or I’ll have to get viol-” She was cut off when she was thrown backwards and over the fence, part of her shawl catching on the pointed tip of the fence and ripping, and she caught herself with a few flaps of her wings before she hit the ground below. Twinklehooves and his entourage glared at her.

“Don’t come back,” he warned, simply. He then turned away and, with a slight hoof motion, signalled his lackeys to follow him. They flew off, back toward the mansion.

Daring landed and dusted herself off. “Damn guard ripped my shawl,” she grumbled to herself. She ran up to the gate and looked through, watching as the guards entered the mansion. She examined the mansion carefully, looking for another way inside. ‘If those guards won’t let me in, I’ll have to sneak in,’ she thought. Her eyes wandered to the side of her acquaintance’s home, lingering on a side door that was being used by various ponies busily bringing boxes of food and party decorations indoors. Daring scratched her chin. “Hmm...”

Daring poked her arm through one of the bars in the gate and waved it around. “Hey! Hey, you!” she shouted, trying to get one of the busy ponies’ attention. A unicorn mare turned and looked at her quizzically before tentatively trotting over.

“Um, can I help you, miss?” the mare asked.

Daring smiled and put on her friendliest face. “Yeah, my invitation’s at home and I forgot what time the party starts! Could you help me out, maybe?”

______________________________________________________________________________

It was a cloudy night, and the light from the moon was almost completely blotted out. Daring looked up at Rosetta’s mansion, its bright lights starkly contrasting against the darkness of Luna’s night. Many well-dressed ponies were entering the well-lit mansion, their laughter and general chatter piercing the otherwise silent atmosphere.

Daring crept low to the ground, not wanting to be seen by any security guards (especially Twinklehooves) or party-goers. She wore a black spandex ninja suit that bulged slightly from the shape of the clothes she wore underneath it. A single black saddlebag bounced against her flank as she moved.

The adventurer crept up to the gate of the mansion, stopping a few yards away from the main gate and hiding in the shadows being cast by the thickening cloud cover. She examined the gate for a few moments. It was wrought-iron, too strong to break through, even with tools, and she had a feeling that Rosetta wouldn’t be as willing to help her if she damaged her property. She’d have to take the high road.

Daring looked around, first right, then left. Nopony seemed to have noticed her, nor was there anypony nearby to notice her. But there’s no telling how long that would last. She flapped her wings and took off into the air, swiftly flying over the fence. She folded her wings against her side and dropped onto the ground on the other side. She stood still for a moment, crouched low to the ground, glancing around quickly to ascertain whether she’d been noticed or not. Judging by the lack of dumb muscle tackling her, she was in the clear. For now.

She took note of her surroundings. The pathway leading up to the doors of the mansion was lined with expertly maintained rows of bushes and flowers. Similarly, a elegant, flowering hedge lined the edge of the mansion. The main door was, unfortunately, flanked by a pair of burly security guards instead of more visually appealing flora. The side door she had seen earlier had no security though, besides the occasional guard walking around the area. That would have to do.

Daring sprinted for the hedge lining the walls of the mansion, jumping in quickly. She almost gave a yelp when she ran through a wall of thorns, but managed to remain quiet. She peeked her head out, silently hoping nopony had seen her. When she was satisfied that she remained invisible to the partygoers, she crept along the wall of the mansion, staying close to the ground. The prickly thorns of the Tartaros-spawned hedge scratched against her ninja outfit, threatening to tear it, but she pushed onwards towards the side door. She flinched every time one of her hooves snapped a twig despite her caution, and hoped she wouldn’t be noticed.

After what felt like hours of nervous sneaking, she made it to the side door. After making sure that she wouldn’t be seen, she slowly crawled out of the bushes and plucked the thorns out of her sides. Daring tiptoed up to the door and placed a hoof on the handle, pulling on it. It wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, horseapples...” she groaned. ‘Of course the door is locked. Why would this be easy?’

As she was mentally berating her situation, a click could be heard from the other side of the door as somepony unlocked it. Daring jumped into the bushes just in the nick of time, peering out as a pony straining to carry a large box of pears on their back.

“Apples, you numbskull, we ordered apples!” a voice called from inside. The pony just groaned, cursing under his breath and kept walking forward, slowly, as the door started to swing shut. Thinking quickly, Daring picked up a rock and chucked it towards the door. The rock got wedged in the doorway just as the door was an inch away from closing, propping it open.

‘Heh, they didn’t call me Daring “Deadshot” Do in school for nothin’!’ she thought.

When the box-lugging pony was a suitable distance away, she jumped back out of the bushes and opened the door all the way before entering. Daring found herself in a long hallway, cardboard boxes lining the walls. The bland, undecorated walls and dreary lighting wasn’t Rosetta’s style. It must have been a storage area, she thought, or a worker’s hallway.

Daring crept along the hallway, darting behind boxes every chance she got. A few worker ponies passed her by, but she went unnoticed in the darkness, steadily making her way forward.

After a short while, she spotted a doorway at the end of the hall. Light seeped in from underneath the door, and the occasional shadow swept past. She heard the loud din of hundreds of ponies all talking to each other, along with some fancy music in the background. That must have been where the party was being held!

She got up and half-walked, half-ran to the door, but panicked when she saw the shadows of multiple hooves from the crack underneath the door. She acted quickly and without thinking, jumping into the closest box she could find and closing it up.

She heard the door open and multiple ponies step in. Daring tried her best to be as quiet as possible in her bed of... was that kale? She grabbed a bit and munched on it while the ponies passed.

“Ugh, and then he shouted at me and told me that I should be better at the job that was ‘befitting a pony of my lineage’! Like, what does that even mean?” a voice complained.

A second voice answered. “Oh, just ignore that guy. Prince Blueblood is just another racist unicorn. You can’t throw a stick without hitting one of them at this party.”

The ponies continued complaining about the prince, and their voices eventually faded away. Daring let out a sigh of relief. If they had wanted some kale, she would have been in a sticky situation.

She jumped out of the box and threw open the door. She was greeted with the sight of a lavish ballroom. Ponies in elegant dress were dancing in the center, and along the sides, guests were socializing amongst each other. Tables covered in enough food and drink to feed a small village lined the far wall, and there seemed to be a few ponies already enjoying the punch a little too much. Everything, from the gaudy crystal chandelier hanging from the roof to the hardwood floor shiny and reflective enough to be used as a mirror, shouted “hey, look at me, my owner’s rich!”

Daring took in all the grandeur of the posh ballroom, and then shrugged it off, indifferent to her gilded surroundings. When one repeatedly travels to ancient ruins, many of which have been buried for thousands of years, their standards for beautiful architecture tend to change. Compared to the grand halls of civilizations past, this ballroom just seemed to be trying too hard.

As Daring was examining the opulent ballroom, a waiter carrying a silver tray of hors d'oeuvres walked past, giving her a confused look as he passed. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

“Uh... I was told it was a masquerade party.”

The waiter just nodded politely and moved on without a second glance, leaving the adventurer to marvel at how lucky she was he didn’t say anything. With a quick tearing motion, she ripped the black ninja outfit off, uncovering a modest, but classy, mauve dress. She quickly deposited the torn ninja suit into a nearby potted plant, shoving it deep into the soil. A quick search of her saddlebag later and she was wearing her thick-rimmed glasses and old mare’s hat once again. Her disguise complete, Daring reluctantly moved away from the walls of the ballroom and moved into the throng of typical Canterlot nobility.

Almost immediately, Daring found herself surrounded by a veritable hurricane of trivial, overly polite conversation about matters she couldn’t bring herself to give a flying feather about. Making her way through the sea of nobles, it was not long before a small group accosted her.

The group of three ponies made their way towards her, parting the sea of apparently lesser importance. One, wearing purple-tinted sunglasses and sporting a mane larger than his head, smiled at her. “Ah, hello there! I don’t believe we’ve met,” he greeted.

“Um, no, we haven’t,” Daring replied. “But I’m kind of in a hurry, so maybe we can keep it that way?” Daring tried to push past him, but the other two ponies seemed to be determined to block her path no matter what.

“What’s the rush? We’re at a party, my dear. These events are meant for socializing! My name is Hoity Toity. A pleasure, I’m sure.”

Daring audibly groaned and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, hello. I’m A.K. Yearling, it’s good to meet you, what a great chat, we should do it again some time. Gottagobye!” Daring attempted to get around Hoity again, but his entourage continued to block her path.

If Hoity Toity noticed how eager Daring was to get by, he didn’t show it. “Now, where have I heard that name before?” the stallion wondered, putting his hoof up to his chin. “No matter. Now, how did someone such as yourself get invited to an event such as this, Miss Gearling?”

“First of all, Yearling, with a ‘y’, as in ‘why am I even talking to you?’ Secondly, I got invited because I saved the host from a tribe of angry cannibal ponies in the Amarezon jungle. Now, excuse me, I have urgent business to attend to.”

This statement seemed to finally break the posh pony’s composure. “Saved her from- sweet Celestia, surely you jest? Why, you’re just-” As Hoity continued to chatter on about his disbelief, Daring capitalized on his entourage’s own surprise to slip past them, ignoring Hoity’s indignant rambling.

Using what little she knew about Canterlot social gatherings, Daring determined that Rosetta Stone would be somewhere in the biggest, thickest crowd of ponies. Rosetta was an extrovert, plain and simple- she was the kind of pony who could happily flit around a room and speak with everypony there.

Daring searched the room, looking for the largest group of ponies. After a moment, she noticed a group lingering around the punch bowl. Surrounded by a group of nobleponies not dissimilar to a flock of incessantly chirping birds, a dark brown unicorn mare with a light brown mane in a lavish, amber-colored dress laughed and chatted among them, easily maintaining her position as the center of attention. From where she stood, Daring could just make out the mare’s distinct, elegant voice, but not her words.

Rosetta Stone noticed Daring walking up to her mid-laugh. “Ah, Miss Yearling! It’s so good to see you,” the socialite exclaimed, moving towards Daring and giving her a tight hug. “It’s been ages since we’ve seen each other last! We have so much to catch up on!”

Daring moved her hoof into her saddlebag and pulled out the newspaper from earlier, showing it to the mare.

“Can we talk?”

Amethyst

Rosetta’s smile never wavered as her eyes darted between Daring’s face and the article she presented. Daring saw something flash in Rosetta’s eyes as she turned to the group surrounding her and said in a most gracious voice “You will all have to excuse me for a moment. Yearling here is a close friend and colleague of mine, and we must catch up on some things. In private.” In a flash, Rosetta grabbed hold of one of Daring’s forelegs and briskly led her away from the group of ponies, all while maintaining her courtly smile.

The group of ponies Rosetta left behind eventually dispersed as the nobles and well-to-dos of Canterlot became bored with talking amongst each other. All, that is, except for one pale magenta mare with a two-tone purple mane, wearing a saffron formal saddle on her back and a yellow flower in her mane. She stayed behind and openly stared at Rosetta as she almost dragged Daring off. This did not go unnoticed by Daring herself, who kept a suspicious eye on the mare as Rosetta led her away.

Rosetta led Daring up a large, polished staircase and down a hallway before leading her into a small study. The room was musty, and Daring let out a small cough as she entered. The study was dominated by a large mahogany desk that sat near the back, covered in junk and clutter of all sorts. Bookshelves lined every available wall, and various tomes, some with pristine white pages, others yellowed with age, filled their shelves.

“Why didn’t you send me an invitation?” Daring asked with an accusing tone of voice. “It was easy sneaking in here, but I shouldn’t have to. I thought we were friends.”

Rosetta trotted inside and sat down behind the desk, her gracious smile gone now that she was away from her guests. In it’s place was the smaller, shallower smile of an experienced businessmare. “I did send you an invitation. You probably threw it out with everything else you get that isn’t from your publisher or somepony with a tip. Have a seat, Daring,” she offered.

‘That... makes a bit of sense, actually,’ Daring thought. She looked around, but couldn’t find a chair. With a moment’s hesitation, she grabbed a stack of books that had been left on the floor and sat down, before gently placing the newspaper clipping onto the brown mare’s desk. “I was told this was a budding archaeologist. Just graduated from the university you teach at, and was excited about some sort of expedition. Then he went missing.”

Rosetta’s horn lit up with an amber glow, enveloping the clipping in a similarly colored field and levitating it in front of her face. She hummed to herself, tapping her chin as she examined the article. “Yes, I know who you’re talking about. Azure Sharde is his name. He graduated a little over a year ago, if I recall correctly. Very bright stallion, showed a lot of potential.” Rosetta lowered the newsclipping and glanced at Daring. “What is your interest in him? Or should I say, what is your interest in his expedition? I sincerely doubt you of all ponies would asking me for information on a pony because you were concerned for their well-being.”

Daring frowned. “I’ll have you know I care very much about his safety,” she defended herself. “I just need to know where he was going so I can go save him.”

Rosetta chuckled at Daring’s assertion. “If by ‘go save him’ you mean ‘go search for whatever he was searching for and help him if you happen to run into him’, then I believe you completely.” She put down the article and slid it across the table, back to Daring. “No matter. Either way, if he’s anywhere near the discovery he made, you’ll find him.”

Rosetta stood up and moved to the bookcase behind her desk, searching through the large amount of books that filled every shelf. “Now, where did I...” she muttered to herself as she browsed the texts and tomes. She went on like this for a few minutes, searching every shelf in the room, before moving on to the disorganized piles of books that littered the floor.

“Aha!” she exclaimed, and her horn started to glow. Daring rose as the book she was sitting on lifted into the air, and she found herself dumped onto the ground unceremoniously.

“Here’s my record book,” explained Rosetta. “I use it to keep track of what my students are up to. You never know when such information might come in handy.” She opened up the book and the pages became enveloped in her magical aura and flipped to a point near the end. “Here’s what you’re looking for,” she told Daring, floating the book over to her guest.

Daring stood up, shooting Rosetta an irritated glance before snatching the book from Rosetta’s telekinetic field and examining the entry in question, reading the unicorn’s neat writing aloud. “June 5th- Azure Sharde is planning an expedition to the Amarezon jungle for next month. He claims he’s found evidence that the fabled Warlord’s Folly is hidden deep inside the jungle...” Daring stopped reading. “The Warlord’s Folly? As in, ancient bring-down-a-civilization Warlord’s Folly? I thought that was just a myth.”

Rosetta shrugged and sat back down in her chair. “Azure didn’t think so, apparently. Besides, aren’t you in the business of chasing down supposed myths?”

Daring nodded. She had gone after supposedly mythical artifacts before. The Griffon’s Goblet, the Sapphire Stone, and the Crystal Claw were all believed to just be stories and legends until she found them. None of them were fabled to have killed the creatures who owned them, however...

“I... suppose there’s a good chance there really is something there. If I’m going to go, er, save Azure, I’ll be in the area and may as well search for it.” Daring examined the book for a moment longer before setting it aside.

“Yes, I’m certain his rescue will make for an interesting chapter in your next book.” Rosetta returned to her desk as she spoke. “Speaking of which, what are you going to call this one? Daring Do and the Warlord’s Folly?”

Before Daring could answer, she noticed Rosetta’s expression change to one of confusion, followed by a yelp from behind her and the sound of somepony stumbling while the door banged against the wall. With a flap of her wings, Daring zipped up into the air and turned around, ready to confront any would-be attackers. This, she learned, was unnecessary.

Sprawled out on the floor, the pale magenta unicorn mare from before looked up with pale purple eyes and a sheepish smile. She was wearing a yellow saddle and had a flower of the same colour in her two-toned purple mane. “I… uh… was looking for the restroom?” She chuckled nervously as she slowly stood up, brushing herself off and readjusting her saddle. “So, uh... Daring Do, huh? As in, the real Daring Do?” The unicorn glanced up curiously at Daring.

Daring flew down to the unicorn, landing right in front of the intruder and giving her a hard glare. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

The magenta unicorn leaned away from Daring, shrinking under her glare. She opened her mouth to answer but the pegasus cut her off.

“Did Ahuizotl send you? Was it Doctor Caballeron? Gafar the griffon? Tell me who you work for!” As the unicorn leaned away from her, Daring moved closer and closer until her face was just inches from the unicorn’s.

“Her name is Amethyst Star,” Rosetta finally spoke up, fixing the now named unicorn with a cold stare of her own. “She’s a rowdy little ruffian that was expelled from the university a few years ago. And I’m pretty sure I never sent her an invitation. So please, Amethyst, do tell us exactly what you’re doing here and why you were listening in on a private conversation.”

Amethyst opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to come up with a response, but all that came out was a few squeaking noises. “...Restroom?” she finally managed to say. “Yes, that’s it! I just made a wrong turn, is all. I was listening at the door for, uh, restroom noises. Clearly, this is not the restroom. I’ll just be going now. To look for the restroom.” Amethyst backed away as she spoke, smiling nervously the whole time.

Before she could reach the door, Rosetta’s horn lit up and shut the doors behind Amethyst with an audible click that caused Amethyst to wince. Looking behind her and seeing the exit closed off, Amethyst turned back to Daring and Rosetta with a resigned expression and a sigh. “Okay, in my defense, I really don’t actually know where the restroom is. But you are right to assume I’m not actually looking for it.”

“Of course we are,” Daring replied sarcastically. “Now, answer my questions already! Why are you here, and who are you working for?”

Amethyst took a deep breath and looked unflinchingly at Daring. “Okay, first of all, I work for myself, and not any of those villains you listed a minute ago. I didn’t even know they actually existed outside of a cheap adventure series until now.” Amethyst grew more confident as she spoke, not noticing Daring’s eye twitch at the word ‘cheap’. “Secondly, I’m here for reasons similar to yours. I want to know what happened to Azure Sharde, and I refuse to leave until Rosetta Stone tells me what she knows.” With that, she sat down and crossed her forelegs, glaring at the two.

Daring growled. “Just because Rosetta knows you doesn’t mean you’re not working for Ahuizotl! Or maybe you want to find the War- er, the artifact Azure was after so you can keep it for yourself! How much did you hear?” Daring asked, reaching into her saddlebag as she spoke.

Amethyst stared at Daring incredulously. “I told you, I didn’t even know Ahuizotl even existed until just now! And I heard enough to know that you have a general idea of where Azure went. Now, you’re going to tell me- wait, why do you have rope?”

“You never know when you might need to tie somepony up. Now stay still.” Daring jumped at Amethyst, rope gripped in her teeth. She wasn’t prepared for the unicorn to roll out of the way, however. She slammed face-first into the locked door.

Before she could stop seeing stars, her tail rose up seemingly of her own accord, dragging her into the air with it. She was turned to face a smirking Amethyst, who was using her magic to lift her off the ground. The unicorn stuck out her tongue. “I thought Daring Do was supposed to be fast?” she taunted.

Thinking quickly, Daring unfurled the rope and twirled it for a moment before launching it at Amethyst. The noose hit home, wrapping around the unicorn’s horn. Before Amethyst could react, Daring gave the rope a violent yank, making the unicorn yelp and stumble forward. Her concentration lost, the telekinetic field on Daring’s tail faded and the seasoned adventurer was dropped onto the ground with a thud.

Daring jumped up as quick as she could, orienting herself to face her foe. She leapt at Amethyst, her wings pumping to provide extra speed. With a quick mid-air turn she prepared a high-speed buck and threw out her back legs with the speed of a bullet, aiming towards her opponent’s chest.

Her hooves rocketed towards her enemy, but she was surprised to feel them impact with a flat, solid object instead of a furry, squishy one. Pain shot up her legs and she went sprawling forward, her face impacting with the floor.

She quickly stood up, her hat and glasses falling off as she did so. The pegasus quickly turned around to attack again when she saw a translucent wall of purple light rushing towards her. Acting quickly, Daring launched herself from the ground, using her wings to aid her ascent. She just barely managed to roll over the incoming wall of force, her mane brushing against the top of the wall as it rushed passed. She held her wings close to her sides and fell towards Amethyst, her momentum carrying her quickly towards the unicorn. She slammed into her, the force of their bodies causing them to fly back into a bookcase and send its contents cascading onto the floor.

The impact left Amethyst too stunned to do anything other than lay on the floor, groaning in pain. Daring, her impact having been lessened due to the body of Amethyst cushioning her, stood up shakily. However, as she stood up, a textbook falling from above hit her on the head with a thud, and she fell back down.

Before either combatant could regain their senses, Rosetta’s amber-coloured aura surrounded both of the feuding ponies and lifted them off the floor with a few feet separating them. “Alright, your little scuffle was entertaining for a while, but now you’re just trashing my office. Break it up before I have the both of you arrested for property damage.” Rosetta glared at Daring and Amethyst in turn. “Now, I think it’s safe to believe what Amethyst is saying. I doubt she could cooperate with one of those villains you mentioned long enough to get anything done.”

Daring and Amethyst struggled to get free until Rosetta dropped her telekinetic hold, allowing the pair to land on their hooves. Daring grumbled under her breath and flapped towards her hat and glasses, which she quickly donned in case anypony else appeared, muttering “she started it...” as she did so.

Amethyst rubbed her injured side gingerly, glaring at Daring the whole time. “I started it? You’re the one who jumped at me with some rope! Who even does that?” She smoothed out and adjusted her saddle as she complained.

“Amethyst,” Rosetta started in a comforting tone of voice, “I know that Azure is your friend, and that you want to find him. But if you really just wanted my help, you could have just asked. You don’t have to sneak around.”

Amethyst cheered up at that statement, a smile adorning her face. “Well, if that’s that case-” she started. She was quickly cut off by Rosetta, however, whose tone hardened once more.

“But, the fact that you felt the need to sneak leads me to believe you’re not here solely because you want help finding your friend.”

Amethyst’s smile deflated like a balloon. “Heh heh ha... what? No. I wouldn’t do that. I just want to find Azure.”

Daring and Rosetta glared at the unicorn, who withered under their stares. “...Okay, fine. I also want to go on an adventure. Maybe find the Warlord’s Folly, too.” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry! I did something wrong and I feel super guilty. But that’s behind us now. You’re going after Azure and the Warlord’s Folly, right? When are we leaving?”

Daring rolled her eyes and groaned. ‘Great,’ she thought, ‘just another thrill-seeker.’ She’d met countless people in her travels just like Amethyst. Ponies, zebras, and griffons who would plead and beg for her to bring them along with her, hoping to be as great as she was. It never ends well. “We’re not leaving,” she stated with authority. “I’m going to find your friend and the Warlord’s Folly, and you’ll stay here and do whatever it is you do. Got it?”

Amethyst’s face scrunched up in indignation. “It’s a free country. I can go if I want to. What are you, the adventure police? Or maybe an adventure hoarder? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re trying to keep all the adventure for yourself!”

Daring facehoofed. “That’s not even how it works! You’d have no idea what you’re doing out there! Have you ever travelled the Amarezon? You’d get lost and die out there on your first day! I don’t want to be involved in your death.” Daring flew up close to Amethyst and shook her hoof in the unicorn’s face. “Unless you keep pestering me. Then I’ll be involved, big time!”

Amethyst just glared at Daring, unintimidated. “I can take care of myself! And it doesn’t matter if you don’t want me coming along. I’ll just follow you anyways!”

“I still have rope, you know.” Daring growled.

Rosetta slammed her hoof on her desk, startling both Amethyst and Daring. “Would the both of you quit acting like a couple of foals having a tantrum!? In case you have forgotten, there’s a party going on, and I need to go be a good host to my guests.” Rosetta glared at the unicorn and pegasus in turn. “Now, here is what will happen; you,” Rosetta gestured towards Daring. “will let Amethyst come with you, or I will report you to the guards for trespassing on my property.”

Daring’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But I have an invitation!”

“Had,” Rosetta corrected. “You threw it out.” Turning and pointing at Amethyst, Rosetta continued. “And you, Amethyst, will follow all of Daring’s instructions to the letter, or she will tie you up and mail you home in a box. Got it?”

Amethyst looked like she was about to protest, but one look from Rosetta shut her up, and she simply nodded.

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a party that needs hosting. I’ll have one of my security ponies show you both out. After all, this house is only open to those with invitations.” Rosetta’s magic enveloped a bell that was sitting on her desk and rang it.

A large, familiar pegasus walked in and grinned at Daring. “Say, didn’t I warn you about coming back here without an invitation?” Twinklehooves chuckled. “Looks like I’m going to have to escort you out.”

Daring glared defiantly at the large pegasus. “Bring it on, you big, dumb, ugly-”

______________________________________________________________________________

Daring fought with tooth and hoof as the security ponies dragged her out of the house, but ended up thrown out of the gates and face planting on the cobblestone street. As she sat up and picked up her now broken glasses, Amethyst calmly walked passed the gate and stopped behind her. The gate slammed shut behind them, leaving Daring and Amethyst alone on the street.

After a quiet moment, Amethyst finally spoke. “So what now, oh great adventurer?” Amethyst asked sarcastically.

Daring fiddled with her damaged glasses for a bit, but gave up when one of the lenses fell out. “Now? It’s late, and I’m tired.” Daring tossed her broken glasses to the side. She has plenty more in her luggage. “I’m calling it a night. If you still want to come with me, meet me in the Hoofrest Hotel lobby at eight AM. Pack light and bring plenty of bits. If you’re late, I’m leaving without you.”

Amethyst snorted at that. “Don’t get your hopes up, Daring Do, I won’t be late. See you tomorrow.” Amethyst turned and trotted off, leaving Daring alone on the street.

Daring watched Amethyst go and shook her head. ‘There’s no way in Tartarus this will end well.’ With a sigh, Daring unfurled he wings and took flight, heading in the direction of her hotel. ‘This is going to be a long trip.’

On The Trail

Author's Note

I wonder if anyone is even going to read this? Whatever.

Haven't touched this site in nearly two years now. Haven't seen an episode of MLP or anything in that time, either. Just not a fan anymore, but that's okay.

Tonight I started feeling all nostalgic and logged back in to see how things are going (and I'm lucky my computer remembers my password, otherwise I'd be SOL!) So I logged back in and saw that this story had an unreleased but finished chapter, and figured why the hell not?

So here it is. I hope you enjoy, and to anyone who reads this, thank you for supporting me years ago, reading my stories and giving me a grand old time. I love writing, and I love when people enjoy what I write. Unfortunately, I haven't written much in the two years I've been gone, but maybe I'll pick it up again. Again- why the hell not?

On The Trail

The hotel lobby’s couch was soft. Very, very soft. Daring wondered why that was necessary. There were rooms in a hotel, after all, and one wouldn’t need to spend any prolonged amount of time in the lobby. That is, unless they were waiting for a late travelling partner.

The adventuress glanced at the clock hanging high on the wall of the posh hotel. The face read 8:10, and Daring sighed. Perhaps the clock was wrong?

She flagged over a passing hotel employee. “You got the time?” she asked him.

The bellhop took a watch out of his pocket and checked it. “It’s 8:10, m’am,” he answered with forced cheerfulness. “There’s a clock right up there, by the way.” He pointed to the clock Daring had been hoping was slow, then proceeded on his way.

Daring sighed and slumped back onto the unnecessarily comfortable couch. ‘I’ll just wait a few more minutes. I thought Rainbow Dash would be a liability, too, but she turned out to be pretty useful.’ She stared at the hotel’s main doors, waiting for Amethyst to show.

Daring didn’t have to wait much longer. At eight fifteen, Amethyst finally trotted through the doors, a styrofoam cup with the word ‘Marebucks’ emblazoning the side levitating near her muzzle. She was wearing a white shirt under a thick brown jacket, a brown fedora, a saddlebag decorated with her cutie mark hanging from one side, and a whip coiled through a loop hanging on the other hip. Noticing Daring, Amethyst trotted over to the couch.

“You’re late. And dressed like a fool. What took you so long?” asked Daring.

Amethyst held up a hoof and took a long drink from her cup, letting out a satisfied sigh before answering. “I’m late because the mare in front of me couldn’t decide if she wanted a mocha frappe or a caramel one. And what’s wrong with my outfit?” Amethyst looked down at herself, a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong is that we’re going on an expedition to the Amarezon, not the local library to find the latest cheesy Fillydelphia Jones novel. Nopony actually dresses like that!” Daring struck a pose. “If you want a real adventuring guide, you should read some of my books. They’re actually accurate.”

Amethyst snorted derisively. “You’re just upset that Fillydelphia Jones sells better than your stories.” She smirked at Daring and took another sip of her coffee. “Maybe they sell better because Fillydelphia Jones is a better adventurer than Daring Do.”

Daring knocked the coffee out of Amethyst’s magical grip, spilling it all over the floor. A nearby custodian glared at her. “Let’s just leave already. And lose the whip. It’s completely useless.”

Amethyst stared down at her spilled coffee for a moment, heartbreak written all over her face, before looking back at Daring with a livid leer. “That was just uncalled for! And what’s wrong with the whip? Fillydelphia Jones uses one all the time.”

Daring sighed exasperatedly and turned to Amethyst. “Fillydelphia Jones has no basis in reality. Half the things he does aren’t scientifically possible! A whip is pretty much useless in a survival situa- ah, whatever. I don’t feel like arguing.” Daring turned back and waved her wing in a beckoning motion before trotting out towards the door. “We’ve got a train to catch.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Daring and Amethyst disembarked from the train in an unremarkable town outside the Amarezon. After spending some bits on some basic supplies, they immediately set out for Azure’s last known destination.

Entering the jungle, Daring took a deep breath, savouring the wild scent of the air. Some of the trees in this part of the Amarezon were among the biggest in the world, easily being able to tower over even the tallest of Canterlot’s towers. The dew that formed in the humid environment pooled in the bowl-like indents of the broad leaves, creating natural servings of crystal-clear water. Insects the size of a pony’s head buzzed by, occasionally landing on flowers or snatching another bug for a tasty treat.

For Daring, it felt like home.

The same could not be said for Amethyst. The city-bred unicorn was already sweating in the humid climate, and she used her hat to swat at any insect that flew too close for comfort. Discomfort and misery were written all over her face. However, to her credit, she did not complain.

The two ponies travel at a comfortable- at least for Daring -pace through the jungle, not in any particular hurry. Daring would occasionally, glance at her map, making sure that they were headed in the right direction. Amethyst simply followed behind, flinching from every strange sound that came from the environment. They travelled like this for two hours, neither saying much.

When the sun was in its zenith, Amethyst let out a groan. “Daring, do you even know where we’re going? I never got a look at Rosetta’s book.”

“Azure Sharde came to the Amarezon looking for the Warlord’s Folly.” Daring didn’t bother to look back as she spoke. “As long as we keep heading towards the center of the jungle, we’ll probably run into him eventually.”

Amethyst frowned at that. “How do you know that for sure?”

“In my experience, the important artifacts are almost always kept in a structure somewhere in the center of some forest, desert, canyon, whathaveyou.” Daring glanced at Amethyst over her shoulder. “That makes the center of the Amarezon our best bet at the moment.”

Amethyst didn’t look particularly convinced. “And if we don’t find him at the center, or even on the way to the center? What do we do then?”

Daring thought about that for a moment. “Well… after we grab the Warlord’s Folly, we could do a cursory search around the Amarezon, see if he got lost somewhere.”

“And if we don’t find him then?” Amethyst asked.

Daring sighed and looked away from Amethyst. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. Just focus on reaching the center for now.”

The two mares travelled another hour in silence, Daring focusing on the path ahead of her while Amethyst appeared to be lost in thought. She subconsciously started to flap her wings, hovering above the ground instead of walking upon it, avoiding the quicksand pit in her way.

‘Wait, quicksand!?’ Daring turned around just as she heard Amethyst cry out.

Amethyst walked right into the quicksand pit, her forehooves sinking into the ground and causing her to trip forward. The hapless unicorn fell entirely into the pit, her body immediately beginning to sink as she struggled vainly to stand back up. The only reward for her efforts was some loud squelching noises as she sunk faster into the pit. Amethyst cried out in desperation. “Daring, help!”

Cursing under her breath, Daring’s eyes darted around for something to help Amethyst with. She noticed a thick vine hanging nearby. ‘Perfect!’ Daring dashed to the vine and tore it of its tree, throwing one end towards the distressed unicorn. “Grab this, Amethyst! I’ll pull you out!”

Amethyst followed the sound of Daring’s voice and looked in her direction. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw the vine. “S-snake! Keep it away from me!” Amethyst floundered and flailed, trying her best to get away even as her hind legs were pulled completely into the quicksand, leaving only her forelegs free.

Daring double checked the vine. It was, in fact, just a vine. She resisted the urge to facehoof. “Oh for the love of- it’s just a freaking vine! Unless you want to die, grab the damn thing!” Daring did everything she could to put the vine within Amethyst’s reach, but there was only so much she could do without the unicorn’s cooperation.

Daring’s words apparently made it through to Amethyst. The unicorn’s eyes locked on to the vine and she began to strain her forelegs towards it. Her hooves missed the vine by mere inches, causing Amethyst to fall forward, her forelegs now sinking into the quicksand. She tugged at them violently, but it was no use; her forelegs were trapped. Amethyst looked up at the vine, her face contorted by pure terror. The quicksand had swallowed most of her body, leaving only her neck and head above it’s surface.

Amethyst gasped as the quicksand reached her neck. Just as the sand was about to reach her muzzle, her horn flared, wrapping the vine in a violet field and drawing it closer to herself and grasping it in her mouth. Her eyes clenched shut and her muscles strained as she tried to pull herself up.

Daring tugged on the vine, bringing it closer to her and quickly tying the opposite end to a tree. She continued to pull, digging in her hooves and flapping her wings with each step, until the unicorn’s upper body was freed from the sand and she was able to pull herself along the vine. She soon crawled onto the bank of the pit, sand trapped in her fur and tail and under her jacket. She gasped for breath, her body trembling from fear and exertion.

Daring rushed over to Amethyst and helped her up to her hooves, brushing as much sand off as she could. “You alright, kid?” she asked, her normally cocky tone replaced with one of concern. “You’ve gotta look where you’re traveling in the Amarezon. Daydreaming is a good way to get yourself killed.”

After a few minutes, Amethyst’s breathing returned her normal and her trembling died down. She glanced up at Daring. “Thanks for helping me out,”

Daring smiled. “Don’t mentio- oof!” Daring was cut off when Amethyst sucker punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She keeled over, clutching her stomach and trying to catch her breath.

Amethyst glared down at Daring. “That was for not telling me about the quicksand! You should have warned me! You flew right over it! I could have died!”

‘Damn, this mare can throw a punch...’ Daring wheezed as she tried to get her breath back, slowly climbing to her hooves. “Okay… I kind of deserved that.” Daring took a deep breath, regaining her composure. “I’m sorry, alright? I was on autopilot there. I’m not used to traveling with company.”

Amethyst huffed at that. “Well, give me a warning next time.”

“I’ll try to do that in the future, but you also have to keep your eyes on the path in front of you. I’m not going to foalsit you the entire expedition.” Daring eyed Amethyst, glancing over the wet sand covering her. “You’re going to want to wash that off. It’s only going to get worse as it dries. Trust me on that.”

Amethyst grumbled under her breath and shook herself, sending sand flying in every direction. “Let’s just go. The sooner we find the Warlord’s Folly, the sooner we can get out of this Celestia-forsaken jungle.”

Daring shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The two adventurers resumed their journey, Daring leading the way around the quicksand and back on track towards the center of the Amarezon. Amethyst followed closely behind, eyes darting around the environment looking for possible dangers. All the while, the sand trapped beneath her outfit began to dry and cake, rubbing and scratching against her as she traveled.

Daring jumped over the remains of a fallen tree branch. ‘Any minute now, she’ll be begging me to take her home,’ she assured herself. ‘Not everypony has what it takes to adventure like me or Rainbow Dash. After all, she’s just some Canterlot unicorn. This is probably her first time setting hoof outside the city!’

As she reassured herself that the unicorn would be out of her mane soon, she heard a scratching sound from behind her. ‘That’s the sound of a Zebrican black bear brushing up against a tree! But we’re nowhere near Zebrica...’ What could a Zebrican bear be doing in the Amarezon? “Hey, Amethyst, did you hear about any bear relocation projects or something while in Canterlot?” she asked the unicorn. “I definitely hear a Zebrican black bear. Those don’t live here, right?”

When no answer was forthcoming, she turned to look at the unicorn, only to be greeted by an empty trail behind her. “Amethyst?” she called out. “Amethyst, where’d you go? Did the bear get you? Did you seriously just die after escaping quicksand?” Daring looked around for the unicorn, her disbelief turning to concern.

Before Daring called out again, a bush on the edge of the trail rustled and Amethyst tumbled out, her cheesy adventurer’s outfit missing. Where the outfit was, a coating of caked sand could be seen sticking to Amethyst’s body. She was using her magic to rub a thick tree branch on her back, flakes of sand flying off in all directions. “So... itchy!” she shouted. “Get it off get it off getitoff!”

Daring chuckled at the spectacle, shaking her head. “Having a little trouble there, Amethyst?”

Amethyst continued to desperately scratch at the caked sand with her branch, not hearing Daring. “Why is this so itchy?! I think there are bugs in it! Help! HELP!”

Still grinning, Daring flapped over to Amethyst and tried brushing the sand off, but it was firmly caked into the unicorn’s fur. “Hold on a moment, I have an idea,” she said before disappearing into the jungle.

She came back a few moments later, a large leaf held carefully in her teeth. A pool of water had collected in it, and Daring flapped her wings and floated over to her unfortunate sidekick. She dumped the water onto Amethyst’s back. “There you go,” she said, spitting out the leaf. “Nice and clean. For the jungle, at least.”

Startled by the sudden shower, Amethyst dropped the branch and sputtered as she was drenched. Then she let out a relieved sigh as much of the caked sand came off. She took a moment to wipe off the worst of the sand that remained, leaving only marginally irritating amount of sand in her fur. She brushed her wet mane out of her face and looked up at Daring, giving a small smile. “Thanks, Daring.”

“Don’t mention it.” Daring landed near Amethyst and looked around. “Where’s your stupid outfit and gear?”

“Oh, yeah. I, uh, kind of tore it all off.” Amethyst smiled sheepishly at Daring. “I think I left it a little ways back there.” She gestured in the direction she came from.

Daring sighed. “Well, no point in going back for it. I’m carrying most of the food anyways.”

“But I payed a lot of bits for that stuff!” Amethyst protested. “And I left my saddlebag back there! It has my compass and canteen in it, among other things. I left my whip back there, too! What if we need them later?”

“Should have thought about that before you ignored the advice of an experienced explorer. Now get a move on, we’re burning daylight.” Daring turned and began to walk off. She didn’t take two steps before she heard rustling behind her. Turning around, Daring saw Amethyst heading off in the direction she came from. ‘Ugh, that stupid mare is going to get herself killed!’

Daring briefly considered just moving on, leaving Amethyst on her own in the Amarezon. The unicorn has only really slowed her down so far. Just as quickly as she had thought of it, Daring dismissed the idea. If Azure Sharde turned up, Amethyst could help convince him to share what he knows. Of course, it was also wrong to just leave Amethyst by herself in a hostile environment. Even if she really deserved it.

Sighing, Daring turned and followed Amethyst, quickly catching up to the unicorn. They found Amethyst’s gear in a pile nearby and cleaned off as much of the sand as possible. Once Amethyst was back in her cliché adventurer’s outfit, the two continued on into the forest.

Aside from Daring glancing over her shoulder to check on her companion occasionally, neither interacted much as they traveled through the lush jungle underbrush.

‘What was she thinking, leaving her city life for a dangerous adventure like this?’ Daring idly wondered as she hopped over a large protruding root. Amethyst tripped on it, falling face-first into the dirt with a thump and a string of muttered expletives. ‘Doesn’t she realize she could die out here? Only a Celestia-damned fool would risk everything for a thrill-seeking expedition like this one.’

Daring expertly avoided a veil of magical, see-through vines dangling from a tree, noticing the hazy shadow they cast. Amethyst walked straight into them, getting tangled up. ‘Then again, maybe that’s not a bad thing,’ she thought, chuckling at Amethyst’s predicament. She remembered the first time she got tangled in chameleon vines. ‘After all, I was a newbie like she is, once. I was almost as clueless as she is…”

Daring frowned and shook her head. ‘No,’ she thought. ‘Now’s not the time to think of crap like that. I need to be focused.’

Daring was dragged out of her thoughts by Amethyst’s voice from behind her. “Do you think we’re close?” she asked, a slight whine to her voice. “I’m hungry. Can we take a break?”

Daring rubbed her grumbling belly. “Maybe it is about time we took a break.”

Amethyst picked up a fallen tree branch in her magic, using the leafy end to sweep a small space for them to sit.

“Hold up a second,” Daring ordered, “and quiet down.” She closed her eyes and listened to the jungle around her.

“Uh... what are you doing?” asked Amethyst, a confused look on her face.

Daring shushed her. “Trust me,” she said. “You need to find the perfect spot to eat your lunch in peace. There are all kinds of things hiding in the dirt, grass and dead leaves that seem to exist solely to vex ponies that take breaks in the middle of the jungle”

Amethyst rolled her eyes but stayed quiet, sitting down and glancing around.

In the silence that followed, Daring heard the buzzing of dragonflies and the croaking of frogs. “There’s a pond nearby. Follow me!”

Daring bounded off into the jungle, surprising Amethyst who tripped as she tried to get up. “W-wait for me!” she shouted, hastily running after Daring.

Amethyst trailed Daring for a few minutes, her hooves struggling to keep up with the adventuress. After a short while, her running took her to the edge of a small pond, reeds growing on its banks and lily pads floating gently on its surface. A large rock with a flat top protruded out of the center of the pond.

It was this rock that Daring was pointing to, a proud grin on her face. “See? That’s a perfect spot! No centipedes climbing in our tails, no spiders or ants biting our flanks, and no solid ground for predators to pounce from. Perfect spot to eat in peace.”

Amethyst stared at the lone rock dubiously. “And how am I supposed to get there, exactly?”

“You can swim, can’t you?” Daring smirked at Amethyst.

Amethyst just gave Daring a deadpan stare.

Daring chuckled and flapped her wings a few times, hovering over to Amethyst and wrapping her forelegs around her. “Hold still, I don’t want to accidentally drop you into the pond, now.”

Amethyst growled but otherwise stayed still while Daring ferried her over the water and plopped her down on the rock before landing and taking a seat herself.

“You’re lucky I’m around to take care of you, otherwise this jungle would eat you alive!” Daring snickered, unpacking a few food items from her bag. “Or, at the very least, it would eat your lunch.”

Amethyst rolled her eyes at this but said nothing, instead opting to levitate some of her own food from her saddlebags.

The lunch, consisting of hay and water, was eaten in silence for the most part. Amethyst munched absentmindedly on her hay, apparently deep in thought. Daring kept an eye on the shore of the pond as she ate, keeping an eye out for any possible danger.

As Daring bit into her hay, she felt a small tremor beneath her, and she looked down at the rock they were seated on in confusion. The previously still water in the murky pond rippled around the stone as more rocks seemed to rise out of the water of their own volition, shaking the stone and sending the two ponies fleeing.

Amethyst jumped off the rumbling rock, using her magic to push herself further than her own legs could carry her. Daring flew behind her, staying low to the ground to avoid being tangled in the mass of vines dangling from the forest canopy above.

Amethyst landed with a grunt, her hooves touching the ground causing small clouds of brown dust to float up from the ground and causing her to cough. “W-what is that thing?” she shouted out at Daring, who landed alongside her. They both turned to face the pond, their faces paling when they caught sight of the massive beast rising from its depths.

A large grey beast, its skin like a miniature mountain range and covered in small, stone-like protrusions, turns to face them, its red eyes gleaming in the sunlight. It opened its mouth and roared at them, revealing rows of pointed, sharp teeth, angry at being awoken from its afternoon nap.

“It’s a cragadile!” Daring shouted, placing herself between Amethyst and the beast. “Hold still! Its vision is based on movement- if we don’t move, it can’t see us!”

Amethyst stood rigidly, her stillness causing her to resemble a statue, similar to the effect the cragadile’s flesh gave to it. Daring stood, wings spread, head held low, ready to fly away at the first sign of danger.

The cragadile eyed them for a few moments. The tension hanging in the air was almost palpable as the deadly staredown continued. Suddenly, with the force of a hurricane, the cragadile roared and charged towards them.

Daring mentally berated herself for her mistake. “Oh, horseapples. Plan B, Run!”

The two turned tail and fled through the jungle as the cragadile slowly gained on them, Amethyst slightly lagging behind.

“‘They sense movement’ my flank! You are the worst adventurer I have ever met!” Amethyst cried out as they tore through the foliage of the forest, the cragadile hot on their heels. The unicorn stumbled over a large, protruding root, but quickly regained her balance and continued running for her life.

Daring looked around at the jungle as she fled, searching for anything that could be used to get them out of the situation they’d found themselves. She could, of course, fly up and out of the forest, but her ground-bound companion would be left on her own, and she decided against it.

As Daring examined the surroundings, Amethyst wrapped her magical aura around a low-growing tree branch, pulling it along with her as she ran. When the wood started to creak and shudder, she released the branch, which snapped back and hit the cragadile in the face with a might thwack!

“Hah, take that, you _______!” Amethyst cried out in triumph, but the cocky grin on her face was dropped when the cragadile burst through the improvised weapon and chomped down on her tail, stopping her in her tracks and dragging her backwards..

Hearing Amethyst cry out, Daring turned to face her. ‘Horseapples...’ Daring thought as she noticed her companion’s peril. She twisted her body mid-air and dashed towards the cracadile, which had thrown its head back and tossed the screaming unicorn into the air, opening its jaws to catch her.

Just as Amethyst dropped into the beast’s mouth, Daring rocketed between the cragadile’s quickly closing jaws and snatched the unicorn, carrying her to safety. The cragadile chomped down on empty air and let out a perplexed growl.

Daring dropped Amethyst on the ground, panting. “You’re kinda heavy, you know. Now I know why you were lagging so far behind,” she teased.

Rather than acknowledge Daring’s remark, Amethyst started running as soon as her hooves hit the ground. Daring took off after her, the cragadile in hot pursuit. The chase went on for a full minute, the predator never letting up on the two adventurers. As Daring flew, she could hear Amethyst’s breath growing heavy and ragged.

‘This isn’t good!’ Daring thought.‘Amethyst’s not going to make it if this keeps up. Why is this cragadile so damn persistent?’Daring searched ahead desperately for an escape. She found it in the form of a group of narrow hazy shadows on the ground several yards ahead. ‘Perfect!’

Without warning, Daring dove at Amethyst and scooped her up off the ground, causing the unicorn to yelp in surprise. Daring quickly flew ahead, traveling in a long curve before setting Amethyst down.

“What was that about?” Amethyst demanded.

“Don’t worry about it right now, just keep moving!” Daring took off again, followed by Amethyst.

After a few seconds, a frustrated roar came from behind the fleeing pair. They both glanced over their shoulders as they ran and saw the cragadile seemingly floating in midair, thrashing against nothing. The restrained cragadile quickly faded from view as they ran, hidden by the thick foliage.

“What happened back there?” Amethyst asked, slowing down to a trot. “It looked like that thing was caught up in nothing.”

“Chameleon vines! Same thing you ran into earlier,” Daring answered with a grin. “You grow to love them.”

It’s never a smart idea to hold a conversation while running at high speeds in a jungle where your vision is blocked by leaves and trees. Daring and Amethyst learned this the hard way when they slammed face-first into a hard, stone object, sending them reeling backwards in pain.

Muttering curses under her breath, Daring looked up at what she just flew into. She was greeted with the sight of a weathered, sandy-beige pillar, vines crawling up its side and an open flame in a bowl on top. Behind the pillar, several more could be seen, all flanking the gaping mouth of a cave. More lights could be seen further inside.

Daring blinked a few times in surprise while Amethyst stared open-mouthed at the entrance. Daring looked over at Amethyst. “I think we found the tomb.”

Prologue

A scrawny rat scurried along the cold stone floor, searching the oppressive darkness for its next meal. It quickly hunted through the familiar piles of rubble that littered the room, occasionally stopping to nibble experimentally on the vines that grew down from the walls before moving on. Its search this day- or night, as the gloom of the ancient stone ruin made it impossible to tell - had been fruitless thus far, and the familiar pangs of hunger were beginning to become unbearable. Just as the rat was about to move to another room, it noticed a faint azure light in the distance.

The rat watched the glow warily, unused to the sight of any light piercing the endless darkness it had lived in all its life. As the light grew brighter, the rat hurried into a crack in the stone wall, hiding itself away from the out-of-place light coming towards it. The rat began to hear a clip-clop sound, faintly at first, as the source of the glow came into its view.

A four-legged creature emerged from the tight corridor. It was a deep blue, and a horn on its head was the source of the strange light. On its battered body, it wore a dark brown vest, worn and covered in dirt and small blood stains. On its flank, it carried a torn bag. Upon its head was a hat with a wide brim. The creature was not one that the rat had ever seen before, and it decided to stay concealed in its hiding spot. It was probably safer that way.

The creature cautiously crept forward, nervously eyeing the walls and ceiling as it moved towards a pedestal at the end of the room, paying great attention to where it placed its dirt-covered hooves. The rat wondered vaguely why the creature was being so cautious and wished that it would move faster so that the rat could return to its search for food.

*click!*

The brick which the creature had placed its hoof upon suddenly lowered into the ground, and the creature adopted a look of panic. A large, silver spike shot out from the ceiling, gleaming in the bright blue emanating from the creature’s horn. The creature dropped to the ground in the nick of time, the spike piercing through the air and halting less than an inch from the creature’s head.

The creature crawled awkwardly out from under the spike and stood up on shaky legs, sweat forming on its brow as it tried to control its erratic breathing. After a moment, it looked up cautiously, as though expecting another spike to slide out at any moment and stab through its head. With a quick hoof, it snatched back its hat, which had been impaled by the spike, and continued onwards.

Slowly, weary of more traps, the creature tip-toed towards the pedestal, eyes practically glued to the ground in search of any trap trigger. It reached the raised dais at the end of the room without incident and gave a relieved sigh before walking up. The pedestal was engraved with images from an age long past, depicting scenes of death and destruction, and the creature eyed them uneasily. After a short while, it shifted its attention to the item which rested on the pedestal- a brass bowl, engraved with intricate lines and symbols. That rat had inspected the bowl several times, never finding even the tiniest scrap of food in or around it, and thus wondered what possible interest it could hold for this odd creature. If it was also searching for food, the creature was wasting its time.

The creature paced around the bowl, licking its lips nervously as it scrutinized the artifact from every angle. It circled several times around the pedestal before it was satisfied that it was in no immediate danger. It shut its eyes tightly and, much to the rat’s astonishment, the bowl was enveloped in an azure field that lifted it a few inches up off the pedestal. The creature stood completely still, eyes shut and ears straining to hear the slightest indication that another trap had been sprung. After a brief moment, during which nothing happened, the creature opened its eyes and glanced around before sighing in relief. The bag on his flank became wrapped in a similar blue glow and began floating towards the bowl.

Without any visible or audible warning, the floor surrounding the pedestal fell out from underneath the creature. With a yelp, the creature fell into the pit, its scream quickly losing volume before fading completely out of the rat’s hearing. The creature’s hat, which had fallen off its head when it fell, floated down and settled at the edge of the hole as the floor swung back into place, concealing all evidence that the trap was there at all. The brass bowl fell down onto the pedestal, causing a small ringing sound to emanate throughout the room.

The rat sat patiently for a few moments before judging that it was safe. Slowly, it creeped out from the crack in the wall, its tiny claws clicking on the stone, sounding thunderous in the silence. It reached the bag that had fallen onto the ground beside the pedestal and cautiously poked its head in, exploring it for food. It pulled out a half-eaten bar of oats and started to eat, devouring the feast excitedly.

These creatures didn’t seem too bad.