Daring spun and weaved agilely through the air, being mindful to avoid the towering tree trunks of the jungle. The air was moist, dense and hot, assaulting her senses, making it a harder task to spot any peculiar singularities in the ground below. She spotted a clearing nearby upon which ran a stream of crystal clear water.
After a moment of hesitation, Daring changed her course and landed heavily near the stream. With a heavy sigh, she removed her pith helmet and waved it like a makeshift fan, revelling in the feel of the slightly less hot air. She dug into her saddlebags and extracted a canteen, greedily drinking the somewhat musty water within. Small trickles flowed from her mouth, dripping into her fur and the ground but she paid it no mind.
Now having satisfied her thirst, she dunked the canteen in the water, allowing the natural flow of the stream to fill it up. She set it down on the earthy ground and dug into her saddlebags once more, now producing a small pouch in which there lay a quantity of dried herbs. Carefully, she placed a measured amount into the canteen. She put away the pouch and closed shut the canteen, vigorously shaking it and hearing the water slosh, spreading the herbs around, allowing them to do their job of purifying its contents.
With that done, she put put the canteen away and in its place, she took a map and a pencil along with a hoofful of dried dates which she popped in her mouth, chewing noisily and without sparing a measure of care towards manners or etiquette one would expect of a cultured mare. She unfurled the map and examined its contents.
It detailed the outer ring of the Waliopotea jungle, a place that no one in history, be they horses, zebras or jackals had been able to fully map. The jungle itself spread across a vast stretch of land and was so dense and rumored to house such outlandish dangers, that only its outer perimeter had been explored and any who ventured upon its deeper recesses was not to be seen again.
Skillfully manipulating the pencil with her mouth, Daring made a note to mark the stream and crossed off a section of the territory she had just explored. For the past year, she had trekked the expanses of the large continent of Zulu where well known nations such as Pundamilia(the zebra capitol) and Saddle Arabia lay, searching for the four lost pieces of armor belonging to the legendary zebra king Pondanolos, buried in four secret crypts across Zulu.
It had been a grueling expedition, but Daring had managed to locate three of the pieces, which were now well hidden on three separate cubby holes within Saddle Arabia, were they would be retrieved and taken to the Fillydelphia Museum of the World, proudly displayed for all to see. Her search for the final piece- a ceremonial war helmet, had led her to the thick of the Walipotea jungle, where she had been searching for the ancient crypt that housed her treasure.
It was a daunting task to be sure. The crypt had been constructed centuries ago and was no doubt hidden by the dense vegetation of the forest, making any clues or markers that pointed to its destination all the harder to see. Daring sighed in exasperation at yet another fruitless attempt, tossing a rock at a stone protrusion that jutted from the ground.
What she did not expect was for the rock to make a hollow rattling noise as it impacted with its target. Daring cocked an eyebrow in curiosity and moved closer for examination. It was a mite taller than her. She brushed her hoof along the stone's surface to scrape away at the covering moss and, now that she looked closely at it, she could see a number of grooves and indentations carved in the surface of the jutting stone.
It was an encouraging find. Very encouraging, as the marks upon the stone were not the effects of the wear of time nor that of erosion. Though they were faint, they were also meticulous in nature and possessed lines, curves and zig-zags that could only be done with the use of tools.
She tapped her hoof against it twice and sure enough, a hollow sound came from within. With a growing sense of excitement, Daring worked feverishly to remove the remainder of the moss. She stood back to admire her hoofwork and was pleased to see a cavity near the stone's base.
In a moment of jubilation, Daring took to the air, whooping in joy and performing a victorious loop-de-loop. Finally, after weeks of searching, weeks of sleeping in dirt, caves and itchy vegetation, she now had a solid lead to her prize. But her jaunty flight was cut short as, in the heat of the moment, she flew straight into a buzzing swarm of flies. So happy and ecstatic she had been that she did not immediately register the cloud of bugs, many of which she accidentally swallowed and more of which splattered against her face.
Daring gave an undignified squeal of surprise and revulsion. She lost her balance and her flightpath careened just so, that she crashed headlong into a tangle of vines. The pegasus yelped in alarm as she fought to disentangle herself while at the same time spitting and coughing in an effort to rid herself of the foul taste.
After several moments of pulling, twisting, flailing and biting, Daring finally managed to extricate herself and immediately made a beeline back to the stream. She landed next to her saddlebags and, with frantic movements, rummaged for her canteen. She took a swig of water and sloshed it around her mouth, forcefully spitting it out, along with half-chewed bugs and their almost crustacean-like taste.
"Gross," she shuddered.
She was thankful at being in the middle of nowhere as there would be no witnesses to her clumsy antics. Deciding to get back to the matter at hoof, Daring put away the rest of her items and examined the waystone more closely. She had encountered more of these specimens during her search for the armor of Pondanolos. They served as markers and tributes for any highly dedicated pilgrims who wished to pay tribute to the long departed king.
The waystones were hollowed out near the bottom and a small crevice carved upon which offerings would be placed to pray to the spirits of the wild for safe passage. It was waystones like this that pointed her to the right direction in finding the other secret crypts and Daring was hopeful it would be the same this time around.
With a flap of her wings she took to the air once more and circled an area within range of the waystone, gradually expanding her search and keeping a lookout in the ground. It was a distance away that she spotted another moss covered stone that jutted from the earth. She dove down and, after confirming it was another waystone, renewed her search in earnest. It was tricky to spot the rest of the markers in the foliage, but as she found more and more, Daring was able to make out a pattern that enabled her to find the next waystone with greater ease.
She followed the markers deeper into the jungle and came upon a dark crevice that was dug deep into a rock wall. What little she could see of the entrance was carved with runes and glyphs and Daring was positive she had just found the last crypt in her quest for the zebra king's armor. She kept a cool exterior while her inner self was prancing and dancing in a jaunty fashion, eager to retrieve the war helmet and return to civilization for a hot bath and a soft bed.
She carefully stepped into the dark recesses of the tomb, digging into her vest pocket and producing a small, clear crystal. She lightly rapped it against the floor and slowly, the crystal began to glow a soft light. She held it high in her hoof and pointed it at the darkened walls on either side of her, searching for something. A bit deeper in and she found what she was looking for. Studded against the stone wall was another crystal, but unlike hers it was bigger in size and darker in color.
She held her own crystal to the one on the wall and gave it a quick tap. A few moments later and a small, faint blue glow emanated from the mounted crystal. Following soon, many more lights, just like the one that activated, now dotted the dark hallway Daring stood in. Slowly but surely, the faint light within the crystals grew in size and luminosity and the pitch black crypt was now bathed in a warm blue glow.
Satisfied, Daring pocketed the crystal and inspected her surroundings. The stretching hallway was wide enough for four ponies to walk comfortably side by side and just as tall. She forged ahead with caution as the previous three crypts had been safeguarded by a number of booby traps and she had every reason to think it would be the same this time around.
She had found it curious that, despite the myriad of different species and races that populated the world, most of them possessed a penchant for building hidden tombs and chambers laced with 'protections' to keep out outsiders. Granted, most of these protections were more or less the same, but she occasionally stumbled across a nasty surprise and would have to think on her hooves to come out unscathed.
The crypt she now searched, however, fell into the mundane category. Trip wires, pressure plates, pit falls riddled with sharp spikes and dart-spewing walls were the norm for her at this point and she breezed through them with contemptuous ease. It was one of the perks of being a pegasus.
There were no indigenous flying species in Zulu(no sapient flying species, a least), so the majority of the traps hidden in the temples, catacombs and crypts that dotted the nation were not designed with fliers in mind. Even having grown used to the cookie-cutter traps, Daring would still activate them on purpose, if only to amuse herself and sharpen her reflexes and skills. That was not the case today; she had grown weary of the jungle and wanted nothing more than to get her latest prize and hightail it out of the inhospitable environment.
She fluttered over the traps, but not too fast, for she preferred to keep an eye out for anything unexpected. Eventually, after dead ends, twists and turns and barren rooms later, she found the main chamber; a cavernous room and in the middle was a pedestal upon which lay the helmet she had slaved over the past few weeks over.
Though she was eager to get out, Daring knew this was a part of the journey which she could not rush. The final step of treasure hunting normally housed tricks that required a keen eye to point out. Daring swept the chamber, from the walls and ceiling to the floor and the pedestal. She did not detect any traps and her gut told her it was safe to proceed. She casually fluttered up to the pedestal and swiped the helmet from its resting place, tucking it away in the crook of her leg.
"Heh, heh. Payday," she said smugly.
Getting out was a simple affair. She doubled back and soon enough reached the entrance, strutting out the place, head held high and chest puffed out and with the helmet now resting atop her head, having switched it with her traditional pith helmet. She had to admit, it looked pretty rad on her. But her victory was short lived, for still riding the high of a successful hunt, she did not pay much mind to her surroundings.
A rustling of the bushes was the only indication that she was not alone, but it went unheeded and, swift as lightning, two jackals sprung frm the undergrowth, tackling a startled Daring to the ground.
"Agh! What the buck!?" she yelled and felt an agonizing pain on her left wing.
Her reflexes kicking into gear, Daring squirmed with all her might and despite the jackals' best efforts, she managed to free a hoof and struck one of her assailants in the eye. The jackal howled in pain and backed away, clutching at the spot. Daring capitalized on this and propelled to her hooves, bucking the other jackal as hard as she could and striking a direct hit on his chest.
"Yeah! How you like me now, doggy!?" Daring taunted as the jackal dropped unceremoniously.
She then set her sights on the remaining canine, who had mostly recovered from her sucker punch. Standing in two legs, it towered two heads above Daring, but the smaller pegasus was quite adept in the martial arts and had faced much worse than some flea bitten mongrel. Both combatants circled one another and the jackal retracted one of his paws to produce a nasty looking bat covered in barbed wire, the weapon itself was discolored with dried blood and Daring grit her teeth, mind already playing out various scenarios of how she would take down her enemy.
Any further thoughts on the matter were washed away, however, as she suddenly felt a piercing, stinging pain in her rump. Not having expected it, Daring yelped and jumped in surprise, wings flared and legs kicking at the air. The jackal saw his opportunity and barreled into Daring just as she came down, mercifully not using that dreaded weapon of his, but choosing instead to subdue her.
Daring tried to fight, but almost immediately felt her vision blur and her body grow stiff and unresponsive. Now certain his prey couldn't move the jackal backed away and Daring could just barely turn her head to make out three darts lodged in her flank.
"Ahh... foal of a... nag," were her last slurred words before unconsciousness took over.
If there was one thing Daring Do would pride herself in, it would be an almost intuitive ability to anticipate when she was walking into a trap. It was an attribute she had developed and honed after years and years of being on the job.
Always curious and adventurous since her filly years, as she grew up, Daring had gained a love for exploration and travel and during those times, she also came to have a fascination with objects pertaining to the past.
The sole daughter of wealthy Fillydelphia ponies, Daring had grown up in relative comfort, using the vast expanse of her parents' estate to play and pretend her foalhood fantasies; outrageous tales of piracy, heroism, adventure and glory.
She was considered creative and intelligent, if somewhat disinterested in scholarly pursuits, a fact often bemoaned by her parents, who wished for her to someday take over their thriving import/export business.
As Daring grew, so too did her interests. She collected ancient artifacts and memorabilia from Equestria and several other lands. She went on treks and expeditions to the wilder, more inhospitable locations such as Everfree forest, the Badlands and the ice caverns to the north, further fueling a growing sense of wanderlust that would not abate.
Tenacious, intelligent, and a quick learner, she soon learned to fend for herself in the wilderness, meaning she could head out alone and with no help whatsoever. She thrived on exploration and adventure and along her travels, she stumbled upon a curious find; an ancient, forgotten crypt, located in the southernmost tip of Equestria, where she unearthed a multitude of artifacts and relics of a time long since past.
It was an exciting time for her. She spent the next several weeks coming and going as she pleased, exploring the underground crypt which was surprisingly large, stretching hundreds of feet beneath the surface. This find had given new life to her passions.
As time passed, she found it was no longer enough to confine herself to Equestria, as it had grown to be too safe and familiar a place for her liking. She ceased to find that edge, that sense of anticipation, trepidation and excitement that normally accompanied her during her travels.
She had then decided that, if Equestria no longer had anything to offer, she would make her fortunes by visiting foreign lands, exploring them to her heart's content and searching by way of history, myths and legends whatever treasures these lands would yield. It was not an easy road to take and she made a number of very bad choices during her first few year, but coming off stronger and wiser all for it.
Daring herself would eventually come to gain a reputation as a savvy treasure hunter, constantly coming up at the top and unearthing finds considered to be long since lost or the stuff of fantasies and fairy tales. Tales of her finds and exploits would spread and with them, came trouble in the form of rival hunters and competitors, leading to numerous confrontations.
Over the course of time, Daring was caught, she was imprisoned, she was held hostage, she was beaten, stranded, and found herself in all sorts of predicaments but, be it by sheer dumb luck, her own forceful personality or the intervention of a higher power, Daring would live to see another day- hurt and defeated, but coming off all the stronger and wiser for it.
It was during these trying times that she would develop her now legendary skills, particularly an almost intuitive knowledge to predict when she would be trotting into a trap or an ambush.
But the excitement of the moment, coupled with a growing frustration with her search, had left her distracted and blind to the fact she was being followed. Weeks before, she had infiltrated the territory of the jackal king and stolen the greaves of the armor right from under his nose. Furious, the king had placed a large bounty on her head and it was to this that a small group of well trained mercenaries tracked her to the jungle.
No sooner had she come out of the crypt, triumphantly bearing her prize that two jackals ambushed and attempted to incapacitate her. However, she did not count on there being a hidden assailant who fired poisoned darts at her rump and knocked her unconscious, trowing her into a large iron cage studded with metal bars, being pulled by two brawny, but no less menacing zebras.
It was some time later that she awoke angry and frustrated, partly to her captors but mostly to herself for not seeing them coming. She had been to brash, too hurried that she had foregone the proper precautions and allowed herself to be caught.
Daring had tried to make small talk with the jackals and zebras, if only to pass the time and maybe learn a bit about them. One never knew what little tidbit of information would be useful. But her attempts had been met with stony silence or a string of rude gestures and insults. Her captors, it seemed, were not much for small talk.
It was an inordinate amount of time later that they found a poorly maintained trail and came upon a strange find. There, sitting against a tree, eyes closed and unmoving save for the subtle breathing movements of the chest was... she didn't know what it was. The mercenaries had, after drawing their weapons and shouting obscenities at it, decided to throw it in the cage with her; what they would do with it, Daring did not know. It never woke up, despite all the commotion.
It was a strange creature whose body was nearly all covered in clothing. Only from the neck up and its forelimbs were exposed. She had found it peculiar that, save for a tuft of black hair on its head, what parts were exposed were all but devoid of fur of any kind; only with smooth looking tanned skin in its place.
Finding nothing else to compare it with, Daring had, for the moment, been tempted to label it as some sort of ape, given that its body structure reminded her of them the most. Even so, it was like no ape she had seen before. During her worldly travels, Daring had encountered orangutans, yetis, chimpanzees and gorillas; all of them as smart as the average pony and with vast, sprawling cities and communities within their respective territories, but this creature resembled them only in the vaguest sense.
Its lack of fur, the smooth skin, the bodily proportions; it was all off, it was all wrong. Then there were its clothes. They were too nice, too detailed and of seemingly high quality. Not the type of garments common to this side of the world. Had this creature been wandering all by its lonesome in one of the nearest towns or cities, it would almost certainly have been accosted by the locals and robbed of its belongings.
Daring found herself staring at it, studying it, more than once. Everything about it was an anomaly; something that, for some indiscernible reason, didn't fit in with the picture at large, and it was most certainly out of place.
She pondered on this for several minutes, but eventually, her interest waned and returned her focus to the more pressing matter at hand. Namely, finding a way out of her confines. The cage itself had no visible hinges or weaknesses she could exploit. Her right wing had been damaged during the ambush and would not fly anytime soon. She had been stripped of her trademark vest and pith helmet, in which were cleverly concealed a number of tools that could have aided in any future escapes.
It was a worrying situation she was in, but certainly not the worst and Daring was confident that, in time, she could find a means to escape and retrieve her stolen prize. All she had to do was wait for the opportunity to present itself.
She was broken out of her reverie by a number of groans emanating from the other side of the cage. The ape-like creature was finally coming to. Its face contorted into a grimace and slowly moved its head side to side in discomfort, bringing up a forelimb to shield its face against the sun.
Daring stood, quietly moving to the opposite side of the cage and sat on her haunches, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. The creature was a complete unknown to her. It was most likely a sentient and intelligent being, but Daring had no clue as to its disposition. Perhaps it was violent and aggressive by nature and maybe it was not; even so, she learned from experience it was better to err on the side of caution.
Slowly, it moved its body into a sitting position, letting out soft grunts and groans at the movement. Its face grimaced and squinted at the sun's harsh glare, gradually opening its green eyes, little by little as they adjusted to the light. The creature's breathing was rapid and heavy as it registered its surroundings, looking around in incredulousness and disbelief. It looked to the wooden floor of the cage, to the iron bars and to the jungle around until finally, it caught sight of Daring, causing the pegasus to slightly tense her muscles.
Daring watched her unwitting fellow prisoner carefully, looking for any signs it was going to attack, but it merely blinked several times and its face scrunched in confusion as it took in her appearance.
"Huh. Hey, little guy," it... he said in a youthful, masculine voice.
For her part, a corner of Daring's lips curled into a half sneer. "I'm a mare, idiot," she said in a flat tone.
Her fellow prisoner reacted in a strange way. His eyes shot open and his mouth slackened, closing and opening as he did a passable impression of a dying fish. "Y-you," he swallowed. "You c-can... talk?" he said softly, then looked to her sides. "And you got wings," he added almost as an afterthought.
Daring smirked. "Aren't you a perceptive one? Yeah, I can talk, and yes these puppies here are most definitely wings," she emphasized this by spreading her one good wing for him to see. "What's with the face? You act like you've never seen a pegasus before."
The creature blinked and licked his lips, looking around. With no warning, he rose to his full height and slammed himself against the iron bars of the cage, grasping at them with his paws. "Hey, hey you!" he shouted to the jackal. "Let me out of here!" he emphasized this by straining against the cage, as if determined to break it open.
"What are you doing, moron!? Be quiet!" Daring whispered harshly.
The larger jackal bared his teeth, not impressed and replied in a reedy voice. "Shaddup, thing!"
"Hey, anybody out there! Help! Get me out of here!" he strained harder and stomped on the wooden floor of the cage, making a racket.
"Will you shut that thing up!?" yelled one of the zebras.
The ape being was so riled up, he did not notice the jackal approach the cage and forcefully drive a club into his midsection. He fell over with a pained gasp, coughing and sputtering as the wind was knocked out of him.
"Like that, pup? Jest keep on yammering and I'll cut out your tongue!" snarled the jackal.
He regained his breath and slowly crawled to as sitting position, unmoving and not saying anything.
The group of mercenaries trudged through the jungle's undergrowth and came to a small clearing on which a stream of water ran through. The zebras trotted to the opposite edge and removed themselves from the cage, sighing in content at being relieved of their burden.
The larger of the two turned to the prisoners, talking in a smooth, pleasant tone. "Alright, folks. Here's how it's gonna go. We are going to plop down here for the night and the two of you are to sit tight and not make trouble for yourselves. That means no hoofticuufs, no yelling, no making a racket of any sort and following our directions to the letter."
"If we say jump, you jump and then say how high. If we say kill each other, you say messy or clean. You keep your heads down and keep quiet, you'll get food and drink. You do otherwise and you don't. Depending on our mood, we may or may not beat your faces in or cut off non-essential parts of youse. Understood?" he looked from a scowling Daring to the subdued ape being and turned, not waiting for an answer. "Alright then, you guys sleep tight and keep out of trouble. Or don't... either way works for us."
He threw his head back and laughed loudly, trotting away to join his companions. Daring's fur bristled as she watched him go. "Prick," she muttered venomously.
She turned back to her cellmate, who seemed to be in shock. With deliberate movements, he looked to his forelimbs and, using his right paw, gave his left forelimb an experimental squeeze. His brow furrowed and he squeezed harder. What he was expecting or looking for, Daring did not know and she chose to keep her silence and further study him.
He seemed confused, disoriented, and out of his depth, but that came as no surprise. He did not appear to be threatening or volatile, but it was too soon to make such a decision. Daring had plenty of experience in pointing out unpleasant characters, but this creature did not come off as one.
Then all of a sudden, to Daring's moderate surprise, the ape being brought both of his paws to slap himself fully in the face. Daring started in shock while her cellmate hissed and grunted in pain, now massaging the sting out. Out of nowhere, he slapped himself again and again, leaving her bewildered and slightly unnerved at his strange behavior.
"Gah! Son of a... that hurts!" he exclaimed in a muffled voice as his paws were now covering his face and was doubled over on his knees, quietly rocking himself back and forth. His voice was faint, but Daring could just barely make out a string of incomprehensible mutterings. "Come on, come on, man. Just get up... just wake UP already. Wake, wake, wake, wake, wake the freak up!"
Daring stared at the groveling creature in sympathy. Whatever his life may have been, he was obviously trying to convince himself this was all part of a dream. She had seen it before. Grasping at straws was often a much preferable option to dealing with the harsh reality.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, pal, but this here is very much real," she said in a soft but clear voice.
He stopped rocking and slowly rose to his knees, staring at Daring with trepidation. "You're... real?"
She nodded. "Afraid so."
"This is... not a dream, or hallucination?"
"Nope."
He stared off into the distance, looking thoughtful. "How would I know?"
"Know what?"
"If this was real and not... unreal."
Daring shrugged. "Beats me. I think I heard somewhere that you can't die or feel pain in dreams, so there's that. You may not wanna test that idea."
He chuckled humorlessly. "No, I guess not."
He was silent for a while, looking but not looking at the jungle beyond. "What's you name?" he asked, looking back at the pegasus.
"Daring. Daring Do."
The ape-creature arched an eyebrow. "Daring... Do? Seriously?"
Daring narrowed her eyes, slightly bristling at his tone. "Yes, Daring Do. Got a problem with that?"
He did not seem abashed or apologetic in the least, merely staring at her in a questioning manner. "Guess not," he muttered before looking away.
He got quiet and still after that and merely stared with unfocused eyes into space. Daring waited for him to make the next move, but as that would not happen anytime soon, she took it upon herself. "Hey, buddy, you gonna introduce yourself or what?"
"Huh?" he stated dumbly.
Daring's eye twitched repeatedly. "Your name, I assume you have one, right? Well, what is it!?" she was quickly growing frustrated with her unresponsive cellmate.
"My... my name? Name... name. Um, Solomon," he said.
"Solomon, huh? What brings a creature like you all the way out here?" said Daring, now relaxing her posture. She was certain Solomon would not attack her.
"Human," he muttered.
Daring cocked her head. "Human? What's that?"
Solomon looked her in the eye. "Me. I'm not a creature, I'm human."
Daring was tempted to tell him that technically, a human would be a type of creature like ponies and zebras. "Okay, you're a human. What were you doing in the jungle?"
A thoughtful expression crossed his face and for the first time, he lost that confused, disoriented look as he recalled the last several hours. "I was hiking with a group. We hired a tour guide to show us around the Amazon and- I dunno. I got separated from the group, got lost and... panicked. They told us if any of us got lost to just stay where we were and not move. That it would make it easier to find us... and I did."
"I stayed there for a while, but nobody came, so I panicked and- and I just started wandering around, yelling for anybody and stupidly trying to find my way back home." He licked his lips. "Then... I started feeling really sick like, with a fever and all. My whole body felt heavy and I stopped by a tree. Was just gonna close my eyes for a bit, but I guess I fell asleep or passed out and now..." he gave a manic, mirthless laugh. "Now I'm here," he paused. "I don't get it."
A frown creased Daring's muzzle. "You were taking a tour through the Waliopotea jungle!? You do realize it has a reputation for swallowing up all but the most prepared of travelers in its depths, and even then, there's no guarantee that you'll make it out in one piece. And what, you were taking a tour!? As in sightseeing!? Do you have any idea how idiotic that is?"
Solomon shrugged and looked away. "Seemed like a good idea at the time," he said quietly.
Daring barely resisted the urge to facehoof. "So, are you at all curious why you are currently held prisoner in a cage, heading to what is probably a none too pleasant fate?"
"It... crossed my mind, yeah. That and a lot of other things," he scratched his chin. "So why am I being held prisoner in a cage?"
Daring shrugged. "Beats me. I was just wondering if you were wondering. I can't say for sure, but given these mercenary types," she motioned with a hoof to the jackals and zebras who were starting to set up camp. "And given what part of the world we're in, my best guess would be that they plan to sell you to a slaver or maybe they have some ulterior motive for keeping you. They obviously think they can get something out of you, or else you'd be dead already. But that's just my opinion."
Solomon stared in horror at her, eyes wide and face pallid. He let out another mirthless laugh. "Y-yeah, figured i-it was something like that." he ducked his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, emitting a series of strangled grunts before looking back up at Daring. "So why are you here?
"Some hardass put a bounty on my head. I got careless and cocky; let these bozos get the jump on me," she motioned to the two jackals, then looked back to him. "You wouldn't happen to have a way out of this sticky situation, would you?"
He shook his head. "No."
Daring grunted. "Thought so." she then laid down on her belly, using her one good wing to clumsily fan herself. "Well, nothing to do now but pass the time. I'll start; where are you from?"
"Montana."
"Montana, huh? Never heard of it." Daring remarked. "And where is this Montana?"
A slight frown creased Solomon's face. He looked upwards in concentration, thinking how to best phrase his answer. "I'm not really sure. It's far, very far from here, probably."
Daring arched an eyebrow. "You don't know where your home is? How are you gonna get back, then, assuming we get out of this?"
Solomon slumped. "I don't know," he said defeatedly.
"You can't be serious. I mean, you obviously came here from somewhere- to take a tour, I might add," she said derisively. "Unless you didn't plan on coming here, there should be no reason you don't have a general idea where your homeland is. Heck, just something in general would be good. When you came here did you go north, east, west or south?"
The human made a frustrated sound, using one of his paws to scratch at the base of his skull. "South, okay. We traveled way down south, but, but... that doesn't do me much good here!"
"Why not?" Daring pressed.
"Because! Because..." he thrust both arms at her. "You're here! You're a pegasus or something or other and- you're real and you're talking and you're here! And then there's those talking zebras and those dog things and... ugh!" he cried out in frustration, once again burying his face with his paws. "This... all of this. It can't be happening. It can't! Can't be real. It can't."
He withdrew into himself. Daring needed to coax him out. She could understand and sympathize with his state of mind, but there were more pressing matters at hoof. They needed to escape their captors, but for that, she would need Solomon's help, but he wouldn't be much good unless he had a clear head. She rose to her hooves and moved to sit down beside him, putting a hoof on his shoulder.
"Look, pal, I don't beleive in pandering, so I'm just gonna give it to you straight. I'm in a bad situation. You are in a bad situation. Now, I don't know where this Montana is, but I do know that unless we get out of here and soon, you'll never see your home again, hear? I can figure out a way out of here, but I need your help for that. I can get you out of this hole and take you to Saddle Arabia. I got a few contacts there that can help you out, but right now, I need you here with me. I need you to gather yourself and focus on the current situation. Can you do that?"
Solomon huffed and sunk even further. Daring could feel his body tense and tremble. She waited patiently and allowed him to get the turbulent myriad of emotions within him under control. Eventually, he grew still and relaxed, leaning his head back against the bars of the cage and let out a long, shuddering breath. "Okay, okay. I'm calm, I'm... focused."
He looked back to her and Daring was pleased to see a determined glint in his eyes. "What now?"
Author's Note
Just a little experiment I've been working on. Not yet sure if I'll make it into a thing.
It may not have been very good, or very complicated, but the plan, if it could even be called that, was set. Daring had been keeping a watchful eye on their captors, who had already set up camp. They built a fire and ate. For the zebras, dried fruits and vegetables, while the jackals contented themselves with long, leathery strips of jerky. Daring scrunched her nose in distaste.
In the more civilized world, it was considered greatly offensive and impolite for one to partake in the consumption of meat while in the presence of a herbivore. That meat-eating species such as the jackals, griffons, sphinxes and, if the rumors were to be believed, isolated tribes of minotaurs, had to consume the flesh of others for sustenance had long since been accepted by their vegetarian counterparts, but there were certain unspoken rules that one just shouldn't break.
From what she collected, the larger of the two zebras seemed to act as the brains of the group, not that that was saying much and could be considered a leader of sorts. His frame was massive and his muscles rippled with his every move, easily towering above Daring, but somewhat shorter than Solomon.
A large, vicious scar spread across his midsection, leaving one to wonder as to whether he’s been disemboweled and his mane was shaved clean off. He radiated an air of complete menace. Daring did not like him one bit and so had dubbed him 'Scumbag.' The other three mercenaries clearly served as muscle.
The smaller zebra was covered in faint scars, most of them concentrated on his muzzle. and one of his eyes was coated in a milky film, indicating blindness. Both sides of his flank were branded with what looked to be a sword and sickle crossed together. Daring knew that symbol. It served as the brand for the Crimson Pitters, a slave ring with a penchant for hosting underground fights between their victims and whatever else that they could get their hooves on, be it other slaves or wild beasts.
Either this zebra had won his freedom after years of brutal fighting, making him a potentially troublesome foe, or, much more unlikely, he had somehow escaped and found a place among fellow lowlifes and criminals. He eyed Daring unabashedly, stealing more than a few glances at her flank, making the pegasus shiver in disgust and it was for this that she dubbed him 'Sleaze.'
As for the two jackals, well, they just were. There was nothing particularly unusual about them, save that one was bigger than the other, whom Daring dubbed ‘Thing One’ and his smaller counterpart ‘Thing Two’
"First step is getting out of this cage. I'm pretty sure I can pick the lock, but there's nothing to work with. Those grunts took all my stuff," she looked to Solomon. "You know what? I just realized they didn't search you before they threw you in. Got anything in those pockets there?"
"Uh, yeah, I think I do." He started to reach down, but Daring put a hoof on his arm.
"No, not yet. That jackal is watching us. Let's wait for nighttime and then we can see what you got there. Until then, let's just lay low and not do anything suspicious."
Solomon looked both relieved and disheartened at this. "Okay," he nodded.
"Good. Now, we need to work out what's gonna happen after we get loose. Those guys have something that belongs to me."
"What is it?"
"Just a little something I've had my eye on for some time. Let's see, I also need my clothes and saddlebags if possible. They're not really a must, but they'll make thing way easier on us."
"Why? What's so special about them?"
"You see where we are?" Daring asked, waving her hoof around. "It's the jungle here and the nearest town is at least a three days walk from here. Even if we can get away, we won't last long without supplies, especially water."
He nodded vigorously. "Oh, right. I heard somewhere that jungles really suck the moisture out of you."
"Exactly. That's why we need to have a good means of nourishment before doing anything else."
"Uh-huh," realization dawned on Solomon's face as he tilted his head. He rose one of his forearms and, to Daring's mild interest, rubbed two of the digits in his paw to make a sharp, snapping noise. "Oh, I just remembered, I had a backpack with me. Did you see what happened to it?"
Daring nodded and pointed to a mound of supplies in the distance near the camp. "Yeah. Those guys put it somewhere over there. Why?"
"I got a bunch of supplies over there too. There's some water, food, and medicine. And a few other... wilderness survival things."
Daring nodded in approval. "Nice, nice. We'll need that as well," she then blinked and returned her attention to Solomon. "Say, what was that thing you did?"
"What thing?"
"You know. That thing." She brought both hooves and clopped them together in a clumsy imitation. "With your paws."
Solomon blinked and brought up his paw, turning it that and which way. "They're called hands, not paws." He sounded a bit reproachful about it. Being a pony from the relatively isolated nation of Equestria, Daring had often made unintentional faux pas when interacting with other exotic species. She still did to this day.
"Hands then. Sorry about that," she said with a tint of impatience, not sounding very sorry at all. "So what was it?"
He did that snapping thing again. "I snapped my fingers," he said plainly.
Daring tapped a hoof to her chin. "Huh. Neat." Then, without warning and without asking permission, she grabbed Solomon's hand with her own two hooves and brought it close for inspection, poking and prodding at it, and lightly manipulating his fingers to see which way they would bend.
Solomon was so taken aback he could only stare in disbelief as the pony before him invaded his comfort zone, but came to his senses and jerked his hand away, clutching it to his chest. "Don't do that," he said firmly.
Daring nodded and gave a small shrug. "Fine, fine. Sorry about that," she said, holding up a forelimb placatingly. "You're kinda squishy, you know that?"
"You don't say," he said dryly.
"Huh," Daring did not know what to make of that. "You humans are a curious sort. I think I'd like to travel to your homeland one of these days."
Solomon averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh... right. Maybe after we get out of here?"
Daring smiled. "Sounds good to me," she then blinked and shook her head, adopting a more serious expression. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. The next part is dealing with those guys," she pointed to their captors, who were too busy in setting up camp to pay them much attention.
"What about them?"
Daring did not answer right away. She returned her attention to Solomon, studying his face and watching him with a measured gaze. "Do you know what they are?" she said in a steady, even tone and cocked her head to the jackals and zebras.
"Um, bad guys?"
Daring hesitated, her face now blank. "Well... yes, they are bad guys. Very bad. They have to be to survive in this place. Types like those... they're not nice creatures. They kill, rape and torture others, just for the fun of it. They do a lot of bad things, mostly because they can. I know, I've seen what guys like them are capable of."
Solomon's brow furrowed in worry. "O... kay..."
Daring huffed wearily and looked away, running a hoof through her mane. "Look, what I'm trying to say here is that... well, we may have to... dispose of them," she said gravely.
Solomon did not blink as he processed Daring's words. He leaned back an looked to the floor, fiddling with a large splinter in the wood. "Dis... pose of them?" he said the word slowly, as if it was foreign to him. "You mean like... like," he looked over to check they were not being watched. "Kill them?" he said quietly.
Daring gave a stiff nod. "Yes."
"Is that... necessary."
Another nod. "Yeah, it is. Look, suppose we make a clean getaway and just, knock those guys out or tie them up, or something. What do you think will happen next? They're gonna get up, they're gonna be pissed and then they're gonna come after us again, and call me crazy, but I got a feeling they won't be so nice this time around." she grabbed Solomon's chin with her hoof and tilted his head upwards to look into his eyes. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"I think so, but... I mean," he swallowed. "Couldn't we just like, knock them out or something and then scram, like, put a lot of distance between us and them? Enough that they don't catch us?"
Daring shook her head regretfully. "No, we can't. Even if that works, we still have to march through to the plains and into town. That's a three day's walk and there's no telling what other nasty surprises can pop up. And then we have to deal with the very real possibility that these guys will be on our flanks all the way. For all you know, they could ambush us or sneak up in the middle of the night. No, it's a risk we just can't take."
Solomon exhaled heavily and closed his eyes, covering his face. "Jesus Christ..." he mumbled. "How can you be sure?"
Her face hardened. "Because I've been in this same exact situation before. A few years back I got captured by a group of nasty mercenary types, like just now, but I managed to get away. I knocked out a couple of them, others I'm pretty sure I broke their teeth and bones and another I tied up. Didn't kill one of them, but I still managed to get away."
She shifted her sitting posture and bit her lip. "Well, like I said, I got away and thought that was the end of that, only it wasn't. A few days later I was camping out in a cave for the night, hadn't seen any trace of them, so I thought I got away scot free. That night, those very same guys ambushed me. Got the crap kicked out of me. They really liked beating my face in and to this day, I can't see very well out my left eye. They tried to... use me. But they were also dumb and overconfident."
"I got lucky... very lucky. You don't wanna know the details, but the gist of it is this; I made a stupid mistake. I should have finished the job when I had the chance, but I didn't. I was... weak and naïve back then, and because of that, I was left half dead and with a whole lotta scars. Only reason I'm here to tell you this is because a nice giraffe couple found me and nursed me back to health."
"So I learned my lesson. Sometimes, if the circumstances are good, you can just give the bad guys the slip, no messy stuff, and live to fight another day. This is not one of those times, understand?"
"How can you be sure?"
"I've been doing this a while. I know what I'm talking about."
He was silent for several beats, but he never broke from Daring's gaze, and when he found his voice again, said, "If you think that's the best way to go, I'll follow your lead."
Daring nodded appreciatively. "Glad you understand." She then patted his shoulder. "Try not to think about it too much. By this time next week this whole thing will seem like a bad dream. Just you wait."
By the look on Solomon's face, he very much doubted that last statement but nevertheless kept quiet and his thoughts to himself.
***
"Alright, Sully. Let's see what you got there," Daring said once the sun was halfway set.
"Sully?"
Daring shrugged. "Sure. Solomon's too big and boring to say. And Sully sounds way better, so that's what I'll call you."
Solomon looked like he wanted to argue the matter, but he shook his head and reached into one of the pockets of his leg and withdrew a small, vaguely rectangular blocky object made of metal. It was colored a bright red and even in the dim, distant light of the campfire, its shell gave a glossy sheen.
Daring squinted observed the curious object, slightly tilting her head to the side. "Okay. And what is this?"
"It's a Swiss army knife," he said simply. "Uncle gave it to me last birthday."
"Swiss army knife?" Daring asked slowly and looked back at Sully. "So what does it do?"
"It's got a bunch of little things in it. Here, look." He dug the digits of his hand into the center of the object and pulled. There were a number of minuscule tools embedded into the knife. Pliers, what looked o be a corkscrew, two blades; one normal and one serrated, a can opener, scissors, and few other curiosities Daring had no idea what they were for.
The pegasus was impressed. "Whoa, nifty," she took the knife and brought it close, examining the large straight blade. "Hmm. Yep, this could work as a lockpick. This is good. Very good. Nice going, Sully," she said with a cocky smirk.
A corner of Solomon's lip curled, but he held his tongue. "So... you can get us out of here, right?"
"Of course I can," she said confidently. "Just another day at the office." she chuckled lightly.
"Are we doing it now?"
Daring looked t the campsite and held a hoof to her chin. "Hmm. Nah, let's wait till later. Those idiots are so sure they got us by the primaries, they're up and getting drunk." She pointed over and indeed, their captors had broken out a number of worn and chipped bottles, and were cursing and drinking profusely. "We'll wait a bit and then sneak out when they're good and hammered. It shouldn't be too hard to give them the slip."
"So what do we do in the meantime?"
"Just take it easy for now. I'm gonna lay down and let my wing rest. And you're not looking too hot either, pal." She eyed him critically.
He really didn't. A slight sheen of sweat covered Solomon's exposed skin. His breaths came slow and deep, he was trying not to let it show and though Daring was by no means an expert on human body language, she could see a measure of fatigue.
"I'm fine," he insisted.
Daring scoffed. "Horseapples. Don't be an idiot, buddy. Even if we get out of here, we still need to get out the jungle and trot to the nearest town. The next few days are probably gonna suck, so you need to rest and recover your strength. You're not gonna do much good if I have to carry you all the way, now are you?"
He sighed and relented. "Fine, fine. I'll... try to rest a bit." He shifted to a more comfortable position. "What do we do until then?"
"Nothing to do but pass the time. I'll start. Where are you really from?" she asked casually.
He blinked. "I told you already. Montana. Up north?"
Daring arched an eyebrow and studied his face. "Again, horseapples," she said flatly. "There are no humans up north."
He averted his eyes. "Yeah? What makes you so sure?"
"Because there are no humans here in Zulu and the only other landmass north of here is Aethea, and there sure as hay are no humans there."
"And you know this for sure?"
"I do," she nodded. "I've traveled to many lands, but you're the first of your kind I've ever seen. So, are you gonna tell me the truth?"
"I dunno. I... don't think you'll believe me and, I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth."
"Why don't you try me?" asked Daring.
He hesitated. "Okay, well..." he paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "Where I come from, there are no pegasuses, the zebras are taller and are stupid animals who can't talk, and there aren't any of those... weredog things," he said, pointing at the jackals. "And humans are the only intelligent species around."
An uneasy stretch of silence ensued, and Daring stared at him as though he had just proclaimed his undying love.
She scoffed. "Fine. If you don't want to tell me then, whatever. Just tell me this; you're not an outlaw or a criminal of some sort, are you?"
"No."
She considered this for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough. You don't look the type anyway." She stood up to stretch her limbs and was rewarded by a number of pops that made her cellmate flinch and grimace in disgust. She paid it no mind and laid back down. "So what are your plans once we get out of here?"
"I need to find a way home."
"Hmm. And how are you going to do that? Are there more of your buddies around here to help you out?"
"Well, no. Or, I don't know."
"Right. Do you have transportation out of here?"
…
"No."
"Really? Well, it seems to me I'm your only ticket out of this pit. I meant what I said earlier, you know. I can get you out of here and back home, but if you don't wanna tell me where it is then there's not much I can do to get you there."
Solomon buried his face and let out a frustrated grunt. "Look, it's not that I don't want to tell you where it is, okay!? It-it's just... complicated!"
"Complicated how," Daring pressed.
He shrugged helplessly, clearly frustrated about the situation. Daring figured he was trying to formulate a way to properly explain it. Maybe he was in trouble with someone back in his homeland and forbidden to go back? She hadn't the faintest idea and didn't much care at the moment. Right now, escape was their priority. Anything else could wait to get sorted out.
***
When their captors slept, Daring got to work. Sully’s swiss knife proved quite handy as she was able to pick the lock of their cell quite easily. She may just have to ask him where he got it. Or perhaps she could convince him to part with it at some point. She did have quite a fortune saved up.
In any case, that would have to wait. Daring knew how to put on a tough face, that's for sure, however calm and confident she may have appeared, she could feel the events of the last few days take a toll on her body.
The perils of the Waliopotea jungle constantly kept her on the tip of her hooves, and sleep had been hard to come by the past few days. In the excitement of finding Pondanolos' helmet, she had also foregone any proper nourishment. She tried no to think of the way her stomach constantly gnawed in hunger, or how parched her throat fell.
What I wouldn't give for a root beer float right now...
Daring had to hand it to them. Their captors were smarter than they let on. They gave them only the barest of nourishment, just enough that they wouldn't collapse, but not enough to recuperate. That or they were just stingy with their rations.
"Damn, I do not need this right now," Daring growled as she fiddled with the lock.
"What is it?" Asked Solomon.
"You hear that?" Daring paused in her lockpicking attempts and held a hoof upwards, staring deep into the jungle. "That sound like a bunch of diseased rats?"
He could hear it. A whiny sort of hiss that to his guess seemed to come from multiple sources.
"Those are chupacabras and trust me, we do not want to tangle with them just now."
"Chupacabras?"
"Right. They can smell blood packs from miles away." She glanced with disdain at the zebras and jackals, fast asleep in their cots. "Probably these morons' fault, blundering through the jungle like a stroll through the savannah. Honestly..." She muttered any number of things under her breath, bemoaning the stupidity of mercenaries and soon enough the lock came undone.
"Stay low and stay quiet. I'll go get our things. Get over there and wait for me to come," she instructed and after looking to see that he did, Daring crouched like a cat and stalked forward. The mercs had all gathered around a campfire, now no more than a collection of blackened logs and glowing embers. They snored loudly and judging by the stench coming out of the discarded jugs nearby, Daring figured they wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
Their supplies lay not too far away, stacked under the cage used to hold them both, along with provisions and utilities brought by the mercs. After donning her vest and pith helmet, Daring then retrieved the helmet of Pondanolos—thenkfully intact and unblemished—and grabbed ahold of Sully's backpack in her mouth.
The plan as dictated called for her to bring it over to him, along with the ceremonial helmet and she would then return to dispatch the mercs in their sleep. Daring learned from experience the best way to go about it quietly would be to sink a blade into the brain stem, though half the time that resulted in involuntary spasms from the victim, which could potentially cause enough noise to wake up anything nearby.
The other option would be to rear up on her hind hooves and bring down her front hooves with crushing force on their exposed neck. This she would attempt to secure their escape.
But then, as she picked up Sully's backpack in her teeth, something dawned on Daring. The chupacabras lay silent and no sound save the faint whispers of the wind cut the still night air. Not even the hoot of owls, the growls of jungle cats or even the chittering of insects.
It was as if all living things were now absent in these parts of the woods and as Daring looked into the tree line across, her fears proved right.
Eyes, bulbous and catlike with a pallid yellow tinge to them. Dozens and dozens of them, hungry and lusting for blood. Some almost hugging the ground, others clustered amidst the trees. Many were fixed on the four figures asleep near the fire.
Others had already locked on to Daring and fewer still spotted Solomon's near obscure frame in the distance.
So much for keeping it quiet.
Discarding any notion of subtlety, Daring burst into a full fledged gallop. "Run for your life!" She called out as best she could with the bag's strap in her mouth. From behind her, dozens of bodies moved at once. The chupacabras shrieked as they too abandoned any semblance of stealth and bounded out of the woodwork. Glancing behind her, Daring could see the mercs had been startled awake. They yelled in alarm and hadn't even gotten up before the chupacabras swarmed, their shrieks more shrill than ever, but did not manage to drown out the screams of the mercs as they were drained of blood.
But while the bulk of them focused on the mercs, a detachment chased after Daring, running on all fours and spitting like rabid beasts.
"What happened?" Sully asked as he sprinted alongside her, having taken his bag from her mouth.
"Damn bloodsuckers," Daring panted, already feeling the exertion. "Run faster!"
"I'm going as fast as I can," Sully shot back. His arms waved like windmills as he sprinted to keep pace with daring, who had to slow down to not leave him behind.
Whose bright idea was it to walk on two legs anyway? Daring wondered. She looked back once more and caught sight of at least six chupacabras in pursuit. Not as bad as it could have been, she thought optimistically.
Of course, they couldn't run forever. Chupacabras were not very fast, but what they lacked in speed they made up for in stamina and already Daring and Solomon were putting some distance between them.
Just a little farther.
She could hear it before she saw it. She could smell it too. The air grew moist and the sound of rushing water almost managed to drown out the horrible shrieks of the blood suckers. Heaving and out of breath(well, more Solomon than Daring anyway) the duo stopped at the mouth of a rushing river that fed a waterfall; it must have been a good hundred feet.
"No time," Daring heaved between breaths. "Jump, we can lose them here. Chupas hate getting wet."
Red faced, Sully appraised the long drop and turned back to Daring. "Is this safe?"
"Of course it's not safe, moron," Daring said through gritted teeth. "But it's either this or them. Jump." The chupacabras were drawing closer. Daring could see their diseased yellow eyes bouncing along the ground.
Sully teetered over the edge, clearly anxious and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Are you sure there isn't..."
"Bucking jump already!"
Not waiting for him any longer, Daring tackled the larger human's back, sending them both tumbling over the edge. Daring's wings flared out to balance herself. Her injured wing ached and strained from the effort, but Daring grit her teeth and worked it as best she could.
She grabbed ahold of Sully's arms with her hooves, getting unintentionally smacked in the process, and beat both wings with all her strength to lessen the velocity of their fall. It worked, but her abused wing seized up, cramping into uselessness and sending them both into a renewed free fall.
All Daring could hope for now was that the impact not kill them. And hopefully that Sully would stay conscious long enough to drag her out of the water.
She'd never been a very good swimmer.