Daring Do and the Celestial Swords

Long ago, on the island of Neighpon, there was a kingdom ruled by two pegasus brothers, named Kasai and Hie Raiko. The brothers were considered great leaders and ruled with kindness and generosity. One day, a beautiful maiden came into their court. Named Hasu Utsukushi, she was reputed to be the most beautiful mare in the land, and both of the brothers vied for her affections, but she rejected them. Eager to prove themselves, each gathered up their generals and began a ceremonial game of war. In order to attain Hasu's favor, one of the brothers had to defeat the other's army and best him in personal battle. However, the war went on for years, neither brother giving way and neither gaining an advantage over the other.

Eventually, the long stalemate wore them down. It was decided that the Gods would end the dispute. On this day, two swords fell from the sky, one a deep red, the other a pure bluish white. The brothers, desperate to finish what they started, grabbed the swords. Hie took the white blade, Kasai, red. Unfortunately, the dark blade began to corrupt Kasai, poisoning his mind. Clashing, the brothers crossed blades. Once again, they were evenly matched. Soon, Kasai began to take the upper hoof, overpowering Hie and pushing him to the ground. Finally, he removed Hie's blade. Defeated, Hie congratulated his brother, having been bested. However, Kasai, in his possessed state, stabbed Hie in the back, an act of shame in the ceremonial battle, discrediting him from his win.

When the maiden the brothers were fighting over found out about Kasai's betrayal, she wept bitter tears, for she did not want either to die over her. In her grief, she arrived at the prince's palace, demanding to see Kasai. When he revealed himself, she challenged him to a single battle. The corrupted ruler accepted. Taking Hie's blade, she faced Kasai, who easily overpowered her. Crying out, Hasu pleaded with Kasai to come to his senses. The possessed prince, seemingly hearing her desperate cries, began holding back. The dark blade, however, prevented him from stopping completely. Taking advantage of his hesitation, Hasu managed to behead Kasai, ending his reign. Deciding that Angelblade the white sword, and Demonblade, the red sword, were too dangerous to keep in possession, Hasu, the sorrowful maiden, ordered them sealed away, never to be found since.

"Legend says that the two swords are kept deep in the country, and will only be found when the world goes dark." Daring Do looked up from her desk in the Canterlot State College. It was late at night, her students having just gone home for the summer. Alone, she pondered the meaning of the legend, and whether it was true or not. She had a month before her next class, and decided that she had enough time to find wherever these weapons were kept. The foreboding warning at the end of the legend would have been a cause of concern to Daring, but she had proven herself to be more than capable enough to find and protect many legendary treasures from those that wanted to do wrong. In fact, she had lost count how many times she had stopped foes like Dr. Caballeron and Ahuizotl from destroying the world. Making up her mind, Daring decided to go back to her apartment and pack, but not before leaving a note for her boss telling about her plans. Putting the essentials into her saddlebags, including her trusty pith helmet and whip, she prepared for the long airship journey to Neighpon. Letting out a loud sigh, she lay down upon her bed, falling asleep to the sound of the city outside.