Daring Do and the Power of the Goddess

THE POWER OF THE GODDESS

A Daring Do Adventure by Ponyman

It was a long way down.

Not that the churning waters down below was anything she had to be afraid of. A quick glance downwards and she could see the speck of their makeshift base camp, which would break her fall long before the waves became a problem. And while most pegasi weren’t afraid of heights, Daring Do was modest enough to admit that scaling Mount Penglai was severely out of her element.

Her coat pinned her wings against her body, leaving a grimy feeling as the sweat from her efforts matted her fur. She couldn’t fly even if she wanted to, as the biting cold had been quick to point out.

“We are almost at the summit, Miss Do,” her guide called down to her in his broken English.

Daring wanted to go it alone, but regulations required that he come along. He was probably about as skilled in temple running as she was in mountain climbing. The gaping entrance of the temple above them didn’t exactly have a porch for him to wait on. He was already proving to Daring that he wouldn’t survive a day if the dragons of his homeland were still alive. It wasn’t everyday that a pony such as him would get to experience an adventure with the great Daring Do. He even admitted this was his first time escorting somepony up this particular mountain. That gave Daring a sense of pride.

Her old friend, Teabox, had sent her on another mission to find something that even she couldn’t believe. Actual surviving plans for a juang jyr ma he called it. Daring was fuzzy on the details but vaguely remembered something about walking mechanical ponies. Without the aid of magic, no less.

Daring hammered another support hook into the ice, gripping the rope as another gust of icy wind ripped through and cut her to the bone. Her jaw trembled as she spat the rope from her teeth, cringing at the musty taste.

The legends said that the mountain never had snow. Judging by the lack of platinum encrusted temples and jewel-bearing trees, in the back of her mind she idly noted that even this didn’t surprise her anymore. Of course, she would never openly admit that her job had become stale and predictable.

“How you holding up?” Daring asked, flashing a smug grin as she watched the guide fumble and regain his grip on the mountainside.

“I am fine Miss Do.” The pony nodded reassuringly, but Daring could see he was biting his lip.

His eyes warily scanned the area as he cleared his throat. She rolled her eyes and let out a ragged sigh. If the circumstances were different, she would’ve found his accent cute. Though she couldn’t ignore his bravery given the hazards of the job. He did have a family to support after all. With a huff, she returned the task at hand, squinting her eyes to measure the distance left to travel. Daring pressed forward against the cold, eyes screwed shut as the spikes on her climbing boots clung to the ice.

The guidepony placed a hoof on an outcropping that gave way instantly. Daring glanced up at the sound, watching as he lost his grip on the mountainside. She dodged the falling rock as the guide fell past her. His weight pulled her off as well. Daring’s wings flared as she forced them to spread hard enough to undo the snaps of her coat. The wind grabbed her and pulled her across the rocks as she struggled to wrap the rope around her hooves. Grabbing a large part of rope in her teeth, she fought to pull the guide up. Her brow knitted as she ignored the musty taste, pulling with all her might, using the mountainside as support as she slowly lifted the guide pony towards her waiting arms.

Daring gave one last pull. The sudden drop in weight on the other end sent her rolling across the mountain, violently bouncing across the rocks until she came to a halt. She jerked the rope into her view and found a frayed end. The rocks cut into the rope. Daring’s stomach dropped to her haunches and she closed her eyes. She opened them and hesitantly peered over the edge of the cliff she had nested upon. There was no sign of his body. At least he wouldn’t be left up here to the elements.

Daring glanced up at the summit as another gust of icy wind cut through her. Realization of the monumental task began to set in and she swallowed. There would be time to mourn over him later.

His name was Qiān-ma.

Whatever that means. There was no way she could have saved him.

Maybe you didn’t want to save him.

Daring blinked, her climb halted by frozen muscles. She wasn’t that callous? Was she?

He had a family for Celestia’s sake!  Not that you’d know what that’s like.

Maybe she didn’t want one?

Keep telling yourself that.

Daring grunted as she crested the summit, and stared into the dark void of the temple entrance before her. Whatever was in here better be worth it. She hefted herself over the threshold, and collapsed to the floor. Even after her eyes adjusted, she could barely make out shapes in the shadows.

Now, she was standing in the so-called Temple of the Eight Immortals, who themselves were among a vast selection of Eastern gods and goddesses. Most of them were also purported to have weapons that seemed impossible. Daring briefly wondered if such weapons did exist and Celestia just outlawed them in Equestria to prevent incident. Asking her personally was out of the question, unfortunately.

She stopped tapping her hoof and began rummaging through her bag, hoping that the flashlight batteries didn’t freeze or the bulb didn’t shatter. Daring pulled a hoof back and shook it dry.

Cold! Snow had found its way into her supplies.

She tossed out a frozen chocolate bar that hit the floor with a loud clank, along with her equally iced over canteen and finally, her flashlight revealed itself. Much to her relief, it still functioned. After blinking away the spots from blaring the light in her own eyes, Daring spun around and began probing the area.

The faint beam revealed intricate stonework, lined with paper lanterns long since spent and falling apart. Glimpses of a prayer altar could be seen, with remains of candles from years of use still placed upon it. Daring knew that what little she could see wouldn’t do such majesty justice. But amid the darkness, was a sudden sense of dread. Only foals were afraid of the dark, but something was wrong in the air. Under the thick layer of humidity and moldy stones, was a familiar smell of flowers that her mind at once registered and denied.

There’s somepony else here.

Her wings flared at this thought, sending a sharp pain down her side. Hoofsteps echoed deep within the darkness, causing slight chills to travel up her spine. She eventually realized the sounds were her own. Daring let out a shaky sigh and continued, feeling her heart tighten in her chest as she blindly poked around within the limited view of the light.

Her ear twitched at the faint sound of...giggling? Daring shone the light around the room, as more hoofsteps and giggling followed, making her realize that she was standing still this time. Her wings sprang to life as if to drag her away on their own. The giggling grew louder as Daring narrowed her eyes. An all too familiar pain began to throb in her temples as she slowly walked forward.

Daring moved the flashlight in front of her, and came face-to-snout with an immense dragon. She leapt back as it let out a fierce roar, snarling and growling as it readied to move in for the kill.

“You should see the look on your face!” The dragon giggled in that annoying laugh Daring had come to despise. A face as white as a ghost popped up from behind the dragon, beaming a smile that could light the room on its own.

“Surprise?!” Daring shouted, ignoring the warm feeling running down her haunches. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“I’ve been practicing!” Surprise bounded into view, letting out another roar that was severely dampened by her uncontrollable giggling. “You like it?”

“NO!” Daring snapped. “I’ve called you a lot of things, but dragon isn’t one of them.”

“What do you call me? I never hear it?” Surprise cocked her head.

Well if you want to know. “Nothing, just... go away.” Daring pressed her ears to her head to drown out Surprise’s nails on a chalk board laughing. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I’m after the mechanical horsie!” Surprise bounced up and down. “Is that why you’re here too? We can share it! But my boss probably wouldn’t like that.”

“Can’t find anything in here, it’s so dark,” Daring let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. Teabox was going to get a piece of her mind when she got back home.

“Oh! I can fix that!” Surprise hopped off into the darkness, leaving Daring to stare after her.

She watched impatiently as loud banging and crashing echoed from within the temple. A bright flash of light burst into view, making Daring jerk back and cover her eyes.

“Much better!” Surprise nodded as she surveyed the now lighted temple.

All Daring could see was her nemesis silhouetted against the lens of a giant spotlight. Like a signal that hell was going to pay her a visit.

She stood proud as she overlooked the monument to the Eight Immortals. Daring was also staring in open-mouthed awe, but noticed Surprise's eyes would occasionally wander to her.

An immense tortoise carved in onyx sat next to a giant bird covered in vermilion rubies, its wings spread wide. An ivory tiger with deep amethyst stripes, stood ready to pounce on hapless prey. Behind that trio, a monkey carved in a lavender shade of fluorite, balancing on top of a staff. Next to him, a fox covered in orange citrine stones. The last of the group, a lion-like beast adorned in rose quartz, protected a cub.

Daring let out a low whistle at the sight. If only she had a way to cart these babies home and add them to the ever-growing pile in her—

No, Daring. You’re not that petty. Focus!

“These would make some nice decorations for the front yard of our house, wouldn’t it?” Surprise asked.

“Yeah they—Wait, what?” Daring’s mind ground to halt. “Our house?”

Surprise was already across the room, eyeing the yellow dragon. “I think this one is a girl!”

Daring Do clenched her teeth, trying not to say or do anything she would regret. Her eye twitched as she looked for a way out. “Well, I’m just going to take the plans for the thing and be on my way. You have fun carrying these things home.” She nodded to the statues.

“Oh, I already took it! It’s on the way to my boss now!”

Daring sputtered, backing away a few steps to get her balance. “What?! You mean I went through all this trouble...”

Of all the things Surprise had done to her over the span of their rivalry, this had been the worst. Just when Daring thought she figured Surprise out, she was now looking at a complete monster.

“Yep! This is just like when we first met! Remember that? You never forget your first time!” Surprise bounded closer to Daring and smiled. “Remember? What was it?” Surprise tapped her chin. “Oh yeah! The Kelpie Statue! Wasn’t that neat? Well, until I accidentally broke it.” She paused to let out a sad sigh. Daring glanced up. Surprise never stopped for a breath. “But then remember when you tried to glue it back together? That was funny!” She started laughing again.

“An innocent pony died for nothing?!” Daring finally snapped, her voice echoing off the walls. Everything in her field of vision began to turn red as pain shot through her face.

“Somepony died?” Surprise tilted her head.

Before Surprise could say anything else, Daring had launched across the room and into her. Both of them skidded across the floor and bumped into the base of the tiger statue, Surprise's wings pinned under Daring's hooves.

Surprise stared up at Daring, her blue eyes wide with terror as her mouth hung open. Daring narrowed her eyes. “I’ve tolerated you for long enough.”

Surprise seemed breathless as she replied. “I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen. Honest.” Her cheeks flushed as Daring continued to glare, eyes boring through her.

“This is the last time I’m going to tell you this. Stay out of my way.” Daring seethed, getting in close to make sure Surprise could hear. Their snouts touched briefly before she jerked away, leaving Surprise breathless. .

“Okay...” Surprise whispered, her hooves fumbling as she reached up and idly twisted a lock of her blonde mane. Daring shoved her hooves deeper before pushing off, then sat on her haunches.

“Well, I guess there’s no reason for me to stay here, so...” Daring cleared her throat and stood, walking towards the temple entrance. “Remember what I said.”

“I can give you a ride if you want,” Surprise muttered.

Daring stopped and turned, her mouth open in shock.“You really are dense, aren’t you? I said stay away from me!” Her voice cracked, making Surprise flinch. She hated when that happened.

She tried to say more, but the vise gripping her throat made any more insults impossible. With a final huff, Daring turned and galloped off. As soon as the sunlight was visible, Daring realized her folly. She was on top of a mountain, after all. Her wings locked as her brain scrambled to make sense of what was going on, until Daring got a face full of snow. She pulled herself upright, hissing at the pain that shot through her left arm.

Well, it’s about time I broke this one. Bet Winston will have a field day with this.

She glanced up to see that she was on a ledge that went unnoticed during her first climb. Down below was their base camp, which brought back painful thoughts. Surprise was peering over the edge of the summit, still within the doorway of the temple. If Daring wasn’t too busy fuming, she would have noticed an absence of laughter.

Ignore her, Daring. You don’t need her sympathy.

With an indignant snort, Daring paused to gauge the wind speed. The sun was now free from the clouds, and the wind lost most of its chill, allowing Daring to catch a draft and glide towards the encampment. She caught herself from landing on her hooves and surveyed the area. Little reminders of Qiān-ma were strewn about in the snow, making Daring’s stomach knot. She scooped up what she could in her uninjured arm and placed them in a pile near the tent. Using the sticks that supported said tent, Daring fashioned a marker to insert into the heap. With that finished, she hung her head and closed her eyes, muttering a quick prayer to Celestia. Her conscience alleviated, she turned and broke the flare she had to signal the balloon. She was too exhausted to fly anymore.

*****

“If one wishes to take up a new leisure activity, I can always sign you up for squash lessons at the country club,” Winston mused as he tightened the bandages on Daring’s arm. He gripped the ends in his teeth and gave them a firm yank just to hear her yelp, then set about placing the sling.

“Squash?” Daring cocked a brow. “Like tossing fruit or something?”

“Squash is a vegetable, Missy, which is not involved with the sport I’m speaking of.” Winston tied the sling around Daring’s neck and surveyed his work. “Now stay off of it for about a week. Unless you break a wing too.”

“Ha ha ha.” Daring rolled her eyes. It was embarrassing enough to explain how she got her broken appendage, now she had to fly around like a foal for everyone to see it. “I’m going to bed.”

“Do be mindful of the stairs, Missy,” Winston called after her. She could hear the smirk in his voice. “Maybe now you can see if you can beat me at chess with one hoof tied behind your back.”

Daring snickered to herself as she paused at the base of the gilded staircase. “Is that a challenge?” She walked back to the foyer.

“Only if you want it to.” Winston smiled.

“Set up the board.”

Winston, the ever ready tactician, was one step ahead. The board was placed and arranged on the small study table while Winston busied himself in the kitchen with preparing tea. “Being the sporting gentlecolt I am, I’ll let you pick which side you want. Maybe your luck will change?”  He emerged from the kitchen balancing a tray on his back. “And you can tell me what’s eating you.”

Daring blinked. Did she really look that terrible? The weight of everything she had been through today seemed to return all at once, feeling heavy on her shoulders. A simple death should not have this much of an effect on her. At least, not anymore.

Always the sympathetic ear. Daring smiled, “You know me too well, Winston.” She took her seat across from him and eyed her black pieces on the board. His advice about thinking a few steps ahead came in handy in situations outside of chess as well. Daring frowned as she glanced at her arm. It only worked if you were paying attention.

“So, I trust that, other than your arm, everything else went as planned?” Daring knew he never liked to see her bottle up her emotions. But she also knew he wouldn’t leave her alone about it until she opened up.

She stared blankly at the board like it was a void. “No.”

“Mind telling me what happened?” Winston made the first move.

“I failed to rescue the pony that was my climbing guide...”

“Ah.” Winston nodded. “You don’t seem all that upset about it.”

“That’s what bothers me,” Daring replied sharply. “He didn’t deserve to get caught up in my problems. I told him he didn’t have to come, but he insisted.”

He had a name.

“Well then, it sounds like it was his own fault.” Winston shrugged and made the first move.

“No, it wasn’t.” Daring’s voice was low and drawn out. “Don’t ever say that again.”

“There!” Winston jabbed a hoof at her. “You are upset about it. That means you still have a heart.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I guess I just have an odd way of coping with it, is all.”

“Know that his fate was not your fault.” Winston placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Just because you don’t cry, doesn’t mean you don’t care.”

“Things weren’t any better when she decided to show up.” Daring finally moved one of her pawns into the open.

“Miss Surprise seems to have taken a shine to you, all things considered.” Winston moved his knight. “She would follow you anywhere.”

“Maybe she’ll follow me off a cliff. After I break her wings of course.”

Winston shook his head. “You know as well as I that you couldn’t bring yourself to harm her. She’s just trying to emulate you. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

“Well, let’s see how she handles a pony dying on her watch. I bet she’d run home crying.”

“If my memory serves, I recall you doing exactly that when you experienced the same thing.” Winston made another move.

“I don’t think Surprise is capable of such emotions,” Daring sighed. “She’d probably find it funny.”

“Then, at least you have the advantage of empathy over her.” Winston placed his bishop into an opening and grinned. “Checkmate.”

Daring stared at the board. “We’ll try again when I’m not as tired.”

“Of course. If you think that would help.” Winston smiled, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Daring stifled a laugh as she finished her tea and trotted towards the stairs. She paused as she passed by the small atrium tank with a bright light, and bent down to peer through the glass. A small gecko was sleeping inside upon a rock.

“Goodnight, Chompers.” Daring tapped on the glass and smiled when the tiny lizard rolled over onto his back. Of all the things that followed me home.

She stopped at the base of the stairs, silently thanking Celestia she could still fly. Last thing she wanted was Winston having to carry her up to her room. She’d never live that down.

“Please be careful, Missy,” Winston called from the kitchen.

“Yes, mother!” Daring shouted back.

You like it when he fusses over you.

Because he cared about her. At least somepony did.

You only get what you give.

Daring shook her head. Winston was right. She wasn’t a heartless monster that shrugged off death as just another hindrance. Just the nature of the mission taking precedence was all.

Speaking of which, I’ll need to give Teabox a good talking too.

She just hoped she didn’t have to give any lectures. This kind of failure wasn’t something to share with the class. Hopefully, she would get another assignment before then to have a better story to tell.

There is a way to make sure she doesn’t bother you again.

Daring lashed her tail, swatting away the odd feelings washing over her. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the light, blinking back the headache from the bright pink tiles. Walking up to the mirror, Daring could finally see what Winston saw. Even after her shower and a hot meal, she still looked like she had been hit by a carriage. She leaned forward and poked at her mane with her free hoof. Some of the black was starting to turn grey.

Great, stress is going to kill me. She always felt it would be something anti-climatic. A fitting irony to her life of madcap adventure. With a ragged sigh, she turned away from the mirror and walked back into the hallway, stumbling slightly as she got used to not being able to put all four hooves on the ground. After what felt like an eternity, she decided to fly to her room. Tossing herself on her back when she found her water-bed. A smile crept across her face as she bounced around on the waves. It felt good to finally be home.