Daring Do and the Lost City of Icarus

The Temple of Vodros. Located in the deep forests near the kingdom of Griffonstone, it was a long forgotten relic of a long forgotten empire. The Icarians, as they were called, were said to be the predecessors of pegasi, maybe even griffins too, and their advanced culture and empire spread over most of Equestria.

Years ago, it would have been foolish to have gone into griffin territory, but with the world now known of the dissolving of the Griffin Empire, the griffins themselves seemed to no longer care. Either way, it didn't stop a certain archaeologist from attempting to find out its secrets.

The architecture of the temple for its time was nothing less than remarkable. Many of the walls depicted pictures of what Icarian culture had been like during that time. Unfortunately, one of those walls ended up getting knocked down as the result of a swift buck into it.

As the dust settled, a young pegasus with a pith helmet stuck her head through the gap and as she expected, there was another chamber. If there was one thing Daring Do learned in her adventures, everything wasn't always what it seemed. She walked slowly down the chamber, always mindful of anything that resembled a trap.

She was doing fine until she stepped on a section of floor that gave way almost immediately. Having wings had saved her a number of times and as she jumped back right away she could hear the slithering and hissing of the occupants of the pit below. “Snakes,” she murmured. “It's always snakes…”

The room was dimly lit but as she continued forward she noticed the hallway in front contained columns of light in a horizontal pattern that alternated between the top and bottom portions of the walls. Daring took a tennis ball out of her bag and tossed it so it would bounce and knock into the columns of light.

The action was instant: arrows shot out at lightning speed and bounced off the opposite wall. The arrows looked sharp and if Daring had to guess, the tips were fused with poison. She had to give the Icarians credit for their creativity: nowhere else would you find a prehistoric version of the dreaded laser grid.

Deciding not to take any chances, she slowly and carefully floated above and below the beams of light. It took longer than expected but at this rate she preferred slow and steady and remaining alive as well. After finally clearing the last obstacle, she had reached her target.

Just across a small walkway was the Icarian Stone, a small ocean blue stone the size of a tennis ball. Now Daring wished she had kept the ball after all. After walking across she now stood in front of it, her adrenaline pumping and sweat slowly crawling down her back.

She took a deep breath and very slowly lifted up the stone. To her surprise, nothing happened and she let out a small sigh of relief.

“Very good Daring Do. Well done indeed.” Her moment of calmness was interrupted as she felt tension in her back again. She turned around slowly, already knowing who to expect. The voice belonged to an earth pony with a small beard and moustache and a monocle on his left eye, accompanied by, she assumed, two of his thugs.

“Hello High Top, and here I thought I gave you the slip in Trottingham,” Daring said with an innocent smile.

High Top chuckled, clearly amused. “My dear, you obviously do not know that I know Trottingham much better than you. But you do have my thanks for getting the stone. Now please, hoof it over.”

Daring was wondering how they got past the traps so easily. Perhaps acquiring the stone shut off the traps? How utterly generous of the Icarians...but she had a plan. “How about we meet halfway? After all, I braved the worst for your sorry flank.”

High Top shrugged. “Very well...but no tricks. You're obviously outnumbered and I don't see any wiggle room to fly out of.”

“Gosh, you know me so well…” She counted her steps and stopped after six. At least the stallion was true to his word. Once they stood in front of her, she couldn't help but grin. “There's just one thing…”

“What's that?” Suddenly the ground around them gave out and the three fell into a pit as Daring flew above them.

“The ground's a little uneven in parts. Sure hope there aren't any snakes down there.” She then pocketed the stone. “By the way High Top, these artifacts aren't yours to sell, they belong in a museum!”

“CURSE YOU DARING DO!” High Top's voice rang out throughout the temple as Daring Do flew out towards the horizon.

Daring Do

and the Lost City of Icarus