Daring Do Adventures: Daring Do and The Sapphire Stoneby XombieSlayrChaptersChapter 1: "A Daring Beginning."Chapter 2: "Coco Pie's Bazarr Trades and Goods."Chapter 3: "A Not-So-Smooth Landing."Chapter 4: "The Sapphire Stone."Chapter 5: "The Roads Of Dhartan."Chapter 1: "A Daring Beginning."Chapter 1: “A Daring Beginning.” As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle,the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing had injured her wing and left her grounded for a few days. “A few days? Might as well be for a few months. Or a few years!” daring thought bitterly as she continued to slog through the jungle with the blistering sun baking everything under its sweltering heat. Mosquitoes buzzed loudly,macaws cried from high trees,and yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of predators following her every step. Daring stopped as she heard a close growl echo amongst the trees. It sounded as if it was very close. “They got my scent.” Daring said quietly, looking back through the rough weeds and tangling vines behind her. Her eyes scanned the environment but found nothing hiding in its wake. Daring turned back and started to walk forward again. “I’ll have to be careful.” She said still looking back, but facing forward so as not for something to sneak up on her. She heard another growl and gave a quick backwards glance which was somewhat interrupted when she sensed her face collide with the nose of a tiger. The tiger roared scattering various birds from their perches amongst the treetops. “Whoa!” Daring exclaimed, jumping backward and kicking dirt into the tigers eyes blinding it momentarily. She hopped over a log to put some distance between them, but then daring heard another roar. Different this time. Daring looked to see a panther emerge from the other direction,and soon she was surrounded by a ring of cats of all shapes and sizes. They all growled almost in unison like a symphony of the jungles top predators. Including a soft,fluffy white kitten. Spotting the kitten,Daring smirked. “There's my exit!” She leapt over the kitten and took off through the jungle with the entire pack in pursuit. She could hear there snapping jaws and drooling mouths,over her heart pumping loudly in her chest. She spotted a canyon just ahead and tore through the trees and vines,while the predators were gaining on her. Daring cried out as she leapt into the air catching a stray vine between her teeth,and she swung the length of the canyon. “See ya later,cats!” Daring called back to the pack who stood angrily watching her escape from the Cliff side. Safely landing on the other side,daring finally allowed herself a moment to breathe. She turned around to see herself face to face with the long lost temple that she had sought tirelessly for over sixty days and nights. Daring gazed up at the temple and smiled. “I finally found you.” She said proudly. Several weeks had passed since that faithful day in the royal university of Canterlot. It had been the very first day of the new school year. Several Weeks Ago: Canterlot University (New Semester) The bell rang as several students,new and old,found their seats in the cluttered classroom. As they sat down the door opened,and Daring do walked in with several books and maps slung over her back. “Alright Ponies,Settle down settle down. My name is Daring Do and I’m teaching this class!” Daring said setting down several books on her extremely cluttered desk. “At least I think I am,this is my class right? The archaeology class?” The students didn’t answer but were too surprised to have spoken anyway. “Good!” Daring said ,answering her own question. Daring set down her satchel on the floor and stood to the side of her desk. ”Anyways,please call me Daring Do,or Daring. Do not call me Mrs. Do,it sounds formal and stupid.” Several students laughed and the rest smiled. Daring smiled back. ”Glad you agree!” she exclaimed. Daring walked over to her board and picked up the chalk in her teeth. ”Now the name of this class is Awesome Archeology 101. That’s AWESOME archaeology.” Daring underlined the word awesome on her chalkboard. A few more students chuckled. Daring turned back to her class,who she could tell were already in love with her. “We WILL be skipping the boring parts.” Daring said seriously. Daring set down her chalk then looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling. “Uh,lets see there was something else I wanted to mention,oh yes. We have a very special schedule in this class,normally class starts at nine,however if I'm not here by nine ten,I would like you to assume I'm in an ancient temple somewhere recovering a priceless artifact,thus I wont be here and I want you all to do independent study.” Daring smiled at the surprised and excited expressions on her student’s faces. She spotted several new students who seemed frozen in shock. Guess they weren’t expecting for their teacher to be a world class treasure hunter,huh? Daring continued. She walked over to her desk. “My notes are over here on my desk,you can take a look at those or you know just go outside and start digging somewhere. See what you can find!” Daring exclaimed her eyes twinkling. She looked around the room,at all the various expressions on her students faces. Surprise,shock,happiness,excitement. Daring smiled again.”Any questions?” she asked. For a little bit no one said anything,they just looked around to see if anyone else had raised their hoof. Then a young colt raised his. “Yes,you!” Daring said calling on him. The colt put down his hoof as he asked. “Um…did you just say your going to skip class?” the colt asked. Daring smiled again. “Yes I did.”she said happily. “and I also have no attendance policy!” she added,making everyone's eyes widen. “If you want to skip class,that’s fine,just come back with something cool and your off the hook.” Daring said cooly. Almost every student in class lit up with smiles and expressions of happiness and excitement. Daring was the best teacher any of them could ever have! Daring pulled down a large chart from above her board. The chart showed an enlarged picture of a laid out scroll with several odd looking glyphs and markings written across its surface,as well as picture in the middle depicting a temple. “Alright,this is an enlarged picture of a scroll that was found in Timbukthri.” Daring announced. “In the middle is a drawing of a long lost temple.” Daring pointed to the drawing of the large and powerful looking limestone temple in the center of the scroll. “If we translate this scripture below it,it says Temple Of The Twin Jackals.” “Now,can anyone tell me where this temple is located?” Daring asked her class. She looked around and once again everyone looked around with her for someone to answer her question. Only this time no one did. “Anyone?” Daring asked hopefully looking around the room. Still no one answered. “Anypony?” Daring asked once more. The only response Daring received was a cough from a colt in the back row. Finally Daring gave up with a sigh. “Dang It!” she exclaimed surprising her class. She turned to look at the picture. “I don’t know where it is either,I was hoping one of you might know.” She admitted with a slight smile. Daring Do had a well-earned reputation as the most eccentric teacher in school. She didn’t teach the “boring parts” of Archaeology such as excavation, mathematics, fossil forensics or dirt and rock cataloguing. Instead she taught how to properly use a whip to defend against mummies. How to outrun a giant boulder. How to replace a priceless idol with a potato without setting off traps and of course how to properly wear a stylish pith helmet. Needless to say, Daring’s class was the most popular one at Canterlot University and she loved teaching it. “And that is why you should never try to hoof wrestle with a mummy. Because they’ll get embarrassed when their arm comes off.” Daring announced,ending her lesson just as the bell rang. “Alright that’s it. Pack it in,pack it out. See you on Wednesday!” Daring said as her students gathered their things and left through the door. When the last student had left,Daring smiled hopefully to herself and said under her breath “ Y'know...Maybe.” “Can't You do better than maybe?” came a gruff yet smart voice from the hall. Daring smiled as the owner of the voice strolled into her classroom. “Hey Storm.” She greeted nonchalantly with a smile. “Professor,if you don’t mind.” The teacher said. Professor Storm Talon taught international studies at the university. He was a grizzled old griffin,but he had a commanding presence. His Tail and one of his hind legs were prosthetics. The real ones had been lost in Navy battles. Daring finished putting away her books,then turned to her colleague and friend. “Professor?” She asked with a smile. “I should call you captain.”She said slyly. Storm ruffled his feathers at the response,but gave a weak smile in reply. “I’m retired Daring.” He said clearly. “You may call me captain,if and when I command an airship.” He said seriously. Daring stood on her hind legs and saluted Storm. “Sir,Yes Sir!” She said enthusiastically. Storm smiled and walked to Daring's board,looking over the notes she had written on it for her students. “So how was your first day?” he asked in an interested tone. Daring dropped a large bag full of,what storm guessed was several ancient gold coins shed picked up from one of her adventures,and smiled at her friend. “Eh..it was alright.” She said nonchalantly,throwing Storm off a bit. Daring looked at the chart that still displayed the scroll from her lesson. “I just cant figure out this scroll though.” She said a little frustrated. She walked over to her board,sat down and stared out at it,as if waiting for it to talk to her. “The one you’ve displayed here?” Storm walked over to her and scanned the picture as well. “Yeah that one,it traces back to the old jungle wolves in the amazon. They had this Temp-“ Daring was interrupted by Storm. “Ah right…The sapphire Stone.” He said with an air of awe. Daring walked back over to her desk and produced one of her journals. She read through it proudly. “A statue of twin jackals. And within the statue,a precious stone said to contain the wisdom of the ancient spirits.The Ancient Wanderers.” Daring read aloud,her voice full of wonder. Storm piped in. “You mean the roads of Dhartan?”he asked smartly. Daring closed her journal. “That’s exactly what I think.” Daring announced smiling. She looked at the picture on her chart. “I think this is a Dhartan Stone. One of the lesser stones,probably only good for one use.” She went back to her desk and unfolded a parchment. The parchment displayed two ancient warriors holding a statue with twin jackal heads and a glowing blue orb floated above them. The Sapphire Stone. Below it were several scratched out notes,That daring had crossed out and rewritten herself many times. She was trying to crack the secret of the words needed to activate the stone’s power, but to no avail. “And if you know the right words…”Daring said looking over her scribbled out notes. “That one use could do an awful lot.” Storm cleared his throat,getting daring’s attention. “Well that is to assume that the roads of Dhartan even exist.” He stated plainly. He walked over to Daring who had put the parchment away. “And besides you cant do anything until you find the stone.” He said matter of factly. Daring closed her drawer. “But I still don’t know where it is!” daring exclaimed. “I even asked the students to see if they knew anything.” Daring said in a defeated tone. Storm gave Daring a slight glare,as if asking that to her students could be surmount to using them for her own needs. “Hey don’t look at me like that,it was worth a try.” Daring reasoned. Storm rolled his eyes slightly. He turned to the picture again.”Does the scroll say anything?” he asked. Daring walked over to him. “Nothing but the name of the temple.” Said daring. “Whats this figure on the side?” Storm asked pointing a talon to a strange glyph near the left half of the scroll. “Some sort of symbol. I don’t know what it means” Said daring with a shrug. Storm examined the marking with curiosity. “It’s a strange shape.” He said,still looking it over. “Daring.” He finally said. Daring looked over at him,curious. “What if this symbol is in the shape of a geographical feature?” Storm asked. Daring thought for a moment. “A geographical…”Suddenly Daring’s eyes lit up. “Maps! Show me the maps!” Daring ran over to her desk and began unloading every drawer she had with a map in it. They piled the floor rather quickly,as daring continued to frantically rifle through her desk. “come on,come on. There should be something. Its shaped like,Here!” daring unfurled a very old map and layed it out on the floor for Storm to see. “The basin,The Marenti Basin!” daring announced,her eyes still flashing with excitement. “Storm you’re a genius!” Daring complemented her friend. Storm looked proud himself. “Well thank you,I- What are you doing?” Storm was stopped mid sentence as Daring suddenly rushed over to her desk and began packing two satchels full of maps,pens,a compass,her journals,and other things. “Just getting my stuff together,You think coco is still around?” daring answered without stopping. “I'm gonna need an airplane.” Daring said dumping an entire drawer of parchment into her bag. Storm was stunned. “You..cant be serious.” Storm stated watching Daring roll up the parchment on the floor and tuck it into her bag. Daring ran over and took a large sack of gold from her desk,dumping it into her bag as well. “Of course I'm serious,its like a thousand miles away,you expect me to use my wings?” Daring asked,again not stopping for breath. Storm was beside himself. “I expect you to teach your class!” He said rather loudly. Daring stopped for but a moment. “Oh right…the class.” Daring thought for possibly only a split second before she began packing her bags again. “Well you know just tell Archie to cover for me.” Daring said,removing a few books from her bookshelf and putting them in a separate satchel. Storm narrowed his eyes. “Archie is already teaching three classes this semester,hes busy!” he said,obviously losing his patience. “Well you can cover for me.” Daring said with a smile. Storm's eyes widened. “I'm not even in the same department as you.” He said plainly. Daring tied a bundle of journals together. “That’s fine,you know what your doing.” She said encouragingly. Storm wasn’t amused. Though he knew better then to try and talk the famous Daring Do out of an adventure. Giving in,he sighed. “How long will this take?” he asked,knowing he should just go along with it. Daring closed a drawer and put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Well,I don’t know exactly where in the basin the temple is,so id have to fly in circles for a bit,check out a few places,I'm guessing…three weeks,maybe four.” Daring answered with a slight smile. Storms eyes widened. “Three Weeks?” he repeated in a shocked tone. Surely she wasn’t being serious. Daring tied a bag shut then walked over to her friend,whom she could see was worried. Mostly about her career. And his. “Hey,hey storm. Listen: It’s the sapphire Stone. Its legendary! Y’think I'm just gonna let it sit there?” Daring asked with a smile. This didn’t really help ease Storms worries. He looked down at Daring. “Mazra will have your head for this.” He warned her. Daring shrugged. “She might. She might. But shed also get a new priceless artifact for that museum she’s so proud of. So…I think it works out.” Daring said,clearly happy with her reasoning. Storm couldn’t be further from understanding Daring’s reasoning. Nevertheless he went with it. He sighed. “Fine…I'l handle the students.” He said,knowing he would probably regret it later. Daring smiled as she loaded her bags on her back,and made her way out the door. “What would I do without you storm?” she said as she left the classroom. Storm grumbled to himself. “Oh I don’t know, maybe you’d teach a class once in awhile!” he called out to her,but Daring was already through the door down the hall, and out of the building. Storm sighed as he walked over to Daring's desk,just in time to see Daring rush by the classroom window. “Thanks buddy!” she said smiling and waving at the annoyed Storm. “Ridiculous” He said to himself. Chapter 2: "Coco Pie's Bazarr Trades and Goods."Chapter 2: “Coco Pie’s Bazaar Trades and Goods.” Daring Do rushed to the town square where her friend and supplier,Coco Pie had set up shop. Coco was a green earth pony,with a fluffy mane and a cupcake for a cutie mark. She was a traveling sales pony,and a collector of strange items. She had wandered marketplaces and back alleys all over the world. Whenever daring needed something strange and she needed it quick,she usually went to see Coco. Daring arrived at Coco’s stand to see her friend making a sale to a young colt. “Coco. Hey Coco!” Daring called. Coco looked over to her friend and smiled sweetly. “Hey Daring! Give me a second.” Coco said in a sugary sweet voice. She turned back to the colt. “Okay,so that’s two purple yoyos for the dancing windmill. Deal?” Coco asked the young colt,who was pondering her offer. “Uhh…Deal!” the colt answered,picking up what appeared to be a small souvenir windmill model with a face, legs and a top hat, that was made in the pose as if it was tap dancing. Coco smiled her trademark smile and waved goodbye to her satisfied customer. “Okey dokey! Please come again!” she called. Daring smiled and walked up to her stand. “How's Business?” she asked. Coco smiled as she put her two purple yoyos on a shelf behind her. “Oh its great! You wouldn't believe the price for thumbtacks recently.” She said happily. Daring chuckled. “Ill bet. Hey,you got a moment? I need an airplane.” Daring asked. Coco began to unload a box of t-Rex figurines onto her counter. “An airplane you say?” she wondered aloud. “I got one but it needs a tune up. Or twelve.” Coco said. “Where you headed?” she asked cheerfully. “The Amazon.” Daring said with a smile. Coco seemed confused by this statement. “You mean the Amare-azon?” She asked. “Nope,Amazon.” Daring said again. “Oh,the Amane-azon?” Coco asked. “No. The Amazon.” Daring said once more. This time clearer. “You mean The Equine-Azon?” Coco asked. “NO,I mean-“ Daring started. “The Pony-Zon?” Coco asked. “No,I mean the AMAZON coco,what is with you?” Daring asked annoyed. “Ohhh!....The Amazon. I thought all our place names were supposed to be pony puns.” Coco stated. Now it was daring’s turn to be confused. “Supposed to be what?” She asked Coco. Coco winked at no one in particular. “Oh never mind. Sure,I can get you the plane,but what'll you give me?” Coco asked,raising a an eyebrow. Daring smiled. “Oh I've got just thing for you Coco. She rifled through her bag. “I found this on my last dig.” She said pulling out a 24 karat gold toothbrush with diamonds inlaid in the hilt. Daring dropped the treasure onto Coco’s counter. “The Pharaoh Amantep's Toothbrush.” Daring stated proudly. Coco’s eyes lit up like neon lights. “OOOhhhhh! Nice!” She cooed over the item. Coco went back and took down a set of plane keys from a rack then tossed them to Daring. “It’s the blue biplane at the docks.” Coco said with a smile. Daring pocketed the keys. “Careful though,its pretty rickety.” Coco warned. In fact the plane was VERY rickety. Chapter 3: "A Not-So-Smooth Landing."Chapter 3: “A Not-So-Smooth Landing.” Daring Do pulled up on the plane’s steering lever with all her might,but the scrapped together mess of a heap continued to sail down towards the wide expansive jungle below. What was left of the engines groaned and whined along with the sound of grating metal on metal. “Come On! Pull up. Pull up!” Daring cried out ,as she struggled to make the plane go up. Or at this point any direction besides straight down. Daring finally gave up on the lever and braced herself for the crash. The plane collided with a tall tree,but surprisingly daring was mostly unharmed. The plane tilted forward,then fell and hit the ground. Hard. Daring emerged from the plane wreckage which lay in bits and pieces over the area. Daring looked up to see the planes propeller sail through the air and bury itself in a nearby tree’s trunk. Daring tried to walk but pain stopped her. She felt her left wing was now broken,and her legs were very sore and beat up. Daring coughed from the smoke of the flaming cockpit. “Next time *cough* ill spring for a better airplane.” Daring said looking at the wreckage. Daring bandaged her wing,then began to trek through the jungle. Back To The Present: Amazon Jungle, Temple Of The Twin Jackals There was no more time for reminiscing. The smell of decay and danger hit Daring Do,as she peered into the entrance of the ancient temple. Her broken wing twitched painfully. She ignored it. Now it was time to focus. Daring made her way through the ancient lobby towards the greater part of the temple. The sun beamed down on the room from a large hole in the ceiling. A group of bats opened their eyes in slits,watching her as she walked. Various bones littered the floor. “Lets see. Is this going to be one of those functional temples or one of those deathtrap temples?” Daring wondered aloud. Daring received her answer when her hoof caught a tripwire,sending a shuriken speeding past her head. “Deathtrap. Definitely Deathtrap.” Daring said now completely alert with her eyes wide. She stood frozen for a second. Cautious. Daring continued onward. “okay, tripwires trigger flying shurikens,what else we have here?” Daring said taking mental note of her environment. A pit opened in front of her and flames poured out from below. “Fire pit.” Daring noted casually. This was certainly not the first tomb Daring had explored,and she knew how they worked pretty well at this point. She ran down the list as she made her way to the main temple room. A huge saw blade came through the hallway behind daring. “Giant Blade:” Next, Several poison tipped darts shot out from the walls as daring ducked underneath them. “Deadly darts” Daring looked as the door at the other end of the hallway began to slowly close. She smiled at her expertise. “Slowly closing door at the end of the hallway.” Daring raced for the exit,only to find spikes pop from the ground wherever she stepped. She ran even faster,dodging spikes and darts,until finally she slid under the door just before it closed. Daring gave herself a moment to catch her breath. “Right… Next time I’ll try not to step on one of those floor panels.” Daring said confidently. She turned from the door and took a step…onto another floor panel. “Aww.” Daring said sadly, as all manner of traps activated around her. Chapter 4: "The Sapphire Stone."Chapter 4: “The Sapphire Stone.” In a few minutes, Daring emerged from the second room. “Aw… I got arrows in my hat.” Daring said annoyed. As she removed the arrows, she eyed her surroundings. Daring walked carefully forward. “Where am I anyway?” Daring wondered aloud, surveying each side of the room, as she made her way forward. A beam of light shone from the ceiling and shifted position until finally it caught a brilliant blue object on the far side of the room. Daring’s eyes lit up. “Ooh,that’s where I am.” She said proudly. Daring Do stood at the entrance to the central temple chamber. At last she was face to face with the legendary Sapphire Statue. And within it…The Sapphire Stone. Daring's eyes twinkled as she gazed at the treasure. “There it is,right out in the open.” Daring said proudly. Then she looked back and then around. “But you wouldn’t make it that easy would you?” Daring asked herself. Daring Do knew that some cultures believed in guarding their artifacts with deathtraps. It was believed that only a person who could avoid the traps,was worthy of claiming the prize. Daring looked around. She spotted peculiar holes in the walls,and then she tossed a rock in front of her. The rock hit a tripwire,sending darts shooting from the holes. “Great. More darts.” Daring said annoyed. She turned her attention to the floor in front of her. It was a grid of panels,and each was marked with a picture of an animal. Daring studied the floor. “Hmm. Must be a pattern here. What do all these animals have in common?” Daring asked herself. She took note of all the animals pictured on the panels. Lions,Tigers,Wolves,Snakes,Leopards,Cheetahs,Panthers and…Sheep? Then daring got it. “Aha! These animals are all predators! Except…Sheep!” Carefully she stepped on the first Sheep panel. “So far,so good.” Daring said cautiously. She scanned the floor for the path of sheep panels to the other side,then carefully made her way across. “Two paces left. Forward One Pace. Right five.” Daring maneuvered herself to each sheep panel almost perfectly. Finally reaching the end,daring stepped on the last sheep panel and onto solid ground. Daring looked back at the floor and smiled. “Well that wasn’t too bad.” She said relieved. She approached the statue now mere inches away. Her hooves twitched with anticipation of holding it. “Hmm..Lets hold off for a second.” Daring said,not fully convinced shed made it past all the dangers in the room. She examined the area and then returned to the statue. “Dang it. Most of these are faded.” Daring said trying in vain to read the scriptures carved into the lower part of the pedestal that held her prize. Daring examined the carvings carefully,then she saw one part at the very bottom was still legible. (at least if you could read ancient scriptures.) “Here's one that’s still readable: Sahn Tha-sa rae-Ma” Daring said reading the strange phrase aloud. “That sounds important.” Daring said with a smile as she scribbled the words down on a page from her journal, then tearing it out. She checked to make sure the word was the same as on the pedestal, then pocketed the page. “But I wont try it yet. Not unless I have to.” Daring stated, not wanting to spoil anything for herself. Daring turned her attention to the sparkling blue statue that was mere inches from her on the pedestal. Light shined down on it from above,making it glow a faint blue aura that shone in the dank dark room. “Well time to take you home. Lets see if we trigger any deadly traps.” Daring said, anticipating more dangers. She snatched the statue and tucked it away for safe keeping. But as she turned away, there was a curious noise. Daring looked back to see the pedestal sink into the floor, and then the entire room began to collapse. Daring ran for the exit,but the floor ahead of her collapsed revealing a pool of lava. The room was suddenly sweltering with blazing heat as the red glow of the lava filled the room,turning the room a light crimson. “You didn’t have to make it that deadly!” Daring exclaimed, annoyed and shocked at her own luck. She retreated to the other side,as lava slowly filled the room. Great pillars from either side toppled over and crashed down into the rising lake of lava. There was no way out. And then she saw it: The skylight. “Aha!” Daring cried out,just as the floor beneath her began to buckle. Daring jumped onto one of the overturned pillars,then onto another. The heat in the room was unbelievable. Daring could practically feel the stone beneath her melt away from the lava. Daring leapt towards the opening, catching the edge of the skylight with outstretched hooves,and barely pulled herself through the opening. Hot air from the lava suddenly blasted her out of the temple. Daring sailed through the air then hit soft ground with a loud thud,she rolled for a few feet,before coming to a stop on her stomach. She opened her eyes to see she had landed in the dirt outside. She was battered,but still alive. Chapter 5: "The Roads Of Dhartan."Chapter 5: "The Roads Of Dhartan." Rolling onto her back,Daring searched her satchel and removed her treasure. It was perfectly fine,save for a few small scratches. She had done it. The sapphire Stone was hers. But then... A loud roar above her head, had Daring back on her feet in seconds. She cried out as she saw the same tiger from before was now glaring at her and snarling ferociously . “I thought I left you on the other side of the canyon.” Daring exclaimed,annoyed and surprised to see the tiger here. She heard another roar and saw that the other cats from before had followed as well. She scrambled up a tree,kicking two of the cats as she went. They snarled at her for a moment. That’s when she heard it. Loud footsteps,that signaled the approach of something very big and angry. The creature stepped out from the shadows and Daring’s eyes widened for but a second. It was her old rival, the bizarre ape creature capable of crushing bricks with his bare hands. The creature spotted Daring in the tree and let out a deep sinister laugh. “Ohh…is this the great Daring Do then?” the creature sneered. Its voice was deep and surprisingly versed, like that of a foreign gentleman. The creature stood on its legs and continued to mock daring who only scowled in reply. “Caught in a tree like a scared little squirrel?” The creature said mockingly. Daring scowled before sneering back. “Oh hey there Ahui.” She said casually. The creature narrowed its eyes. “It’s Ahuizotl.” The creature corrected with a snarl. Daring smiled as she chuckled. “Yeah I know. I just like calling you Ahui,cause I know it ticks you off.” She said mockingly. Ahuizotl was indeed ticked off. He let out a ferocious roar that sounded like that of an ape monster,rocking the tree slightly. “Give me the stone Daring.” Ahuizotl demanded menacingly. “And I might just spare your life.” He said narrowing his eyes. Ahuizotl was once an archaeologist and treasure hunter like Daring. His name was Dr.Ahui Zote Sr,and he was a sort of rival of Daring's. However he had always been in it for money,rather then the adventure,and he always had this deep lust for power. One day,while he and daring squared off to see who would get the cursed Golden head of Quetzalcoatl,Ahui’s greed finally got the best of him. Upon trying to snatch the idol from its pedestal,Ahui’s skin suddenly turned black. His body warped and changed into a hideous and grotesque ape creature. At first Ahui was horrified by his transformation. But seeing how powerful he was,he grew to love it. For this is what he really wanted: Power. Soon he abandoned his former self and name and became Ahuizotl. With how strong he was now,he felt there was no treasure he could not claim for his own. Back in the jungle,daring smirked at Ahuizotl. “I knew you’d show up once the cats started bugging me.” She said smartly. “Its funny really. I can find the stone all by myself,but you apparently need a whole squad of helpers.” Daring joked,further angering Ahuizotl. “Don’t test my patience Daring!” Ahuizotl yelled. But Daring was just getting started. “And even when you tracked me and found the temple,you still couldn’t get the stone could you? You had to wait for me to get it.” Daring mocked,smiling at Ahuizotl’s furious expression. “I think I'll kill you slowly.” Ahuizotl snarled. Daring's plan was working! She just needed to push Ahui a little bit more. “Y’know what I think Ahui? I think you’re a pushover. I think you’re an idiot and a wimp,who doesn’t know the first thing about treasure hunting.”Daring mocked a final time. Ahuizotl was completely enraged now. He let out a terrifying roar and wrapped his enormous arms around the trunk of the tree and heaved it with all his might. “GET DOWN HERE!” Ahuizotl bellowed. Daring Do leapt from the tree,hoping her rival would remain distracted for a few more moments. The cats were behind her again as she ran as fast as her legs could move her. She approached the canyon,but there were no vines to be seen. The ground suddenly shook as Daring glanced back to see Ahuizotl running at full speed toward her,knocking tree after tree out of his path. In a few moments he'd be on her,and shed be done for. There was no time to waste. Daring pulled out her journal page from before,looked it over ,and leapt over the side of the canyon. With only one wing, Daring could not hope to fly. There was only one way out. She took the statue in her hooves,and touched the Sapphire Stone. “Sahn Tha-sa rae-Ma!” Daring yelled out as loud as she could. Upon saying those words,it took only half a millisecond for the Stone to shine like the sun, engulf Daring in blue light,and when that half millisecond had passed Daring Do was gone. Fillydelphia Harbor (2000 Miles away from The Marenti Basin) A brilliant flash of blue light suddenly burst from nowhere and in its spot was Daring Do. She was no longer about to fall to her death over a canyon in a jungle in the middle of the Marenti basin. She was now standing in an inch of snow on a shipping dock,with snowflakes gently billowing around her. Daring breathed heavily for a moment,as a colt in a snow parka came over to see if she was alright. “Hey,uh…Are you feeling okay?” He asked concerned. Daring looked up and everything was different. The canyon was gone. The jungle was gone. Daring laid there in the snow till she finally got up and cheered for her victory. “It worked? It worked! Haha! The roads of Dhartan! It worked!” She exclaimed,possibly having never felt this happy,relived and exhausted all at once in her life. The parka wearing colt was completely confused. “Um…yes,um… What worked exactly?” he asked. Daring was standing on her hind legs completely ecstatic. “The roads of- nevermind. Where am I?” Daring asked still happy,relived and exhausted all at once. The colt was still very confused but answered her anyway. “Fillydelphia. Hoofington to be precise.” Daring was over the moon.”Hoofington! That’s amazing! Which way is Canterlot?” Daring asked the now very,very confused parka wearing colt. 2 Weeks Later Two Weeks later,Daring arrived at the university,and she was quickly summoned before Mazra,the school’s headmaster,who was NOT in a good mood. Daring sat in Mazra’s lavish office as the headmaster was beside herself. “You were gone for nearly two months,Daring! Two Months!” She scolded. Daring was about to speak,but Mazra kept talking (well,yelling almost) “Your supposed to be a professor!” Mazra exclaimed. Daring didn’t speak,but could tell Mazra was fuming. Mazra sat down at her desk in a huff. “Do you have any reason at all why I shouldn’t fire you?”Mazra asked,still very upset. Daring thought for a moment. She felt like a student in school,who'd just got sent to the principle’s office for being late. Nearly two months late. “I'm…lovably eccentric?” Daring gave a weak smile. Mazra scowled,unamused. “And…the students love me?” Daring reasoned. She wasn’t winning Mazra’s favor,but she knew what would. Daring reached into her satchel. “And I have this,priceless artifact with me.” Daring said holding the Sapphire statue from her adventure up for Mazra to see. Mazra was stunned. “Where…did you,get that?” Mazra asked not taking her eyes off the precious treasure. Daring smiled. “The Sapphire Stone. Yeah its pretty cool.” She said slyly. Daring put the artifact back in her satchel. “Now as an employee of the university, I was recovering this for the school museum that everyone’s so proud of.” Daring smiled as she sat her satchel to the side. “But I guess if I don’t work here anymore,well…I could just keep it. Take it home with me. Use it as a doorstop or something.” Daring said nonchalantly. Mazra looked at the satchel then at daring,knowing she could never live with herself if she allowed such an amazing treasure to not be displayed proudly in the school museum. She sighed out of defeat. “Fine. But your on probation,do you understand?” Daring got up from her seat beaming. “Works for me!” she said taking the statue out from her satchel. “Catch!” She said tossing the statue to Mazra,who nearly fell out of her seat trying to catch the artifact. “W-what? No! b-be careful with that!” She exclaimed holding the treasure delicately in her arms. Daring smiled,gathered her things then walked out the door,leaving Mazra to her newest exhibit for her museum. Daring walked down the hall,only to come face to face with Storm who was less then happy. “So…you found the stone.” He said gruffly. Daring apparently was too excited to talk about her adventure then notice how quite ticked Storm seemed to be. “The roads of Dhartan! And the magic words that take you to Hoofington.” Daring exclaimed. Storm seemed taken aback a bit. “Whats in Hoofington?” he asked. “Nothing really,but that’s not the point.The point is I proved these stones are real!” Daring said,still very excited. Then she remembered how shed used the stone to transport herself to Hoofington. “But I cant use that one anymore,it burned out. Ran out of magic,but I expected as much.” Daring said taken aback a bit. “Still! That was awesome!” Daring said beaming. Then she sighed happily. “I love my job.” She said dreamily. Storm gave her a moment before talking. “Well,I must say you are a very capable explorer.” He said admirably. Daring looked a little surprised. “Storm? Was that a compliment?” Daring asked smiling. Storm gave a weak smile. “It was.” Suddenly he narrowed his eyes. “ Now comes the criticism.” Daring was surprised. “Huh?” She asked. Storm suddenly looked quite ticked off. “You made me take care of your students for nearly TWO MONTHS!” He exclaimed rather loudly. Daring looked sorry. “I know,I know. I owe you one.” She said appreciatively. Storm looked less ticked off now. “You'll be organizing my files for a year. And the next time I want to go on vacation YOU’LL be watching MY students.” Storm stated aggressively. Daring gave a weak smile. “I can do that! I can totally do that.” She said in her defense. Storm huffed,then began to walk down the hall towards his classroom while Daring walked alongside him. “But you have to admit. I’m pretty awesome.” She stated proudly. Storm gave a weak smile. “I didn’t say that.” Daring laughed. “But you did. You totally did.” She said slyly. Storm gave a chuckle. “Daring,don’t get started with me.” Daring shrugged. “Your right.” She said clearly. The two professors walked out into the main hall,as Daring smiled and said to herself. “I’ll save it for next time.”
Chapter 1: "A Daring Beginning."Chapter 1: “A Daring Beginning.” As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle,the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing had injured her wing and left her grounded for a few days. “A few days? Might as well be for a few months. Or a few years!” daring thought bitterly as she continued to slog through the jungle with the blistering sun baking everything under its sweltering heat. Mosquitoes buzzed loudly,macaws cried from high trees,and yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of predators following her every step. Daring stopped as she heard a close growl echo amongst the trees. It sounded as if it was very close. “They got my scent.” Daring said quietly, looking back through the rough weeds and tangling vines behind her. Her eyes scanned the environment but found nothing hiding in its wake. Daring turned back and started to walk forward again. “I’ll have to be careful.” She said still looking back, but facing forward so as not for something to sneak up on her. She heard another growl and gave a quick backwards glance which was somewhat interrupted when she sensed her face collide with the nose of a tiger. The tiger roared scattering various birds from their perches amongst the treetops. “Whoa!” Daring exclaimed, jumping backward and kicking dirt into the tigers eyes blinding it momentarily. She hopped over a log to put some distance between them, but then daring heard another roar. Different this time. Daring looked to see a panther emerge from the other direction,and soon she was surrounded by a ring of cats of all shapes and sizes. They all growled almost in unison like a symphony of the jungles top predators. Including a soft,fluffy white kitten. Spotting the kitten,Daring smirked. “There's my exit!” She leapt over the kitten and took off through the jungle with the entire pack in pursuit. She could hear there snapping jaws and drooling mouths,over her heart pumping loudly in her chest. She spotted a canyon just ahead and tore through the trees and vines,while the predators were gaining on her. Daring cried out as she leapt into the air catching a stray vine between her teeth,and she swung the length of the canyon. “See ya later,cats!” Daring called back to the pack who stood angrily watching her escape from the Cliff side. Safely landing on the other side,daring finally allowed herself a moment to breathe. She turned around to see herself face to face with the long lost temple that she had sought tirelessly for over sixty days and nights. Daring gazed up at the temple and smiled. “I finally found you.” She said proudly. Several weeks had passed since that faithful day in the royal university of Canterlot. It had been the very first day of the new school year. Several Weeks Ago: Canterlot University (New Semester) The bell rang as several students,new and old,found their seats in the cluttered classroom. As they sat down the door opened,and Daring do walked in with several books and maps slung over her back. “Alright Ponies,Settle down settle down. My name is Daring Do and I’m teaching this class!” Daring said setting down several books on her extremely cluttered desk. “At least I think I am,this is my class right? The archaeology class?” The students didn’t answer but were too surprised to have spoken anyway. “Good!” Daring said ,answering her own question. Daring set down her satchel on the floor and stood to the side of her desk. ”Anyways,please call me Daring Do,or Daring. Do not call me Mrs. Do,it sounds formal and stupid.” Several students laughed and the rest smiled. Daring smiled back. ”Glad you agree!” she exclaimed. Daring walked over to her board and picked up the chalk in her teeth. ”Now the name of this class is Awesome Archeology 101. That’s AWESOME archaeology.” Daring underlined the word awesome on her chalkboard. A few more students chuckled. Daring turned back to her class,who she could tell were already in love with her. “We WILL be skipping the boring parts.” Daring said seriously. Daring set down her chalk then looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling. “Uh,lets see there was something else I wanted to mention,oh yes. We have a very special schedule in this class,normally class starts at nine,however if I'm not here by nine ten,I would like you to assume I'm in an ancient temple somewhere recovering a priceless artifact,thus I wont be here and I want you all to do independent study.” Daring smiled at the surprised and excited expressions on her student’s faces. She spotted several new students who seemed frozen in shock. Guess they weren’t expecting for their teacher to be a world class treasure hunter,huh? Daring continued. She walked over to her desk. “My notes are over here on my desk,you can take a look at those or you know just go outside and start digging somewhere. See what you can find!” Daring exclaimed her eyes twinkling. She looked around the room,at all the various expressions on her students faces. Surprise,shock,happiness,excitement. Daring smiled again.”Any questions?” she asked. For a little bit no one said anything,they just looked around to see if anyone else had raised their hoof. Then a young colt raised his. “Yes,you!” Daring said calling on him. The colt put down his hoof as he asked. “Um…did you just say your going to skip class?” the colt asked. Daring smiled again. “Yes I did.”she said happily. “and I also have no attendance policy!” she added,making everyone's eyes widen. “If you want to skip class,that’s fine,just come back with something cool and your off the hook.” Daring said cooly. Almost every student in class lit up with smiles and expressions of happiness and excitement. Daring was the best teacher any of them could ever have! Daring pulled down a large chart from above her board. The chart showed an enlarged picture of a laid out scroll with several odd looking glyphs and markings written across its surface,as well as picture in the middle depicting a temple. “Alright,this is an enlarged picture of a scroll that was found in Timbukthri.” Daring announced. “In the middle is a drawing of a long lost temple.” Daring pointed to the drawing of the large and powerful looking limestone temple in the center of the scroll. “If we translate this scripture below it,it says Temple Of The Twin Jackals.” “Now,can anyone tell me where this temple is located?” Daring asked her class. She looked around and once again everyone looked around with her for someone to answer her question. Only this time no one did. “Anyone?” Daring asked hopefully looking around the room. Still no one answered. “Anypony?” Daring asked once more. The only response Daring received was a cough from a colt in the back row. Finally Daring gave up with a sigh. “Dang It!” she exclaimed surprising her class. She turned to look at the picture. “I don’t know where it is either,I was hoping one of you might know.” She admitted with a slight smile. Daring Do had a well-earned reputation as the most eccentric teacher in school. She didn’t teach the “boring parts” of Archaeology such as excavation, mathematics, fossil forensics or dirt and rock cataloguing. Instead she taught how to properly use a whip to defend against mummies. How to outrun a giant boulder. How to replace a priceless idol with a potato without setting off traps and of course how to properly wear a stylish pith helmet. Needless to say, Daring’s class was the most popular one at Canterlot University and she loved teaching it. “And that is why you should never try to hoof wrestle with a mummy. Because they’ll get embarrassed when their arm comes off.” Daring announced,ending her lesson just as the bell rang. “Alright that’s it. Pack it in,pack it out. See you on Wednesday!” Daring said as her students gathered their things and left through the door. When the last student had left,Daring smiled hopefully to herself and said under her breath “ Y'know...Maybe.” “Can't You do better than maybe?” came a gruff yet smart voice from the hall. Daring smiled as the owner of the voice strolled into her classroom. “Hey Storm.” She greeted nonchalantly with a smile. “Professor,if you don’t mind.” The teacher said. Professor Storm Talon taught international studies at the university. He was a grizzled old griffin,but he had a commanding presence. His Tail and one of his hind legs were prosthetics. The real ones had been lost in Navy battles. Daring finished putting away her books,then turned to her colleague and friend. “Professor?” She asked with a smile. “I should call you captain.”She said slyly. Storm ruffled his feathers at the response,but gave a weak smile in reply. “I’m retired Daring.” He said clearly. “You may call me captain,if and when I command an airship.” He said seriously. Daring stood on her hind legs and saluted Storm. “Sir,Yes Sir!” She said enthusiastically. Storm smiled and walked to Daring's board,looking over the notes she had written on it for her students. “So how was your first day?” he asked in an interested tone. Daring dropped a large bag full of,what storm guessed was several ancient gold coins shed picked up from one of her adventures,and smiled at her friend. “Eh..it was alright.” She said nonchalantly,throwing Storm off a bit. Daring looked at the chart that still displayed the scroll from her lesson. “I just cant figure out this scroll though.” She said a little frustrated. She walked over to her board,sat down and stared out at it,as if waiting for it to talk to her. “The one you’ve displayed here?” Storm walked over to her and scanned the picture as well. “Yeah that one,it traces back to the old jungle wolves in the amazon. They had this Temp-“ Daring was interrupted by Storm. “Ah right…The sapphire Stone.” He said with an air of awe. Daring walked back over to her desk and produced one of her journals. She read through it proudly. “A statue of twin jackals. And within the statue,a precious stone said to contain the wisdom of the ancient spirits.The Ancient Wanderers.” Daring read aloud,her voice full of wonder. Storm piped in. “You mean the roads of Dhartan?”he asked smartly. Daring closed her journal. “That’s exactly what I think.” Daring announced smiling. She looked at the picture on her chart. “I think this is a Dhartan Stone. One of the lesser stones,probably only good for one use.” She went back to her desk and unfolded a parchment. The parchment displayed two ancient warriors holding a statue with twin jackal heads and a glowing blue orb floated above them. The Sapphire Stone. Below it were several scratched out notes,That daring had crossed out and rewritten herself many times. She was trying to crack the secret of the words needed to activate the stone’s power, but to no avail. “And if you know the right words…”Daring said looking over her scribbled out notes. “That one use could do an awful lot.” Storm cleared his throat,getting daring’s attention. “Well that is to assume that the roads of Dhartan even exist.” He stated plainly. He walked over to Daring who had put the parchment away. “And besides you cant do anything until you find the stone.” He said matter of factly. Daring closed her drawer. “But I still don’t know where it is!” daring exclaimed. “I even asked the students to see if they knew anything.” Daring said in a defeated tone. Storm gave Daring a slight glare,as if asking that to her students could be surmount to using them for her own needs. “Hey don’t look at me like that,it was worth a try.” Daring reasoned. Storm rolled his eyes slightly. He turned to the picture again.”Does the scroll say anything?” he asked. Daring walked over to him. “Nothing but the name of the temple.” Said daring. “Whats this figure on the side?” Storm asked pointing a talon to a strange glyph near the left half of the scroll. “Some sort of symbol. I don’t know what it means” Said daring with a shrug. Storm examined the marking with curiosity. “It’s a strange shape.” He said,still looking it over. “Daring.” He finally said. Daring looked over at him,curious. “What if this symbol is in the shape of a geographical feature?” Storm asked. Daring thought for a moment. “A geographical…”Suddenly Daring’s eyes lit up. “Maps! Show me the maps!” Daring ran over to her desk and began unloading every drawer she had with a map in it. They piled the floor rather quickly,as daring continued to frantically rifle through her desk. “come on,come on. There should be something. Its shaped like,Here!” daring unfurled a very old map and layed it out on the floor for Storm to see. “The basin,The Marenti Basin!” daring announced,her eyes still flashing with excitement. “Storm you’re a genius!” Daring complemented her friend. Storm looked proud himself. “Well thank you,I- What are you doing?” Storm was stopped mid sentence as Daring suddenly rushed over to her desk and began packing two satchels full of maps,pens,a compass,her journals,and other things. “Just getting my stuff together,You think coco is still around?” daring answered without stopping. “I'm gonna need an airplane.” Daring said dumping an entire drawer of parchment into her bag. Storm was stunned. “You..cant be serious.” Storm stated watching Daring roll up the parchment on the floor and tuck it into her bag. Daring ran over and took a large sack of gold from her desk,dumping it into her bag as well. “Of course I'm serious,its like a thousand miles away,you expect me to use my wings?” Daring asked,again not stopping for breath. Storm was beside himself. “I expect you to teach your class!” He said rather loudly. Daring stopped for but a moment. “Oh right…the class.” Daring thought for possibly only a split second before she began packing her bags again. “Well you know just tell Archie to cover for me.” Daring said,removing a few books from her bookshelf and putting them in a separate satchel. Storm narrowed his eyes. “Archie is already teaching three classes this semester,hes busy!” he said,obviously losing his patience. “Well you can cover for me.” Daring said with a smile. Storm's eyes widened. “I'm not even in the same department as you.” He said plainly. Daring tied a bundle of journals together. “That’s fine,you know what your doing.” She said encouragingly. Storm wasn’t amused. Though he knew better then to try and talk the famous Daring Do out of an adventure. Giving in,he sighed. “How long will this take?” he asked,knowing he should just go along with it. Daring closed a drawer and put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Well,I don’t know exactly where in the basin the temple is,so id have to fly in circles for a bit,check out a few places,I'm guessing…three weeks,maybe four.” Daring answered with a slight smile. Storms eyes widened. “Three Weeks?” he repeated in a shocked tone. Surely she wasn’t being serious. Daring tied a bag shut then walked over to her friend,whom she could see was worried. Mostly about her career. And his. “Hey,hey storm. Listen: It’s the sapphire Stone. Its legendary! Y’think I'm just gonna let it sit there?” Daring asked with a smile. This didn’t really help ease Storms worries. He looked down at Daring. “Mazra will have your head for this.” He warned her. Daring shrugged. “She might. She might. But shed also get a new priceless artifact for that museum she’s so proud of. So…I think it works out.” Daring said,clearly happy with her reasoning. Storm couldn’t be further from understanding Daring’s reasoning. Nevertheless he went with it. He sighed. “Fine…I'l handle the students.” He said,knowing he would probably regret it later. Daring smiled as she loaded her bags on her back,and made her way out the door. “What would I do without you storm?” she said as she left the classroom. Storm grumbled to himself. “Oh I don’t know, maybe you’d teach a class once in awhile!” he called out to her,but Daring was already through the door down the hall, and out of the building. Storm sighed as he walked over to Daring's desk,just in time to see Daring rush by the classroom window. “Thanks buddy!” she said smiling and waving at the annoyed Storm. “Ridiculous” He said to himself.
Chapter 2: "Coco Pie's Bazarr Trades and Goods."Chapter 2: “Coco Pie’s Bazaar Trades and Goods.” Daring Do rushed to the town square where her friend and supplier,Coco Pie had set up shop. Coco was a green earth pony,with a fluffy mane and a cupcake for a cutie mark. She was a traveling sales pony,and a collector of strange items. She had wandered marketplaces and back alleys all over the world. Whenever daring needed something strange and she needed it quick,she usually went to see Coco. Daring arrived at Coco’s stand to see her friend making a sale to a young colt. “Coco. Hey Coco!” Daring called. Coco looked over to her friend and smiled sweetly. “Hey Daring! Give me a second.” Coco said in a sugary sweet voice. She turned back to the colt. “Okay,so that’s two purple yoyos for the dancing windmill. Deal?” Coco asked the young colt,who was pondering her offer. “Uhh…Deal!” the colt answered,picking up what appeared to be a small souvenir windmill model with a face, legs and a top hat, that was made in the pose as if it was tap dancing. Coco smiled her trademark smile and waved goodbye to her satisfied customer. “Okey dokey! Please come again!” she called. Daring smiled and walked up to her stand. “How's Business?” she asked. Coco smiled as she put her two purple yoyos on a shelf behind her. “Oh its great! You wouldn't believe the price for thumbtacks recently.” She said happily. Daring chuckled. “Ill bet. Hey,you got a moment? I need an airplane.” Daring asked. Coco began to unload a box of t-Rex figurines onto her counter. “An airplane you say?” she wondered aloud. “I got one but it needs a tune up. Or twelve.” Coco said. “Where you headed?” she asked cheerfully. “The Amazon.” Daring said with a smile. Coco seemed confused by this statement. “You mean the Amare-azon?” She asked. “Nope,Amazon.” Daring said again. “Oh,the Amane-azon?” Coco asked. “No. The Amazon.” Daring said once more. This time clearer. “You mean The Equine-Azon?” Coco asked. “NO,I mean-“ Daring started. “The Pony-Zon?” Coco asked. “No,I mean the AMAZON coco,what is with you?” Daring asked annoyed. “Ohhh!....The Amazon. I thought all our place names were supposed to be pony puns.” Coco stated. Now it was daring’s turn to be confused. “Supposed to be what?” She asked Coco. Coco winked at no one in particular. “Oh never mind. Sure,I can get you the plane,but what'll you give me?” Coco asked,raising a an eyebrow. Daring smiled. “Oh I've got just thing for you Coco. She rifled through her bag. “I found this on my last dig.” She said pulling out a 24 karat gold toothbrush with diamonds inlaid in the hilt. Daring dropped the treasure onto Coco’s counter. “The Pharaoh Amantep's Toothbrush.” Daring stated proudly. Coco’s eyes lit up like neon lights. “OOOhhhhh! Nice!” She cooed over the item. Coco went back and took down a set of plane keys from a rack then tossed them to Daring. “It’s the blue biplane at the docks.” Coco said with a smile. Daring pocketed the keys. “Careful though,its pretty rickety.” Coco warned. In fact the plane was VERY rickety.
Chapter 3: "A Not-So-Smooth Landing."Chapter 3: “A Not-So-Smooth Landing.” Daring Do pulled up on the plane’s steering lever with all her might,but the scrapped together mess of a heap continued to sail down towards the wide expansive jungle below. What was left of the engines groaned and whined along with the sound of grating metal on metal. “Come On! Pull up. Pull up!” Daring cried out ,as she struggled to make the plane go up. Or at this point any direction besides straight down. Daring finally gave up on the lever and braced herself for the crash. The plane collided with a tall tree,but surprisingly daring was mostly unharmed. The plane tilted forward,then fell and hit the ground. Hard. Daring emerged from the plane wreckage which lay in bits and pieces over the area. Daring looked up to see the planes propeller sail through the air and bury itself in a nearby tree’s trunk. Daring tried to walk but pain stopped her. She felt her left wing was now broken,and her legs were very sore and beat up. Daring coughed from the smoke of the flaming cockpit. “Next time *cough* ill spring for a better airplane.” Daring said looking at the wreckage. Daring bandaged her wing,then began to trek through the jungle. Back To The Present: Amazon Jungle, Temple Of The Twin Jackals There was no more time for reminiscing. The smell of decay and danger hit Daring Do,as she peered into the entrance of the ancient temple. Her broken wing twitched painfully. She ignored it. Now it was time to focus. Daring made her way through the ancient lobby towards the greater part of the temple. The sun beamed down on the room from a large hole in the ceiling. A group of bats opened their eyes in slits,watching her as she walked. Various bones littered the floor. “Lets see. Is this going to be one of those functional temples or one of those deathtrap temples?” Daring wondered aloud. Daring received her answer when her hoof caught a tripwire,sending a shuriken speeding past her head. “Deathtrap. Definitely Deathtrap.” Daring said now completely alert with her eyes wide. She stood frozen for a second. Cautious. Daring continued onward. “okay, tripwires trigger flying shurikens,what else we have here?” Daring said taking mental note of her environment. A pit opened in front of her and flames poured out from below. “Fire pit.” Daring noted casually. This was certainly not the first tomb Daring had explored,and she knew how they worked pretty well at this point. She ran down the list as she made her way to the main temple room. A huge saw blade came through the hallway behind daring. “Giant Blade:” Next, Several poison tipped darts shot out from the walls as daring ducked underneath them. “Deadly darts” Daring looked as the door at the other end of the hallway began to slowly close. She smiled at her expertise. “Slowly closing door at the end of the hallway.” Daring raced for the exit,only to find spikes pop from the ground wherever she stepped. She ran even faster,dodging spikes and darts,until finally she slid under the door just before it closed. Daring gave herself a moment to catch her breath. “Right… Next time I’ll try not to step on one of those floor panels.” Daring said confidently. She turned from the door and took a step…onto another floor panel. “Aww.” Daring said sadly, as all manner of traps activated around her.
Chapter 4: "The Sapphire Stone."Chapter 4: “The Sapphire Stone.” In a few minutes, Daring emerged from the second room. “Aw… I got arrows in my hat.” Daring said annoyed. As she removed the arrows, she eyed her surroundings. Daring walked carefully forward. “Where am I anyway?” Daring wondered aloud, surveying each side of the room, as she made her way forward. A beam of light shone from the ceiling and shifted position until finally it caught a brilliant blue object on the far side of the room. Daring’s eyes lit up. “Ooh,that’s where I am.” She said proudly. Daring Do stood at the entrance to the central temple chamber. At last she was face to face with the legendary Sapphire Statue. And within it…The Sapphire Stone. Daring's eyes twinkled as she gazed at the treasure. “There it is,right out in the open.” Daring said proudly. Then she looked back and then around. “But you wouldn’t make it that easy would you?” Daring asked herself. Daring Do knew that some cultures believed in guarding their artifacts with deathtraps. It was believed that only a person who could avoid the traps,was worthy of claiming the prize. Daring looked around. She spotted peculiar holes in the walls,and then she tossed a rock in front of her. The rock hit a tripwire,sending darts shooting from the holes. “Great. More darts.” Daring said annoyed. She turned her attention to the floor in front of her. It was a grid of panels,and each was marked with a picture of an animal. Daring studied the floor. “Hmm. Must be a pattern here. What do all these animals have in common?” Daring asked herself. She took note of all the animals pictured on the panels. Lions,Tigers,Wolves,Snakes,Leopards,Cheetahs,Panthers and…Sheep? Then daring got it. “Aha! These animals are all predators! Except…Sheep!” Carefully she stepped on the first Sheep panel. “So far,so good.” Daring said cautiously. She scanned the floor for the path of sheep panels to the other side,then carefully made her way across. “Two paces left. Forward One Pace. Right five.” Daring maneuvered herself to each sheep panel almost perfectly. Finally reaching the end,daring stepped on the last sheep panel and onto solid ground. Daring looked back at the floor and smiled. “Well that wasn’t too bad.” She said relieved. She approached the statue now mere inches away. Her hooves twitched with anticipation of holding it. “Hmm..Lets hold off for a second.” Daring said,not fully convinced shed made it past all the dangers in the room. She examined the area and then returned to the statue. “Dang it. Most of these are faded.” Daring said trying in vain to read the scriptures carved into the lower part of the pedestal that held her prize. Daring examined the carvings carefully,then she saw one part at the very bottom was still legible. (at least if you could read ancient scriptures.) “Here's one that’s still readable: Sahn Tha-sa rae-Ma” Daring said reading the strange phrase aloud. “That sounds important.” Daring said with a smile as she scribbled the words down on a page from her journal, then tearing it out. She checked to make sure the word was the same as on the pedestal, then pocketed the page. “But I wont try it yet. Not unless I have to.” Daring stated, not wanting to spoil anything for herself. Daring turned her attention to the sparkling blue statue that was mere inches from her on the pedestal. Light shined down on it from above,making it glow a faint blue aura that shone in the dank dark room. “Well time to take you home. Lets see if we trigger any deadly traps.” Daring said, anticipating more dangers. She snatched the statue and tucked it away for safe keeping. But as she turned away, there was a curious noise. Daring looked back to see the pedestal sink into the floor, and then the entire room began to collapse. Daring ran for the exit,but the floor ahead of her collapsed revealing a pool of lava. The room was suddenly sweltering with blazing heat as the red glow of the lava filled the room,turning the room a light crimson. “You didn’t have to make it that deadly!” Daring exclaimed, annoyed and shocked at her own luck. She retreated to the other side,as lava slowly filled the room. Great pillars from either side toppled over and crashed down into the rising lake of lava. There was no way out. And then she saw it: The skylight. “Aha!” Daring cried out,just as the floor beneath her began to buckle. Daring jumped onto one of the overturned pillars,then onto another. The heat in the room was unbelievable. Daring could practically feel the stone beneath her melt away from the lava. Daring leapt towards the opening, catching the edge of the skylight with outstretched hooves,and barely pulled herself through the opening. Hot air from the lava suddenly blasted her out of the temple. Daring sailed through the air then hit soft ground with a loud thud,she rolled for a few feet,before coming to a stop on her stomach. She opened her eyes to see she had landed in the dirt outside. She was battered,but still alive.
Chapter 5: "The Roads Of Dhartan."Chapter 5: "The Roads Of Dhartan." Rolling onto her back,Daring searched her satchel and removed her treasure. It was perfectly fine,save for a few small scratches. She had done it. The sapphire Stone was hers. But then... A loud roar above her head, had Daring back on her feet in seconds. She cried out as she saw the same tiger from before was now glaring at her and snarling ferociously . “I thought I left you on the other side of the canyon.” Daring exclaimed,annoyed and surprised to see the tiger here. She heard another roar and saw that the other cats from before had followed as well. She scrambled up a tree,kicking two of the cats as she went. They snarled at her for a moment. That’s when she heard it. Loud footsteps,that signaled the approach of something very big and angry. The creature stepped out from the shadows and Daring’s eyes widened for but a second. It was her old rival, the bizarre ape creature capable of crushing bricks with his bare hands. The creature spotted Daring in the tree and let out a deep sinister laugh. “Ohh…is this the great Daring Do then?” the creature sneered. Its voice was deep and surprisingly versed, like that of a foreign gentleman. The creature stood on its legs and continued to mock daring who only scowled in reply. “Caught in a tree like a scared little squirrel?” The creature said mockingly. Daring scowled before sneering back. “Oh hey there Ahui.” She said casually. The creature narrowed its eyes. “It’s Ahuizotl.” The creature corrected with a snarl. Daring smiled as she chuckled. “Yeah I know. I just like calling you Ahui,cause I know it ticks you off.” She said mockingly. Ahuizotl was indeed ticked off. He let out a ferocious roar that sounded like that of an ape monster,rocking the tree slightly. “Give me the stone Daring.” Ahuizotl demanded menacingly. “And I might just spare your life.” He said narrowing his eyes. Ahuizotl was once an archaeologist and treasure hunter like Daring. His name was Dr.Ahui Zote Sr,and he was a sort of rival of Daring's. However he had always been in it for money,rather then the adventure,and he always had this deep lust for power. One day,while he and daring squared off to see who would get the cursed Golden head of Quetzalcoatl,Ahui’s greed finally got the best of him. Upon trying to snatch the idol from its pedestal,Ahui’s skin suddenly turned black. His body warped and changed into a hideous and grotesque ape creature. At first Ahui was horrified by his transformation. But seeing how powerful he was,he grew to love it. For this is what he really wanted: Power. Soon he abandoned his former self and name and became Ahuizotl. With how strong he was now,he felt there was no treasure he could not claim for his own. Back in the jungle,daring smirked at Ahuizotl. “I knew you’d show up once the cats started bugging me.” She said smartly. “Its funny really. I can find the stone all by myself,but you apparently need a whole squad of helpers.” Daring joked,further angering Ahuizotl. “Don’t test my patience Daring!” Ahuizotl yelled. But Daring was just getting started. “And even when you tracked me and found the temple,you still couldn’t get the stone could you? You had to wait for me to get it.” Daring mocked,smiling at Ahuizotl’s furious expression. “I think I'll kill you slowly.” Ahuizotl snarled. Daring's plan was working! She just needed to push Ahui a little bit more. “Y’know what I think Ahui? I think you’re a pushover. I think you’re an idiot and a wimp,who doesn’t know the first thing about treasure hunting.”Daring mocked a final time. Ahuizotl was completely enraged now. He let out a terrifying roar and wrapped his enormous arms around the trunk of the tree and heaved it with all his might. “GET DOWN HERE!” Ahuizotl bellowed. Daring Do leapt from the tree,hoping her rival would remain distracted for a few more moments. The cats were behind her again as she ran as fast as her legs could move her. She approached the canyon,but there were no vines to be seen. The ground suddenly shook as Daring glanced back to see Ahuizotl running at full speed toward her,knocking tree after tree out of his path. In a few moments he'd be on her,and shed be done for. There was no time to waste. Daring pulled out her journal page from before,looked it over ,and leapt over the side of the canyon. With only one wing, Daring could not hope to fly. There was only one way out. She took the statue in her hooves,and touched the Sapphire Stone. “Sahn Tha-sa rae-Ma!” Daring yelled out as loud as she could. Upon saying those words,it took only half a millisecond for the Stone to shine like the sun, engulf Daring in blue light,and when that half millisecond had passed Daring Do was gone. Fillydelphia Harbor (2000 Miles away from The Marenti Basin) A brilliant flash of blue light suddenly burst from nowhere and in its spot was Daring Do. She was no longer about to fall to her death over a canyon in a jungle in the middle of the Marenti basin. She was now standing in an inch of snow on a shipping dock,with snowflakes gently billowing around her. Daring breathed heavily for a moment,as a colt in a snow parka came over to see if she was alright. “Hey,uh…Are you feeling okay?” He asked concerned. Daring looked up and everything was different. The canyon was gone. The jungle was gone. Daring laid there in the snow till she finally got up and cheered for her victory. “It worked? It worked! Haha! The roads of Dhartan! It worked!” She exclaimed,possibly having never felt this happy,relived and exhausted all at once in her life. The parka wearing colt was completely confused. “Um…yes,um… What worked exactly?” he asked. Daring was standing on her hind legs completely ecstatic. “The roads of- nevermind. Where am I?” Daring asked still happy,relived and exhausted all at once. The colt was still very confused but answered her anyway. “Fillydelphia. Hoofington to be precise.” Daring was over the moon.”Hoofington! That’s amazing! Which way is Canterlot?” Daring asked the now very,very confused parka wearing colt. 2 Weeks Later Two Weeks later,Daring arrived at the university,and she was quickly summoned before Mazra,the school’s headmaster,who was NOT in a good mood. Daring sat in Mazra’s lavish office as the headmaster was beside herself. “You were gone for nearly two months,Daring! Two Months!” She scolded. Daring was about to speak,but Mazra kept talking (well,yelling almost) “Your supposed to be a professor!” Mazra exclaimed. Daring didn’t speak,but could tell Mazra was fuming. Mazra sat down at her desk in a huff. “Do you have any reason at all why I shouldn’t fire you?”Mazra asked,still very upset. Daring thought for a moment. She felt like a student in school,who'd just got sent to the principle’s office for being late. Nearly two months late. “I'm…lovably eccentric?” Daring gave a weak smile. Mazra scowled,unamused. “And…the students love me?” Daring reasoned. She wasn’t winning Mazra’s favor,but she knew what would. Daring reached into her satchel. “And I have this,priceless artifact with me.” Daring said holding the Sapphire statue from her adventure up for Mazra to see. Mazra was stunned. “Where…did you,get that?” Mazra asked not taking her eyes off the precious treasure. Daring smiled. “The Sapphire Stone. Yeah its pretty cool.” She said slyly. Daring put the artifact back in her satchel. “Now as an employee of the university, I was recovering this for the school museum that everyone’s so proud of.” Daring smiled as she sat her satchel to the side. “But I guess if I don’t work here anymore,well…I could just keep it. Take it home with me. Use it as a doorstop or something.” Daring said nonchalantly. Mazra looked at the satchel then at daring,knowing she could never live with herself if she allowed such an amazing treasure to not be displayed proudly in the school museum. She sighed out of defeat. “Fine. But your on probation,do you understand?” Daring got up from her seat beaming. “Works for me!” she said taking the statue out from her satchel. “Catch!” She said tossing the statue to Mazra,who nearly fell out of her seat trying to catch the artifact. “W-what? No! b-be careful with that!” She exclaimed holding the treasure delicately in her arms. Daring smiled,gathered her things then walked out the door,leaving Mazra to her newest exhibit for her museum. Daring walked down the hall,only to come face to face with Storm who was less then happy. “So…you found the stone.” He said gruffly. Daring apparently was too excited to talk about her adventure then notice how quite ticked Storm seemed to be. “The roads of Dhartan! And the magic words that take you to Hoofington.” Daring exclaimed. Storm seemed taken aback a bit. “Whats in Hoofington?” he asked. “Nothing really,but that’s not the point.The point is I proved these stones are real!” Daring said,still very excited. Then she remembered how shed used the stone to transport herself to Hoofington. “But I cant use that one anymore,it burned out. Ran out of magic,but I expected as much.” Daring said taken aback a bit. “Still! That was awesome!” Daring said beaming. Then she sighed happily. “I love my job.” She said dreamily. Storm gave her a moment before talking. “Well,I must say you are a very capable explorer.” He said admirably. Daring looked a little surprised. “Storm? Was that a compliment?” Daring asked smiling. Storm gave a weak smile. “It was.” Suddenly he narrowed his eyes. “ Now comes the criticism.” Daring was surprised. “Huh?” She asked. Storm suddenly looked quite ticked off. “You made me take care of your students for nearly TWO MONTHS!” He exclaimed rather loudly. Daring looked sorry. “I know,I know. I owe you one.” She said appreciatively. Storm looked less ticked off now. “You'll be organizing my files for a year. And the next time I want to go on vacation YOU’LL be watching MY students.” Storm stated aggressively. Daring gave a weak smile. “I can do that! I can totally do that.” She said in her defense. Storm huffed,then began to walk down the hall towards his classroom while Daring walked alongside him. “But you have to admit. I’m pretty awesome.” She stated proudly. Storm gave a weak smile. “I didn’t say that.” Daring laughed. “But you did. You totally did.” She said slyly. Storm gave a chuckle. “Daring,don’t get started with me.” Daring shrugged. “Your right.” She said clearly. The two professors walked out into the main hall,as Daring smiled and said to herself. “I’ll save it for next time.”
