Daring Do and the Griffin's Seed

Daring Do groped in the darkness. She couldn't see a thing but could feel the hard stone floor under herself and the throbbing in her head. Her pith helmet had come off and she'd gotten a bump on the head. Her hoof touched something that skittered away into the darkness. It sounded like metal. The crown! She crawled it the direction it had gone and grabbed it with her forelegs. She kissed it and nuzzled that lovely heart-shaped ruby. “Oh my darling, where have you been all my life?” she asked. “In a dusty old temple I suppose,” she answered.

Then there was a sudden flare of light. Bright torches rushed out of a dark tunnel accompanied by the sound of growling beasts. Daring squinted trying to make out who had found her. There was the sound of coarse-throated laughter. She saw the glittering of their eyes in the darkness. Diamond dogs! Lovely baubles shone at the throats of the rough beasts. They waved their torches toward her and taunted. She tried to rise to challenge them and discovered her right hind hoof wouldn't hold her weight. “Roadapples!” she cursed. Her word was drowned out by the growling of the diamond dogs. “I can take you all on with one wing tied behind my back!” she shouted, “Just try me!” She noticed some of the dogs carried lassos and hobbles as well as torches. Daring clasped the crown to her chest.

The filthy canines snarled at her. One growled, “Give us the gems, pony,” but suddenly fell silent with a submissive whine. Daring Do realized the dogs were all staring at the corridor from which they'd emerged, which was behind her. Oh no, she thought, it's the even scarier thing that's behind me again. She slowly turned, pivoting on her knee and faced the new foe. But it wasn't a new foe. It was an old one, this time sporting a diamond-studded eye patch.

“Ricardo!” Daring said confidently, “I see you didn't get enough of my good right hoof the last time we met. Have you come back for more? You still have one good eye.”

The griffon let out a great laugh that ruffled his dark feathers. His voice filled the room with derisive echoes. He grinned, the corners of his beak curling and the lines of a genuine smile creasing the corners of his single blue eye. “Aah my old foe, you shall not escape me this time. You are injured and greatly outnumbered. You can't win every battle and I've stacked this one against you. There is no room here for you to fly and these dogs are expert pony wranglers.” He spread his claws to encompass the stinking creatures. “Seize her, my minions!” he commanded.

The diamond dogs rushed forward waving their torches before them. Daring Do dodged and rolled across the floor, coming up behind them. She popped up and clopped a dog in the back of the head. As soon as she had done so her hind hoof collapsed painfully. The crown fell from her grip and rolled away across the floor. Before she knew it there was one rope around her neck and then another. A dog grabbed her injured hoof and twisted it. She screamed in pain and kicked him in the face, which brought another rush of agony. Another rope looped around her neck and tightened. She fought and kicked with her good hind hoof. It connected with one of the dogs but she couldn't see her attacker or what damage she had done.

Filthy claws grabbed her hind hooves and held tight despite her struggling. Before she could do anything more she felt hobbles tighten around her legs. She couldn't kick with her strong hind leg so she struck out with her fore-hooves. The dogs kept their distance and tightened the ropes around her neck without approaching close enough for her to strike. Daring panted and struggled. The diamond dogs laughed at her struggles. “Poor little pony can't kick any more,” growled a dog with a hoof print on the side of his face, “pony gets kicked instead!”

“Stop, my minions! Enough!” Ricardo shouted. He stood over Daring holding the crown. “If you want this lovely bauble you will not harm her,” he said calmly. The dogs were entranced by the shimmering light of the great ruby. “Bind her hooves and bring her along with me,” he said with finality. In a moment there were strong paws grabbing Daring's legs and binding them. They wrapped something she couldn't see around her body and wings and tied her hooves-up to a pole. The dogs lifted her off the ground. She reached out and bit the rump of the dog nearest her. He squealed and dropped his end of the pole. “Whatever you're up to you won't get away with it, Ricardo! I've foiled your plans before. I'll surely do it again!” she shouted. The mare rolled on the ground desperate to escape. She already had a nasty taste of wet dog in her muzzle but tried to bite the nearest ankle anyway. The dogs rapidly picked her up again and bound rope tight around her muzzle.

“I don't think you'll defeat me this time, my lovely foe,” the griffon said calmly, his beak close to her face. Then he did the last thing Daring expected. He gave her a gentle kiss right on the end of her bound muzzle. “You have always been my most delicious opponent and the one I have never defeated before. I shall not make the mistake of giving you a chance this time. There is no hope of escape. You will give me exactly what I want no matter how much you struggle,” he said calmly. His words were so smooth they practically dripped honey. Daring squirmed but she was completely hog tied and muzzled. She tried to slap the griffin with her tail only to have the dogs grab and bind that appendage too. The mare closed her eyes tight and tears ran down into her filthy mane.

Ricardo slipped his sharp claw under Daring's tattered clothes. She gritted her teeth, expecting a sharp jolt of pain. Instead he slashed straight through her shirt. The khaki parted easily as the griffon's claw sliced through it. The cloth and hidden weapons fell to the rough stone floor. She heard her hoof-cuff key skitter away into the darkness along with what had to be the sharpened iron half-bit coin she kept hidden in one cuff to cut herself out of binding ropes. Her last chance of escape was now taken from her. She felt completely naked, which she actually was.

The griffin placed his claws on her flank with a surprisingly gentle touch. He inhaled, and produced a strange purring sound. “You shall give me what I want indeed. Judging by your scent I shall have it very soon.” He let out a sinister laugh that echoed down the corridor as the diamond dogs carried the mare to her fate.