Chapter: The One and Only
“Well, well, well.” The deep and menacing, yet soothingly charismatic, voice of Daring Do’s arch nemesis— Caballeron— sounded from the far right. “How fortunate, that we would meet like this.” His deep southern accent added a mist of attractiveness overtop the pervading swatch of arrogance.
A beam of hot summer sun shone down into the middle of the clearing highlighting the stars of the attraction. A blue prismatic-maned Pegasus, Rainbow Drapes, lay struggling against her binds. “Ugh, Let us go!” she screamed.
Caballeron scoffed as he approached his captives. “Now, now.” He leaned forwards with a smirk, hooking a hoof under Rainbow’s chin and lifting her up into a sitting position to look him in the eye. She winced away at the unwelcomed touch but Caballeron’s rough hold was like a vice. He held her steady and forced Rainbow to look into his deep green eyes. “Why would I do anything like that?” He pouted, “I have you two exactly where I need you,” his words seething with venom.
Rainbow spat in his face causing Caballeron to retreat back. One of the brawly guards made a move to interfere but Caballeron held up a hoof to stop him. He reached into his front pocket and produced a handkerchief to wipe his face.
“Why? What’s your plan?” Rainbow glared at him with all her fury, unknowingly stretching her wings against the heavy chains. The ride there had been long and left them stiff and aching, and the chains only served to worsen the matter. Rainbow had to get away, she had to move, but these binds would not allow it.
“Oh, silly Rainbow,” Caballeron cooed, shaking his head. He returned his handkerchief to his coat pocket. “The temple of Chicomoztoc is somewhere in this jungle. Once I find it the Seven Sided Chest is as good as mine. All that is missing is the Amulet of Culiacan, and I only need to wait for Daring Do to come save you and bring it right into my clutches!” He cackled maniacally, running a hoof through his mane. “Now please, scream all you want, and get this under way.”
Caballeron snapped a hoof and called his guards together, “You four” – he pointed to the nearest hench ponies— “Stay here and guard the captives whilst I,” Cabelleron motioned to himself, pressing a hoof to his own chest, “Head out with the others to find the temple.”
The four guards nodded, flashing salutes, and took up strategic positions around the clearing, one at each of the four directions, and facing away from their captives. Caballeron, satisfied, gave a quick node. He turned around; waving the other guards to follow him as he slowly left the clearing to enter the shadows beyond. “This way, let us allow this to play out to its... eventual conclusion.” Caballeron’s laughter was the last thing heard as he, with the remaining guards, trudged out into the jungle leaving Rainbow and her companion alone with the four burly guards.
At length, Rainbow sighed. She slumped in defeat and turned to her companion. “I’m sorry I had to get you into this,” she apologised.
MRRAWW
Quibble the cat let out a loud agitated growl from where he sat, tied with his paws hanging limp, stuck to the back of Rainbow Drapes.
“That’ll never work.” Rainbow shook her head.
MEEEAAAOOOW!
Quibble meowed again, slightly more insistent. He batted his legs, kicking vainly in an attempt to get away, and his tail batted agitated against Rainbow’s back. Rainbow’s ears perked up at this. She looked to the cat, “Are you sure?”
PRRRRRR—PRRRRR
A vague purring.
“Well... okay.” Rainbow looked around the clearing, luckily none of the guards were looking their way, otherwise they would have surely seen this coming. Rainbow leaned over slightly and kicked out with a hind leg. She knocked a free stone into the air and caught it in her mouth with expert precision, then flung it as far as she could into the forest.
A loud clattering rang out from where it landed, knocking against the barks of a trees, and then tumbling to the ground. The guards were immediately alert.
“What was that!?” The first, most grizzly-looking one barked. They each looked up, turning away from their posts to glance towards the source of the noise, each stallion trembling slightly in their hooves as their eyes scanned the darkness beyond.
“Oh, thank Celestia!” Rainbow began with a roll of her eyes, and exagurated motions as she faked her ploy. “Daring Do, we are over here, do come and help.”
The guards glanced to each other. The first one, the tallest and most burly, and likely also the dimmest, shouted, “Quick, spread out! We can’t let Daring rescue them before Caballeron gets back!”
The guards spread out and started scouring the area outside of the clearing, allowing Rainbow and Quibble a moment to themselves. Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, now we just have to get out of this...” She struggled against the chain. It was still too tight to squeeze out of and the only pony who knew how to open the Gryphon’s lock was surely to be far away from here.
MRRAWW
Quibble meowed, “...well, okay,” Rainbow didn’t like the idea, but there didn’t seem to be any other options. She squirmed around as best as she could and managed to wrestle a hoof around to her back and aligned it below Quibble.
She squeezed her eyes chut, and bucked out as hard as she could, knocking the cat free. WHRAAR! Quibble screeched as he shot out of the chains, flying over head, and landed with a thud several feet away where he hissed and turned his back to Rainbow to begin manicuring his claws. “Sorry” Rainbow apologised. She hated to do that, but at least it had worked. The chain was now loose enough for her to climb free.
Rainbow squeezed out of her binds, dropping them to the ground behind her, and ran over to grab Quibble. She set him on her back and, not stopping, leapt into the jungle and ran for her life.
The brush whipped past them in a green flurry, and more than once Rainbow thought she’d heard voices behind her. She refused to look back and only added an extra spur to her speed. She could have gotten away faster by air, but that would have been too obvious. Caballeron’s goons would see her from a mile away.
Instead Rainbow swerved through the undergrowth, adding as many twists and turns in her path as she could in hopes of losing whoever may be following her. All the while Quibble hung on to Rainbow’s back with his claws digging into her back. He’d dig them in extra deep every time Rainbow took an extra sharp turn, or a wild leaf whipped past, and Rainbow had to fight back the tears and the urge to scream.
After several minutes of running blindly through the jungle they came out into a clearing. Before them was laid out a rickety rope bridge spanning out several feet ahead, and many more below rushed a thundering torrent.
Rainbow skidded to a halt just before where the bridge began. She glanced backward out of reflex and tested the bridge with a hoof. It seemed sturdy enough, and so Rainbow chose to give it a try.
She carefully stepped out onto the bridge, taking it slow and steady. Each board creaked loudly and threatened to break any second.
A gust of wind caught the bridge and set it swaying. Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks and had to fight back the nausea as the bridge rocked sideways.
She waited a few moments and allowed the swaying to subside before continuing. The next step came down awkwardly and Rainbow twisted a hoof between the boards. She stumbled and Quibble was thrown off her back.
Quibble, being a cat, landed on his paws several feet ahead just fine. The bridge, being a rickety old beast, however, could not take the shock. The boards shattered the quibble fell straight through.
“Quibble!” Rainbow shouted. Instantly forgetting any danger, she jumped to action. Rainbow’s wings were flung open and she leapt into the air, doing a summersault and nose diving into the ravine.
Rainbow pulled her wings close to her sides and focused on making herself as streamlined as possible in order to catch up with the plummeting feline.
She caught Quibble just moments before hitting the water and pulled up hard. There was a splash and mist sprayed across Rainbow’s vision and she swerved to avoid a jagged outcropping.
Rainbow could feel herself pulling sharply to the left and could feel the dampness of her left primaries hindering her movement. Quibble hissed and scratched at Rainbow’s face, causing her to lose concentration for a split second.
The two swerved erratically and came down hard into the rapids, just moment before reaching the end of the ravine.
Rainbow spluttered and swam to the surface and looked around for Quibble. The cat was nowhere to be seen. There was also a faint rumbling and Rainbow turned around just in time to witness the edge of a waterfall moments before being carried helplessly over the edge.
~ ~ ~
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Rainbow Drapes.” Rainbow came to spluttering. The first thing she noticed was the thick layering of roped wrapped around her. The second was the strong smell of wet cat; and the third? That was Caballeron’s cheap cologne.
She was once again in the hooves of Caballeron and his goons. They all stood around her with wide grins and stars in their eyes, “I should be thanking you,” Caballeron slapped Rainbow on the back, “For you have lead us directly to the lost temple of Chicomoztoc.”
He motioned behind him. They were all gathered in front of the overgrown entrance to an old stone structure. Cracks and vines proliferated; it looked like the place could come down at any moment, “You’re seriously not going to take me in there, are you?”
“Why yes,” an evil grin spread across Caballeron’s face, “We were going to wait outside until Daring Do gets here, but this way I can get the treasure even faster” He snapped a hoof and Rainbow was pulled up to her hooves by one of the hench ponies, “Now, come,” and Caballeron lead the way as they all filed into the temple.
Caballeron trotted ahead with a brisk pace, and his guards stuck to Rainbow on either side. One pulled her roughly from the front, using the ropes as a make-shift reign to keep her moving. Another two picked up the back and would kick Rainbow in the shins if she lingered.
There was a growl somewhere in the temple and Caballeron halted, raising a hoof to have his guard do the same. The group waited in silence. Rainbow strained her ears, scanning all directions for what Caballeron might have heard. The only sounds she picked up were those of Quibble purring at her side and the ever fading rushing of the fall in the distance.
“... It appears to have been nothing,” Caballeron spoke at length, “Come.” He called his guard to follow and made towards the end of the hall. As he did so there was another howl, this time much closer and accompanied by the crunch of dirt and the snapping of a twig.
Footsteps sounded somewhere above and within moments it was upon them. Caballeron yelped and leaped aside as a crocodile twice his size came crashing down through a gap in the ceiling, “Mother of Celestia, it’s Chicomoztoc!” The guard in front of Rainbow cowered back, knocking Rainbow to the side causing her to land on Quibble’s tail.
MMMRRAWW!!
Quibble screamed and thrashed around frantically, scratching at the guards behind Rainbow causing them to freak out, “It’s the curse of Chicomoztoc!” The other screamed.
“Fools!” Caballeron shouted from where he landed to the side. He jumped back to his hooves and pointed, “Get back here!” But he was too late, the guards and hench ponies had already taken off at a gallop leaving him and Rainbow, and Quibble, alone to die at the jaws of the horrific beast.
There was another growl and Caballeron turned around, realising he was standing right in front of the crocodile. Upon seeing the rows of teeth filing his vision, he gulped, and wordlessly ran after the guards out of the temple.
It was now just Rainbow Drapes, and Quibble, alone to defend themselves against the horrid beast. It slowly lumbered towards them and Rainbow frantically struggled against her binds. Her hooves were tangled in the ropes and the best she could manage was to shuffle backwards, “St- Stay back” Her back came against something hard, the wall of the passage and Rainbow turned her face to the side. She winced in anticipation of the inevitable.
A shadow loomed over her, and there was a snarl, or rather it sounded more like a snort and a giggle to Rainbow, “I asked you to keep a look out for anything suspicious, not to go on an adventure without me.”
“Wh- what?” Rainbow cracked an eye open. She could have sworn she’d heard Daring Do’s voice just then. The crocodile was stilling looming over her, but instead of attacking, it leaned to the side and removed its head.
Inside was Daring Do, with a smuggest of the smug grin. “Now come on,” she tossed the fake crocodile head to the side and undid the rope, then pulled Rainbow up by her hooves.
Rainbow immediately grabbed Daring Do in a bear hug, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Her eyes were watering with joy. Quibble was also overjoyed though one would not have guessed it in how he sat behind Rainbow licking his nether regions, “We would’ve been gonners if it weren’t for you.”
“Yes, well,” Daring pushed Rainbow Drapes away with a clawed hoof, “We’re not out of the woods yet. Soon Caballeron will figure out it was all a trick and come back looking for us.”
“Right,” Rainbow saluted, “Let’s get out of here then.” She grabbed Quibble and placed him on her back, and then made for the exit holding onto Daring by the hoof.
“Not so fast, Pony Wonder.” Daring held fast, keeping Rainbow from running, “The mission’s not over until we get the chest.”
“Oh, right, of course!” Rainbow nodded, and waved a hoof, “Lead the way.”
Daring Do lead the three down into the depths of the temple, into the main chamber. They found themselves in a well-lit circular room with a selection of doors each holding a unique design. “Many doors, and only one key,” Daring made her observations as she paced around the room.
She reached into the suit with her mouth and pulled out the Amulet of Culiacan by the rope used to hang it around her neck, “Ish jusht hash to pick, the risht one.” She proceeded to the first door and inspected the opening.
“Are you sure about this?” Rainbow let Quibble drop to the ground and trotted up to Daring Do. The two stood in front of the first door.
“Hm” Daring through for a moment, then glanced around the room again, “It will take some time for me t—”
MEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWRLL
She was cut off by a loud meow and the sound of scraping claws, “Quibble!” Rainbow exclaimed in shock and flew over to where the cat was scratching her claws down the door to the far right. She picked up the cat and began to scold him, “Bad! No scratching the priceless national monuments.”
“Hold on, Drapes,” Daring trotted over to the door Quibble had been scratching and inspected the carvings it bore, “... of course!”
She motioned to all the other doors, “Quibble, you’re a genius! I can’t believe I didn’t notice this before!”
Quibble purred audibly.
“Every door has its pair,” she pointed to the first, “Earth ponies fighting Gryphons,” and to a similar one on the opposite side of the room, “and Gryphons fighting Earth Ponies.” She then pointed to another two sets in the same manner, “Same with Unicorns, and Pegasi.”
And lastly she pointed to the one Quibble had pointed out, “All except this one which has—”
“Alicorns!” Rainbow exclaimed in unison with Daring Do upon noticing the design of the door. Indeed it had a large stylised Alicorn carved along most of its surface, with the eye being the key hole. There were no other doors with this design in the room. “You’re a genius, Quibble!” Rainbow Drapes repeated and she grabbed Quibble into a rough hug. The cat gave off a low growl of irritation at the attention.
Daring Do wasted no time. She slotted the key into its slot and stepped back to allow the door room to open. She then ducked inside for a moment and came back out with the chest held triumphantly in a clawed hoof, “And here it is!” She held it up to the light. The Eight Sided Chest glistened in the light. Its blue surface crafted of nothing but the finest gems, truly a sight to behold.
Daring secured it safely inside her suit, “And now we can go.”
The two then left the temple without a single hitch, for even Quibble the Cat had not been stupid enough as to set off any of the temple traps on their way in, though they did make sure to step on a few buttons as a little surprise for when Caballeron returned.
~ ~ ~
Rainbow Dash sat comfortably in a soft reclining chair in the corner of A. K. Yearling’s hotel suite. The curtains were drawn and she was staring slack jawed at the last page of the unedited draft of ‘Daring Do and the Temple of Chicomoztoc’.
“... Dude.”
A. K. Yearling, a.k.a. Daring Do stood over her with a wing around Rainbow’s back, watching with keen interest to see what Rainbow would think. “So? What do you think?”
Rainbow shut her jaw, and looked to A. K. “Dude” Her face told the whole story.
“... too much?”
“Dude, Rainbow Drapes!?”
