Daring- Do and the Zombie Island Jungle

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Island
Chapter 2: Stupid Myths
Chapter 3: Get The Scroll!
Chapter 4: To The Cave! Finally…Run!
Chapter 5: Decisions
Chapter 6: Second First Impression

Chapter 1: The Island

Daring Do stopped by a cloud in the sky as she looked down to see the island below her. She looked around and saw nothing else but water that surrounded the large island. The volcano in the center of the island stuck out more than anything else and could only prove that Daring Do had found her destination.

“Hmm, this must be it,” the adventuress pony mumbled to herself.

She flew down and felt the humid air against her face as she landed on the dirt road. She adjusted her hat and looked around to see she had landed in what appeared to be a market.

“Incredible! Did you see that?” Some ponies mumbled in the distance.

Daring Do smiled to see the islanders admire her. She saw many wondering eyes and grins but didn’t waste any time by speaking with the admirers. Her main objective was to find information on the cave of gems that was located somewhere on the island. The island had a story and myth but Daring refused to believe it was true because of it’s preposterous tale.

“A drink of water and then I’m off to the jungle. This heat is unbearable,” Daring thought to herself.

As she entered the market, she looked around for some water but only could find fruit carts and clothing racks.

“Beverages? Anything?” She muttered before bumping into something.

She fell flat on her back and felt the dirt splash against her cheeks. She heard a cheerful deep laugh but couldn’t see who it came from since her hat had fallen over her eyes.

“My goodness! A real Pegasus!” Daring Do heard the cheerful stallion say.

Daring Do raised her hat above her eyes and saw it was a tall strong looking colt with a black mustache. His coat was dark purple and his hooves were larger than the average stallion.

“Please excuse my excitement. You could understand that I am like this because I’ve never seen a pony of a different race before!” Said the strong male. His accent was heavy but understandable...barely. Daring Do stood up and cleaned the dirt off of her hat.

“It’s fine, I am a visitor here after all,” Daring Do replied as she observed her hat to see it was dirt free.

“Mind me asking, who are you?” The tall pony asked.

“Daring Do, sir. Nice to meet you,” she grinned and placed her hat back upon her head where it belonged. She looked back up at the pony who knocked her over and smiled.

“Ah, my name is Enrico. I am the mayor of the island and strongest of all the others,” laughed the cheerful stallion.

He appeared to be tall strong and mean but his smile and attitude proved he was too kind to harm a single fly.

“You’re the mayor? Good, maybe you could help me with something then,” Daring Do said with a relieving grin.

“Of course! Anything for a tourist like yourself,” answered Enrico.

“I am looking for the gems that dwell in a cave here on this island. You being the mayor, maybe you could help me?” Daring said as they began to walk through the market.

“You are an adventurer, yes?” Asked the mayor.

“Yeah. Now is the cave somewhere in the jungle or maybe hidden underground?” Daring asked.

Many of the islanders observed Daring Do and were amazed to see a Pegasus in their presence. Daring noticed all of the ponies on the island were earth ponies and so it explained why they were amazed to see Daring and her wings.

“Huh, they’ve been on this island so long I’m surprised they know what a Pegasus is,” Daring Do thought. Daring Do waited for the mayor to answer her and wondered why he was keeping silent.

“You must stay for tonight’s feast. Our crops have grown healthier than last year and we are celebrating with a delicious feast. Please, will you join us?” Enrico smiled. Daring Do sighed and grinned, slightly annoyed.

“Sure, but please could you tell me about the cave? Does it even exist?” Daring Do asked again.

“Our volcano is at the very center of the island and we believe that it is the very heart of the island,” Enrico said. Daring Do groaned and slumped her head down.

“I would leave if it wasn’t for those gems. One in particular that I read about has to be in that cave. That is, if I’m able to ever find it,” Daring Do thought as she looked at the grinning mayor who was deliberately ignoring her questions.

“Here, you can stay here for the day. The feast will begin shortly and we would be honored if an adventuress Pegasus like yourself would stay and entertain us with your presence,” persuaded the mayor.

“How can I argue with that?” Daring Do thought sarcastically. She observed the wooden hut behind the mayor and saw that it was well built and better than most of the others around.

“Well, I have been flying two days straight to find this place. I guess a meal and a good day’s rest couldn’t hurt,” Daring Do sighed. She had ignored her exhaustion and hunger for far too long and realized she needed the rest if she wanted to pursue her adventure.

“Alright, I suppose I could stay. It’s not like the island is going anywhere,” Daring Do smiled.

“Great! A bucket of our freshest water will be delivered to you and our feast will begin at dusk. See you there,” Enrico said with a wide smile. Daring Do smiled lightly and entered the hut. The shade from the sun was cool against her coat and she sighed after resting on the bed. The room was small and had only a bed and two windows but it was paradise to Daring Do. The adventure seeker was exhausted from the journey and was finally glad to get some rest. However, she was too stubborn to admit it to anypony.

After some time, she heard a tap at the door. She struggled to open her eyes and felt as if her body was being weighed down. She raised her head and saw she was still in the hut. The window had showed the sun was already setting and that her small doze off had turned into a long nap. The door opened and a pinkish pony walked in with a bucket full of water. Daring Do stood to her feet and shook her head to try and fully wake up.

“Here, I was told to bring you a bucket of water,” she said after setting it down. Daring Do didn’t bother to fix her bed hair or put on her hat. She raced over to the bucket and began to drink the fresh water.

“Is it true? That you are an adventurer?” She asked. Daring Do gulped down the last amount of water before raising her head to look at the pony eye to eye. Her coat was light pink and her mane was short and the color of cherry wood. Daring Do saw her purple eyes before anything else.

“Thank you for the water,” Daring replied. The mare smile and nodded.

“You’re welcome. I can see you were in quiet a mess there. Tired weren’t you?” She said with a small giggle. Daring Do saw she didn’t have an accent like most of the other ponies on the island. Plain clear english just like her.

“Oh.” Daring Do said before brushing down her messed up mane. “Sorry. And to answer your question, yes. I’m what you can say, an adventurer. Also the trip to find this island wasn’t exactly a breeze,” Daring Do said with a smile. She walked over to the window and saw the sun setting quickly behind the horizon.

“I really appreciate that you all are having a feast but I really need to know where that cave is,” Daring Do said.

“Are all the Pegasus in the world like this? Eager to get answers and step over small details. Or is that just how you are, adventurer?” the mare said as she walked up next to the Pegasus.

“Sorry, you’re right,” Daring Do smiled. “I’m Daring Do, and you are?”

“Quest, my name is Quest. It’s nice to meet you, Daring,” she smiled.

“Quest? Nice name, I have to admit I kinda like it a lot,” Daring Do said.

“What else can you expect from an adventurer,” chuckled the pony. A knock was heard at the door and Daring Do made her way to the bed to retrieve her hat. She put it on as the mayor entered the small hut.

“Daring Do! Please come and join us! The feast is ready,” Enrico said as he opened the door.

“Shall we?” Quest said before walking out the door.

“I cannot wait to hear of your stories and adventures tonight,” Enrico said as Daring Do walked out of the hut. Quest went her separate way towards the feast and so Daring Do was left to try and get her questions answered.

“The moon is already in the sky? That was fast,” Daring Do said as she observed the large moon in the sky. Her attention went to the large table and the islanders all smiled at Daring Do with excitement. Daring Do stopped in her tracks after seeing the ponies behave strangely. She looked around to hear sounds of agony and the sight of terror.

“I hate myths,” Daring Do grumbled before hearing a scream.

Chapter 2: Stupid Myths

Daring Do shifted her head from left to right. Everywhere she looked ponies were changing and not for the better.

“No, no way. The myths were true?!” Daring Do shouted. She stood both terrified and a bit excited. Daring Do should have been more afraid than anything however her adventuress side wasn’t letting her fly away and instead stay to figure out what was causing this epidemic.

“Whoa,” Daring Do said as she watched the islander ponies change into gruesome looking monsters. Large hooves, glowing colored eyes, and just completely awful appearances. Another scream was heard and from a far distance Daring Do could see not all of the ponies had changed into gruesome monsters.

“Zombies,” Daring Do said under her breath as she finally realized this was reality. Even at that, she still could feel the excitement inside her growing. The same scream was heard again and she finally snapped back to reality and flew up to the sky. She flew towards the scream and searched quickly to see where it was coming from. Finally Daring Do stopped and saw the familiar pony she had just met below her.

“Quest?” Daring Do said as she realized the pink pony was cornered by zombie ponies. Quest stepped back and saw she had no other way to go. She shuttered when she saw the zombie pony creatures grow closer and closer with eyes glowing as bright as the sun. Quest screamed once more before being scooped up from the ground. Her eyes were closed shut and her shuttering body came to a stop after feeling the wind cross her face. She opened her eyes to see she was high up in the air and moving quickly. She looked up to see Daring Do had saved her from the zombie ponies and was now flying through the skies with her in her arms.

“Adventurer?” She said in surprise. After flying a good distance, Daring Do found herself in the jungle of the island as she landed.

“Ok! What’s going on!” Quest said as Daring Do landed on the damp grass. Quest stepped forward to step onto the grass and began to pace out of fear.

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Daring Do said in a slightly less alerted tone.

“One minute we’re about to have a feast and seconds later everypony starts changing into monsters!?” Quest said as she began to panic. Daring Do appeared completely calm as she observed her surroundings. She realized that she was deep in the jungle of the island and had to be alert for anything that could come her way.

“Aren’t you paranoid? Why do you seem so calm about this?!” Quest said frantically. Daring Do smiled at the pretty pink pony and held her head high.

“Believe it or not I’ve been through things much worse than this,” Daring Do said with a smile.

“Right, an adventurer. Living on this island isn’t very helpful on my knowledge to the world out there,” Quest said as she began to calm down.

“So, the myths are true,” Daring Do said. Quest looked at the pegasus and shock spilled all over her face. She finally gulped and accepted the terrifying truth.

“You know about that?” Quest asked. Daring Do shot the pony a cocky smile and she trotted across the grass.

“Why do you think I came here in the first place?” She laughed.

“The myth was nothing but that. A myth. The stories fillies and colts were told around a campfire were nothing we wanted to believe,” Quest said as she sat down on the grass.

“To be honest, I came for the gems in the cave. The myths were only something I heard of when I researched the island. The journey here wasn’t that easy so I don’t think I’m going to let this little problem nudge me away,” Daring Do said with confidence as she sat down next to Quest. She looked at the pegasus with surprise.

“Little problem? This isn’t scaring you?” Quest asked.

“Not really,” Daring Do said with a chuckle. Quest smiled and felt safer now that she had the brave pony with her. “So, Quest. You lived here you’re whole life right?” Daring Do asked.

“Well, I was raised here but I wasn’t born here. A ship came here years ago when I was a foal. I was on that ship with my mother when she came to visit the island with other tourists. She decided to stay here and raised me here. However, she got really sick when I was a filly. So ever since she passed away Enrico decided to watch after me,” Quest said. Daring Do didn’t expect to hear so much from the pony she hardly knew but felt for her.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she replied. Quest shook her head and smiled.

“Don’t be, she went peacefully and without any pain,” Quest smiled to hide the sorrow she obviously still felt. Daring Do smiled and had forgotten about their situation for the small moment they were talking.

“Hey! Is that there a pegasus? I think it is. No,” said a squeaky voice. Daring Do turned around to see three birds in a tree. One was a toucan, another was a pelican and the last one was a vulture who’s wings were shedding tremendously.

“Um, can we help you?” Daring Do asked.

“Wow! Really is a pegasus! Well what do you know,” said the pelican.

“Pay up, I was right!” the vulture told the toucan.

“Oh shut up,” the bird said as they flew away. Daring Do looked at Quest strangely and she could only shrug before letting out a laugh.

“So I’m sorta brief on the story about all of this and if I’m right, there’s a gem in a cave somewhere that solves all the problems?” Daring Do asked, still skeptical about the myths she’s read about.

“Surely you would know. The cave is the reason you’re here, right?” Quest smiled.

“Yup, and it took zombie ponies to finally get me my answer. So where is the cave?” Daring Do asked. She stood up ready to storm off as soon as she was told the information she desired.

“Nobody knows for sure,” Quest said sadly. “But according to all those stories I heard when I was little, the special gem is to be tossed into the volcano that is supposed to be the heart of the island,” Quest explained.

“Hmm, won’t be so easy since this island doesn’t exactly have a map to guide me. But it hasn’t stopped me before,” Daring Do muttered as she thought aloud.

“I’ll go with you. I know the island and jungle better than you do and I can help you,” Quest said as she walked over to Daring Do.

“I won’t be long. I’ll just fly up to the volcano and-” Daring Do was interrupted once Quest stepped forward and spoke.

“It’s not that simple. You have to find the gem in order to place it in the volcano. And to be honest… I really don’t want to be alone right now,” Quest confessed.

“Well where is the gem at? I’m seriously getting tired of having this question be put off,” Daring asked as she lowered her wings and relaxed.

“That's the thing, it's been told as a myth for so long that everypony just assumed it was a legend. Nopony really knows where it is exactly. I never really thought this would actually come to happen,” Quest said.

“Well don't worry. I've been through some pretty tough situations in my time and I can guarantee you that we'll get through this in no time and in one piece,” Daring Do smiled.

“Thank you, Daring,” Quest said before hugging the adventuress pony. Daring Do squirmed around gently to show she wasn’t comfortable with the hug. She smiled lightly and knew that the mare was just happy to know there was a solution to this scary problem.

“So, um. The cave with the gems. Do you have any clue on where we could find it?” Daring Do asked as she readjusted her hat and cleared her throat.

“I really don’t know its exact whereabouts but there was a scroll on the gems and the islands history. Maybe that could help us,” Quest suggested.

“Where’s the scroll?” Daring Do asked.

“The library in the village,” Quest answered. Daring Do looked back in the direction of the village and sighed. That exact direction is where the zombie ponies were.

“Fantastic,” she said sarcastically.

Chapter 3: Get The Scroll!

“Look, the plan can’t fail. If we’re real quiet and stealthy, we should be able to get to the library without being seen or heard,” Daring Do reassured as she began flying back to the village. Daring Do carried the pony in her hooves since she had no way of flying herself.

“I know but, it’s just scary to have to go back and face them,” Quest said.

“Hopefully we won’t have to,” Daring Do said as they entered the village. Not knowing that they were seen from afar.

“So where is this library?” Daring Do asked as she looked around.

“There. That’s it,” Quest said as she pointed with her hoof towards a small building.

“That shack? That’s your library?” Daring Do said in surprise.

“Yes, is there a problem?” Quest asked as they began walking towards it.

“No, it’s just… Well, it’s pretty small for a library,” Daring Do said as they approached it.

“We’re on an island, Daring. I wouldn’t find it very hard to believe,” Quest smiled.

“Right,” Daring Do said with a small laugh. They entered the library without a single suspicion of being watched from the shadows.

“I guess this place being small isn’t actually a real problem after all. Should be easy to find that scroll. Now, the question is. Where?” Daring Do asked.

“Easy, we never were allowed to read the scroll in order to keep it safe from being torn or spilled on so it was kept in the crate behind the last bookshelf,” Quest said as she began walking towards the back of the small library. As they began walking towards the last bookshelf, a sound was heard in the shadows. Daring Do ignored the first creak but the second was loud enough to cause Quest to shutter.

“Who’s there! Show yourself!” Daring Do darted towards the closest shadow and tackled down the culprit.

“Whoa! Calm down! No need to be violent now!” Screeched the vulture.

“Wh- how… What are you doing here?!” Daring Do growled at the bird.

“Just trying to settle a small wager, you’re not going to hold it against me, are yah?” Asked the nervous bird. Daring Do pressured her hoof against the bird softly and showed she wasn’t too happy to see him taking up her valuable time.

“Come on, Daring. Let him go. He was just being curious,” Quest said with a warm smile. Daring Do looked at Quest and then back at the bird. She groaned and let the bird go.

“Thank yah so much, deary. You truly are a better mare than others,” the vulture said as he peaked over to Daring Do who was trotting away.

“Get out of here!” Daring Do shouted as she jumped towards the bird. He shrieked and flew out of the nearest window.

“Ugh! Birds are starting to get on my nerves now. At least the ones that can talk at least,” Daring Do grumbled.

Quest laughed to herself before walking over to the crate. Daring Do observed her surroundings and saw that the library was indeed very dark and the only light was coming from the moonlight from outside the window.

“Gotta be more alert. More than usual now,” Daring Do thought to herself.

“Here it is,” Quest said. She picked the scroll up with her mouth and walked over to the nearest wooden table. The round table was just big enough to hold the scroll once it was stretched out across it.

“Wow, look at all this information,” Daring Do said as she skimmed through all the inked writing. She noticed a scribble and lines on the scroll and wondered if they had anything to do with their situation.

“It wasn’t just a myth? It really happened?” Quest said in disbelief as she read a certain part of the scroll.

“Let me see,” Daring Do said. She looked at the inked writing and began to read.

“According to the scroll. This occurred once before here on the island. It was a curse to where everypony that was born on the island was to be turned into a zombie at the very strike of the first moon of every 200 years! The solution was to throw the gem of sanctuary into the lava of the volcano and restore peace. The volcano is the heart of the island. Unless the gem is thrown into the lava of the volcano it wont be restored back to normal. Last time the gem was thrown into the lava by some pony, the gem melted away. It seems that this process has to be done consistently in order to keep balance on the island. So the question is, where is the cave the gem is in?” Daring Do said as she continued to stare at the wide scroll.

“These markings here must have a meaning. They wouldn’t just be here for nothing,” Quest pointed out. They both stared at the scroll and tried to figure out how all the lines connected.

“A map!” They both said together.

“Of course!” Daring Do said before grabbing the scroll with her teeth. She ran to the closest wall and stretched the scroll out with her hooves.

“How does it connect though? I know theses lines are a passage guide but to where?” Daring wondered.

“The scribble in the middle can’t be a coincidence,” Quest said.

“It's the volcano in the center of the island and these lines point directly to the cave the gems are in. Ha! I figured it out!” Daring Do said as she tapped her hoof against the wall. “You’re a genius, Quest. Great way to start thinking like an adventurer,” Daring Do said without taking her eyes off the scroll.

“Oh. Thank you, Daring,” Quest said without even realizing her cheeks were warming up.

“An adventurer?” She thought. The idea made her smile. Daring Do continued to skim the scroll for information but felt too excited to read the rest. So she rolled it up and put in her hat.

“Alright, we should be good to go now!” Daring Do said excitedly. Quest stared intensely with fear at the shadow behind Daring Do and couldn’t say a word out of fear.

“What?” Daring Do asked. Quest was paralyzed with fear and couldn’t even find herself to speak.

“If those birds came back-” Daring Do turned around to see that it wasn’t a bird she was facing. But a tall, strong, terrifying looking zombie pony.

“Enrico?” Quest said.

“What’s left of him. Run!” Daring Do shouted before breaking towards the door. Quest followed after but slowed down after hearing the loud roar the zombie let out. Both Daring Do and Quest then saw the exit was blocked by more zombie ponies.

“Great, our only way out is blocked. What are we going to do?” Quest asked Daring Do. Daring Do looked up and grabbed a hold of the mare.

“Make another way out,” she said before flying through the wooden ceiling.

“Where are you going?” Quest asked once they reached the sky.

“The jungle, that’s where the cave is,” Daring Do replied. Quest looked back at the library and saw the mayor of the island exit the shack with a angry roar. The sight of her mayor in such a critical and horrifying state was terrible.

“Don’t look back. Only look forward,” Daring Do told the pony. She nodded and didn’t look back at the village.

According to the mayor, nopony was going to go without becoming one of them. They had one thing up there sleeve, they knew where the cave was and they didn’t need a map to get to it. And their zombie mayor lead the way.

Chapter 4: To The Cave! Finally…Run!

“Gem of sanctuary. Wow, now there’s something for my collection,” Daring Do said as she walked through the dark jungle.

The pegasus would usually fly but seeing how the cave is somewhere in the jungle of the island, flying would be too risky and so the two ponies had to search for it on hoof.

“Daring?” Quest asked.

“Huh?” Daring Do mumbled as she broke out of deep thought.

“What’s it like being an adventurer? To be able to fly to other places of the world and discover new things,” Quest asked. Daring Do smiled and began to recap on all her previous adventures.

“It’s great. Risky and dangerous but I manage to get through every sticky situation,” Daring Do answered.

“Must be nice. I don’t even remember anything other than this island. You can imagine how boring it must be for a pony with a name like mine,” Quest said with a small laugh.

“I can only imagine. Do you ever plan on leaving the island?” Daring Do asked.

“How can I? The boats that would come to visit this island have stopped visiting due to the large amount of distances. The boat I arrived on was the last. I’m stuck here whether I like it or not,” Quest sighed. Daring Do was silent for a moment before grinning to the idea she had.

“What if after all of this is taken care of I could take you with me to see something other than this place. Surely of course it would only be like a vacation from home but it be a fun way to spend a couple days, right?” Daring Do wondered. Quest’s face lit up as she stared back at the pegasus next to her.

“You really mean that?!” Quest said with excitement in her eyes.

“Sure. Why not? It’s the least I could do for a pony with a name like Quest. How can’t I? Of course, it would only be a couple days and then I could bring you back here,” Daring Do said.

“Of course. Wow! I’m so excited now!” Quest said. Her voice pitched higher as she let out a small squeal. Daring Do smiled at the mare that walked next to her and had forgotten about everything that has occurred for a short moment.

“Eh! Winged pony!” Said three familiar annoying voices.

“Never fails,” Daring Do said under her breath out of annoyance.

“Well now it sure is great to see you, beautiful young mare,” the shedding vulture said to Quest as the three birds hovered next to the two ponies. Daring Do walked with her eyes forward and tried hard to ignore the three flying loud mouths.

“Thank you,” Quest chuckled.

“What you two doing anyway? Nobody goes for a walk out here at night,” the toucan said.

“Yeah, dangerous you know,” said the pelican.

“Right. Something dangerous could happen to a trio of soon to be flightless birds,” Daring Do muttered.

“What was that?” The vulture asked.

“Um. Could you three be of assistance to us? Please?” Quest asked.

“Sure. Anything for you, dear,” The pelican said.

“We’re looking for a cave. One that holds a lot of gems, one in particular. Our map isn’t exactly a map and it’s a bit difficult to see in this dark jungle,” Quest described.

“Hmm, there’s many caves out here,” the pelican said.

“No kidding,” Daring Do mumbled.

“But only one that is filled with gems,” the toucan said with a smile.

“Really? Could you please guide us there?” Quest asked.

“Sure. We’ll guide you there,” the vulture said as he insisted on only helping Quest and not Daring Do.

“What?” Daring Do said as she stopped in her tracks.

“Yeah. Why should we help you?” The pelican said.

“All you are is mean to us. This pony is nothing but kind. Why should we help you?” The toucan said. Quest saw Daring Do was being pushed to her limits and was ready to snap.

“Oh please, sirs. Daring has done nothing bad and has done her all to keep me safe so please help us both,” Quest said as she stood in front of Daring Do. The three birds shot glances at each other and continued to think.

“Please? For me?” Quest asked with a smile.

“Oh alright. But just because you asked us, not because we’re fond of your friend here,” the vulture said. Quest smiled at Daring Do who only rolled her eyes.

“Just show us the way,” Daring Do said.

“Follow me,” the toucan said before flying in a different direction. Daring Do and Quest followed the toucan on hoof and soon where lead to the large cave.

“Wow, this cave is on the other side of the island. Furthest thing away from the volcano,” Daring Do said as she looked at the scroll’s map.

“If you had that this whole time. Why did you ask us to show you the way? I mean, sure it is dark here but it still is a map. We love to help but I’m just curious,” The pelican asked as he noticed the scroll that was laid against the grass.

“Because I was suspicious this map was a trap and I was right. This leads to a different direction from this cave,” Daring Do pointed out.

“Why would it be a trap? Quest asked.

“For thieves. In case somepony tried to steal the scroll and find the treasure for themselves, this map would lead them to trap to protect where the gems really were,” Daring Do explained.

“Wow, that’s really smart,” Quest said as she smiled at the pegasus. Daring Do smiled back before having the birds fly between them and hover in front of her snout.

“For a rude pony, you sure are smart. But it still doesn’t mean we like you,” the vulture said.

“Thanks for helping us. We’ll take it from here,” Daring Do told the birds. She smiled and ignored their sarcasm.

“Sure, just be sure to keep Quest safe. She’s the only reason we’re being so kind,” the toucan said.

“Yeah! Or we would unleash a large amount of pain on you!” The vulture said. His attempt at making muscles with his wings only lead to causing more feathers to shed.

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind,” Daring Do said as Quest began to laugh.

“Come on, let’s go,” Daring Do told the mare before walking into the cave.

“Good luck, Quest!” The birds said as they watched the ponies enter the cave.

“Don’t scream!” Daring Do whispered to the birds.

“Why?!” The birds screamed in curiosity. A snap was heard and the ground beneath Daring Do and Quest caved in.
“That’s why,” Daring Do said as she hovered in the air above the trap. Daring Do swooped down the dark trap and caught Quest before falling on the spikes beneath them.

“Great timing,” Quest said as she clinged onto Daring Do.

“You okay?” Daring Do asked.

“Yeah. Those spikes look painful,” Quest said as she looked at the large spikes beneath them.

“At least it’s not snakes,” Daring Do smiled. The pegasus flew up back to the cave and placed Quest on the solid ground. Daring Do looked back out to the exit of the cave and saw the birds had fled.

“Good. They left,” Daring Do said. The two ponies began walking with caution as they went deeper into the mysterious cave.

“It’s so dark in here. How do we know if we’re going the right way?” Quest asked. Daring Do looked around and then
wondered the same thing.

“Hmm,” she said before flying up towards the ceiling of the cave. She stopped once she banged her head against it.

“Are you alright?” Quest asked.

“Ow. Yeah. Keep your voice down,” Daring Do said in a whispered tone. She didn’t bother taking her hat off to rub her head, not with the risk of loosing the scroll. She then noticed that her hat couldn’t have hurt her head that bad from just hitting the ceiling of a rocky cave, It had to have been something harder. She touched the ceiling with her hoof and smiled after tapping it repeatedly.

“What is it? Quest asked. Daring Do stared closely and tried to see the colored gem through the darkness. She smiled to see her reflection in the gem and proved she was right.

“The walls, they must be covered in them,” Daring Do said to herself. She flew down quickly and looked around for a rock on the ground.

“What is it?” Quest asked, wanting to know what was going through the pony’s mind.

Daring Do placed her hoof on a small boulder that sat against the wall of the cave and scrapped her hoof against it. It caused a spark and she repeated her actions again with two of her front hooves and the sparks then landed on a twig on the ground.

“Wow, you created fire,” Quest said in surprise. She truly was amazed with what the pegasus was capable of.

“And now,” Daring Do said before picking the twig up with her teeth.

She flew to the walls of the cave and lit the hidden torches quickly as she flew by them all. Quest’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped. Her eyes sparkled from the reflection off of the gems that surrounded them. All kinds of diamonds and gems were mounted and growing out of the walls and ceiling of the cave. It was brighter than the moon outside the cave and as colorful as a rainbow.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Quest said as she looked at all the gems on the walls and the ceiling. Daring Do hovered in the air with the lit twig in her mouth still as she was too awestruck from the bright and colorful surrounding. Daring Do looked back down towards Quest and saw how the colorful gems shinned off of her, giving her coat an amazing shine of different colors. Daring Do stared for awhile before catching her eye and quickly flew down to the ground. She dropped the twig on the ground and stomped on the small flame with her hoof to extinguish it.

“This truly is beautiful. I wish my visit here would be for a better reason,” Quest said.

“Right. I almost forgot why we found this cave in the first place,” Daring Do said as she stared at all the gems around them.

Quest looked down and saw one gem by her hoof. It was the same color as her coat, pink. It was the shape of a diamond shard and caught her eye. She smiled and picked it up.

“Look,” she said as she showed the gem to Daring Do.

“A pink gem. Pretty,” Daring Do said as she looked at the small gem.

“Could you hold onto it for me?” Quest asked. Daring Do nodded and placed the gem in her pocket.

“Now, which one of these gems is the one we need?” Daring Do asked aloud as she looked around. Quest took Daring Do’s hat off her head and opened the scroll herself.

“You could have just asked,” Daring Do said. Quest smiled and placed the hat on her own head before looking down at the scroll.

“Hmm, there should be a sketched diagram of what the real gems look like,” Quest said as she skimmed the scroll.

“Are you mocking me?” Daring Do asked with a cocky smile.

“No,” Quest said with a grin. She laughed softly before looking back at the scroll.

“Wait, look,” Quest said. She pointed at a sketch on the scroll and saw a specific looking gem.

“That must be it. The Gem of sanctuary,” Daring Do said.

“Looks different than these on the walls and ceiling,” Quest said before rolling the scroll up and putting it back in the hat. She deliberately placed it back on her head and only smiled when Daring Do asked for it back.

“Guess we’ll have to find that gem,” Daring Do said before opening up her wings.

She stretched out her wings and picked Quest up before dashing through the cave. The torches began to light themselves as they flew through the cave. As if lighting one ignited the rest. As Daring Do flew at incredible speed, the gems in the cave began to rush by like flashing rainbows. Colors of all sort passing by them as they sped by quickly. Quest smiled wide as she noticed the beautiful colors they were passing by. She placed her hoof on the hat and smiled as she looked up at Daring Do. Daring Do smiled back before coming to a complete stop.

“I think I found it,” Daring Do said.

“What makes you so sure?” Quest asked as she looked up at Daring Do.

“Oh, just a guess,” Daring Do said sarcastically.

Quest turned around and saw the pile of gems that formed a mountain to the to the many gems that looked like the sketch in the scroll. Daring Do flew above the ground to avoid any traps and placed Quest down on the gem mountain before landing herself.

“Wow, these look just like the Gem. Are they all it?” Quest asked.

“Must be. If the scroll’s story is true. Then 200 years ago, some other pony placed one of these already in the volcano to kill the curse. So I guess there’s many other left to keep the cycle going.

“Good, let’s grab one and get out of here,” Quest said before picking up the white Gem up with her teeth. She took off the hat and placed it inside along with the scroll before giving it to Daring Do. Daring Do smiled at Quest and took the hat before placing it on her own head.

“Alright, now let’s go. The quicker we get out of here the better,” she said before winking at Quest. Both ponies turned around at the sound of steps and cracks behind them.

“What was that?” Quest asked a bit terrified.

“Ergh!” Daring Do grumbled before flying towards the shadows.

“How many times do you birds have to keep poking your beaks in my business!” Daring Do shouted as she approached the shadow. Its face came out of the shadows and revealed the hideous zombie pony.

“Aaagh!” Daring Do shouted in shock before flying back from the zombie.

Quest screamed as she saw the zombie ponies come out from the shadows and show their hideous faces. Daring Do flew towards Quest in an attempt to escape.

“How did they get here?” Quest asked before getting swooped up.

“Who cares. I’m not gonna stay to find out,” Daring Do said as she flew over the zombies and towards the exit.

The speed she was going was quick enough to reach the exit quickly but it was a shock to see the zombie ponies already waiting for them. Enrico and a large group of zombies all growled and roared as they looked up to see them in the air.

“They were waiting for us?” Quest asked.

“That’s why those birds flew off,” Daring Do said as she answered her own question.

Enrico roared and frightened both Quest and Daring Do. She took off in high speed towards the jungle and tried to loose the zombies that were following close after them. Quest looked back and saw the zombies gaining after them at incredible speed.

“They’re catching up!” Quest alarmed.

“What?” Daring Do said as she turned around to see for herself. The small distraction was enough to cause her to crash into a tree and fall to the ground. The ponies rolled to the ground and ached from the impact.

“Ugh,” Daring Do mumbled. Her hat had fallen off and she opened her eyes to see the gem and the scroll were on the grass next to her. Her ear flapped back when she heard a growl behind her. She stood up and looked back to see the zombie pony ready to strike.

“Move!” Quest shouted before ramming Daring Do out of the way.

Daring Do rolled after hitting the ground and quickly shook her head to see the zombie get kicked in the face. Quest kicked him again with her back legs before seeing the zombie run off. Daring Do ran over to Quest as quick as possible.

“Are you okay? That was close!” Daring Do said.

“Too close for comfort,” Quest said.

Quest placed both the gem and scroll back in the hat before giving it to Daring Do. Roars and screams were heard in the distance and the panic rose in the ponies after hearing it grow closer.

“We have to hide. Just long enough to throw them off our trail,” Daring Do said.

Quest looked around before seeing an abandoned broken down house not too far from where they were.

“There!” Quest said before both ponies ran towards it.

The grey broken down house was just that. Broken down and old. Some parts of the house was missing wood and the curtains were navy blue and ripped. It wasn’t the prettiest home but it was a good hiding place for their situation. So far hiding was the only option left for the ponies who were trying to escape the zombies.

Chapter 5: Decisions

“Are they out there?” Quest asked. The two ponies sat hidden in the broken down house as they waited until the coast was clear.

“I don’t know but we should wait here for a small while. Just until things clear up,” Daring Do said as she walked away from the window.

The small home was dusty and had a staircase that lead to a small attic. The house wasn’t exactly fancy but it was perfect to the two ponies and they had nothing to complain about. The only light was what the moon gave off from outside the windows without curtains. It casted a bluish glow on the ponies and made the spider webs and dust even more visible in the house.

“Maybe I should fly to the volcano real quick and drop this gem in there. Now that I have a chance,” Daring Do said as she thought aloud.

“Wait. Well,” Quest said before regretting that she opened her mouth at all.

“What?” Daring Do asked after hearing the pony mumble.

“Nothing, hurry and go,” Quest said as she turned around. She hid her face to hide that she was scared.

“Quest, are you afraid to stay alone?”

“No, just hurry and fix things,” she said. Daring Do looked around and realized the creepy and scary settings she was about to leave Quest in. All alone.

“No, I can’t go yet. I better stay here with you and read this scroll. You know, to make sure we’re doing everything right. It might take awhile,” Daring Do said.

She acted as if she was oblivious to Quest’s desire to be kept company. Quest smiled to the subtext in Daring Do’s comment and walked over to her.

“Thank you,” She said. Daring Do took her hat off and looked at the pony next to her.

“Sure,” she smiled.

Daring Do stretched out the scroll against the wooden floor and coughed after seeing all the dust that came up. After clearing the air, Daring Do began reading the scroll again. Nothing new really, except now instead of skimming it, she was actually reading it word for word. Quest rubbed her hoof behind her front leg as Daring Do read over the scroll again.

“There really isn’t anything we haven’t already read about. Is there?” Quest asked.

“Not really. Just some fancy words but other than that it’s all the same,” Daring Do said as she continued to read. “Oh, this is new."

“What?” Quest asked.

“After the gem is placed in the heart of the island and swims in the lava of the volcano all shall be restored and the memory of being transformed will be erased,” Daring Do read aloud.

“What?” Quest mumbled softly.

“Well, who knew. That’s good I guess. Nopony will remember being a zombie and everything will go back to normal. Cool,” Daring Do smiled. Quest walked away and began to pace.

“Quest?” Daring Do asked.

“Let’s leave now,” Quest said.

“What?” Daring Do asked.

“Let’s just fly away from this island and never look back. Just forward,” Quest said as she continued to pace.

“What? Why? Don’t you want to help the islanders? What’s the matter with you?” Daring Do asked.

“I don’t care about this island! I never truly have! You’re an adventurer and get to see the world! Just take me with you and leave this place. It won't matter what happens here. You can keep the gem we searched for and then we can just go!” Quest said as she began to reveal her emotions.

“Where’s all this coming from?” Daring Do asked as she walked up to the pony.

“I don’t want to just forget any of this! I don’t want to forget I met an adventurer like you!” Quest said before finally letting the tears stream down her cheeks. They rolled down like tiny streams after holding them back for so long. Daring Do only could stare back at the mare that was inches away from her and emotionally distressed.

“All my life has been is dull and routine. I finally get some adventure and fun in my life and I end up having to forget it all in the end?” Quest said as she began to cry.

“What are you talking about? You won’t forget any of this,” Daring Do said with a smile. “The scroll said that only the ones that became zombies will transform. You and I aren’t zombie ponies, last I checked.”

A sniffle was heard from the pinkish mare as she hung her head low. The tears hit the ground and wet the dusty floor. She held out her left hoof and revealed that behind it was a bite mark.

“W-what is this?” Daring Do asked a bit concerned.

“Daring,” Quest said before clearing her throat to speak clearly.

“No,” Daring Do said as she shook her head and stepped back.

“Daring, listen!” Quest said as the pegasus turned around and shook her head. Her hat sat on the dusty ground by the scroll and gem as she trotted by it.

“No!” Daring Do repeated.

“I was bitten, Daring!” Quest said as she raised her voice. The silence grew louder quickly and felt like it was the longest moment of their lives.

“How?” Daring Do finally said to break the silence. She was obviously upset about the fact but couldn’t fight it.

“Earlier when we were running. I pushed you out of the way and that exact moment the zombie bit me. I kicked him in the face once afterwards and then again to get him to run off. Daring,” Quest said as her legs began to shake. The mare was scared and it was no use hiding it, anypony would be. Daring Do couldn’t lie and say it was going to be okay, or that nothing bad was going to happen. She only could hug the scared pony and comfort her the best way she could.

“I don’t wanna change, Daring. I don’t wanna forget,” Quest said as she cried. Daring Do couldn’t speak as she was both furious and sad for her friend.

“Daring,” Quest finally said after a small moment of crying.

“What?” Daring Do replied.

“Will you take some piece of me with you out to your adventures? Even after I forgot, after I change,” Quest asked. Daring Do smiled.

“I just met you and I’m already making promises I intend to keep. Of course I will,” she answered.

“So after you make everything better, which I know you will. You’ll keep your promise? Even after I forget who you are? Even after I forget this entire night?” Quest asked. Daring Do was silent and her throat began to choke up and the fact that she wanted to cry was causing her to grow even angrier.

“Yeah,” she said in almost a whispered tone. She gulped but the lump in her throat wouldn’t go away. Quest nuzzled Daring Do and only managed to make the situation even more difficult for her.

“Out of all the years I’ve lived on this island. You made it all worth wild, Daring Do,” Quest said before feeling herself slowly fall asleep.

Daring Do placed one hoof around the mare and held her closer for the short seconds she had left. Her anger showed as her lip quivered, fighting any tears that wanted to come out at all. They slipped out slightly after hearing Quest begin to squirm and grumble. Daring Do squeezed her tightly, as if holding onto her would keep her from slipping away. It was no use. She knew what was happening. She let go of the mare and saw her hit the ground as she began to change. Daring Do backed away and watched her begin to change right before her eyes. She shook her head and ran to grab her supplies. She grabbed her hat and placed both the gem and the scroll inside. As she placed the hat back on her head, she saw the zombies reach outside the house and the anger inside Daring Do grew. She flew through the weak wooden roof and dived towards the zombies. Brutally kicking and beating every single one she saw. Tears streaming down her face didn’t help as she continued to attack every single one of them. Not even caring that they were simple earth ponies who had no control of their actions. She stopped and panted as she watched more come her way.

“You want me? Come on!” She shouted. The pony was boiled to the top and enraged from what had to happen to her friend. Quest still remained in the house as Daring Do continued to waste time. Dawn had reached it’s point and the sun began to slowly peak over the horizon. The grey blindness didn’t even bother the angered pony. Another brutal kick to the face and more tears streamed down her face. She landed on the ground to catch her breath and saw that no matter how many times she brought the zombies down, they kept getting back up. She knew that this was only her taking her anger out on the monsters but she couldn’t stop.

“You made it all worth wild, Daring Do,” echoed the voice in the pegasus’s head. Her eyes weakened and she remembered the promise she made. To bring everything back to normal.

“I have to! She might forget me and our incredible adventure but I can't let this go any further,” Daring Do told herself as she looked at the volcano in the distance. Her launch to the sky shot a gust of wind to the zombies as Daring Do shot towards the volcano. At incredible speed she flew to the volcano. She reached the ground by the mountain and took her hat off and dropped it all on the grass after grabbing the gem. She left her hat and the scroll behind after darting up towards the top of the volcano. Instead of taking the chance of simply tossing it in, Daring Do flew inside the volcano and flew at quick speed to reach the lava. The heat was unbearable and soot covered her face and shirt as she continued to go deeper and deeper into the volcano. Finally she saw the lava and came to a complete halt. The heat was incredibly hot and so she finally looked at the Gem in her hooves. She closed her eyes and kissed the gem before letting it fall into the heart of the island. She sighed and saw the lava bubble before finally calming down. Daring Do shot up towards the sky and raced to exit the volcano and breath fresh, cool air. However, she was receiving more of a boost than she asked for. A large amount of pressured air shot out of the volcano and shot Daring Do out like a bullet. The pony went high in the sky before finally gliding towards the ground. The air wasn’t on her side and so she landed roughly and slowly began to loose consciousness. She fought to keep her eyes open but couldn’t any longer and finally just fell asleep against the rough floor of the jungle.

Chapter 6: Second First Impression

Daring Do opened her eyes to a small ache in her back. She looked up and didn’t bother to stand up before gaining back her strength. She saw the sun was high in the sky and wondered how long she’d been out. Last time she was conscious, the sun was barely rising up over the horizon.

“Ugh. My head,” she said as she stood up. She saw her hat and the scroll was not too far from where she was and immediately everything rushed back to her. She looked back up to the volcano and saw it was normal like it had been before. She then looked around and could only hear the sound of birds chirping and singing. She sped over to grab her hat and the scroll and took to the skies. As soon as she reached above the trees, she looked and searched for the village. As soon as she saw it she flew towards it at full speed. She landed in the market and caught eye of every pony there. Whispers grew and everypony in the village had heard of the mysterious new pegasus.

“Wow, you’re a pegasus!” A filly said as she ran up to Daring Do. Daring Do smiled at the filly but sorrow began to fill up her emotions.

“Wow is right! It’s incredible to see a pegasus like yourself! Wow! What may I ask you brings you to our village?” Enrico said as he approached Daring Do.

He looked a lot different from when he was transformed and his large cheery grin was back.

“Oh, um. Hello,” Daring Do said.

“My name is Enrico. And you are?” He asked. Daring Do gulped and tried to fake a smile.

“Daring Do, I just wanted to visit your island and also found this strange scroll in the jungle. Is it yours?” Daring Do said as she handed the mayor the scroll.

“Oh my! Yes, this is very important. What was it doing out there? Thank you very much for bringing it back,” he said before taking it from Daring Do’s hoof.

“Here, take this back to the library and make sure it stays safe,” Enrico said before handing it to another pony. Daring Do searched with her eyes everywhere for Quest but couldn’t find her anywhere.

“Will you stay for tonight? We are planning to have a feast and would love for a Pegasus to join us! Are you a traveler? Your stories would be a great honor to listen to,” Enrico said with a large grin.

“Wow, they really don’t remember anything. It’s like the past night and day didn’t even happen,” Daring Do thought to herself.

“Oh um, no thank you. I’m simply passing by. I won’t be staying long,” Daring Do said as she shook her head.

“Oh that’s a shame. Well if you truly are busy. Travelers are never known for staying in one place,” Enrico said.

“I’m actually an adventurer but yes, I was never known for staying in one place,” Daring Do smiled.

“Wow! A pegasus who’s an adventurer, that’s amazing,” Enrico said with his trademark grin. Daring Do smiled and only nodded.

“This actually hurts. None of them remember anything. I guess it’s best they don’t remember that awful night. But still,” Daring Do said as she looked at all the ponies in the market part of the village.

Daring Do then recognized one particular pony in the distance. She smiled and flew passed Enrico and the other ponies.

“Quest!” Daring Do said as she approached the pink pony. Quest stopped walking and looked surprised to see the pegasus approach her.

“Um, yes?” She asked. Daring Do grinned wide to see her friend was okay but realized the pony wasn’t returning the smile.

“Can I help you?” She asked. Daring Do’s smile slowly faded and she only stared back at the pony who appeared confused.

“Um. My name’s Daring Do, I’m an adventurer. I heard your name was Quest?” Daring Do said as she played the act as best as she could.

“Oh! You’re an adventurer? That’s amazing! What’s it like? Oh, and yes my name’s Quest. Nice to meet you Daring Do,” Quest said with a smile.

Daring Do’s eyes began to water as she smiled back at the pony.

“Yeah. I just had to meet you once I heard your name was Quest,” Daring Do said with a weak smile.

“Thank you, what else could you expect from an adventurer,” Quest said with a small laugh.

“Same cute laugh. Just loss of memory,” Daring Do said to herself. She turned her head and rubbed her eyes dry with the back of her hoof.

“Are you okay?” Quest asked.

“Yeah, just got something in my eye,” Daring Do lied. She turned back around and smiled to hide her feelings.

“Do you plan on staying? We’re planning on having a feast tonight. It be great to get to know you better,” Quest said with a grin.

“No I can’t stay. I have a promise to keep to a good friend,” Daring Do said with a soft smile.

“Really?” Quest asked.

“Yeah,” Daring Do replied. She reached for the gem in her pocket and took out the pink diamond shard she held onto for Quest in the cave.

“Oh! That’s beautiful. It’s the same color as my coat!” Quest said as she got closer to see the gem better.

“Yeah,” Daring Do said before clearing her throat.

“It’s a piece of a good friend. She told me to hold onto it for her. To take a piece of her around with me on my adventures,” Daring Do said as a warm smile grew on her face.

“That’s very sweet. She must be lucky to have a friend like you,” Quest said as she looked back at Daring Do.

Daring Do stared for a short moment and felt a lump in her throat grow larger. She placed the gem back safely in her pocket before she cleared her throat and tipped her hat down below her eyes.

“Well, I think I should be going,” Daring Do said as she turned around.

“Wait,” Quest said as she stopped the pony from flying off. Daring Do didn’t bother turning around because of the tears that were staining her face.

“Yes?” Daring Do replied.

“Would you come back someday? To tell me your stories and maybe meet your friend?” Quest asked. Daring Do’s head hung low slightly but she nodded.

“It’s a promise,” Daring Do said.

“Thank you. I’ll be looking forward to it, Daring,” Quest replied.

Daring Do shut her eyes tightly before shooting up the sky. Quest smiled as she watched the pegasus fly off into the sky. Daring Do’s eyes couldn’t have been shut any tighter, but the tears still found a way to come out. She slowly smiled and opened her eyes.

“It’s a promise,” she said as she continued to speed through the sky.

And so Daring Do left the island with a better treasure than she thought she was going to find. Again, Daring Do had saved the day and everything had gone back to the way it was.

“I won’t forget. I promise. I’ll come back and tell you our story.”