Daring Do pushed on, deeper into the jungle, rustling through the tall grass and plants as she stayed ever vigilant on her latest mission.

On the surface, her goal seemed simple. That zebra back in Ponyville had told her about a special fruit growing in the jungle that she needed for one of her brews. All the adventurer needed to do was make the long trek over, find some, and bring it back.

Of course, it was never going to be that easy. Zecora said that the fruit was exclusively found in a jungle hundreds of miles away from where she lived. The closest village was a good twenty miles away, and the locals had no need to travel and explore it. She was essentially going into uncharted territory.

Just the way she liked it.

All Daring Do had to go off of was a picture of what the fruit looked like. Bright red, long, and bumpy according to the drawing Zecora had shown her. Still, she had no idea where the fruit was, so it was a blind search through a seemingly endless jungle.

Thankfully, this mission was not going to be impeded by the likes of any archenemy of hers. They didn’t know where she currently was, and getting this fruit would have no impact on their plans. There’d be no dealing with any high-speed pursuits or intense brawls or perilous rope traps. Not that any of that would be a problem, she had been put in so many snares and hogties that it was barely an inconvenience to her.

Despite that, Daring couldn’t let her guard down completely. Being alone only lowered the sapient threat. Her ears were always on the alert for a distant growl or a rustling in the bushes that she didn’t make. She had yet to see any animals other than the occasional tropical bird or bug, and she hoped to keep it that way.

The harsh sunlight was unrelenting, and beat down on her through the trees whenever it was able to. She had packed enough rations to last a few weeks, but she was hoping to get the job done as fast as she could. She fanned herself with the brim of her pith helmet as she looked around in one of the clearings, deciding where to search next.

Thinking back, Zecora was pretty sparse on the details of her mission. She knew why she asked Daring Do specifically to go out, finding something in a far-off land in uncharted territory was right in her wheelhouse. She asked Zecora what the fruits were going to be used for. She responded with “My potion needs a bit more kick, the fruits I described might do the trick”. As for the matter of payment, the zebra had said something along the lines of “A mutual benefit for all these chores, you scratch my back, and I scratch yours.”

Rhyming couplets always seemed to be associated with cryptic hints, no matter where she went. She had a pretty good idea what the potion was going to do, but it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t find the fruit.

The adventurer wished she could put her wings to better use. She couldn’t just charge through the unknown while searching, and an aerial view wouldn’t do her much good if the fruit was growing underneath all the foliage.

Even while staying vigilant for threats, it gave Daring Do plenty of time alone with her thoughts. She could think and plan for the weeks ahead, which was desperately needed, given how busy she would be later.

While the solo venture gave her time for peaceful thinking, she found herself wishing that Zecora had accompanied her, if nothing else but to at least be a second pair of eyes to help identify what she was looking for. The company wouldn’t be that bad either, spending time with someone who also seemed to keep to themselves. It’d be welcoming to just be alone, together.

But the heat was starting to get to her, and the sticky feel from the humidity wasn’t helping either. Even with her helmet thankfully providing a bit of cover, the sun beating down drenched her clothes with sweat. The little reprieve she could get was taking a break right underneath the trees. She could sit down in the shade and cool off in the middle of her search. Being alone still had its share of benefits, as it also gave her total privacy. There would be no one around for miles to see her undo the buttons on her sweaty shirt, allowing her body to breathe just a little easier. And for some more much needed relief, she could rest her exhausted body at the tree trunk, letting her poor hooves relax for just a minute as she indulged in a slow and sensual rub of h

“Damnit!” Daring quickly scribbled the last paragraph out from her notebook. She looked back through the pages, trying to see if anything else slipped past, before closing her book in frustration.

“Ugh, I gotta get this done so I can write properly again…” she muttered to herself, pushing herself back up and continuing her trek through the jungle.

Author's Note

No thoughts brain horny.

Yes, that is the worst title I thought for this series. And that's saying a LOT considering this is only the first week.