The taxi rolled through the streets of the small village, its passenger looking over her files. However, not much information existed about the subject she was looking for.
"I can't believe this is all the information that exists..." Daring Do mused as she glanced over another piece of paper.
The different articles didn't tell much about the subject Daring was looking for. She'd spent the past few days trying to gather intel on what she was looking for, but her search had turned up barely anything.
"There's gotta be more than this..." Daring sighed. "Uhg!" But to her disappointment, there was nothing. She placed the papers back into a folder and stuffed them into her saddle bag. Tilting her wrist, she checked her watch for the time.
Yesterday, she had been called by an old friend of hers, Alminac Porter, to come to the southeast boarderlands because he had information pertaining to an old myth. Naturally, Daring's curiosity and adventurous spirit got the best of her, and she had to go. She gathered her gear and hopped on the first plane there. Being a pegasus, she could fly, but the location was miles from where she lived. Thus, the trip would be exhausting, and she knew she'd need her energy for whatever lay ahead. And knowing her reputation, that was as definite as the sun rising.
Before she left, Daring Do had tried to gather all the info she could on what Alminac had discussed over the phone, but hardly any information existed. So with what she could gather, she headed off to the airport. Now, she was in a taxi heading to the rendezvous point, where she was supposed to meet up with Porter.
Hearing the engine slow down, Daring looked up to see what looked like a couple of trucks parked just up ahead. As the taxi rolled to a stop, Daring saw Alminac approaching it. He was an older stallion, gray in color with a white mane and tail. He wore round glasses. She got out and walked up to greet him.
"Well, hello, Miss Do."
"Hi, Mister Porter! It's great to see you again." Daring shook hooves with the older stallion.
"It's good to see you too, Miss Do. So what have you been up to these days, eh?"
Daring gave a wave of her hoof. "Oh, ya know... same old, same old. A little adventure, a lot of action and excitement, heh."
Alminac chuckled. "Yep, that sounds just like you." The two friends laughed. "So I guess you're eager to hear about what I found out."
"You bet I am!" Daring replied eagerly.
"Well, follow me and I'll show you." Alminac gestured to the small group of trucks and started walking with Daring trotting alongside. "So what do you know of this Cascade of Gloom?"
"Not much I'm afraid," Daring replied with a shake of her head. "All I could find were myths, legends and folklore, and even that was few and far between. But from what I could gather, it's supposed to be a pool of water in a jungle or something somewhere."
"Ah, but that's only half the story," Alminac said with a wry smile. "You see, the cascade is a waterfall, and it is supposedly located deep within a jungle."
Daring rolled her eyes. "Great... Another jungle."
"Yes, and a dangerous one at that."
"Aannd this just keeps getting better."
"Heh. I doubt you're a stranger to danger, Miss Do. But the danger is merely to hide the beauty within. My grandson could tell you more about it."
Daring looked up at Alminac, quirking a brow. "Grandson? You never told me you had a grandson?"
"I didn't? Huh. Heh. Guess my old mind is slipping, ha ha. Anyway, he has more information on the subject than I do." As the two ponies reached the lead truck, another pony, a stallion, was standing on his hind legs and leaning over the hood of the truck, looking at a map. He looked up when the other two approached him. "Miss Do, I'd like you to meet my grandson."
As the other stallion, just a year or two older than her, lowered himself back onto all fours facing the two, Daring was able to get a good look at him. He stood roughly several inches taller than her, and was a pegasus just like her. He had a light yellow body with black hair, mane and tail. White highlights were in his hair and tail as well. He wore a similar shirt and hat to the ones Daring wore. He had a lightly muscular build, and his eyes were light red. His Cutie Mark was a white and black compass.
"Hey," the stallion greeted.
"Hi!" Daring said. They extended hooves to shake, and Daring couldn't help but notice that he had a pretty strong grip.
"I'm Rock Porter."
"Name's Daring Do."
"Ah, so you're the famous Daring Do."
Daring's cheeks flushed a bit. "W-Well, I don't know about famous..."
"Are you kiddin'? My grandfather's told me a lot about you."
"Well, I wish I could say he's mentioned you..." Daring shot a glance at Alminac, who gave her a sly grin.
"My grandson's been doing some research on the whereabouts of the cascade. Care to fill Miss Do in?" Alminac asked.
"Sure!" Rock reared up once more to examine the map on the hood of the black, 1977 Ponyota pickup, Daring and Alminac doing the same. "Here's the jungle where the cascade's supposed to be located in." He pointed to a large jungle on the map. "Now, nopony knows exactly where it's located. The farthest anypony has made it was to Dragon Rock, here." He pointed to a rock formation that resembled a dragon's head.
"How come nopony's ever been past there?" Daring asked.
"It seems that after anypony gets past Dragon Rock, they either go missing, or somehow get turned around. The whole cascade is supposed to be really just a myth, but a few have attempted to find it. Four other explorers have tried to find it in the last decade, but only two of them actually made it out of the jungle. Of the two that survived, one got turned around, and the other got lost until a rescue party found him almost a week later."
Daring cringed. "So how does anypony know that it actually exists?" Daring questioned.
Rock smiled. "Because..." He reached into a satchel that he had around his shoulder and pulled out a small jar of water. "...of this."
Daring looked at it with quirked brows. "A jar of water?"
"Not just any water. Water from the cascade itself. Years ago, my dad stumbled upon the cascade. His plane ran out of fuel over the jungle and he made a crash landing there. He wandered through the jungle and stumbled upon the cascade. He was able to recover from his injuries at the cascade, and after a couple of days, he started venturing out further into the jungle to see where he was. Somehow, he found his way out of the jungle and a rescue team picked him up. He left a few markers to find it again, but he never could find the markers. Wind and rain must have blown or washed them away. And he couldn't find the plane wreckage because he'd crashed so far into it. This jar of water was the only thing he brought back. I was just a little colt then, but I remember him saying that it was so pure and clean that you could drink from from it."
Daring was interested. If it did exist, it would be a wonderful find. She looked up to Alminac with raised brows. "How come you never mentioned this before?"
"My son didn't want another soul to know the true whereabouts of the fabled cascade. He said that he wanted Rock to be the one to find it again if he couldn't. After he..." Alminac closed his eyes for a second. "...passed away, I knew he would want Rock to be the one to find it again."
Daring looked to up at Alminac, then to Rock. "Then... why're you telling me all this now?"
Alminac chuckled. "Rock here's a good boy, but he's not exactly steady on his hooves."
"Thanks, Grandpa," Rock said sarcastically. "I really appreciate that." Daring couldn't help but grin, then turned back to Alminac as he started to speak again.
"I've known you for over a year now, Miss Do, and within that time you've shown me just how trustworthy you are. You've given artifacts to museums without asking for a penny."
"I just love the adventure and the thrill," Daring spoke up.
"I know, dear, and I can see that in you. You've got a good heart, that I can see. And I think if my son were here, he'd want you to go with Rock on this adventure as much as I do." He laughed. "Besides, I think you could teach my grandson a thing or two."
Rock rolled his eyes. "Again, Grandpa, you're a big help. Thanks."
"So... you want me to go with you guys on this?" Daring asked.
"No, just with Rock," Alminac replied. "I'm getting a little too old to be galabanting around all over. My bones aren't what they used to be. But I have faith in both of you." Alminac nodded.
"We better get going," Rock stated, folding up the map and slipping it into his satchel. "We've still got a little ways to travel before we get to the jungle." All three ponies moved back down onto all fours.
"You two kids take care, and have a safe trip," Alminac said. "And be careful out there."
"We will. Don't worry, Grandpa," Rock said as he climbed into the Ponyota.
"We'll be back with proof that the cascade exists!" Daring said proudly as she got in on the passenger side.
"Oh, I don't doubt that. Now be careful you two! And Rock?"
"Yeah?" Rock hollered out the truck as he started it.
"You take care of Miss Do! And if I find out you've done anything to her, you're never to old for me to put you over my knee!"
"Grandpa!" Rock hissed under his breath, sinking down into his seat as he put the truck in drive. "Got it... See ya later." Rock hoped that Daring hadn't heard, but she had. Daring sat in her seat, avoiding looking over at Rock so he wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks. They waved at Alminac as they started down the road, heading out of town.
About a minute of silence passed before either spoke, and when it happened, Daring was the one to break the silence.
"Soo, uh... Your grandfather's-"
"A real hoot and nutty sometimes and loves to embarrass me?" Rock cut her off.
"I was actually gonna say really nice, but he is really funny sometimes." Daring chuckled.
"Yep, that's my grandfather." Rock smiled a little. "But I love him."
"If ya don't mind me asking, what... happened to your dad?" Daring asked cautiously. She knew that Alminac had never really spoke of him very much, and he certainly never told her what happened to him. Daring heard Rock sigh, and thought she'd went too far with that question. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's... it's okay, Miss Do."
"You can call me 'Daring'," she said with a little smile. "Everpony else does."
Rock smiled a little. "...Daring... You don't have to apologize. It's just... my father isn't really something I'm comfortable talking about right now. Sorry, but I'm just..."
"It's okay," Daring reassured him. "If ya don't wanna talk about it, it's okay, I understand. Just... if ya ever wanna talk about it... I'm here." She offered him a reassuring smile. She knew that she shouldn't press the issue, and perhaps if he ever did want to talk, that he'd open up to her about it.
"Thanks, Daring," Rock smiled lightly, and Daring wondered why she suddenly felt a little warmth in her cheeks.
The trip to the jungle itself took about a half hour of driving, and the two pegasi got better acquainted during the trip. For Daring, she learned that Rock was quite funny and had a positive attitude about things. She liked that. Also, he seemed to have a love for adventure like her, and had actually been on a couple of adventures himself.
And he was - she admitted this to herself - handsome and cute. He had intense, beautiful eyes, wavy hair, a warm smile, and his body was pretty good looking- what the heck was she thinking? She shook her head, trying to get herself to focus. She had to focus. She was on an adventure! It wasn't that she didn't want to think about Rock, it was just that adventures could be intense and dangerous. And thinking about Rock would be a major distraction for her. She agreed that she could let her mind wonder a little, but that she had to remain focused.
Palm trees started appearing more and more frequently, as did other plants and such as the two ponies neared the jungle. And the dirt road the truck was on soon turned to mud, dirt and rock. Finally, the two pegasi made it to the jungle. The path the truck was on was bumpy, rocky and had lots of dips and sudden turns. The old Ponyota was smaller made, and could navigate the twists and turns of the jungle with relative ease, but it still made Daring hang onto the door handle with one hoof and her seatbelt with her other. The road was almost nonexistent, as very few travelers made the journey through it. So the road was hard to make out in many areas, and a few times, the duo had to stop and check to make sure they were still on the right path.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Daring asked, her body shaking from left to right as they rolled over another pothole in the so-called road.
"Not anymore than you are," Rock replied. "I'm just followin' the map."
"Lemme see that thing." Daring reached over to the center of the seat, picked up the map and searched for their location on it. Sure enough, they were on the right track. If, that is, there even was one to begin with. "According to this, there should be a-"
"Bridge!"
Daring jolted forward a bit and instinctively let go of the map as she gripped the seatbelt and door handle tightly. The Ponyota skidded to a stop in the mud on the road that now sloped downward, leading to a rickety, wooden bridge just about 14 feet away. The drop of the road was so sudden and the bridge so close, that anypony going fast enough wouldn't have been able to stop in time, and would no doubt plummet over the ledge. The two pegasi unbuckled themselves and got out to survey the surrounding area and the bridge.
The bridge was old, and looked like it was barely hanging on. The boards looked old and weak, and a few were even hanging loose by one side. The ropes looked dangerously loose in some areas, and frayed and worn in others.
"...Yep. That's it,"
"Well, we can't take the truck over that..." Rock mused.
"It's a good thing you weren't going fast, otherwise be'd be at the bottom of that ravine," Daring stated, taking a small deep breath. The ravine over the cliff dropped off into a some 60-foot drop, leading to a cold river below. Daring glanced over at a wooden signpost next to the bridge entrance. In black, faded letters, "Dead Stallions Crossing." That couldn't have been more spot on.
"Well..." Daring turned at Rock's voice to see him getting back into the truck. "We better hide this somewhere for now. Looks like we're flyin' from here on out." Rock pulled the Ponyota off the path and parked it amongst some tall weeds and shrubs. Then he and Daring broke off some limbs from the nearby bushes and trees and used them to cover up the truck, camouflaging it. Rock got their saddle bags from inside the truck bed and strapped them on.
"You ready to fly?" Daring asked.
Rock grinned. "Of course. Are you?"
Daring smirked, flapping her wings and lifting off the ground. "Are you kidding? Flying is a passion for me. That and adventure."
Rock flapped his wings and lifted off as the two started flying over the ravine. "So ya enjoy flying, huh?"
"Heck, yeah!" Daring done a loop, which Rock thought was both cool and cute. "I love flying! The exhilarating feeling of the wind blowing through your hair, mane and tail, the rush of it blowing across your skin... It's awesome!" She done a spin to her left. Rock chuckled at her display, thinking it was adorable. "So what about you? You're a pegasus; don't you love flying?"
"Yeah, I do. But I also enjoy walking sometimes too. It's nice to just be able to walk and take your time."
The two young pegasi made it to the other side of the ravine, and Rock landed and began walking as Daring hovered next to him.
"Umm... You do know we can make better time if we fly, right? I mean, I like walking sometimes too, but..."
"If we walk, we can enjoy the scenery." Rock was looking up at Daring and didn't notice the small rock at his hooves, and tripped right over it, hitting the ground with a thud and an, "Oof!"
Daring tried to contain her laughter, but little snickers escaped her as she covered her mouth with a hoof, landing next to him. "Like walking, huh? Heh heh..."
Rock looked up from the ground, his tone timmed with slight annoyance. "I said I liked walking, I didn't say I was good at it."
At that, Daring lost it, and fell onto her back laughing.
Rock pulled himself up and cocked a brow down at her. It was bad enough that he'd tripped in front of the famous Daring Do, but now she was laughing at him. That would be a blow to any guy's ego.
Daring's laughter died down as she wiped her eyes with a hoof, getting back onto all fours. "Sorry, Rock. It's just that what you said just made me lose it. I'm sorry." She was still smiling as she wiped her eyes again.
Rock grinned. "Yeah, you sound real sorry, alright."
"I am!" she insisted. "You're just..." She paused, a slight warmth now in her cheeks. "...a really funny guy." She gave him a gentle nudge in his rib with her elbow. "Heh. You're okay, Rocky."
Rock raised a hoof to his chin. "'Rocky'? Hmm... Nopony's ever called me that before..."
"Oh..." Daring's ears flattened atop her head slightly, afraid that the nickname wasn't to his liking.
"No, no, it's okay!" he insisted. "I like it."
Daring's ears perked. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Soo... me laughing... Forgive?" She looked embarrassingly up at him.
Rock simply grinned as he started trotting away. "Already did."
"Wait... So you..." Daring realized he'd already forgiven her, and was simply playing her for an apology. "Oooh, you sneaky...!" She grinned, and trotted after him.
The two young pegasi continued their trek through the jungle. As they got deeper, they noticed the fog was getting thicker overhead in the tree tops, and it was also getting later. It wouldn't be long before they'd have to set up camp for the night.
"Soo... have you ever tried looking for the cascade before?" Daring asked, ducking underneath a tree branch.
Rock shook his head, walking beside her. "No. This is my first time looking for it. It was only just the other day I found enough info to go on to try to find it. My grandfather said that you'd want to come along, so I couldn't say no." The two smiled a little.
Suddenly, Rock stopped walking and quickly put a hoof in front of Daring, stopping her. She looked down at his hoof and up to him, confused as to why he'd stopped her. His face was solemn, looking at the ground not five feet in front of them. He turned to a tree, broke off a branch with his mouth and tossed it onto the ground ahead. Daring gasped the second a bear trap clamped on the branch, snapping it in two. Rock walked closer to inspect it.
"Somepony's been through here..." Daring mused.
"And it doesn't look like it's been that long ago, either," Rock observed. "This trap isn't that old."
Daring looked around. "Who would set a bear trap in the jungle?"
"I don't know..." Rock stood and looked around. "But we better be careful."
"Do you... think somepony else is here?" Daring asked curiously.
"Maybe somepony came through here a few days ago with the same intent as us."
Daring looked around at the folage, inspecting it. She raised a hoof to her chin in thought. "I think it's been just recently... Look at these plants." She pointed a hoof to some on the ground. "They're still flattened like somepony walked over them not that long ago."
Rock looked at them. "You're right. And the dirt here suggests the same conclusion."
Daring glanced ahead. "If anypony's out there, we'll probably run into them."
"...That's what I'm afraid of..."
"Huh?"
"Nothing." Rock took the saddle bag he had on his left side and dropped it on the ground. "Daring, I want ya to do me a favor. Put this on and make sure you keep it on."
Daring looked at the bag curiously, then up to Rock. "Huh? Why?"
"Just... please put it on. It's got supplies in it."
Daring shrugged. "In case ya haven't heard, I'm more of a live-off-the-land kinda girl."
"I know, but... just please keep it, okay? It'll make me feel better."
Daring picked up the saddle bag and swung it over her back. "Okay, if you say so." She noticed that the bag had a little weight to it, but nothing she couldn't handle.
"Everything we should need is in these bags. I made sure to pack everything we might need."
"Didja pack a kitchen sink too?" Daring joked, earning a slight glare from Rock.
"No, that's the one thing I didn't pack." He grinned as he finished.
Daring unfurled her wings and lifted off the ground about a foot and a half as she started hovering next to Rock, who simply walked along the path. She thought back to the bear trap and couldn't help but feel worried about him choosing to walk. She kept her eyes fixated ahead, trying to spot any potential threats. However, she couldn't help it as she would glance at Rock from time to time. A couple of times she caught him looking at her out of the corner of her eye, and that made her cheeks pinken a little.
Before long, it was starting to get dark. So Rock and Daring decided to set up camp for the night and resume their trek in the morning. Daring landed softly in the dirt and slipped the saddle bag off her. Glancing over, she saw Rock sit down as he, too, pulled off his saddle bag and set it on the ground. He opened it up and pulled out a folded up tent, complete with poles. Daring sat on her haunches as she pulled off her hat, placing it on a nearby fallen stump. She looked around at the jungle, observing their surroundings.
She could hear the sounds of different animals and creatures in the jungle as night began to fall. Daring was no stranger to sleeping on something besides a comfy bed or somewhere else besides home. But this would be the first time she'd be spending the night with a handsome stallion. Speaking of... She watched as the said stallion attempted to put up the tent he'd packed. The longer she watched, the more Daring grinned.
With a grunt, Rock tried to put two of the poles together and insert them into the tent fabric. No dice. The poles came loose and flopped around. With another grunt, Rock pulled them out and tried to reattatch them. He succeeded. But his ego suffered another blow as he attempted to raise the tent. It collapsed on top of him, leaving him fumbling around inside for the exit.
Daring raised a hoof to her mouth, suppressing a giggle. "Need some help with that?"
"No, no! I can get it. ...Just gotta... get this... stupid pole... into the hole!"
Daring couldn't contain her giggles any longer. She started laughing, falling onto her back.
Rock poked his head out from the tent to give the filly a slight glare. "Oh, ha ha."
Daring calmed her laughter and stood as she trotted over to him. "Here, lemme see that. I can get this thing up." Rock stepped aside and watched as Daring started putting up the tent. "Lessee... This goes here... Put that there..." he heard her say to herself as she worked on the tent. In just a couple of minutes, the tent was up. "Ta da! Done." Daring pointed at the tent with a proud smile, then bowed. "No need to thank me." As she rose, she noticed Rock's jaw hanging. "Heh, toldja I could get it up."
"H-How did you...?"
Daring stepped closer to Rock, smirking. "Whereas you boys don't read the instructions, we girls..." She poked his chest with a hoof. "...follow 'em."
"Gee, um... Thanks..." Rock rubbed the back of his neck.
"No prob," Daring replied with a wave of her hoof, starting to put up her own tent, about six-feet from his.
Rock rubbed the back of his head, an embarrassed blush forming on his cheeks. "You, uh... need some help with that?"
"Nah, I can get it." Daring paused for a second. She hadn't ever dated a guy before, but she knew that some guys tended to have a bit of a masculinity complex about them; they wanted to be a hero, particularly to the girls they really liked. And Daring had already put a dent in that for him. She started to feel a tad guilty over it, but she could give him a chance to reboost that complex. "Actually," she started, "ya can help me hold onto these poles if ya want." She offered him a smile as she sat on her haunches.
Rock smiled a little and stepped over to her, taking a pole into a hoof. Together, it didn't take the two but about a minute to put up the tent. After the tent was up, the two sat back to admire their hoofy work. They did a hoof-pump and chuckled. Just then, the sound of an owl drew the ponies' attention.
"We better get some sleep tonight," Rock mused.
"Yeah, we've got a big day tomorrow," Daring finished.
Rock started over to his tent, and glanced back to the girl pegasus. "I'll see ya in the mornin', Dare."
"Yeah, see ya in the mornin', Rocky," Daring said with a little smile, and started to climb into her tent.
"Oh, and Dare?"
Daring looked back to Rock. "Yeah?"
"Make sure ya keep that bag nearby. And if ya need anything, just lemme know, okay?" He gave her a wink.
Suddenly, Daring felt a little weak in her knees. "Alright... Thanks."
"G'night." Rock climbed into his tent and zipped it up.
"Good night." Daring smiled, and pulled her bag into her tent and zipped up the door. Daring unbuttoned her shirt, folded it and laid it next to the saddle bag. She pulled off her hat and laid it atop her shirt. She then sighed as she laid down upon the mat that made up her bed, laying flat on her back with her hooves behind her head. The small lantern next to her gave off a soft glow. She reached over and turned down the dial, switching it off. The moonlight shone through the tree tops and gave a faint appearance through the fabric of the tent.
Daring thought about how her adventure had started out. So far, the adventure was going smoothly. But she knew from previous endeavors that that wasn't likely to last. She thought about the fabled cascade. Where it was, how difficult it'd be to get to it, and how beautiful it might be.
And she thought of Rock. At the mere thought of him, it stirred up something inside of Daring that she couldn't identify. She liked him, she knew that. But... something just felt different. She had to admit that he was good looking. Okay, he was handsome. And he was sweet, and gentle, and funny. And he loved adventure. Suddenly, Daring's mind exploded with fantasies of her and Rock going on adventures together, getting their picture in the papers, braving dangers to get rare artifacts...
Daring let her eyes drift shut as she felt the fatigue sinking in. A smile crept to her face as she come to the realization that Rock was just six feet away. And Daring felt... safe, protected. She didn't know why. Dangers never really scared or bothered her before. But for some reason... she felt safe with him there. Thinking of Rock, Daring drifted off to sleep, knowing that the next day would be another day she could spend with him.
To be continued...
Author's Note
Author's note: Hey, and welcome to my second MLP FiM fanfic. Now then, this fic is centered on Daring Do. After seeing her introduced in "Read it and Weep", I, too, became hooked on her character. Yes, I still love the mane six, but Derpy Hooves, Vinyl Scratch (DJ Pon3) and Daring Do is right there with them for me. Aaaannd, after thinking about Daring Do one night, I was struck with inspiration for this fic. I started working on it and this is the end result. I hope you enjoy it!
Ponyville Ranger.
It was early the next morning when Daring began to stir. As her eyes fluttered open, the memories of the previous day came flooding back to her. She groaned as she sat up, popping her spine back into place. Stretching her arms over her head, she also stretched her legs and unfurled her wings as she stretched them as well. As Daring yawned, she folded her wings and looked up at the tent. It was still early morning, probably around no later than eight.
As Daring blinked a few times trying to focus her blurry vision, she caught a whiff of a rather delightful scent. It smelled like... pancakes? No. It couldn't be. Out in the jungle? Daring quirked a brow, tilting her head to one side. She took anther sniff and her mouth couldn't help but
water as she licked her lips. "I dunno what that is but boy, it sure smells good..." Daring picked herself up off the makeshift bed and unzipped the door to her tent. As she poked her head out of it, she was treated to a warm and kind of funny sight.
Rock was sitting by a small campfire, holding a frying pan in one hoof while holding a spatula in the other. He turned to the mare and gave her a warm smile. "Mornin'!"
"Morning'," Daring greeted, stepping out of her tent with a yawn. "What time is it?"
Rock looked at his wrist. "It's, uhh... 7:47."
"Sorry... I left my watch in the bag." Daring took a seat just a few feet from him.
Rock couldn't help but grin at her appearance. Her grey and black multicolored hair was frazzled this morning, but not too much different from the usual style in which she wore it. "So how'dja sleep?"
Daring stretched her back and unfurled her wings, the latter quivering as she stretched them. "I slept okay. Felt like I was sleeping on rocks, but it wasn't that bad." She chuckled. "Trust me, I've had worse nights sleep."
"I can imagine."
"How 'bout you? How'd you sleep?"
"I slept alright. I learned a while back that I can sleep almost anywhere." Rock and Daring chuckled.
"So whatcha makin'?" Daring raised her head up, peering into the pan.
"A few waffles, nothing special. Ya hungry?"
Daring licked her lips and rubbed her stomach with a hoof. "Mm, you bet!"
"Good. 'Cause we've got a long journey ahead of us."
Daring grinned. "Did you forget who you're talkin' to?" She put a hoof to her chest and puffed it out. "I'm Daring Do: adventurer, daredevil and fastest Pegasus around."
Rock chuckled. "Excuse me, Miss Do, I did forget who I'm talkin' to," he said playfully, making the smaller, slightly younger Pegasus chuckle. He put a couple of waffles into a plate and handed it to the mare.
"Thanks!" she said, sitting down as she took the plate. She took a fork into a hoof and Rock reached over and pulled a small packet of syrup from his saddle bag.
"I figured ya might want some syrup," he said with a knowing grin.
"You rock, Rock!" she said, and blushed when she realized she'd spoken without thinking. Daring poured some syrup onto her waffles and waited until Rock finished his own breakfast before she started to eat. After saying a short prayer, she took her fork and dug in.
She wasn't sure what it was about the waffles, but they were just... absolutely delicious! A moan escaped her throat as she took another bite of Rock's waffles. "These are great, Rock!" Daring complimented. "I don't think I've ever tasted waffles this good before."
"Ya really like 'em?"
She nodded, shoving another bite into her mouth.
Rock smiled. "Thanks, Dare. I really appreciate that. " There was a silence, and Daring shifted her magenta eyes upward, looking up at the stallion. "My dad used to take me camping quite a bit. He taught me how to cook food over a fire and make it taste good."
"He sure taught you well," Daring quipped, hoping to lighten his mood. "These are awesome!"
He smiled a little smile, his heart warmed at the thought of her enjoying his homemade waffles.
"Thanks."
Daring noticed his tone. It sounded sad, not something she liked hearing in his tone. "You okay?"
"...Losing a parent... It's not something you ever get over."
Daring could hear the sadness in his voice, and it made her gut twist, seeing this strong, tough guy seemingly weighed down by something.
"Listen, Daring, about yesterday... I want to apologize for-"
"You don't have to apologize, Rock," Daring said softly. Her guilt rose, and her head lowered as her ears flattened atop her head. "I'm the one who should apologize..."
Rock looked at her. "Huh? What for?"
"I shouldn't have asked about your dad. I'm really sorry..." Her head hung low.
Rock already knew he hated one thing. To see Daring sad. It didn't suit her. "Hey." He placed a hoof under her chin and lifted her head so their eyes would meet. When they did, Daring realized how close their eyes, and their snouts, were. "You don't have to apologize. And please don't feel bad. My dad... I know some things I know I shouldn't, and it's not easy to deal with or accept."
Daring was curious, but she decided not to pry.
"You don't have to apologize, and please don't feel bad. I wanna see that daring smile of yours, Daring." His tone was sounding playful and warm, and a smile crept onto Daring's face, her ears perking back up. "There. That's the smile I'm used to seein'." Daring felt heat in her cheeks.
Then she realized just how close their faces were. She gazed up into Rock's eyes, those intense, deep, soul penetrating light red eyes of his. Gosh, those eyes were amazing. And the soft, warm way they were staring back at her, like they were staring into her very soul, her very being. Her body quivered and her heart began to race. And her wings were threatening to raise. This was a sudden rush like no other she'd ever felt before, and it was exhilarating. Daring didn't realize she was leaning forward slightly, or that he was, until both paused and blushed as they looked away.
Shoot! Daring thought. So close...
"S-So, uh..." Rock rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah..."
"Y-Yeah..." Although Daring would right now love nothing more than to stare back into those eyes of his again, she refused to look at him, hoping the red on her muzzle would fade away.
"A-Anyway... You don't have to feel bad."
"Thanks. And you don't have to apologize either." The two mustered up the courage to face one another. They shared a warm, yet somewhat embarrassed smile and resumed eating. But one thing stuck in Daring's mind. She might have been somewhat a tomboy, but she was still a filly. With a tint on her cheeks and a sly, embarrassed smile on her lips... "So... you... like my smile?" She noticed Rock freeze up, and thought she saw his eyes widen. He obviously realized he'd spoke those words without thinking about it much. Daring's smile grew. She'd confirmed it.
Yep. He liked her smile.
After breakfast, Rock and Daring saddled up their gear and began their trek through the jungle. The giant leaves on the trees provided shade for the duo, helping to keep them cool as they headed deeper into the forest. They made good time by flying, and of course, Daring couldn't help but show off a couple of aerial stunts she'd picked up on her adventures. Rock was amazed by how fluid and swift her motion was in the air. And the stunts she performed were awesome. He could tell by watching her that flying wasn't just a means of transportation to her. To her, it was a hobby, an art, a passion.
As they flew, and walked, deeper into the jungle depths, they talked about their previous adventures, and about themselves, much to the delight of each other. And the more they learned about one another, the closer they became. A couple of hours passed and the two Pegasi had stopped for a break. Daring sat atop a fallen tree stump as Rock stood near it, checking the map.
"Well, we've made pretty good time," Daring said, taking a sip of her water bottle.
"Yeah, and that's a good thing. We're close to Dragon Rock. According to the map, it should be about two miles ahead."
"Wow, we've made it that far already? Heh! Toldja flying would be the way to go! We'll make the two mile trip in less than a minute! So what's just ahead?"
"According to the map, there should be a river."
"Pfft. Easy! We'll just fly over it!"
Rock wasn't sure, but something just didn't settle too easy with him.
Daring erected her wings, grabbed her hat off the stump and flew up into the air. "C'mon, Rocky! Race ya across the river!"
Rock glanced up at the grayscale blur flying on ahead, and his eyes widened. "Daring, wait!"
Daring reached the river in just seconds, landing on the river bank. The river was bigger than she had anticipated, and the water was moving rather swiftly. But it wasn't a problem for Pegasi. The butter yellow Pegasus smirked back in her partner's direction. "Yer gonna hafta do better than that, Rocky! Ha ha!" She flapped her wings and hovered in the air, letting him catch up a bit.
"Wait! Don't fly across the river!"
She heard him say something, but didn't know what. She started to zoom across the river, but was suddenly grabbed by Rock and both landed on the ground with a soft thud. Just before they hit, they heard a soft pow and zip go past them. "What the hay?" She looked up at him, puzzled and a tad annoyed.
"Stay still." Rock looked behind them, spotting a broken branch, picked it up and threw it over the river. It snagged on a piece of line going across the river and right after it hit, they heard the pow again, then saw an arrow stick into the branch. The branch fell into the water and was quickly washed away by the swiftly moving water.
Daring's eyes widened. Had Rock not stopped her, she would've hit the line and been shot with that arrow. And if the arrow didn't kill her, the rushing water would have. He'd saved her.
Rock sat up, allowing Daring to do the same. "There's traps around here. The closer we get, the more traps there'll be. Just watch were you step and fly."
"You... You saved me..." Daring uttered, still in a bit of shock.
Rock shrugged. "No big. I'm just glad I caught ya in time."
Daring shied away from looking at him, her cheeks turning pink. "Thanks. I... I owe you one."
"No ya don't."
"You saved my life. Of course I owe you," she insisted, turning back to him.
Rock thought for a second. Then a sly grin formed on his lips as he raised a hoof to his mouth. "You really wanna pay me back?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, if I can."
"Alright. I know of a way you can pay me back."
"Alright, name it."
He looked back at her. "After we get outta this jungle, you let me take you out to dinner."
Daring felt the rush of heat to her muzzle, and the sudden increase in her heart rate. He'd just asked her out. YES! "Yes!" He could've sworn he heard a "Squee" as she smiled brightly. She blushed even more now. "Er, I mean... S-Sure..." Rock nodded, and when he turned away, Daring flew up and did a quick loop in excitement. "Yes!" she whispered. Landing next to him, she saw him looking at the river.
"We're gonna hafta be careful. We can fly over the river, but at a low altitude."
"How low exactly?"
He turned to her. "I'd say a few inches away from the water would be good."
She spread her wings and lifted off the ground, him doing the same, and the two carefully hovered over the water. Just a bit into their small flight, Rock hovered to Daring's right.
"Keep your eyes peeled downstream. I'll keep looking upstream."
Daring nodded and flew beside him, making sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
Carefully, the two pegasi made it safely to the other side, landing on the ground and folding their wings against their sides.
"You think it's safe to fly?" Daring asked.
"I think so," Rock replied. "Just be careful and stay close to me."
Not that she had different intentions anyway. Unfolding her wings, Daring lifted about a couple of feet off the ground and started hovering beside Rock, who walked along the beaten path. "So what kinda traps do you think are in this jungle anyway?"
"I figure traps for different ponies. That trap was for Pegasi. Earth ponies would have trouble with the ground traps, and I have a hunch that there's magic involved here, something to keep unicorns from just teleporting to the cascade."
"I don't get it. If the cascade's just a waterfall, then why go through all the trouble of setting traps?" Daring wondered.
"That's what I can't figure out. But we'll find out soon enough, I guess."
Just up ahead, Daring noticed some leaves and brush on the ground. A suspiciously large amount of brush. She quickly flew in front of Rock, stopping him. She glanced down at a small rock, hovered down to it, picked it up, and tossed it onto the brush. It went straight through it, into a ten-foot deep hole in the ground. The two Pegasi shared a look, then flew over it. They flew for another several minutes without incident before stopping to rest.
Daring sat atop a rock while Rock stood just off to her side. While Daring took a sip of her water bottle, Rock undid his saddle bag, letting it hit the ground with a thud. It slowly tilted over and fell onto the ground, the contents spilling out somewhat, including a black object that Daring recognized instantly. That cold, steel black finish... "Is that a gun?" Daring asked, somewhat surprised.
Rock looked down at it, and started stuffing everything back into the bag. "Yeah. I brought it just in case."
Daring lifted herself up and walked over to him. "In case of...?"
"Ya never know when ya might need it," Rock shrugged.
"I'm not really one for weapons, Rock."
"Neither am I, but I brought it just in case. I feel better knowin' I have it."
Daring looked at it for a moment. "Can I see it?"
Rock quirked a brow, but agreed. "Uh, okay." He hoofed her the gun.
Daring sat on her haunches as she examined the gun. She expelled the magazine, twirled the gun, inserted the magazine and pulled back the top, leaving the safety on. Rock just sat with his mouth hanging open. Daring grinned. "What? I said I didn't really like guns, I didn't say I wasn't familiar with 'em."
"Where did you...?"
"-Learn how to use a gun? I learned a quite a while back. Just never used 'em." She hoofed it back him. "That's a good model. You've got good taste in guns." She raised a hoof to close his hanging jaw. "Heh. Might wanna close that." She walked over to her saddle bag and swung it around her middle, looking back at him through half-lidded eyes, giving her tail a little flip. "Shall we continue?" As she started walking away, Rock couldn't help but notice the gentle sway of her hips.
"What a gal..." he said to himself with a silly grin. Then he looked to his sides to see his wings were lifted a bit. Gahh, not now!
Before long, the two ponies were face to face with...
"Dragon Rock..." the two mused in unison.
"Wow, this looks pretty awesome," Daring said, looking at the structure. The rock formation of the dragon head was roughly the size of a two-story building.
"Yeah, it is. I've never seen it up close before."
Daring turned to him. "You got a camera?"
"Uh, no."
"Darnit! I wanted to take a picture of us to document it."
"Don't you mean let me take a picture of you?"
"No I mean take a picture of us," she affirmed. "You didn't think I'd leave you out of the picture, did you? This is our adventure. We're a team, aren't we?" Daring said it without really thinking, and found her cheeks getting hot as he quirked a brow, then smiled.
"Yeah, I guess so," he reasoned with a smile.
Daring smiled sheepishly, then adverted her gaze as she pretended to look at the rock formation, but in reality she was simply trying to hide her flushed muzzle. Being a butter-yellow Pegasus had its disadvantages, as she was finding out. If she were another color, say red or pink or some color close to that, it'd be easier to hide a blush. But she wasn't, so she had to look away. "Come on, let's get going," she said, trying to change the subject, and they flew over top of the rock formation.
"Be careful, Daring," Rock advised. "Nopony has ever made it past here before and found anything."
Daring looked at him. "Relax, Rocky; we'll be alright. We just hafta stay alert. So your dad's plane should be around here somewhere, right?" She looked around but didn't see any sign of plane wreckage or debris.
"I believe it's a little deeper into the jungle. Once we find it, we'll know we're gettin' close."
"What does the map show?"
Rock landed on the ground and dug through his saddle bag until he found the map. Pulling it out, he and Daring looked at it. "Nothing."
"Dragon Rock is the last marker on the map. The cascade's hidden, and the plane wreck wouldn't be on here either..."
"We'll just have to keep going. I can't remember my dad saying very much about where or how he found it exactly. Just that he believed that he kept going in the direction his plane was pointing. Once we find the plane, we'll know which way to go."
"Now all we gotta do is find the crash site. If it's even still there." Daring landed next to him.
"The site's been there for years. Plants and such have undoubtedly grown around it."
"Yeah, and it's also succumbed to rust too. I don't know how much of the plane is even left, but it's the only clue we have right now."
"Well, we'll just hafta keep searching till we find it!" she said optimistically.
"Yeah." He smiled a little smile. He hoped it wouldn't take days to find the wreckage. They didn't have a whole lot of food and supplies. The had enough to make it a week tops, but no more than that. Correction. Daring had more than that. Rock would give her some of his own supplies if it came down to that.
As the two Pegasi traversed through the jungle, they managed to avoid a couple more traps along the way. They stopped to take a few breaks along their way, making sure to not overexert themselves. After their second break, as they started to travel once again, they heard a rumble in the sky above.
"Rain?" Daring said. She looked up, but the treetops were so foggy she couldn't see the sky.
"Great, that's just what we need," Rock said sarcastically.
"Any chance it'll-" A raindrop hit the end of her nose, making her blink. "-let up..." She started to feel a few cool drops begin to sprinkle upon her body.
"Ow." Rock rubbed his eye, where a raindrop had had perfectly good aim. "I doubt it. And these jungle rains can last a while. We better take shelter until it subsides." It started to rain a bit more, and another rumble of thunder indicated that the worst part was fast approaching. Rock quickly removed his saddle bag and dug out his tent. "If we hurry, we might can get our tents up before it starts-" The rain picked up, hard. "-raining!"
"C'mon!" Daring started helping Rock put up his tent, and in just about a minute, it was up. The two Pegasi quickly got inside, zipping up the door as the area lit up with a flash of lightning. "Whew! We got outta the rain before the storm hit." Although they'd gotten out of the rain, they still got pretty wet.
Rock chuckled, and pulled a towel out of his saddle bag, hoofing it to her. "Here."
Daring smiled, and sat as she took the towel. "Thanks." She took off her hat and started drying herself off. She absentmindedly unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it off before realizing who happened to be right next to her. Although her cheeks turned red, she tried to play it off casually, acting as if it was no big deal. Granted, ponies really only wore clothes sometimes, but it still made Daring feel a tad shy. That she couldn't help.
In truth, Rock had watched her. He couldn't help it; he was a guy. It was a natural reaction. But he also did the natural thing and tried to make sure that she didn't catch him watching her. He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't pry his eyes away from her. That is, until she turned around. He quickly adverted his gaze to his saddle bag and acted like he was going to retrieve something from it. However, Daring had caught a faint glimpse of him watching her. Though she felt like scolding him on one hoof, on the other hoof she felt flattered that he was possibly - hopefully - attracted to her like that.
"So how long ya think this rain's gonna last?" Daring asked, attempting to change the subject to avoid embarrassing the both of them.
"It could be just a few minutes, but then it could last all day," was Rock's reply as he pulled out the map from his satchel. Listening to the rain and thunder and seeing the flashes of lightning outside the tent, it was obvious it was letting up any time soon.
"I don't think we're going anywhere for a while."
Rock tilted his head upward, hearing another rumble of thunder. "Doesn't sound like it."
Daring thought about her situation. She'd known Rock for two days now, and here she was in the same tent with him. Yeah, talk about moving quickly... But it wasn't like she had a choice. It was pouring the rain out and it was lightning. A sane pony wouldn't get out there just to pitch a separate tent. Although she was Daring Do, adventurer extraordinaire, looking at Rock, she had no desire to prove how brave she was and pitch another tent in a thunder storm. Nah, she was fine as she was.
Daring got into her saddle bag and pulled out the rolled up mat. She unrolled it and spread it out on the floor of the tent. "Welp..." She plopped down on the mat, crossing one leg over the other and moving her arms behind her head. "It is startin' to get a little dark out... Might as well get a little nap in."
Rock looked at her with a quirked brow. They'd only known for one another for two days, and here she was willingly laying down in the same tent not two feet from him. Either he was dreaming - be it the case then he never wanted to wake up - or this was really happening. And if the latter, then what. The. Buck? "Uuhhh... I can... fix the other tent if you'd rather sleep in this one," he said slowly, his brain trying to process and understand the situation. But he was having a hardware failure.
The butter yellow Pegasus shook her head with a content, if not sly, smile. "No need." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Besides, it's raining cats and dogs out there. Or didja forget?" A rumble of thunder made to prove her point.
"But... wouldn't ya rather have a whole tent to yourself?" he offered.
"What's wrong, Rocky, don'tcha trust me?" She gave him those big, innocent magenta eyes of hers and showed a highly adorable innocent smile. "Don'tcha trust Daring Do?" Then her smile turned devious, almost smirky. Part of him was flattered to receive those looks from her, and part of him wondered if he should be worried...
"O-Of course I trust you!" he defended.
"Oh, yeah? Then prove it," she challenged.
He gulped. "H-How?" His obvious nervousness and confusion just made him too cute for his own good.
"Easy." She patted the spot between the two of them. "Just lay down and relax." She moved the hoof behind her head again. "I won't bite." She closed her eyes, the edge of his mouth curling up into a wicked grin. "Much."
Rock's eyes shrank a bit, and Daring could contain her giggles no longer. She clutched her stomach as she started laughing. Poor Rock failed to notice that he'd been duped into the little joke. Daring wiped her eyes as she relaxed, her giggles dying down.
"Easy, big guy, I'm just messin' with ya." She laid back casually, her arms going behind her head again. "Seriously, go ahead and get some rest. It's okay. I don't mind. I trust ya." She patted the ground. "C'mon. Let's get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow... long journey ahead. A little extra sleep never hurt anypony."
Rock gave a little smile and pulled his own mat out of his saddle bag, spreading it out and laying down. The tent was just big enough for one pony and wasn't made for two, so there was just less than two/four feet between them. As he let his body relax, he turned his head to the Pegasus laying beside him. She was looking at him. And she was smiling gently, slightly playfully. In the light darkness her magenta eyes had a warm, slightly playful sparkle to them.
"See? Toldja I won't bite," she chided. She rolled her head back, looking at the roof of the tent. "I haven't transformed yet." She tried to hide the blush on her cheeks, and waited till she managed to force it away before she glanced back to him, smirking, then started to laugh, and gave him a gentle nudge. He chuckled and nudged her back. The two looked at one another for a moment, both just smiling and enjoying the moment.
Rock turned his gaze back to the roof of the tent as another flash of lightning lit up the night. Daring looked at him a bit more, taking in his cute, handsome features before smiling a little smile and closing her eyes as she turned her face back forward.
Some silence fell over the tent. Neither pony spoke, and just lay there listing to the sound of the rain hitting the nylon tent and the rumble of the thunder above them.
"Hey, Daring?"
"Yeah?" Daring kept her eyes closed, but she could tell from the sudden clarity of his voice that he was facing her, and for a second she could feel his breath blow against her right ear. Her heart fluttered a little and her body quivered.
"When did you start going on adventures? I mean... what got you interested in it?"
Now that was a question that anybody that knew her wanted to know. Although very few actually knew the whole story. She turned to look at him as she opened her eyes. "Ya really wanna know? It's... kinda a rather short story, not a big, glamorous tale."
"Well, I'm curious. I mean if you don't wanna talk about it, I understand."
"No, no, I don't mind talking about it. It's just..." She looked back toward the roof. "Not very many ponies know my story..." She turned to him. "It's not the big adventure story that you might think it is."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'd like to hear it anyway." He offered her a smile and she smiled back.
"Okay. If you're sure..." She sighed and looked back at the roof again as she delved back into her memories. "I guess I've always been adventurous. Ever since I was just a filly. I loved spending time outside, and I used to imagine going on adventures in the wild. Climbing mountains, undersea adventures, exploring vast jungles... I loved to imagine I was going on adventures all the time. Seeing new places, discovering new things... I loved it. It was later that I realized that was who I was. One day, my dad and granddad took me camping... We went hiking and I ended up straying away from them. I didn't mean to but I did. Aannd I got lost." She smiled an impish smile. "Soo I
started wanderin' around tryin' to find my way back."
"Were you scared?"
Daring turned to him with an embarrassed smile. "Maybe just a teeny bit... But I tried to remain calm. I looked around at the trees and plants, and I was able to find my way back to the path by examining my surroundings. When I found my dad and granddad, they pointed this out to me." She pointed to her flank; her cutie mark. "I got my cutie mark that day, and although I knew I loved adventure, I realized that it was a part of me; who I was, who I am." She looked at him as a grin formed. "And so Daring Do was born." She chuckled slightly. "Guess that's a pretty boring story, huh?"
"Not at all," he answered with a shake of his head. "I think it's pretty cool."
Her eyes seemed to light up. "Really? Huh. You'd be the first one to think that..."
"Whaddaya mean?" He propped himself up on his forearm as he listened intently to her.
"Well... everypony thinks I've got some big back story to how I started out, but I don't. I grew up as average as anypony. I had a mom and dad, didn't have any siblings, and I was just fascinated by the world. I wanted to go out and see it, to explore it. I didn't wanna stay home all the time. I wanted to go out and see the world, go on grand adventures."
"Sounds to me like you got to do just that," Rock smiled.
"Yeah... I did." Daring smiled too. "And I've loved every second of it." Though she tried to hide it, there was something missing from her life. Although she'd had great adventures, been to exotic places and seen things other ponies could only dream of, there was still something missing from her life.
Companionship.
Even though she'd braved dangers beyond imagination, fought off wild, blood-thirsty beasts and predators and survived being stranded in the jungle for weeks, there was a deep, harbored secret that nopony else knew. Daring sometimes got lonely. She sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a partner, someone she could adventure with. And these past two days with Rock had opened her eyes to the matter. Being with Rock made her feel like she'd never felt before, and it was a good feeling, although she couldn't explain it or really understand it.
Was she... ...falling for him?
It made sense. Here was a cute, sweet, funny guy going on this adventure with her. Honestly - and she'd never admit this to anypony - but he was more of a treasure it seemed than any ancient artifact she'd ever sought. Maybe... Maybe it was time to seek this one, and keep it - or him - to herself. But... did he feel the same? Was he - and she hoped more than she ever thought she would for anything - developing feelings for her as well? Gazing into those light red eyes of his, she realized that it'd be so easy to get lost in th- wait. She already had.
"But?"
"But what?" she said, blinking with confusion.
"I can tell by your voice that there's something more to it."
Hm. Nopony's ever analyzed her like this before. Which put Daring on a spot. Should she tell him the truth?
"There's nothing more to it," she fibbed.
"C'mon, Dare, ya can tell me." The genuine smile he gave just seemed to... well... make her want to spill her guts right then and there. She hesitated. For some reason she was actually kind of afraid that if she told him that it'd make her look different in his eye. He seemed to have the idea that she was tough and could face anything, didn't let fear stop her. She believed she had this image built up to him and was afraid that she'd taint it. But then... could she really not open up to him? Did she not trust him? Didn't she trust herself?
"Well..." Her voice was soft and low, evident to him that he was treading on a touchy subject. "It can get... a little lonely sometimes out here by yourself..." She avoided looking at him.
"Oh. So... how come ya always go by yourself?" he asked.
Daring shrugged. "'S what I'm used to, I guess."
"Haven'tcha ever asked somepony to go with you?" he questioned.
The female Pegasus shook her head from her laying position. "Never have. I just go where ever and see where the road takes me."
"Has anypony ever went with you?"
Daring only shook her head. "Been journeyin' by myself since day one."
A moment of silence fell over the tent, and after a few seconds, Rock broke it. "Have ya ever hought about havin' somepony come with ya on your adventures?"
"Yeah, I have," she admitted, and looked up at him. "Why? You know of somepony?" She gave a light grin. "I doubt anypony'd wanna journey with me. What with the danger 'n all."
"I'm here aren't I?" he said with a light smile.
In that moment, silence fell over the tent, and Daring's eyes sparkled at his answer. Inside, her heart was doing flips, but she was also uncertain. Was he gonna ask to be her partner?
"And how could nopony want to adventure with you? You're brave, fun t' be with, funny, smart..." Cute.
Daring caught the sudden tint to his cheeks just before she turned her head a bit in an attempt to hide the sudden tint to her own. Besides his words being an ego and confidence boost, they also hit home with her growing feelings toward him.
"Anypony would be lucky to be out here with you. So I definitely consider myself very lucky." Rock smiled down at her warmly and honestly, his smile and eyes giving away the admiration he felt for her.
Daring could only stare up at him, his words rendering her speechless. Nopony had ever said anything so... meaningful and sweet to her before, and although she had built up a tough, brave exterior, her insides could be sensitive and delicate sometimes. She might have been a bit of a tomboy sometimes, but she was still sensitive over some subjects.
"...I'm really glad ya are," she admitted softly. "So what about you, Mister Porter?" she asked after a moment of silence. "How'd you get started adventuring?"
Rock waved a hoof as he rolled onto his back. "Ah, you don't wanna hear my story."
"Aw, c'mon! 'Course I wanna hear it!" she said, rolling onto her side and propping up her upper torso on her forearm. "C'mon, dude, spill."
"Nah, ya don't wanna hear it."
"Hey, I told you my story, now I wanna hear yours."
"It's boring."
"Don't care."
"It'll bore you."
"I'll be the judge."
"It ain't good."
"Tell me."
"No."
She poked his side. "Come on."
"Nope."
"Tell me, tell me, tell me." She poked him every time she said it.
Now she was just being cute.
"Uh-uh."
"Dude, I can make you tell me."
"Yeah? How?"
Daring grinned confidently. "I can give you the sad pony look."
"The wha...?"
Daring closed her eyes, then opened them again. Rock felt his heart explode. Twice. Her magenta eyes were even bigger than normal and she had the most adorable, heart-shattering pout he'd ever seen. For the love of everything, being shot wouldn't hurt this badly!
"Okay! Okay, okay! I give! I'll tell you, just please don't look at me like that!" he exclaimed as he looked away. "Dang it, you made my heart collapse..."
Daring blinked and returned to normal. "Ha ha, toldja."
"Jeez, how'd you do that?" She shrugged. "It's a girl thing. Now spill. I wanna know everything."
"All right... Well... not really much to tell. I just wanted to be able to go out and see the world. I was tired of staying in the same old place. I wanted to get out and see the world, explore it, and enjoy it. So I saved up enough bits and started travelin'. I found a couple of things that
managed to rake in a bit more bits, but definitely nothing like you've found. I love bein' able to travel. I love the sense of freedom, the adventure, the excitement." He turned to her. "And why are ya grinnin' like that?"
Daring chuckled. "Because you just described what I feel! I couldn'ta said it better myself."
"Really? Huh. Guess we're in the same boat, then." The two ponies shared a smile.
"So what about you? You enjoy travelin' by yourself?"
Rock sighed. "Sometimes I don't mind it. Other times..." Daring tilted her head in interest. "It's like with you." He looked over at her. "It can get a little lonely sometimes."
There was a silence as the two looked at one another. A realization each had, and looking at each other, they knew the other knew it and felt it too.
"I'm really glad I'm on this adventure with ya, Daring. Thanks for puttin' up with me." Rock offered her a kind, genuine smile.
Daring returned it. "Me too, Rock. And thanks for puttin' up with me as well." Then Daring cracked a grin. "Whaddaya think you're grandfather would say if he found out we're sharing the same tent?"
Rock's eyes widened. "I'd be dead in a minute."
Daring laughed. "Don't worry, Rocky, I won't tell 'im."
"Ya won't?"
"Nah, don't worry. 'Sides, he might kill me too if he thinks I did anything with his grandson." Her cheeks flushed.
"Sooo... we don't mention this?"
Daring made a zipping motion across her lips. "Nada. Not a peep." Then Daring grinned as she laid back down. "So? Have ya thought any about where yer gonna take me to dinner?"
"Well... where wouldja like t' go?" he asked.
"I'm not into fancy, shmancy restraunts, so someplace simple."
"Know of anyplace we won't get mobbed by reporters?"
"Reporters?" Daring turned to look at him.
"Yeah, ya know... With you bein' the famous Daring Do and all, ya must get hounded by paparazzi all the time." Daring's expression suddenly turned to one of hurt. She looked away from him as she fell silent. "What's wrong? What'd I say?" Rock asked, now worried.
She turned to him as she sat up. "Would you please stop calling me famous?"
"But you are," he pointed out, confused.
"I'm just an adventurer, nothing more. I don't want somepony treating me special just 'cause they think I'm famous. I wanna to be treated like a normal pony. So please... don't treat me any differently than you would anypony else. Treat me normally. Treat me the way you'd want to be treated." Her tone softened. "We're a team on this venture, remember? So treat me as a team member. Treat me as your partner."
Rock nodded with an understanding smile. "Okay. Partner."
Daring smiled, and laid back down.
"So where do ya wanna go?"
Daring thought for a moment. "How about a pizza joint?"
Rock tilted his head as he grinned. "You've traveled all over the globe, obviously had exotic foods, and ya just want a pizza?"
Daring grinned. "Pizza's good, dude. Ya can't beat it."
Rock laughed. "Alright, when we get outta this jungle, I'll take ya to the best pizza parlor I know."
"Now that's more like it," Daring grinned, holding out her right hoof.
Rock held out his left hoof and the two hoof bumped.
Daring yawned, the relaxing setting taking its toll on her. As her eyes closed, the sound of rain on the tent and the distant rumble of thunder in the distance made it clear the storm would last awhile. Suddenly, Daring felt something being pulled over her, and opened her eyes to see Rock pushing a blanket over her.
"Here's an extra blanket, in case ya get cold."
Daring felt her heart skip several beats. "Oh, uh... T-Thanks..."
Rock laid back down, getting comfy on his own mat.
"What about you?"
Rock looked at her. "I brought another blanket, so don't worry about me. And if ya need anything, just lemme know."
Daring smiled, and nodded, acknowledging his request. "G'night, Rock. And thanks for the blanket."
"You're welcome. Night, Dare." Rock settled in and closed his eyes.
Daring watched him for a moment, and looked down at the blanket sitting beside her. She unfolded it, pulled it up over herself and snuggled underneath it. Looking back over to the stallion, she smiled, and relaxed, letting her eyes drift shut. Goodnight, Rock.
To be continued...
Author's Note
The second chapter of my Daring Do story. I hope everyone enjoys it! 
