Chapters The Quest for the Golden Apple Tree
It Begins: Nathan Drake's Prologue
It Begins: Daring Do's Prologue
Daring awoke to the sound of shuffling beside her. The human was struggling against something. The mare looked down to see ropes had been tied around them both. Rather tightly too, if I might add.
Daring began to shuffle around. She too tried against the ropes, but to no avail. They would not budge. A few moments of struggling later and both she and the human hung their heads down low.
“I knew this was a bad idea from the beginning”, he said to nopony in particular.
Daring absorbed what he said and thought for a moment. 'Thinking like that will get us both killed.... I know!', she finished her thought as she looked to the man sitting beside her.
“Don't be like that! We still have a chance of escaping”, she began with a fierce determination in her voice, “You just have to be patient. Things will turn out.”
The man looked up to see Daring Do looking right at him with a fiery stare, but she expression quickly dropped as another human came behind him and placed a knife to his throat.
“Yeah... patience”, he managed to choke out.
'Oh no! W-what do I do!', she thought to herself. 'Uhh...'
“Leave him alone!”, she shouted. The human smiled and Daring tilted her head slightly before gasping at the sensation of a knife being pressed up to her neck. 'Uh oh', was all she could think of.
/BANG/
Daring Do sighed over her large mug of apple cider. It was late evening and the bar was beginning to become quite the busy place. Daring sighed once more and took a large gulp of the warm liquid. She let the contents slowly pass over her tongue as she absorbed the taste before swallowing. She then roughly placed the mug on the counter before speaking, “Give me another round”, she said to nopony in particular.
“I think you've had enough miss”, the bartender said with a raised brow. Daring just shook her head. Perhaps she has had enough for tonight.
She looked up to face the bartender and smiled, “Thanks. I didn't know when I'd stop”, she said with half lidded eyes, “Uhh...”
The bartender rolled his eyes and gestured to the door. “You know you gotta pay me back someday”, he began, “And I hope it's soon.”
Daring Do nodded, got out from the seat, and exited the bar.
It was dark now. Daring looked up to see the moon rising overhead. She could always rely on the light of moon at night to guide her. She smiled, but it quickly dissipated as she began walking down the empty street.
“-ou. If I ever get my hands on a golden apple, I would buy me-self a house!”, came a voice from the window above her. Apple? No, wait. Golden apple? Daring Do stopped in her tracks and listened intently. It wasn't her first time hearing the myth of the golden apple tree, but she had always been curious as to it's existence.
“I know whure it is”, came the voice again. Whoever it was, they sounded quite drunk. “I'm telling you! It's in Saddle Arabia! I saw eet with mah own two eyes!”
Saddle Arabia. Daring Do had been there many times, but had never heard any of the local ponies speaking about it. She began to ponder whether she should continue to listen, but another voice chimed in. This one feminine and having a professional quality to it.
“Saddle Arabia. I was there just last year. None of the locals spoke of such a thing.”, the mare spoke. Daring could hear her walking around. “You claim to have seen it, but where is the evidence? Why do I not see a golden apple in your hooves?”, she said, sounding angry.
“Uhh... well, you see...”, he began, “I couldn't get close to it. There were many traps and I'm not... I'm... I'm not skilled enough to hip hop through all them.”
There was a sudden flash of light from the window. It startled Daring and she fell back onto her flank, but she continued to listen intently.
“It would appear you are telling the truth. My spell sees no lies coming from you. Very well, I will be off. Thank you for your time.”, she said as another flash of light illuminated the small window which was followed by silence.
Daring Do felt herself smiling wide. The Golden Apple Tree was real! Without realizing, she was already at her apartment doorstep and opening the door. 'I have to make preparations for Saddle Arabia', she excitedly thought to herself as she entered the house and shut the door behind her with a kick of her hind leg. 'Preparations... right! I'll be needing to pack medium light for this venture', she thought as she began to frantically gather supplies. She continued with her thoughts, 'Golden Apple Tree! I can only imagine how the fruit itself must taste. Ohmygosh!', she ended the thought with a small squee in her bathroom mirror. She no longer felt the hazing effects of the cider. It was replaced with vigor and purpose. Daring Do hadn't had any luck finding any information for a new crusade out into the unknown. Money had been falling short as it usually does for treasure hunters. She was desperate for any sort of adventure that would wield a great deal of money. Daring Do wasn't in the adventuring business for fame or glory. Like any tomb raider before her, Daring Do was in it for the excitement, rush, and eventually money. She now had her chance. The Golden Apple Tree planted firmly in her mind, Daring left the bathroom and began to pack for the long trip ahead of her. She knew it would be dangerous and that she wasn't the only one pursuing this legendary tree of golden fruit and she was prepared to fight for it, if necessary.
Daring awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. Sunlight poured in through her living room window. She yawned, stood, and began her daily stretches. Today was the day she would be leaving for Saddle Arabia. To say she was excited would be an understatement. Daring gave her saddle bags a once over before sliding them onto her back, then carefully moving her wings through the holes on both sides.
Daring Do was ready and nothing was going to stop her from getting that tree.
The Quest for the Golden Apple Tree
It Begins: Daring Do's Prologue
It Begins: Nathan Drake's Prologue
Nathan Drake struggled against the tight ropes which held him down. He looked to his left and saw the pony doing the same, but with the same results. The ropes wouldn't budge. He grunted again as he tried, but the small ponies wings were beginning to get in his way. A few moments passed and both pony and Drake gave up. They hung their heads low.
“I knew this was a bad idea from the beginning”, sighed Drake.
“Don't be like that! We still have a chance of escaping”, the pony began, “You just have to be patient. Things will turn out.”
Nathan sighed once more, but looked up to see Daring Do looking at him with fire in her eyes, but it quickly shifted to worry to as a knife was pressed up against his throat from behind. “Yeah... patience”, Drake managed to choke out.
Daring Do glared at the man behind Nathan, “Leave him alone!”, she shouted, but the man only smiled as another came behind the small pony and pressed a knife up to her neck as well.
Drake's eyes darted around for anything he could use, but the floor was empty.
He closed his eyes. 'How did I ever get into his mess', he thought to himself.
/BANG!/
/Knock knock knock/
Something moved under the covers of the bed. It made a few groaning sounds before moving out from under the covers. A man with short unruly hair and a 5 o'clock shadow yawned and stretched as a female voice spoke from beneath the mountain of blankets.
“Nate?”, she asked, “Are you going to get that?”
Nathan Drake, ex-fortune hunter extraodinaire, smiled at the nickname. It reminded him of his adventuring days, but he was now long retired. His good friend, Sullivan, had moved on and was now vacationing at some resort. Drake now lived a quiet life with his fiance, Elena. She was still a big shot reporter, whereas Drake was nothing more than a stay at home husband-to-be. He turned towards the bedroom door and motioned for it.
“In a minute, Elena”, he yawned, “Just waking up.”
/Knock knock knock/
The knocking became louder as Drake left the room and made his way to the front door.
“Who is it?”, he asked as he closed the distance between him and the door.
“Honestly, must you ask?”, came a familiar voice.
Drake was now fully awake. He rushed for the door and undid all the locks before opening it. His eyes fell upon an old friend of whom he thought he would never see again. She was of medium height. Her hair was dark and her skin was a lovely tan. Her lips were a crimson as well as her shirt. Her pants, however, Drake could not believe she was able to fit into something like that without a single wrinkle.
“C-C-Chloe?!”, Drake stammered as he stared in disbelief.
Chloe noticed him staring at her body and she smiled. “My my, Nathan Drake. You're looking rather lively this morning”, she said with a grin.
“Uhh...”, was all he could say.
Chloe crossed her arms before speaking, “Well aren't you going to invite me in? We're still friends, aren't we?”, Chloe asked with a raised brow.
Drake thought for a moment before yawning and stepping aside.
Chloe winked at him as she walked past. She had even dared to trace her finger tip across his bare chest. Drake didn't seem to mind. He was either used to her affectionate attitude, or he really didn't mind.
He shook his head and finally managed to ask, “What are you doing here, and how did you even find me?”
Chloe waggled her finger, “Trade secret”, she chuckled before looking around, “So where's Elena, hm? I know she's here.”
As if on cue, Elena exited the room. She seemed unsurprised that Chloe had shown up.
“Oh, hey Chloe”, she said before turning to the kitchen, “Coffee?”
Chloe looked to Drake and back to the kitchen, “Definitely. I think you guys will want to be awake for this.”
“Wait... run that by me again”, Drake said with a confused look on his face.
Chloe only rolled her eyes and looked to Elena who appeared to be very interested in the idea Chloe had just pitched over a cup of coffee.
“No, seriously. What?”, Drake started, “A... golden apple tree?”
Chloe shook her head and explained it once more in simpler words. “Nathan”, she began, “I have gathered enough evidence proving it's existence. Somewhere out there is a tree that bears golden fruit, and I know where to start looking.”
Nathan thought it over for a moment before stepping forward with a response, “Are you sure of this?”, he asked. Chloe nodded slowly and smiled as she opened her mouth, “Positive! I'm sure of this, Drake. Come on! Don't you miss our adventuring days?”
Nathan sat back in his armchair with a sigh. “You know I'm done with that stuff. Hunting for fortunes has just become too dangerous for Elena and I.”
Chloe furrowed her brows and slammed both her hands onto the small table between them, “Do you know what this could mean?! Money, fame, glory! Doesn't that matter at all to you? Aren't you the least bit curious?!”
Money sounded good. Nathan Drake had no use for fame or glory, but money? Heck, he could use whatever money they got to buy a house and finally get Elena that ring he's always wanted to get for her, but he's made it clear that his adventuring days are over. After that incident with that secret organization, Nathan finally realized that he was making a lot of dangerous enemies and he couldn't live with the possibility of bad guys kicking down his door and taking out both him and Elena in one fell swoop.
“We'll do it!”, Elena shouted before Drake had a chance to respond. He looked to his fiance with a questioning expression. “We'll do it”, Elena stated again.
Drake looked to Chloe then to Elena and back again. He raised his hands in defeat and sighed, “Alright, I'm in too.”
Chloe smiled and nodded her head with approval.
The Quest for the Golden Apple Tree
Unexpected Discovery: Daring Do
“Wh-what?!”, Daring Do shouted as she suddenly awoke, mid-flight, to the sound of lightning striking the ground. She had been flying for a day without so much as a small break. It had begun to show in her sporadic black outs.
“As much as I hate to admit it”, she yawned as she began to slowly make her descent, “I need to find someplace to rest my eyes for awhile....”
Daring suddenly awoke to sunlight in her eyes. 'How long have I been out? And more importantly', she thought to herself, 'Where am I?' As Daring stood she stretched her wings and took a look at her surroundings. It was quite obviously a forest as she noticed she was surrounded by trees and bushes, but she had no clue as to how she came to be in such a place. She yawned.
“Well, it could be worse”, she whispered to herself with a slight chuckle. Daring knew it was bad luck to utter such words, but she wouldn't be an adventurer who was known worldwide if she hadn't learned to take risks.
After stretching her wings and taking the time to wake up, Daring readied herself and took to the sky in a trail of black and gray; Her destination planted firmly within her mind.
Daring had acquired a certain fondness for flying. She knew her destiny was to be a tomb raider/adventurer/daredevil/fortune hunter, but recently she began to enjoy the exhilaration of flying as fast as her wings could push her. However, she had no clue as to why. She merely shrugged it off as a common pegasi attribute.
Hours had passed before Daring Do began to notice less trees and more ground, until eventually there was only sand covering the ground below. Any other pony would avoid such a dangerous trek though the desert, but Daring Do was no other pony. She smiled as familiar sensations began to creep along her body. Fatigue, hunger, thirst, etc. Yet she pressed on with a smile on her face.
It wasn't until she noticed a small town in the distance that she decided to take a break. Daring looked to the sun as it was beginning to set over the horizon. Another sensation overcame her. It overpowered her hunger, fatigue, and thirst like no other sensation had ever come close to. She felt freedom. Freedom to fly. Freedom to seek treasure. Freedom to do as she darn well pleases as long as it paid the bills. Daring Do was an amazing pony and no other could compete.
The moon was high in the sky when Daring had arrived at the small commercial town.
'Welcome to ////////'. Daring could make out the 'Welcome to', but had no clue as to the actual name as it seemed numerous sandstorms had eroded the paint into nothingness.
Daring Do landed with a tired yawn. She was exhausted. Normally pegasi would be unable to fly as far as Daring had, but excitement and adrenaline had kept her going. However, it would seem she was running rather low on excitement, let alone adrenaline at the moment.
“Daring. Do.”, came a familiar voice as Daring had made her way into town. She quickly turned at the sound of her name to see a brown stallion with glasses and blond mane smiling at her.
“Christopher!”, Daring shouted in greeting, but was cut short with a vicious yawn. Christopher raised a curious brow. “I see some things never change”, she said with a slight smirk. Daring smiled with half lidded eyes, “I could say the same for you”, she began with a chuckle, “You're still sporting the same mane-style and glasses I see.” Christopher laughed and motioned for Daring to walk with him.
“So what brings you so close to Saddle Arabia?”, he asked with a tinge of sarcasm. Daring rolled her tired eyes. She knew Christopher already had the answer. Fortune. “Ah”, he said with a slight nod, “And what fortune are you seeking, if I may ask?”
Daring Do may be a mare of many talents, but small talk wasn't one of them. All she wanted to do was climb into a soft bed and sleep the night away. She yawned once more which elicited another raised eyebrow from her friend.
“I can see you've come a long way”, Christopher said as he looked up and down Daring Do's body, “You're covered in dirt and sand.” She nodded in agreement. She had come a long way, but distance had little meaning to the adventuring pegasi. She knew her actions would be sweetly rewarded the moment she discovers the Golden Apple Tree.
“Sleep”, Daring muttered.
“What was that?”, Christopher asked as he leaned closer.
“Sleep”, Daring said again, but noticed Christopher was smiling. She once again rolled her tired eyes.
“Right, of course”, he said, “You can stay with me for the night. I have a small living area set aside in this town for when I'm out on business. I do hope you don't mind some company though. I'm having a colleague visit while we work on a new project of mine.”
Daring Do nodded half heartedly. She had barely caught anything he had said to her.
Christopher smiled. He and Daring went way back. Back to even before Daring Do had become Daring Do. They were close friends.
He led the tired mare through the empty streets. Words went in one side of Daring's head and out the other. She was exhausted. A sensation that she wouldn't really ever grow accustomed to.
The pair had eventually made it to a small house at the edge of the small town. Daring was relieved.
“-o anything?”, Christopher's voice trickled into her brain.
“Huh, what?”, Daring asked as she shook her head.
“Can I get you anything?”. Christopher asked.
Daring shook her head.
Christopher nodded and motioned for the bed near Daring. “This bed probably isn't the best you've slept in, but it'll do.”, he said with a smile.
Bed? 'We're in a room?', she thought to herself, 'But weren't we just outside?' Daring Do lifted up her head and examined her surrounding. 'When did I get here?', she asked herself. She yawned one last time before dropping her saddle bag, dropping onto the bed, and passing out.
“-ree. It's here, isn't it? In Saddle Arabia?!”
Daring's eyes opened at the sound of Christopher's voice down the hall. 'Oh, right. He has a colleague visiting. They're probably just speaking about his project', she thought to herself with a yawn.
“That is what he told me. He even claimed to have seen it with his own two eyes.”
Daring Do shot out of bed. “It's her! T-that's the voice!”, she quietly said to herself. She would recognize that voice anywhere. The professional feminine tone. The way she passively rolled her R's. The bad vibe from before. It was indistinguishable.
“I knew it!”, shouted Christopher, but he quickly quieted down, “Oh, oops. I have a guest here.”
“Guest?”, came the female voice.
“Indeed. An old friend of mine.”, he said with a slight optimism in his tone.
“Oh? And who might this be?”, she said curiously.
“No one important. Another adventurer”, he began, “Much like yourself.”
Daring heard the mare move as she spoke, “Oh! May I meet her?”
'Horseapples!', Daring Do screamed in her head.
“She's sleeping right now”, came Christopher as he seemed to be moving as well. He had apparently cut off the mare as her hoof-steps stopped with his.
“I'm sure I could disturb her for just a moment”, said the mare as her hoof-steps picked up once more. She was getting closer.
'Ooohhh, what do I do?!', Daring quickly thought to herself. Just then a breeze hit the back of her neck. The window. She quickly turned to see it was open a crack. Without hesitating, Daring Do grabbed her saddle bag and ran for the barely open window.
“Hm? It sounds like she is quite awake”, came the mare's voice from the other side of the door.
“Uh oh!”, Daring whispered to herself. She quickly turned her attention to the window. There wasn't enough time to force the window open. She would have to break the glass and escape that way.
The door knob turned. It was now or never.
Daring Do gulped and readied herself. “Now or never”, she whispered as the door began to open.
Running, Daring jumped and easily broke through the aged glass. Shards cut into ribs and clipped a feather or two, but she was fine as she took to the night sky.
She hadn't bothered to look back as she flew as fast as her wings would let her. Daring knew she wasn't being chased, but she felt as if she needed to distance herself away from her old friend and that mysterious mare.
Several minutes passed before Daring finally slowed down enough to think. Why was Christopher after the Golden Apple Tree? He was no adventurer. Why was he speaking with that mare from before? And why was she a friend of his? Christopher had never mentioned having any other friend than herself.
Questions were swimming around in her head. The more she tried answering them, the more confusing the situation became.
It wouldn't be the first time Daring Do was in a race to the finish, but it had somehow felt different this time around and a lot more dangerous. More dangerous than her experience with the Sapphire Stone. She sighed and looked to the moon. 'Oh Luna. I could really use some guidance. Hay, even some advice would work', she thought to herself once more with a shake of her head. She was asking the princess for help? Since when did Daring Do ever ask for help? “I have a reputation to uphold”, she said to nopony in particular.
/Daring Do..../
“Huh, what?”, Daring Do looked behind at the mention of her name. No one. She was completely alone up there. She chuckled and shook her head, “Still tired.”
/FLASH!/
“Urgh!”, Daring Do winced as the bright flash of light blinded her, but the light was gone as fast as it had appeared.
She quickly blinked her eyes and slowed to a stop. “Wow, that was definitely not normal.”, she said softly as she rubbed at her eyes. Daring saw the sky begin to turn a hue of light blue. Daylight? 'I must have slept longer than I thought', she thought to herself as she took flight once more.
Daring Do hadn't noticed the sun was unusually smaller as it rose on the horizon.