The eyes of Daring shot open in a motion of pure fear. She was sweating from all sides in her bed. Daring quickly removed the blankets from her body and she jumped out of bed while she was almost panting of her life. Her hoof tried to reach for her heart to calm it. She had been haunted by a terrible nightmare of memories she had rather forgotten then being rich. A nightmare in which her fears were so realistic that it almost seemed real. “Nightmare Moon,” she spoke under her breath to herself and simply stared out into window, watching the early sunrise over the land.
With the sun being up and shining brightly over the town and Daring made her way over to the bathroom to refresh herself thoroughly. It was there when she came to a conclusion which she spoke out loud to herself. “Daring, you look like nothing today.” A light chuckle did its turn through the bathroom and she began to do her daily morning routine under a soft hum.
Being finally done with her morning routine, the explorer sat down on her bed with a map of Equestria before her and was on the lookout for the closest town by the infamous Desert. “The town of Dust Bin, appropriate name.” She quickly got on her hooves and gathered all her belongings before simply leaving the room as it was and walked outside in the hope to get a carriage that could bring her to the train station.
A few minutes later could Daring Do be found on the small station of Ponyville. She would have taken place onto the train. The one that went from Canterlot Station to where she had to step over for another train. Given the duration of the trip, Daring made herself comfortable in her spot and placed her hat before her eyes. They were closed in order to get some more sleep.
---
Finally had the train rolled into its final stop and the pegasus couldn't be happier. Under a loud whistle of the mighty steam engine had the wheels managed to come to a standstill while it kept puffing steam majestically. The daring pegasus opened her eyes and placed her hat back on her head just before she started to look outside and witness the world as it was.
It was a true sight for sore eyes that came into hers and Daring took out her luggage from under the seat and made her departure from the train as a whole. But the second she left, all her bones snapped back into place while she released a couple uncomfortable sounds and winces.
That didn't stop her from going out anyway. No, Daring Do was a tough mare who could withstand those kind of small setbacks with ease. Seconds later did she found herself in the final town before the desert would begin. The last frontier before sand reached as far as the eye could see. Her dark pinkish eyes looked down at the single street of Dust Bin and it appeared to be coming right out of a western novel, which it sort of did in her eyes. The little town was known for its harsh nature and it had been that way since the last two centuries. A simple town of simple needs, would describe it at best. Something that had both its elegance and darker side.
Daring Do was no stranger to that as she knew how rough the towns in the west could be from time to time. And most like that this town wouldn't be any exception to that rule. All she had to do was making sure she didn't get involved in it and focus on her task at hoof.
While she walked through the long street, all the eyes of the villagers told her the same thing, they knew she was a stranger and it seemed they didn't like it at all. Yet Daring didn't gave them that much attention as her eyes caught something of interest, the local bar named: the Raging Mare. A smirk appeared on her face after she had read the name and went inside where she checked in for a room for at least two months of time.
When she entered the room it happened to be smaller than her previous two rooms. Oddly enough it still had a bathroom but there wasn't a desk to be found. Then again, next to a bed and bathroom she didn't truly need. She placed her luggage on the bed and looked through the window to see the sun setting once again. The whole day she had been traveling over the land's railways. Going from east to west, north to south, she had seen it all.
“It is too late to go now, I will head out tomorrow, and find that thing after some supplies have been taken care of,” she said to herself in a whisper. With a confident nod did she walked out of the room, locked it and then walked back downstairs to the bar itself for good luck.
Daring made her way down the stairs and took a seat by the bar and she allowed the pleasant mood of the bar to surround her. All around her were ponies laughing, playing some games with each other and a pianist played happy tones. She began to smile herself at the sight and then looked into the room itself, it just looked like an old wild-west saloon and she knew, time has stopped her. But why would it progress? They all had a good life like this so why complain? Why make it better? That were just some of the question going through her head. Eventually she walked up to the bar and took place on it, signaling the barkeeper who happened to be a unicorn stallion.
“What can I bring this lovely mare tonight?” the barkeeper asked, which resulted in Daring shocking up from her thoughts. She didn't expect him to come that early or fast.
“A mug of cider will do,” she spoke up to him after the question had drilled through her mind. The barkeeper gave her a nod and moved over to the other end of the bar and began to fill up a mug with the ordered liquid before returning back to her.
“Here you go miss. Say, you are not from around here now are you?” he asked of her.
Daring took the mug and took a swig from it. “Not at all. I am just here on a stop before I travel further,” the mare replied to him with a confident tone.
The barkeeper both nodded in understanding manner. Yet rose an eyebrow to her answer. Though he knew not to meddle himself too much into others their business too much. "You know it's just desert out there, right?" he asked of her, just to be sure.
"I know, but there are things that I need to take care of in there," she said against him and he knew more than enough. “If you can believe that to begin with.”
"Suit yourself." The stallion returned to his work while continuing on his work. And while the evening ventured on further, Daring only drank cider and water while her mind was thinking about the upcoming day. Things would turn out differently for certain. It was something she knew from a gut feeling. But that was the only thing that was sure though.
“You dirty cheater!” a stallion all of the sudden yelled in anger through the whole bar before he nearly flipped the poker table over and punched another stallion right in the face.
The barkeeper's eyes glared over to the fighting two while letting go a deep sigh. “Ugh, not again.” And almost instantly, the whole saloon began to fight. The barkeeper removed his hat and below it was an already charged up horn hidden which fired a blast in mere seconds, getting everyponies attention aimed towards him.
With a huff did the energy disappear and he looked over the clients with a stern look. “Here at the Raging Mare we are civil folk, fighting happens outside. You two, out, now,” he said with an even sterner voice and pointed to the two who began the fight. “Let the sheriff take care of it.”
Rightfully fearing the power of the horn, they left the saloon muttering against each other and continued outside. But nopony gave them anymore attention. After the two had removed themselves, the barkeeper placed his hat back upon his head, hiding the horn once again. “How often does that happen?” Daring asked while placing down her empty mug, resting her eyes on the stallion behind the bar.
“At least once a week. I can consider myself lucky if there isn't one in every week. You want another one?” replied the barkeeper chuckling. Laughing was the best way to forget the situation.
The explorer just went along with him. She then shook her head a bit before she paid for the drinks. “Thanks for everything, but I need some rest now.” It wasn't long after that, that she found herself undressed in her room and just laid down on the soft bed with her eyes closed. The adventurous pegasus fell asleep rather quickly and the alcohol continued to race through her body.
---
The mare her eyelids gently twitched before they were opened up. With a moan and groan she rubbed them before she took a good look around at her surroundings. Only to have found herself waking up in the middle of the desert. She seemed to have been resting in front of what appeared to be a temple. A place where the stones were literally twisted and darkness itself emerged from the entrance. The shape of the temple was something never seen before, pillars of twisted stone rising, holding up a black dome. Countless screams of pain and agony echoed loudly in her ears. Though there was not a single soul to be was found in her surroundings.
With all the strength that was to be found in her body did Daring try to make her way over to the entrance. She wanted to have a peek inside. She wanted to see what was going on. Though before she could pull herself through the entrance there were two blue, cat-like eyes that emerged in it. Almost in an instant had she jumped back with her heart was racing in her throat. The pegasus then gathered all her guts as a puff of steam left her nose and she literally yelled into the thin air. “Leroy, Jenkings!” And then she simply galloped at her greatest of speeds through the eyes and darkness, praying for her life she didn't made a single mistake.
Her face met the stone floor on the other side of the darkness. Daring tried her utmost best to hoist herself back up on her hooves . Her eyes stared into every direction of the room she was in. Within them she saw the circular shape of it. The stone being made out of darker ones while many torches shone in the chamber. What struck her the most was the big, dark stone in the middle of it.
Daring walked up to the stone with care. Yet each step that she took, she felt herself more uncomfortable around it. The pegasus found herself then so close to it, that she could almost touch it. In her mind did the screams of agony do again their turn. There was an even louder screech did its turn. In the stone of darkness it could be seen that Nightmare Moon was galloping towards her with her horn aimed towards the chest of Daring.
The explorer began to fear for her life and tried to move out of its way, without any success. A sharp pain went through her chest. Her eyes stared at the scene before her and unbelievable sight they saw. Darkness began to crawl in them, resulting in her blacking out from her gotten injuries.
---
The eyes of the mare shot open wide all of the sudden. She found herself once again in a bed filled with her sweat once more. While her eyes kept staring to the ceiling of the room while a deep purple mist made its departure through the small gaps in the door, going as mysteriously as it came.
With a quick and uncomfortable movement she left her bed and simply began to stare out of the window while mumbling in herself. “This is going to be hell today...” But while her eyes gazed further than the window, nothing but the darkness of night could be seen and Daring turned herself around quickly. She made her way over to the bathroom where she began to refresh herself for the day, but in her mind she tried to remember just what place in the desert she had been visiting as connections with her known knowledge were made. “If something impacts somewhere, it creates a shockwave... The shockwave is usually a circle or a dome,” she mumbled to herself, explaining it all.
The mare left the bathroom looking as tidy as that was possible for her and she took out the map from her vest and placed it on the bed. Her eyes scanning every single inch of it while another revelation was made in her mind. “The desert is almost a perfect circle, find the middle point of that circle and you will find the impact spot! ...Just manage to keep a straight line. Shouldn't be all too hard with the tracks still visible. The desert should be littered with that stuff.”
With her eyes she quickly scanned over the printed desert, Daring tried to figure out where the exact midpoint would be and took out a small pencil. She drew a big circle around the very midpoint and a smile began to form itself on her face. “There, there is where I need to look.”
Daring fold the chart back up and placed it back in the pocket of her vest and took everything she would need before hoisting herself in her signature piece of clothing and letting the hat rest on her head. She was ready for it. But nothing could have truly prepared her for something so alien like, something that came from the sun goddess herself.
---
Hours upon hours later had the pegasus found herself in the deadly heat of the desert for real. Daring Do managed to walk forward with the greatest of struggles. For many and countless hours had she been wandering through the sands by then. She had tried to keep a straight line so she would come to the middle but the desert wasn't named like it is for no reason. Many ponies had met their final resting place here and the skeletons all told their stories. Tribes and cities had exiled them to there. The princesses had send the worst kind of criminals there to spend the rest of their lives to grow crazy and even kill themselves so they would uphold the look as the peaceful rulers.
Wiping off the sweat of her face had the mare found herself panting deeply while her hooves were covered in sand. A sand that was boiling hot below them. Her eyes simply stared into the distance as she hoped for something to see on the horizon. But nothing ever came up. “Stupid Daring, thinking it would show itself after having walked for hours… You need to think in days in this kind of hellhole!” she spoke to herself while getting the map again. In her mind she got yet another setback as it appeared she didn't made any form of progress. Daring released a deep sigh at this and tucked the paper back away in her vest again, walking further like a stubborn mule.
Despite being well packed for the travel, having stored enough water and food to survive out there, it was still harsh and hellish to trek through. The conditions of the desert were brutal and primal. The days were almost unbearable due to the heat, the nights freezing cold. All that time she managed to keep her mind together. She had her eyes set for the mysterious temple on the horizon to appear once. Maybe it would take her days, maybe even weeks if things worked against her. It didn't mind her, Daring was determined to find it and discover the secrets truly hidden behind it.
Aside from the water and food, Daring was also carrying a small tent with her and some other much needed equipment to set up camp what she did every single night. The screams she heard in the distance were disturbing at first but they never appeared to get closer or to get further away. Always on that same distance. The thought crossed her that would might have been insane. Daring placed her head on the pillow while letting the fire of her camp going and she closed her eyes. Only to end up falling asleep quickly from the sheer exhaustion.
---
Half a week she had been risking her life in the burning heat and freezing cold in the hope to find where she was looking for. But it came with the price of growing ever more closely towards the edge of insanity as time progressed. Daring found herself wandering through the sands again and was kicking it up a bit in the air. Then it came down just as fast, for not a single breeze of wind blew.
Yet then there was something on the horizon that began to do its turn, something that appeared to be a dome or at least share it's shape. Daring just blinked a couple times in utter confusion and disbelief. She would have told herself it was just an illusion set up by her mind and she simply kept walking. The more she walked, the more she came to the slow realization it wasn't an illusion. Right there on the horizon it rose up. A dome that was held up by pillars of twisted stone.
The pegasus changed her pace from a steady one into a galloping one with all the strength left in her body. Each step she took brought her closer to the lonely building. The very building that she had seen in her nightmare. Each step taken made the structure look even bigger. The mare forgot her own pain and misery of the travel and adrenaline got pumped into her body. Something which made her stronger than she ever could imagine.
There she stood, next to one of the twisted pillars, smiling like a madmare at the structure. Though the search came later. She began to set up her little camp. Despite her eager nature to just go and investigate Daring still managed to keep herself calm enough to set up her gear the proper way and within minutes it was all set up once again. Now she was ready to find the mythical piece.
While she made her way through the archways created by the stone pillars, something wasn't quite as she remembered it from the nightmare. There was no darkness that could suck her in, there was no other visible entrance to the thing. There was just nothing at all that would indicate that there was any form of access by the building.
Daring walked back to her tent and dropped herself on the small mattress. There she started to ponder her mind over the matter. She tried to figure out if she had missed something important. Many hours would pass by before the sun began to lower itself to make way for the moon.
The mare sat outside now by her small campfire and took a bite out of a sandwich she while watching the moon to rise up out of the sands. Its mystical light shining down upon the desert as the eyes of Daring fixed themselves on it for a little while before they turned themselves over to the stone structure.
Light was shining straight past her and directly into the arches. Something began to happen in one of them. Out of nothing there was a small orb of darkness that emerged and it expended on itself. Slowly but surely it began to attach itself on the stone while appearing to be boiling.
A piece of bread fell out of the mouth of the mare. She quickly rose up from her seat and shook her head at the revelation that happened before her eyes. She remembered that the entrance in her nightmare just looked like this. “My goodness... So this, is it,” was the only thing she could say while carefully moving herself towards it, willing to enter it as she did in her nightmare.
She was about to enter it and rose one of her shaky forelegs. Out of the created entrance, pure darkness was shot and it knocked her back into the sand of the desert. It blew it both far and wide. Daring would have closed her eyes in order to protect them.
It was only after she had reopened her eyes again, that she found herself in the exact same position as she was during her nightly adventure. With some struggling of her legs, she managed to crawl back up on her hooves and fixed everything on her, but most importantly, her hat.
Even more careful than the last time, she made her way over to the boiling gate of darkness while speaking to herself. “It was no dream, it was a vision...” Many doubts started to fill her mind all of the sudden. Doubts that caused Daring not to simply enter the structure yet. All because of the simple fact she wasn't ready, she wasn't ready for anything what could be lying behind the darkness. Simply because it was unlike anything she had ever witnessed or done in her life.