//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Double Dare // by Wordplay42 //------------------------------// Chapter 9- Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time and attempted to fall asleep. But the reed mat that served as a bed was far, far from comfortable, and she was entirely certain there was a rock somewhere underneath her back that she just couldn’t find. Plus, it was rather warm in the hut she and Daring Do were sharing, which had been generously donated for their use by an elderly mare in the village. But hospitality makes a lousy pillow, and though Rainbow knew she could be grateful for the accommodations, her chances of getting a good night’s sleep were beginning to slip away from her as the minutes turned to hours and she still hadn’t drifted off. She opened her eyes once more and looked over at Daring Do, who was sleeping comfortably a few feet away on her own reed mat. Rainbow Dash couldn’t understand how she was doing it. That mare must be able to sleep anywhere. Rainbow Dash sighed and spread her front legs out in front of her, then rested her head on them. Sun, where are you? She thought, then let out a long breath. Once more she closed her eyes. Once more she tried to sleep. Whether she succeeded or not she wasn’t entirely sure. And it didn’t matter. Because she was awoken once more what could have been seconds, minutes, or even hours later. But it wasn’t just her general discomfort that caused her magenta eyes to open once more. No, it was something much more. It was an explosion. The sound ripped through Rainbow Dash’s head, causing her ears to ring so much so she almost didn’t hear the screams of terrified ponies from the village outside. The rainbow pegasus leaped to her hooves, confused, startled, and (though she’d never admit it) terrified. Daring Do rushed past her and shoved aside the blanket that served as the hut’s door, allowing the chaos and catastrophe to flood into the once-quiet and peaceful living quarters. Rainbow Dash could hardly believe her own eyes. She and Daring were bathed with the orange-yellow light of fire as it swept across the mud and thatch huts of the village. Villagers ran for their lives, desperate to avoid that blaze that was swiftly overtaking their homes. As the two pegasi watched, one small colt tripped head-over tail. The thatch roof of the hut near him burned brightly and threatened to collapse, which would bring the mud home down atop the small foal. “Get to safety!” Daring ordered Rainbow as the brown pegasus shot outside. “Daring!” Rainbow Dash called after her, but knew that the mare was right – she had to get out. The blue pegasus took wing and rocketed away from the burning village, but caught the sight of Daring snatching the colt out of harm’s way just as the mud and thatch house collapsed in a shower of sparks and cinders. Foal in her hooves, Daring darted through the air to catch up with Rainbow Dash. Together, the two mares plus foal landed safely on a hill away from where the blaze was quickly consuming the rest of the village. Most of the other villagers had found their way up to the same hill, and together they stared in abject horror at the sight of their homes being incinerated. Daring Do and Rainbow Dash touched down, Daring immediately setting the colt on the ground. He ran off into the crowd of ponies to find his mother, and the two pegasi females looked back at the destruction. Fortunately, the fire already seemed to be burning itself out, but the destruction it had left behind was incredible. “What happened?” Daring asked, astonished. Rainbow couldn’t answer her question. “The Great Fire.” Both mares turned to see Oracle coming up behind them. The stallion looked tired, but he didn’t look too concerned over the state of the village below. “It is the Great Fire, like I said,” he answered solemnly, matter-of-factly, as if his home and his friends’ homes weren’t a smoldering pile of rubble below. “It struck us tonight, only barely missing the village. Look.” He pointed with a hoof, and Rainbow Dash and Daring Do followed the gesture to see a dark, smoldering crater in the ground, only about a thousand yards from the village. It was clear what had happened: the fire from the crater had spread to engulf the town. “You think the Alicorn Stone is doing this?” Daring Do asked the stallion. Oracle nodded seriously. “I do not think so, Miss Do,” he answered. “I know so. Nothing natural could have caused this. Only something of great power could do so.” Daring Do looked solemnly down at the village that was quickly being reduced to embers. Fortunately, it seemed as if everypony had escaped. Already some were descending back into the rubble, certain that the fire had mostly burned itself off. “I’m sorry about your village,” Rainbow Dash said as both she and Daring followed Oracle back down the hill as well. The stallion shrugged. “It was not as bad as it could have been,” he said. “I set up a few charms against fire years ago. They are old and weak now, but at least they were strong enough to allow my people to escape harm. That is what is important.” Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything as the trio walked through the rubble which was what remained of the village. Daring Do walked slightly ahead of them, strangely quiet as she stared at the crater a distance away. She was obviously making her way over to it. Rainbow Dash quickened her pace to catch up with the light brown mare. “You okay?” Rainbow asked once she’d caught up. Daring didn’t answer. She stayed silent until they reached the edge of the crater, a black, still-smoking wound gouged into the forest floor. Like before, the trees and any other foliage that had been in the area had been reduced to black carbon, or, in some cases, diamonds. “The Alicorn Stone…”Rainbow heard Daring whisper to herself. The multi-colored mare studied the archeologist. “Daring?” she asked. Daring didn’t respond. “Do you believe me now, Daring Do?” Oracle asked as he came to stand beside the brown pegasus. “The Alicorn Stone is real.” “I don’t want to believe it,” Daring replied, looking at their stallion host. “But I can’t deny what I’m seeing with my own eyes, right in front of me.” “You were brought here to find it,” Oracle told her. Daring shrugged. “That part I’m still not sure of,” she said. “But I know one thing for sure: You were right, Oracle. I’m willing to bet that the Alicorn Stone is real, and it is in this area.” “And it is powerful enough to destroy,” Oracle added. Daring nodded. “That, too,” she confirmed. “But, what about Fortune Cookie?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I thought you’re main focus was to find him and the Phoenix Amulet. And, you have no proof that the Alicorn Stone is what did this.” “I know,” Daring replied with a sigh. “I might be chasing shadows, but that’s not what matters. What matters is that something Alicorn Stone or not, almost destroyed an entire population of ponies. Fortune Cookie can have a head start on me: I’ll find him again. But this…..we can’t leave these ponies to the mercy of….whatever this thing is.” Rainbow looked at Daring, her eyes wide with interest. “So, what are you saying?” she asked. Daring Do half-smiled and turned to Oracle. “Oracle,” she said firmly. “Find your best guide. We’re taking a little hike. Tomorrow, at first light, we’re setting off after the Alicorn Stone.” ~**~ The dawn didn’t come soon enough in Rainbow Dash’s opinion. After the fire, the villagers had been forced to huddle in the huts that hadn’t been completely burned to the ground. She and Daring Do had been stuffed into a tiny room filled with other ponies, all trying to get at least a little bit of sleep before the sun inevitably rose and they would start to work on scrounging what little they had from the rubble. As if Rainbow hadn’t been uncomfortable before, this was even worse. The stallion next to her snored the entire night, and the foal on her other side kicked her in the ribs at least three times. Even when she did start to drift off, she was half-paranoid she was going to hear another explosion. Sleep did find her in the early hours of the morning, but a sharp nudge from Daring Do quickly halted that. “Come on, Rainbow Dash,” the tan mare said. “We have a long way to go.” Rainbow yawned and gathered herself to her hooves, then stumbled out of the hut after Daring into the early morning light. The sun had only started to emerge above the trees, and the world was cast in a mixture of grey and orangey-pink light. Shadows of dawn cast jagged strips of dark and light over the rubble of last night’s catastrophe. It looked even worse now that Rainbow Dash was awake (or at least, half awake) and not running for her life from the flames. She shuddered when she remembered how close the crater had been to the town. A little closer and…. She shook her head, deciding not to think about it. However, despite the wreckage of the village, it was already abuzz with ponies. Some seemed to be gathering supplies, most likely for Rainbow and Daring to take on their mission, while others were already starting to sort through the rubble of their homes, recovering what little they could and preparing to start again. Rainbow Dash’s heart went out to them. If she wasn’t going on a deadly hide and seek game with a magical stone, she’d stay here and help them rebuild. Celestia knew they needed the help. Daring greeted the handful of ponies gathering supplies in their traditional language, and they smiled and replied with what Rainbow Dash guessed was a greeting as well. She figured that when, and if, she ever got home, it wouldn’t hurt to maybe pick up another language. As Daring oversaw the ponies (stallions, all of them) sort through and pack the gear they’d need for the trek, Rainbow Dash saw Oracle striding over towards them. He was wearing a tattered saddle bag slung over his back. Daring glanced up long enough from her overseeing to spot him. She raised an eyebrow. “Oracle,” she said. “What are you doing?” “I am coming with you, of course,” he answered with a half-smile. Daring and Rainbow shared a glance. “Don’t you want to stay here and help your village?” Rainbow asked. The older stallions shook his head. “They are able to take care of themselves,” he replied. “But you need a guide to get to the legendary resting place of the Stone. There is no better guide than myself.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow, but Daring shrugged. “Suit yourself,” she said. “Anyways, I think we’re ready. Are you boys ready?” She directed her question to the stallions, but Oracle shook his head. “No,” he said. “These stallions must stay here and assist the villagers in rebuilding. If I cannot stay, they must.” “But, wouldn’t it be safer if we had – “ Daring started to argue, but Oracle stomped a hood pointedly and shook his head. “I know the dangers of the jungle as much as I know the paths,” he said. “We will be safe.” “Alright, well then I guess we’ll just have to split the load amongst us,” the brown mare said. Rainbow agreed, and after a few minutes of helping each other tie baskets and bags of supplies onto each other’s backs, the party was ready. Rainbow was a little disappointed –her wings were trapped under a pairing of a saddle bag and two bedrolls tied to her back. She wouldn’t be able to fly this time around. But Daring was having the same problem, her own wings pinned under two baskets of fruit and a third bedroll. Oracle had been given the lightest burden with only their canteens and his own saddlebag. “Are we ready now?” Rainbow Dash asked, her inability to use her wings making her a bit antsy. Oracle stepped in front of both her and Daring, the looked back at the young, multi-colored pegasus. “You will have to learn patience,” he said. “But yes, I believe we are ready. Stay close to me, both of you. There are many dangers in the jungle that you don’t know about.” “Try me,” Rainbow Dash heard Daring mutter, but if Oracle heard, he didn’t let on. Instead, the dark stallion started off towards the tree line outside the village, and after sharing a brief glance, both Rainbow Dash and Daring Do followed hence, leaving the charred village behind. ~**~ “We’re lost, aren’t we?” “We are not lost. I know exactly where we are.” “Yes, in the middle of nowhere. That’s where we are.” “You want to lead for a while?” Twilight glared at Rarity. Although the purple unicorn did admit that the seamstress had a point. They’d been walking for what seemed like hours now, trekking through some endless jungle in search of…..what? Okay, so they were searching for Rainbow Dash. But this was a large jungle. They were in the middle of nowhere (Rarity was right about that, too), and though Twilight had read the Search for the Alicorn Stone three times, nowhere in the book had there been a drawn out map showing the reader just where Daring Do had discovered the sacred magical object. “Ah hate to say this, Twi,” Applejack added. “But Rarity does have a point. We’re not really sure where we are.” Twilight paused and groaned. “I know, I know!” She admitted, stamping a hoof. “But what else are we supposed to do?” She started walking forward again. “I mean,” she continued as she walked. “What do you want me to do?” “Can’t you use some sort of a spell or something?” Applejack wondered. Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “This isn’t our universe. This is fiction. I don’t know if my magic would even work.” “Why wouldn’t it work?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight made an exasperated noise. “I don’t know!” she replied. “Uh, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, her voice low, but her protests fell on deaf ears as the others continued bickering. “You used magic last night,” Rarity pointed out. Twilight shook her head. “That was small magic,” she said. “A summoning spell is big magic. I don’t know if it will work.” “Can’t you just try it?” Rarity asked. “It would save us from wandering around in this jungle. This humidity is not good for my mane.” “But, Twilight, you should really – “ Fluttershy tried again, but once again she was ignored. “If Ah have to hear one more complaint about you mane, Rarity,” Applejack snapped at the white unicorn. “I swear – “ “Twilight! There’s – “ Fluttershy tried again. “Your bickering isn’t making this any easier!” Twilight snapped over her shoulder. “Can’t you all just get along for – “ “Twilight!” Fluttershy managed to be heard over the others, but by then it was too late. There was a twanging noise, the sound of bells, and suddenly Twilight’s world was rushing up wards. The lilac unicorn blinked as the trees came back into clear view. Upside down. The others stared up at Twilight as she hung by a back hoof from a short, scrawny tree, a rope tied taught around her leg as she bounced up and down. “I was going to say that there was a trap there,” Fluttershy said softly. Twilight groaned. “I’m almost afraid to ask if this could get any worse,” she muttered.