2 - Welcome to Greece
Several minutes passed since the hole opened. Even after that time, Daring Do still found herself falling into an endless void. Screaming became a hassle, and things became simpler once she stopped. The pegasus tried flying around the void, but since she had no reference point, she couldn’t tell how effective this was. Having no reference point also meant she couldn’t tell which direction she was falling, if directions even existed in this void. But she knew she was still falling, the wind made sure of that.
The escape crystal didn’t work, and it didn’t surprise the pegasus. The crystal was supposed to glow and show a little image of the escape point the user chose, which was the point outside the village Daring Do picked earlier. Now the crystal showed nothing. The thing had snuffed out and was incapable of escaping.
As an experiment, the pegasus marked a point in the void. The crystal came to life, but showed only black as an image. She shook it, and it flashed in response. Supposedly, that meant she teleported back to her escape point, but she had no way to tell.
Those were the first few minutes in the void. Nothing else happened after that. Daring Do thought about eating another apple, but she thought it might be a better idea to ration her supplies. Who knew, maybe this endless void wasn’t so endless after all. Why go through all her supplies now and die of starvation later? She could die right before she reached an end. Now that would be the biggest disappointment of her life.
Daring Do started getting comfortable up with her inevitable fate when a voice called out. “Hey!” she heard, somewhere around her. “Behind you!” The pegasus turned around. Just a few leg-lengths away, another pony fell alongside her. It was a mint-green unicorn, waving her hooves around excitedly and grinning like a maniac. “Mother of Celestia, I thought I was a goner!”
The pegasus noticed a lyre tumbling next to the unicorn. Oh good, she can play some music while we fall to our dooms. “That’s great that I’m not alone,” Daring Do replied, “But we’re still goners. The falling through an endless void thing hasn’t stopped.”
The unicorn shrugged. “At least we can talk before we go splat or die of hunger.” She reached out with a hoof and glided over to the pegasus. “Anyways, hi, my name’s Lyra. Nice meeting you here.”
The pegasus reached out with her own hoof and gave a firm hoofshake. “Likewise. I’m Daring Do.”
Lyra glided back over to her instrument, tumbling back as if she was lying on a bed. “This is pretty surreal. I was in Trottingham when an earthquake struck, and now I’m here. Do you know what’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Daring Do said. “But I did get an earthquake too. Well, I was shaking in the air, so it wasn’t a normal earthquake. One minute, I’m exploring an ancient Sumerian city. Next minute, I’m being pulled into a portal and now I’m falling with you.”
Lyra nodded as she tilted a bit to the side. “Well bugger, I guess we’re trapped here for all eternity.”
“It could end at some point,” Daring Do noted. She reached behind her into the backpack, pulling out two silver packets. “Have a granola.” She tossed one of the packets to Lyra, who caught it in her teeth.
“Can you pass one up here?” another voice asked. Both Daring Do and Lyra looked above them, meeting eyes with a pink filly, not old enough to have a cutie mark, wearing a tiara and holding a picture frame. “I’m a little hungry. I was about to have lunch before that hole kidnapped me.”
“Sure.” Daring Do pulled out another packet and tossed it to the filly. “How long have you been here?”
The filly grabbed the packet with a hoof and tore it open with her teeth. “Just now. I thought I was the only one in this… darkness.”
“So did I,” Lyra said while chewing on her granola. “Hi, I’m Lyra.”
“I’m Diamond Tiara,” the filly said, wincing at the unicorn’s open-mouth chewing policy. “And thanks for the food, Ms…” Diamond Tiara’s eyes lit up when she looked at the pegasus. “Oh my gosh, you’re Daring Do! I’d recognize that hat anywhere!”
Daring Do nodded, swallowing her own granola bite before talking. “Yeah, that’s me. I do have an unforgettable hat.”
Lyra gave the two a confused look. “I’m I supposed to know you?”
“Know her? She the most famous adventurer in Equestria!” Diamond Tiara gushed. “She’s found treasures for lost nations, fought bad guys, and even saved the world! She’s incredible!”
“Oh really, you do that kind of stuff?” Lyra asked, giving the pegasus an unbelieving look.
Daring Do shrugged. “I write down my experiences and sell them as young-adult novels.”
“I can’t believe you’re real!” the filly continued. “My mom read all your books with me! I know everything you’ve done. The Curse of the Roaring Mustang, The Quest for the Wheel of Ferrari, The Last Shot of Colt Viente Dos! I’ve always dreamed of adventuring with you!”
Daring Do finished her granola, listening to the filly squeal. “Kid, I’ll gladly take you on an adventure,” she gestured at the void with a hoof, “But we have to get out of this darkness first.”
“You’re in luck then,” Lyra said, looking down. “Something’s coming at us fast.”
Every pony looked below them. A circle of light had appeared, and it was growing fast. Before they could say anything, the light completely engulfed the trio.
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Seagulls. The cawing of seagulls filled the air. Daring Do heard the seagulls first. She could also hear wind gently blowing through trees, a swish sound made by air flowing through leaves. She could hear another sound, distant and muffled, crashing and turning. Are those waves? she thought. Am I by the ocean?
Daring Do’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was blue, an endless expanse of blue. She ended up on her back and now looked up at the sky. The air had a pleasant warmth to it, just under the border of being unpleasantly balmy. She took a deep breath in, tasting the humid, salty air. At least this isn’t the void.
The pegasus sat up, stretching out her limbs as she did so. She looked around and found Lyra, who was laying back, face up, wide awake. The unicorn’s head turned to meet eyes with the pegasus. “Hey, we made it!” Lyra said, smiling. “And you thought we’d have to do something to get out of that darkness.”
“Yeah, dying in an endless void isn’t my style,” Daring Do said, adjusting her pith helmet. She looked to her other side, where she found Diamond Tiara standing up from the ground. “Hey kid, I think you’re about to get your adventure.”
Diamond Tiara glanced up and gave a half-hearted laugh. “That’s fantastic,” she said, turning to look around the area. “But I have one question. Where did we end up?”
“Good question,” Daring Do said. At first glance, it was obvious they were not in Equestria, or at least a familiar part of Equestria. They found themselves on a lightly used road, at the peak of a hill. The road cut through a forest, if it could even be called a forest. The forest didn’t have trees as much as it had overgrown bushes. The trees were bulbous, covered in small leaves, and were barely four ponies tall. They crowded tight together to the point that even Diamond Tiara would have trouble fitting through the gaps.
Beyond the tree line, the forest continued to roll over several steep hills. The vegetation near the hill peaks thinned out somewhat, leaving solid rock exposed to the elements. Judging by the sounds and the air, Daring Do guessed that they were nearby an ocean. They were either along the coast of a continent, or in the middle of an island. The land didn’t seem too tropical to be near the equator, but it was warm enough to be far, far distant from the arctic. “I’m not familiar with this place,” Daring Do said, “But I would guess we’re not in Equestria.”
“This place looks pretty amazing,” Lyra noted, walking to the edge of the road. “I wouldn’t mind living here.” She walked up to a tree, planted her face against the branches, and took a long whiff. “Hmm, the flora has a faint olive sent. Olives come from the Maretimarean, so we may be somewhere in that area.”
Diamond Tiara seemed amazed. “Really?” She sniffed the air. “All I smell is the ocean.”
“I have a really good sense of smell,” Lyra said, taking her face out of the tree. Daring Do stifled a giggle at the tree branch stuck in the unicorn’s mane. “My dad specializes in cooking with exotic ingredients, and can pick out different scents from different plants to mix the best dishes. I think I got my nose from him.”
“And did your good nose help you in getting your cutie mark?” Daring Do asked, nodding at the lyre on the mint-green unicorn’s flank.
“You know, that would make my cutiemark story a bit more interesting,” Lyra thou outloud. “I could say I used my nose to pick out the best lyre- My lyre!” The unicorn jumped as she remembered her instrument, which was now sitting in the dirt, on the other side of the road. “Can’t believe I forgot about my lyre,” she said as she ran over to pick it up.
“I can’t believe she hasn’t noticed the stick,” Diamond Tiara remarked, giggling at the branch that bounced in Lyra’s hair.
The unicorn scooped up her instrument and held it between her forelegs. “Oh, if I left that any longer in the dirt, who knows how much tarnish would have built up.” She held it out to inspect the lyre’s condition. Her ears flattened and her brow furrowed as if she realized something terrible. “And I don’t have a case for this. That’s just great.”
“Then just carry it and don’t drop it,” Diamond Tiara said. She held out her own object, the photo frame. “I have to carry this around without a case, and it’ll get dirty if I drop it.”
Lyra looked at the filly with deadpan eyes. “Diamond Tiara, right? Can I call you Dia? Look, I don’t know how much that picture weighs, but my instrument is a whole lot heavier than what you’re carrying.” The unicorn cradled the lyre in her forelegs as she would with a baby. “And it’s awkward to carry around. It has no strap. The only way I can hold it is by the spine and I can’t grab that with my teeth.”
Daring Do rolled her eyes. “Lyra, that lyre is unnecessary weight. I can offer to carry the picture in my bag, no problem. But the lyre won’t fit. I don’t know how long we’ll be out here, but I bet we’ll be doing some walking, and the lyre will tire you out.”
Lyra’s eyes narrowed at the pegasus’s words. “Are you telling me to get rid of my lyre?”
“No, I’m telling you that it’s deadweight and you’ll have a miserable time if you bring it.”
“How dare you even suggest”--
“Girls,” Diamond Tiara interrupted, pointing down the hill, “There’s something coming up the road.”
Both the mares looked at where the filly indicated. At the base of the hill, an odd creature walked up the road. The creature appeared quite alien, having been wrapped in layers of cloth to the point that it looked like a lopsided, fabric ball with limbs. It had three legs instead of four, and used the most out of them to waddle up the hill. A hole appeared in the fabric where the face was supposed to be, protecting what was inside it from the sun.
“Is that a rock monster?” Lyra asked. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”
Daring Do shrugged. “I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think it’s dangerous.”
“It could be a pony with a missing leg,” Diamond Tiara suggested. “My mom helped a lot of ponies without legs.”
“Could be,” Daring Do said. “At the very least, it may know where we are. Let’s ask it for directions.”
“Really, you want to ask it for directions,” Lyra asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You don’t even know if it can talk.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Yeah, hide,” Lyra replied, gesturing to the forest. “We run into the trees and hide until it passes. We won’t put ourselves at risk and maybe we can spy on it as it walks by.”
“That’s a terrible idea!” Daring Do said, raising her voice. “For one thing, it’s already seen us, so it knows that we’re hiding. Another thing, I have more experience dealing with strangers on empty roads in the middle of nowhere. If they aren’t running at you or holding a weapon, more times than not, they’re harmless and you could learn something from them.”
Diamond Tiara nodded in agreement. “Daring Do knows what she’s talking about. In fact, this seems almost the same to the turtle in Rescue from Midnight Keep and the zebra in Quest for the Star Staff. A mysterious person gives information to start a quest. I’ve read about these things.”
“Yeah, and I lived them,” Daring Do added. “So don’t do anything crazy and wait for it.”
Lyra grumbled as she was outnumbered two to one. As they were talking, the creature had made progress up the hill, making it halfway from where it started to where the group sat. Now that it was closer, they could make out the more subtle features. Instead of three legs, it had two legs and two arms. One of the arms carried a staff that it used to walk with, which made a tap every time it hit the ground. The fabric bundle bunched up in the rear, giving the creature a hunchback. Features of a face could be made out from the gap in the fabric. As it came closer, the trio could hear quiet muttering coming from the gap.
Daring Do took a few steps closer to the creature. “Excuse me,” she called out, waving a hoof above her head, “We’re not from around here, and we’re incredibly lost. Can you please help us?”
The creature paused, ceasing its muttering. It lifted the arm without the staff and pointed a small appendage out. The appendage looked similar to that of a dragon’s claw, though more fleshy and wrinkly. It continued walking towards the group, then, in a clear voice, spoke. “Ah, these ponies are not from around here.”
The voice was feminine, and dripped of age. It reminded Daring Do of her elderly mother’s voice, who now resided in a retirement home. “That’s right,” Daring Do said, “We don’t know where we are or how we got here. Can you help us?”
The elder continued walking towards them, now almost at the peak of the hill. “Oh, that’s unfortunate, or fortunate, depending on how you look. The Maw has made its choice, so it requires assistance. Oh, but these poor souls. They have naught a clue as to why they have been taken from Equestria.”
“Waitwaitwait,” Lyra interrupted, “We never said anything about where we came from! How do you know that?”
“Because,” Diamond Tiara answered, “This creature”--
“Sweetheart, I’m an old lady,” the creature said with sweetness in her voice.
“Sorry,” the filly apologized, “This old lady is the mystic guide that has come to give us our quest. It happens all the time in the books.”
Daring Do shrugged. “It does. It’s an adventure cliché at this point.”
“Well, I don’t read books for kids,” Lyra scoffed. “I read novels! You know, books, for adult ponies, that kids would find boring.”
The fabric ball shook as the old lady laughed. “It seems the unicorn prefers her literature… incredibly saucy.”
Daring Do threw a hoof against her mouth, suppressing a laugh. Lyra looked away, hiding her face as it burned bright red. Diamond Tiara gave them both a confused look. “What that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t worry about it kid,” Daring Do said with a giant grin. She turned her attention back to the old lady. “Anyways, can we get some help?”
The old lady walked by the pegasus, hand still up, not bothering to turn to look at her. “This one is a brash one indeed. As a thorn of the great flowering serpent, the pegasus will guide the Maw of Tartarus and reclaim the one that has escaped.”
Daring Do nodded as the lady passed her by. “Ah, a quest in the form of a riddle. It’s not like I get enough of those. Can you tell us”--
“This little filly,” the old lady continued, passing Diamond Tiara and ignoring Daring Do, “What a sad little thing. At the time when this will end, no one will be able to bear you, not even the king. But the filly shall bear the queen!”
“Uh,” Diamond Tiara’s mouth hung open slightly, “That’s… a little rude, I think. Did anyone else think that was”--
“Oh, what tragedy has befallen on this unicorn,” the old lady moaned, silencing the filly.
Lyra’s eyes went wide. “What tragedy? What’s going to happen to me? Did it already happen? Is it happening to me right now? Do I have cancer? Please tell me I don’t have cancer!” Lyra knelt down and gave the old lady a pleading look. “Anything but cancer! Please!”
The old lady ignored Lyra’s cries. “Oh how I pity her. Why would the gods curse such a poor soul? I cannot fathom such cruelty.” She paused and took a breath, keeping her finger up. Lyra’s body clenched up in anticipation at whatever the old lady would say. “Her life is so boring.”
Lyra looked up, cocking an eyebrow. “My life is boring, that’s my tragedy?” The unicorn stood up and looked the old woman in the face, raising her voice. “What do you mean my life is boring? What kind of advice is that? I do all kinds of neat things! I do magic, I play the lyre, I can smell real good! How is that boring?”
“Sweetheart, I have seen through every aspect, every single detail, of your woeful existence in this grand thing we call everything, from now and beyond. I fell asleep looking at your life.” The old lady shrugged. “Sorry, you don't have much going for you.” She started walking once more, but stopped mid-step. “Well, your life does get a whole heck more engaging once the undead Sumerian kills you!”
“Waitwhat!” Lyra’s body locked up. “I’m going to get killed?”
“Oh yes, it’s a horrible death, very unpleasant,” the old lady admitted, putting her hand down for once. “You won’t see it coming. Sorry, I don’t make these things happen. I only see them. The gods tell me I shouldn’t be blabbering to mortals about these things, but posh to them.”
Before Lyra could shout at the old lady for being a nasty creature and curse her for spouting filth, or something along those lines, Daring Do jumped in front of the unicorn. “Really quick, did you say undead Sumerian?”
“Yep. The Sumerian is the escapee for your fortune, just so you know.” The old lady pivoted on her heels and started walking at a brisk pace towards the forest. “Anyways, tood-a-loo! I’ll see you around.”
“Why you little!” Lyra yelled, lunging forward.
Daring Do threw out a foreleg to her side before Lyra could charge at the old lady. The unicorn caught the foreleg by the crook of her neck, gasped, and toppled over. “Thanks, I guess,” Daring Do said. “Oh hey, can you tell us”-
“Just take the down the hill, in the direction I was going,” the old lady interrupted, not turning around. “I knew you wanted to know that. It’ll take you to the town you need to be in. It’s an hour walk from here, so the unicorn can bring her lyre.”
“Oh, thanks for that.” Daring Do looked down at the unicorn, who rubbed her throat with her hooves. “Did you hear that? You can bring your lyre.”
The old lady waved back at the trio as she entered the forest. “Antio, goodbye, I’ll see you again soon. Don’t forget to try the gyros! And remember”- The old lady turned around before completely disappearing through the forest. “Tasked to three, bring her immobilized!” She turned back around and continued on. “Welcome to Greece!” Then she disappeared.
Lyra stumbled to stand back up. “Flipping old ladies,” she wheezed, half lunging, half falling towards the forest. “I’ll show you boring. I’ll be boring your teeth in when I get my hooves on you. Come back and fight me like a mare!” She yelled into the forest, clenching her hoof in the air. She stumbled once more and fell on her face.
Daring Do walked next to the down unicorn. “She gone, give it a rest,” she said, wrapping a foreleg around the unicorn’s torso. She hoisted her up, and allowed her to regain her footing before letting go.
“The throat punching,” Lyra said, rubbing the underside of her chin, “Was completely uncalled for.”
“So was threatening an old lady,” Daring Do remarked. “Beating up the elderly is a big no-no. We do not need the locals thinking we’re raging psychopaths.”
“Hey, quick question,” Diamond Tiara piped up, “How’d you do that throat punch without looking?”
Lyra glared at the filly. “Don’t encourage her.”
“What? It was awesome. Everything went wham!” Diamond Tiara threw her hooves in a sideways circle, mimicking the move in an exaggerated fashion. “And you just fell down! Daring Do didn’t even have to look! How’d you do it, Daring Do, how’d you do it?”
Daring Do looked down at the filly. A serious look cropped up in her eyes. “Kid, when you explore dungeons on a regular basis, you need the skills to dodge, bounce, roll, move, and anything else to ensure you won’t get caught in a trap. These skills require reflexes, strength, flexibility, and a hardened will.” She gave the unicorn a pat on the shoulder, who pulled away from it. “It also comes in handy in beating up bad guys.”
“Wow!” Diamond Tiara said, eyes wide open. “Can you teach me how to do that?”
“How was that impressive?” Lyra yelled, pointing a hoof at the pegasus. “She just clotheslined me!” The unicorn looked at the pegasus with a scowl. “And I am not a bad guy!”
“Eh,” Daring Do said, giving little care to the unicorn’s woes. “I find the term ‘bad guy’ broad enough to suit my needs. Now stop chatting.” The pegasus started walking towards where the old lady told them to. “Kid, get your picture. Lyra, get your lyre. There’s a town nearby and I want to get there before nightfall.”
Lyra glared at the pegasus. “I’m not listening to”-
“Just follow me,” Daring Do snapped. “Or you can stay here and get lost in the forest. I’m not forcing you to do anything.”
Lyra grumbled as she picked up her instrument, carefully balancing it on her back. She tailed behind Daring Do and Diamond Tiara, the latter having ran up ahead of the unicorn so she could chat with the pegasus.
They continued on down the road, walking around a switchback after climbing down the hill, then turning on another switchback shortly after. The tree line blocked the view of anything other than the hills, so no one could tell how far the village was. All they could do was walk down, making idle conversation to keep themselves occupied. For the most part, Lyra hung back, brooding and keeping her lyre balanced, while the other two kept the talking alive.
The filly kept on asking questions that Lyra assumed were about the books Daring Do wrote. They were questions about little details of adventures: what it was like doing that, how did it feel doing this, things Lyra couldn’t care less about. Daring Do would reply with basic answers: yes, no, I don’t remember, that sounds right, slippery, more things Lyra had no interest in.
After Daring Do answered what her favorite place in Zebrica was, apparently South Zebrica, the trio rounded another switchback. “Ok,” Diamond Tiara paused for a moment. “What was the strangest animal you’ve ever seen?” she asked excitedly. “Did it have wings with fangs? Did it have arms that had mouths? Did it have a whole bunch of eyes?” The filly bounced with every question she threw at the adventurer.
These questions, although not directed at her, were grating on Lyra’s senses. Her teeth ground against each other with each high-pitched word that came out of the filly’s mouth. The pegasus’s answers were even more grating. For an author, she kept on giving the least descriptive answers possible. “The old lady was strange,” Daring Do replied. Diamond Tiara just ate those answers up as if they were the words of Celestia.
“Oh for Faust’s sake!” Lyra screamed. The two in front jumped at the outburst, turning around to see the unicorn’s face flare up. A flock of seagulls flew out from the trees nearby. “Can we stop talking about how great Daring Do is? Daring Do this, Daring Do that! We get it, you’re a famous author! Daring Do, the greatest wordsmith in all of Equestria! Let’s see how she tells us about her amazing adventures using only simple sentences!”
“I can see how you’re irritated,” the pegasus said, keeping a calm demeanor, “But for the record, I publish my books with my real name, A.K. Yearling. Daring Do is my pen name.”
“You do?” Diamond Tiara asked, surprised.
“Oh yeah, A.K Yearling, what a name,” Lyra rolled her eyes, “Famous and rich writer of young-adult novels in Canterlot, the great, adventurous Daring Do anywhere else she goes!” The unicorn could feel something burning up in her. “Oh, what a fan-bucking-tastic life you got going for you! Let’s just talk about her all day because she’s interesting!”
Daring Do gave the unicorn a deadpan look. “Kid’s been bringing that up, not me. Would you rather talk about something else?”
“That’d be great,” Lyra replied, swinging her head to every word. “Hey, why not give other ponies a chance to talk? That’s a swell idea. ‘Hey Lyra, what did you do before we fell into that endless void?’ Well, I sat on my butt all day because no one wants to hire a pony who plays the lyre!”
The heat inside of Lyra burnt like lava. It overwhelmed her, taking control, and she let it. In a twisted way, it felt good. “We got ponies with cuties marks tailored to these jobs! Mailmare, got a cutie mark for that! Frycook, got a cutie mark for that! Janitor, my next door neighbor has a cutie mark for that!”
Diamond Tiara took a couple steps back, putting the pegasus between her and Lyra. “I think she’s gone crazy,” she whispered. “We should leave while we can.”
Daring Do shook her head. “Give her a moment. I think she’s just letting off steam.”
Lyra continued, mimicking an imaginary pony she was conversing with. “Oh yes, a cutie mark for everything! ‘But Lyra, you have a lyre as a cutie mark. Someone must need your talent for something?’ Yeah, they do, but the Trottingham Orchestra found ‘better’ talent, so they don’t need me! In fact, every city in Equestria has better talent! Every freaking pony has better talent at something! Even A.K. Everypony-loves-my-books Yearling and Daring Bucking Do! What a privileged bucking life they have!”
Diamond Tiara could see the veins throbbing in Lyra’s neck. The unicorn took a bite out of the air every time she said a word. The filly shrunk back as the mare continued to thrash about. “I am the least employable pony in all of Equestria! You know who said that? My parents, that’s who! Those buggars apparently know everything! Get a job, they say, we’re not going to support you anymore!”
Lyra jumped in front of Daring Do. The pegasus stepped back, and the unicorn stepped forward. “But hey, my life is boring! The old lady said so! Let’s talk about something else!” Lyra looked around the pegasus, meeting eyes with the filly, who cringed behind Daring Do. “Hey Dia, let’s talk about you!” Lyra seethed. “You haven’t told us much about yourself!”
Daimond Tiara crouched behind Daring Do. Lyra tried walking around the pegasus, but the latter threw out a hoof to stop her. Daring Do narrowed her eyes and simply said, “Don’t.”
Lyra ignored the pegasus, rearing up on her back legs and looking down behind her rear, staring at the cowering filly. “Let’s hear it Dia! Where’d you get that tiara? Did your parents spent large amounts of cash to get you that little piece of silver on your head? Oh, they must spoil you rotten. Our precious little Dia, off in another world!”
“Stop it, now,” Daring Do demanded. From behind, the pegasus could hear siffles building up.
“I can just imagine your mom,” Lyra continued, sneering as the filly. The burning rivaled the heat of the sun. “Emptying the Equestrian reserves just to get her precious little crown back! Their precious crown, who doesn’t even have her cutie mark! What about your mom, huh? Does she ever tell you that you can’t do anything?”
Daring Do threw her hoof into Lyra’s torso, knocking the wind out of her and wiping the sneer off her face. The unicorn fell to the ground with a flat thud, her lyre skidding away from her. The unicorn cringed in pain as Daring Do looked down at her with stern eyes. “I told you to stop.”
Lyra looked up at the pegasus and snarled before dropping her head. Her eyes met those of Diamond Tiara, once again. Only this time, the filly’s eyes were watering. Her lip quivered, holding back the sobs, a little less with each short gaps of air. “Mom,” the filly sniffed, doing her best to hold back her tears, “She… she died.”
The heat inside Lyra instantly froze over. Her eyes went wide as reality hit her in the head like a train. The filly turned and bolted down the road, completely helpless of the sobbing that took over. Lyra could feel her insides twist and implode as the filly ran off.
Lyra looked up, only to meet the eyes of and angry Daring Do. The pegasus said nothing. She only shook her head. She turned around and took off in flight, going after the filly.
Lyra lay in the dirt, lyre off to the side. “I… I didn’t know,” she said, but no one had heard her.
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Daring Do flew over the treetops, looking down at the road. She kept her eye on Diamond Tiara, who kept running down the hill. The pegasus only watched her run, making sure the filly wouldn’t run into trouble. As far as she was concerned with Lyra, well that pony wasn’t high on her list.
The pegasus knew that the filly needed a moment to cool down before she talked to her. Daring Do had no idea what to say. The writer in her could come up with thousands of words to describe her experiences, but she never had the skills to speak those words, especially in these situations. She did know that Diamond Tiara would need to stop running before she talked to her.
She realized this was the first time she flew since they arrived. The only reason she stayed grounded was to support the other two. Now she could see what land she was dealing with. Immediately, she noticed the sea. It wasn’t just on one coast, it surrounded the entire land mass. They had ended up on an island.
Up to the north, a patch of white squares broke out from the green of the forest. From this distance, Daring Do could clearly see that these were buildings. The building cluster was large enough to be a decent sized town, but not so large that it constituted as a city. It probably had half the population of Canterlot, from Daring Do’s best guess.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Diamond Tiara had finally stopped in the middle of the road. Daring Do knew this was the time to come in. She circled around and descended.
The pegasus landed right behind the filly. She walked up next to her, looking down. Diamond Tiara hunched over her picture frame, which she had somehow managed to carry all the way down the road. The picture frame’s glass remained intact, albeit covered in splotches of water. Diamond Tiara shuddered with every sniff, with an occasional tear dropping, adding another splotch to the frame.
Daring Do tried to think of something to say, but nothing solid formed in her mind. “Hey kid, are you okay?” was all she could come up with.
Diamond Tiara looked up at Daring Do, eyes puffy and red. The pegasus noticed what the picture frame contained, a scene in a park, with a mare playing with a filly, a filly that looked like Diamond Tiara.
Daring Do paused for a moment as her writing skills words filled her head. Her brain pulled a few out, though fewer made sense to say. “Kid… I”--
Diamond Tiara stood up and wrapped her forelegs around Daring Do’s neck. The filly buried her face in the mare’s yellow coat. Daring Do could feel tears run down her skin, more with every sob. The pegasus embraced the filly with her own foreleg, gently hugging her.
Daring Do had no use for her writing skills. She only had to be there. Diamond Tiara did the rest. Several minutes passed like this. The pegasus remained silent for all of them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Daring Do noticed Lyra walking around the bend. The unicorn saw them, but made no effort to approach them. She sat down on the road, laying her lyre next to her. The pegasus said nothing about her presence, but it did remind her that they needed to get into town before nightfall.
“Hey, Diamond,” Daring Do said softly, looking down at the filly. The filly, in turn, looked up at her. “I know it may be hard on you, but we need to get to town.”
Diamond Tiara nodded. The pegasus could feel her head rub against her chest.
“Do you think you can make it there? It’s not too far ahead now. I flew around and checked.”
Diamond Tiara nodded again. Her forelegs slid off Daring Do’s neck, letting go from the embrace. The pegasus let her go as well, and watched her walk down the road, head low, carrying the picture frame.
Daring Do looked up the road, towards Lyra. The pegasus beckoned for her to come down. Lyra picked up her lyre and walked. Daring Do waited for her before stopping her.
“I didn’t mean any of that,” Lyra explained. “It’s just the old lady, what she said… It got to me.”
Daring Do looked at the unicorn, the writer in her coming up with words to describe the situation, yet unable to create speech out of them. Instead, she turned and walked after Diamond Tiara. Lyra followed suit, lyre on her back and head low.
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Now they are in Greece, lets hope they didnt land near Sparta.
5583879 Because I'm not a well known author and this is the first story that's actually giving me some standing. It's all about publicity. In any case, I'm glad you think it's good. I try to strive to make every work my best work yet.
5583847 We might see Sparta, we might not.
5584085 Question. What time is this set into? Also why doesn't Tiara have her cutie mark? I think you said something about that.
5584163 This is the post.
5575276 The time period is only important in regards that she doesn't have a cutie mark yet. She'll get it in the story.
5584311 Alright btw I am Greek. *JUDGES YOU* LEL!
5584314 Are you ancient Greek?
5584320 Όχι. Nope.
5584344 Welp, I knew the judging would come someday.
5584366 XD I am probably the only greek guy you will meet.
5584371 I met some Greek people running a Greek restaurant.
5584377 I meant in here. As bronies :D
5584392 Welp, now I have.
5583847 No worries, they would treated 3 talking horses like Zeus' offsprings. The worst they would do is building a temple for them.
Well, that was interesting. I like the prophetic old lady. And it appears we have our plot. I was not expecting it, but it seems interesting. And it also appears our first bit of friction has come to the fore. Here's hoping our heroines three can get it together.
Moving from Tracking to Favorites. Keep up the good work!
5584085 I guess they would mistake the sea for Ocean. I find it Tad surprising that Daring do told her secret to them. I don't think Gyros existed that time... I think. XD
Whee, I'd guess that's the Oracle who should probably be in Delphi. Do we get to see any Hellenic schools of philosophy, or do we just get Classical Mythology? You said this is set sometime between 1000 BC and 500 BC, but any further back than Classical Antiquity my knowledge of history basically drops down to a vague impression of what the Hebrews were up to at the time.
5590789 What we'll see? Depends what I find in my college library. When this is set? Definitely before Alexander took over.
5591037 So at the latest we have the Platonic school, while it was run by Plato.
5591049 If I decide to throw in philosophy. We shall see!
5591155 I'm partial to the Stoics, myself.
Okay, so an old lady barely reacts to the presence of sapient equines and then delivers a series of statements that leads to a piece reminiscent of Jason and the Argonauts. Is this supposed to be about the Hellenic peoples responding to their presence or are you aiming to give them a Harryhausen-esque adventure?