Through the Looking Glass

by Electuroo

Chapter 28: Daring Do and the Temple of the Black Phoenix… (part 1)

Through the Looking Glass
Chapter 28: Daring Do and the Temple of the Black Phoenix… (part 1)

Dead of night in the middle of the ocean with calm seas and shallow breezes a airship sails through the air above the waves as it crosses the Pacific Ocean. At the helm of the airship was General Ricks calmly piloting it with a slight turn of the wheel, he stared at the endless stars with the full moon lit up the ocean in all it detail as the waves bobbed up and down. The Sound of hooves take his thoughts of the stars to see Daring Do coming up and only wearing her green jacket leaving her hat in her room in the deck below.

General Ricks was rather glad that she came, he could get some answers in if she was the mood to do so being late at night and being the third night since they left New Isle Island. “Evening Daring Do, what can I do for you tonight?”

She stood by the side and put her hooves up staring at the ocean “I been working on that book of yours all day today, I came to ask for something”

Ricks lock the wheel in place and went over to her standing by her side looking out to the sea “What did you call it again… Foresight and Prophecy?”

“Yeah I did, what I came about it is that I cracked it and found a set of coordinates and funny thing is our location is only a few minutes south of it” Daring Do turn to him and he gave a strange look at her “Oh don’t give me that, I just solved it and I am very tired…” she stared at him

He raise his hands up “Ok I get it, but before we do go and check this out I like to ask a question or two”

She grinned “I knew you drive a hard bargain, go ahead a shoot”

Ricks picked up a apple looking at it “I been thinking about how the Royal Twins knew about us and had enough time to pack all our stuff from the crashed chopper in here before we left and the fact they gave us this airship. The question overall is… How and why did they do it?”

Daring Do laughed a little “Is that it? That simple, Prince Bounce Bolt has the sight of foresight being how old he is and Princess Rainbow Bolt as the power to not only read minds but kind of see the soul”

“Well now that seem a bit personally… but it does help explain how they knew about us and trusted us, they must of felt good intend in us even for being human” Ricks laughed a little trying not to be insulted a little by that detail of being human. “Since you answered, take the wheel and lead us to those coordinates”

Daring Do pushed off the side and went over to the wheel kicking the lock off she jump up on her hind hooves and put her front hooves on the wheel, turning it slightly heading on a north easterly direction “We should be there by sun raise at the present speed we going”

“Very well I will let HMS Hope know of the change of plans and ask them to meet us at those coordinates” Ricks walk down the steps and soon disappeared below deck.

Daring Do stared at the stars “Another Day and another adventure” she whispered with a small smile

By morning as the sun start to rise from the easterly direction Daring Do could make out an island in the distance “So that where those coordinates was leading us to” she felt happy cause this meant there might be a ruins there or even a temple and she remembered clearly that Ricks promised her a ruins or temple “Hey mares and stallions it time to wake up we found land” she spoke through the speaker.

Maxine groaned “it girls and boys… we human not ponies…” she grumbled and pulled the pillow over her head “And let me sleep…”

Ricks knocked on the door “Maxine we followed a set of coordinates that Daring Do found in that cursed book, it may lead to the answers we need”

Maxine got up in a rush and hit her head “Bloody low ceiling…” she held her head “I’ll be top side in a few minutes” she said through the door and Ricks leaves, the sound of his foot steps fade from Maxine.

Jackson was already on deck at the wheel he moving the airship around for a visual pass over “Daring Do there almost nothing much jungle around that mountain, even for a small island about 3 miles in size this thing got more trees then a south American rainforest…”

Daring Do looking through the goggles then lower them “Your right, I bet my hat there is a temple inside that jungle, can you set us down at that clearly?” She noticing a small opening in the jungle that seem large enough for the airship to land at.

Jackson saw it and turn the ship around it “I see it Daring Do, coming for a landing and it might be bumpy, I never landed something like this before” he adjusted for the approach as Ricks joins them and see they was coming for a landing.

The airship comes in slowly and lands on the ground with a thud and slows to a stop with the steering locked and anchor deployed. “Not bad Jackson” Ricks said seeing they had managed to land safely.

“Thank you sir” Jackson said with a relieved look on his face that he manage to park the airship on the ground.

Maxine came out and saw they landed “Why did we land on a island?”

Daring Do pushed the rope ladder over the edge “I believe there is a temple here and that book of yours Foresight and Prophecy”

“You cracked the book? In one day!? I been at it for weeks and only solved half of it” Maxine gasped with surprise as Daring Do started to climb over the edge and climb down the rope ladder. “I must say you’ve really impressed me”

Daring Do grinned “Well I do have a nack for that type of thing specially knowing my directions and from the look of things I say we should go towards the mountain…” she look up and laughed a little “Could someone get my hat?”

Ricks laughed “I’ll get it and our stuff at the same time, we going in prepared” he walks into the airship as the other two climb down to the ground to meet up with Daring Do whom was already standing there waiting for them.

General Ricks soon returned into view dropping down the bag on the ground and climbing down with Daring Do’s hat on his head, he step on the ground and took the hat off putting it on Daring Do’s head “That a rather big bag, what are you planning to take with you?”

Jackson went to it and pulled out a hand gun giving one to Ricks and Maxine “Sir we ready and loaded”.

Daring Do felt a little uneasy with the guns in their hustlers “Are they really needed?”

“A island that something to do with Black Phoenix, what do you think?” Ricks said closing up the bag and putting his arms through it and lifting it onto his back

Daring Do smirked “You got a point there, alright guns aloud. Just don’t get gun hold” She saw a smile from each of them and smiled herself as she heads towards the mountain but stops to see Maxine put a device into the ground “What is that?”

“Oh this?” she look to the device “It a seismic reader slash tracker so we be able to find our way back” Maxine replied showing the location marked on her hand held device.

Daring Do shook her head a little “You humans and your gadgets…” this time around they all set out into the jungle heading towards the mountain.

Walking through the thick jungle, climbing over down trees the sound of the jungle was less then quiet it was too quiet for their liking, Jackson was on edge now with his hand gun raised “This isn’t good sir, I have a real bad feeling about this…”

General Ricks scanned around “Indeed there something following us for sure but whatever it is scaring the wild life too” Ricks turn and saw what look like a wolf like formation of tree braches “Oh you got to be kidding me…”

Maxine gasped when she saw it “Is that a Timber Wolf? A Everfree Forest Timber Wolf!?”

Daring Do was a little lost by this “Everfree Forest? Never heard of a such a place”

“It something in Equestria…” they stepping back as it flaming black eyes locked on them and growls. “You see my little pony we have a cartoon show that is called My Little Pony and I seen those things in one of those episodes but these are different the eyes are flaming black…”

“Cartoon? Let me guess I am a book in a cartoon but also in a real world of ponies where my ancestors originally from” Daring Do saw one leap out and she turn around and buck it with her hind legs sending it flying back into another. “I am talking here you brutes! That is not cool!”

Ricks fired his hand gun the echo made the wolves jump a little with shock from the sound and bullet impact on a tree “Forget talking, just run!” they all turn and make a run for it.

Jumping over and docking under trees the four was being chased by a pack of Timber Wolves with random fire coming from Ricks and Jackson to try and scare them off or at least slow them down, they quickly ran across an old bridge and turn around to see the wolves had stopped on the other side across the raging river growling but not moving. “Wh-why did they stop…” Maxine said breathing hard from the running they did. “They almost had us…”

Daring Do turn around and gasped “I think I know why…” they all turn to see a large pair of statues of what look like a phoenix in black with a stone entrance covered in plants and trees going down.

“This so reminds me of that book ‘Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone’ story Rainbow Dash read when she was stuck in bed… chased by creatures and then find a creepy entrance to some temple…” General Ricks put his gun away and took out his flash light as does the other two Maxine and Jackson. “Right let get this over with and try not to set off any traps…”

Daring Do walking ahead of them as they entered, the lights turned on and shined deep into the tunnel that seem pitch black with little or no sun light getting in at all. “This must be a sub-terrain temple. Would explain why we never found it from the sky, this tunnel must lead up to the main worshipping hall from the size of the passage way and the strange markings all showing that creepy phoenix” Daring Do said as they walked down the stone path down the semi large corridor with stone markings of the Black Phoenix. “Sound like you humans in this place feared the phoenix and worship it as a god of some sort”

Maxine gulped a little “I say, this isn’t what I had in mind of exploring…” then something caught her eyes and stopped “Sir look at this, it different to the others…”

Everyone gathered around and look at what the touches shinned on “Now that is awesome you found something that brings meaning, if this means anything…” Daring Do goes off into her thoughts and point a hoof to the orb and the two planets “It seem that this place held something so priceless that it been heavily protected by the black flame…”

“You can read it?” Ricks turn to her.

“Yeah a little, it not that hard since it has similar characters to the temples in New Isle Island temples and ruins. It says… ‘From the twists of dimensions a art of information fell from the heavens and guarded now and forever by the black flame’ that the best I can sum up with the detail of this rock mostly faded, I gather there some powerful magic in this temple…” Daring Do turn to Maxine seeing her wipe out another device and turn it on but instantly blew out. “Was that suppose to do that?”

Maxine waving her hand from the pain “No it wasn’t… that was my prototype on scanning magically levels, soon as I turned it on…”

“What Maxine…” Ricks saw her staring at something behind him. “Something behind me right?”

“Yes sir…”

“Run?”

“Run!” all of them turn and made a run for it as a black flame chased them, stepping on a stone Daring Do realised she just set off a trap and a rumbling sound and everything shaking she looked up to see the whole ceiling was coming down on them. “Move it you slow pokes!” she dashes ahead and they look up and gasped running harder and faster to get to the end as the flame was chasing them and the ceiling closing on them.

They all made a huge jump at the last second and leap right out of the corridor as the ceiling slam shut on top of the flame, all of them lying on the ground turning to the closed route and Ricks yelled out at Daring do “I said not to set bloody traps! We almost got pancaked!”

“Well it did pancake that crazy flame that was gave chase” Daring Do said dusting her hat off with her hoof and putting it back on her head. “I think you should be thanking me”

“Thanking you!? Are you insane!?” Ricks replied “I’ve been through war, battles and even a speech in front of the queen but this” he turns to the sealed path “Is insane, ever since those stupid mirrors started to appear it been one crazy magical adventure after another and don’t…”

Daring Do whispers to Maxine as General Ricks still going into one waving his arms, ranting and raving as he talked “Does he always get like this?”

“Yes you get use to it” Maxine said with a smile and they laughing a little then she shine a touch at a one of the stands “This must be the worship hall…” seeing the large statue and the three touches with black flames coming from them. “Ok seriously this is creepy… those flames are black as night itself”

Daring Do walk over it the statue and find an old scroll, opening it up she sees some of the detail is on it still, pictures and words “Knee and bow to the powerful Black Phoenix the bringer of new life, shall we prey and bring us protection and we harmony give our lives to the goddess of the black flame” she read and felt really uneasy “We standing on humans…” she stares at the old ashes around the ground.

“Not only human… I think ponies was here too. Look at this” Maxine points a flash light to three unicorns with what look like a light around each of them. “That what the magic is… they are living black flame unicorn ponies…”

Jackson pushed the statue to the side with ease and found that it was meant to move “Sir and girls come over here I found a passage way and a light source”

General Ricks was still talking and notice no one was round him and he paused “What did you find Jackson?” Ricks came over with Maxine and Daring Do peering into the stairs.

“Trouble I guess, if the girls found is true then we in for a heap of it…” Jackson replied “And more traps...”

General Ricks rolled his eyes “Great…” they walked down the steps and heard a click turning to see Maxine foot went down on a stone block “Not again…” The sounds of fire, arrows and multiple crash and bangs could be heard with them dodging and docking from spikes coming out of walls and axes swinging.

Soon they all came to a sliding halt and sitting there breathing hard “That was close but fun!” Daring Do chuckled

“I must say it was dicey but glad we got out of that stair well in one piece” Maxine turn to Ricks and put her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh but burst out laughing and Jackson too laughing as well.

Daring Do saw why and could see the backpack was covered from top to bottom with arrows “Oh my gosh you look so ridicules!” she burst out laughing as well at the sight of him

Ricks just stared at them with a grumble “Bloody magic and bloody temple traps…”

“Here let me help you” Daring Do chuckling a little and she gave one push down with her hoof and they all falling on the floor “There we go, good as new”

Ricks just wasn’t going to ask and go with it “Can we just find out about this temple and why it was hidden in the book in the first place as some puzzle…”

Maxine walk over to the door and saw a large chamber but what she saw was sparkling to her eyes “Oh my…”

Daring Do gasped “Oh great…” she whispered.

Jackson mouth was wide open and all Ricks said with crossed arms “Well this is going to be a challenge…”