//------------------------------// // Lake of Stars // Story: Daring Do and the Eyes of the Demon // by PegasusKlondike //------------------------------// As Daring Do and her misfit party of zebras and an ape paddled their way up the Zengo River, through the deep gorge guarded by the great stone effigies of the Everguard, the feeling of an accursed land washed away with the slow waters of the river. The smooth stone walls of the gorge bounced back every noise that they made, even the soft swish of an oar in the water was heard again as the echoes bounced back. But, to their relief, the Everguard's penchant for destroying literally anything that dared to come up the Zengo seemed to stop at the mouth of the gorge, and once the feeling of an accursed land passed, the signs of life came back. Scrubby plants clung to whatever stretches of sand and shore that presented themselves in the river's twisted course. The splash of a crocodile coming into the water could be heard as their boat passed by, and schools of fish fled as the shadow of the craft drifted upstream. "So, did they all act like that?" Daring asked to nopony in particular. "Did who act like what?" Timur asked back. "You know, Wale Mrefu, the Cousins, whatever you like to call them. Were they really that defensive of things? And were they really that tall?" Jack gave a snicker. "No way, sister. They were angels on this Earth. And only about a foot taller than myself." "Angels?! They were destroyers of sea and land! Entire nations were felled by their hand!" Zecora rather abruptly retorted. The chimp dropped his paddle, stepping up to the mare and jabbing her with a finger. "And what would you know about it? Huh? What do you have against apes in general to bad mouth even the ones who are long dead? You know, they say never to speak ill of the dead, which you zebras seem to piss on every time there's a full moon. Back there, those things, those golems, they're the closest thing we apes have to having gods. If your precious zebra of all stripes cared for her children, why would she wipe them out, huh? Ever think of that?" Finishing his tirade, the chimp slowly walked to the back of the scow, grabbing his oar and resuming paddling. Zecora sat flabbergasted, unable to think of a proper response that would keep the chimp from tearing out her eyes. Sighing at the truth of the ape's words, she grabbed her oar and kept paddling. "What was that about?" Daring whispered to Timur. Timur glanced the chimp's direction, noticing his hushed and silent chants of his scripture. "I once knew an elder of my tribe who said he went to one of the chimp's colleges in a quest for knowledge. He lasted less than three weeks, but while he was there, he learned why the apes are so reverent of their prophet. They feel that when Yeye went to war with Wale Mrefu, it was an attack on their entire family tree. They think that if she wiped them out, what is stopping her from turning on their close relatives too? They do not scorn Yeye, they are afraid of her. The apes are some of the few races that still know what the Tall Ones were capable of, and if their empire was crushed, the humble chimps would stand no chance if Yeye decided to thin the ranks again." Daring felt the animosity and the vast gulf between the zebras and the chimpanzee. "But, when I was there, she seemed so kind. She regretted ever lifting a hoof in anger, and she told me they weren't supposed to be destroyed. I mean, after seeing what my mark does, how can he even keep that up?" "Daring, I don't know if he can even see your mark." The thought had never occurred to her, could those who didn't believe even see her mark? It came to her, none of the chimps had even commented on her odd silver tattoo of a spiral, even when her pith helmet was off. Taking her helmet off, Daring turned back to the chimp. "Hey, uh, Jack. Do I have anything on my face?" She waved a hoof around her mouth, then moved up to her forehead area. The chimp scanned her with disinterested eyes. "Nope, clean as a whistle." Her jaw fell slightly slack, and Daring placed her helmet back on her head, grabbing her oar and paddling. What in Tartarus could that possibly mean that he couldn't see it? Silence once again engulfed the scow, and the crew of four kept paddling up the Zengo, towards its headwaters at the Lake of Stars. ************************************ They were getting bolder, the constant raids getting closer to the main body of the army as they marched through the jungles along the banks of the Zengo River. Sometimes it would come at night, while the weary and hungry soldiers of the warlord slept fitfully. The war cries of varying tribes of Zebrica waking up the sentries, only to go silent as the raiders leapt back into the shadows, gone back to their hiding places as quickly as they had come. But not only zebras from the Din'Jaro and their allies, but sometimes along the forest trail, a cry of pain would resound from the marching columns, a chimpanzee arrow stuck in the poor bastard's flank. There were worse fates than arrows of course. The chimpanzee Prime Minister must have ordered his troops to go all out on the guerrilla tactics, and sometimes entire squadrons would be injured, poisoned, or even killed by their insanely clever and frustrating booby traps. Riding in his litter born by twelve strong slaves, N'dutu's tapped a hoof in frustration. They weren't making the progress he had desired, and his sponsor was growing impatient. They could have taken the boats upriver, but building enough to float an army would have taken a week of sitting still, and by then Daring Do could have gotten the Eyes and been on her merry way back to Equestria. Even sending scouts up the river seemed more difficult. Passing through a certain stretch of river, most of the zebra scouts in their canoes had been tipped over by some of the most titanic crocodiles they had ever seen. As he sat there, impatiently urging his tired force forward, he remembered how his arena beasts had gone on a rampage in all the wrong places, how the kongomatos fought one another where normally they would have worked together. Even the mosquitoes around here seemed to make more warriors sick with their plagues than usual. It was almost as if- "-nature is on her side," he murmured. But it couldn't be possible, the spirits didn't take sides in mortal affairs, his years as a failed shaman had proven that time and time again. Or did they? It could just be a streak of bad luck, nearly a third of his army infected by disease and all of them marching on empty stomachs, animals acting in ways that always panned out in her favor, even the spirits were fighting back when summoned by his shaman. Drawing down the curtains on the side of his litter, he lifted the large sapphire necklace which never left his neck. He still didn't know how it worked, but somehow Ahuitzotl would always know when he was being contacted. The mists of magic swirled inside of the facets of the gem, clearing to show the fanged, dark blue face of Ahuitzotl. The creature appeared bored, even tired from some unknown exertion. On his shoulder rested a fluffy, white housecat, who he scratched with his fingered tail. "What have you called me for, whelp?" Ahuitzotl said through the gemstone. "I need an answer to a question. My forces are encountering things that cannot be explained by chance alone. Can you use your magic and find out what is wrong?" Ahuitzotl rolled his eyes, slapping a hand to his broad face. "You have called me because your pitiful armies have not yet learned to deal with a few bug bites? Chance happens, dear friend. Learn to deal with it." The mists began to swirl again, Ahuitzotl cutting off from his end. "Wait, can you not use your magic to divine what the cause of this is? There has to be something you can do to assist me. Daring Do is days ahead of my forces, she may even be at the headwaters of the Zengo already!" The mists cleared again, the face of the monkey-dog looking very agitated. "I will do what I can, but I cannot expose my power too much. There are those seeking me whose wrath would be rather hard to avoid if I used too powerful of a magic." Closing his eyes, the creature reached off to the side, pulling out a strange artifact and focusing to bring it to power. Murmuring some incantation, the statuette took on a glow, sending a tendril through the gemstone and out into the Zebrican jungles. The creature seemed to shudder, grinding his teeth and withdrawing his tendril of exploratory magic. Ahuitzotl panted through the gem, his eyes fearful of what he saw. "There are forces out there, far greater than either of us. To them, our efforts are but pawns in their great game." The mists began to fade once again, Ahuitzotl needing to let the magic of his artifacts replenish itself. "Be warned, N'dutu. I sensed a powerful magic that does not take well to intruders, just a few miles ahead of your army." Laying down the gemstone necklace, N'dutu pulled his curtain's back on his litter. Peering out into the trees, he was shocked by how quickly the forest had changed. The trees seemed bent and decrepit, the ground covered in a thick moss that crunched as the hooves of his soldiers stepped on them. Even the air had a different scent to it, one of decay and ancient stillness. Something about this place reminded the warlord of the old stories of angered ghosts and foul demons that the elders told around the hearth to scare the young foals. He shivered as he remembered the way he always wept for his mother after hearing those stories, but his mother always told him they were made up. In his mind, those ghost stories were always set in a place as dead and as foreboding as this. His soldiers walked with even more silence than normal, their eyes darting back and forth, searching for the source of the magic that had been the doom of many foolish travelers. Those still inclined or secretly still worshiping the mare of all stripes muttered prayers for mercy under their breath, or discreetly made warding signs in the air. The further his army crept into this land of the dead, the more N'dutu felt his intrusion being noticed by an extremely powerful watcher. And the closer they got to the source of this magic, the fresher the skeletons seemed. The crunch of bones under their hooves sent shivers down the spines of the slave soldiers. At the back of the columns, the nandi snarled at shadows, straining at their reins as their riders struggled to keep them from bolting. The grootslangs had stopped completely, milling about in a small herd as their mahouts tried to spur them forward. The influence seemed to even stretch into the sky, the kongomatos circling about aimlessly, nervous about coming any closer to the base of the upcoming escarpment. Only their strong loyalty to their riders kept them inching forward. A claw touched N'dutu on the shoulder, startling the warlord. He relaxed as he saw Grimhide riding his mount next to the litter. "Alpha should see this," Grimhide said before riding a few steps forward. Bringing out a short lash, he smacked the shoulders of his slave bearers, urging them after the gnoll general. By the time he caught up with Grimhide, the first ranks of the army had crossed a mysterious threshold and stood on a scrubby plain covered in craters. The plain stretched to the base of the shear cliff at the edge of the escarpment. But what drew his attention were the two titanic statutes standing guard over the mouth of the Zengo River as it slowly meandered out of a gorge cut into the cliff face. Out here in the clear land, the skeletons seemed to be the most plentiful, but also the most abused. They were crushed beyond recognition, many ground into a powdery white dust. Stepping out of his born litter, N'dutu inspected the map his servants had presented to him many days ago, proclaiming that it showed the location of the Everguard. "Where is the Everguard? All I see are those foul statues. Grimhide! Find my scholars and have them flogged until they can give me a better answer than this." Grimhide bowed from the saddle, turning his mount about and loping off towards the back of the army. But the influx of soldiers spreading out into the cleared lands slowed him down, and Grimhide wheeled his mount about. His single good eye spied something about the statues. "Master, were statues always smiling like that?" N'dutu lashed out with his short whip, catching the gnoll on the shoulder. "Statues do not smile, you mutt. Your eye is playing tricks on you." But the moment the Everguard golems slowly stepped away from the cliff face, Grimhide vowed to never take his limited vision for granted ever again. Their stone grins were almost ear to ear as they began their biggest extermination effort to date. Thrusting with their titanic spears, they crushed entire units of infantry, sending sprays of stone and dirt flying with the gore of mutilated corpses. "Attack them! Bring them down!" N'dutu shouted to his soldiers. His slave troops looked at him like he was mad, throwing down their weapons and running back for the treeline rather than having to face certain death. "Cowards! Each of you shall be flogged!" he tried to shout over the dying screams of entire units as the Everguard jabbed with their spears and stomped their feet. Obeying their warlord, several raised up bows and shot at the golems, only to have their arrows bounce off. Those bold enough to get close enough to attack the feet were typically the first to die. Throwing down their weapons, the army fell back to the bent and twisted forest. But the Everguard seemed to respect their limit, only staying in the clearing to stomp on any wounded. But those big, dumb grins never left their stone faces as they slaughtered his army. The last stragglers made it back to the trees, having escaped certain death. The giant golems stood ready, crouched into their battle poses and slamming their spears on their shields, each contact sounding like a thunderbolt. Looking back at his scared and demoralized troops, N'dutu fumed like no other. If these were the Everguard, surely Daring Do had met the same fate as the piles of gore that had been at least two hundred soldiers out there. Not only did nature conspire against him, powerful magics seemed to as well. Grabbing the necklace, N'dutu tore it off and stared into the large facet, calling to Ahuitzotl. Again the mists of magic parted to show the annoyed face of the monkey-dog. "WHAT?! I have important business to attend to, and your inconvenience could be no greater!" "We have a problem," N'dutu replied. Turning the gem, he faced it towards the towering golems. Facing the gem back to himself, Ahuitzotl seemed fairly impressed. "Amazing, how effective are they?" "Now is not the time to enjoy the sights! They have slaughtered at least two hundred of my soldiers, and they block the way upriver." Ahuitzotl tsked audibly through the gem. "A shame, they appear to be the finest specimens of golems that I have ever lain eyes upon. Were I there, I could take them for myself, and then nothing could stand in my way." "How do we fight them?!" N'dutu shouted. "A golem like those two can take incredible punishment before breaking the spells of binding laid upon their stones. You have two options, find another way around, or waste most of your army and the better part of a day grinding them to dust." Stomping a hoof, N'dutu ground his teeth. "There is no way around, the cliff face is five hundred feet tall and all our maps show no other pass!" "You have artillery, do you not?" "Yes." The mist began to fog the stone once again. "Then fight stone with stone, you imbecile." Laying down the speaker stone, N'dutu wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. The Everguard would not go past the trees, so why not hit them from a safe distance? Turning to some of his officers, he shouted, "Kuleta silaha nzito mbele!" They nodded before running back to the rear of the column, informing the artillery crews to pull their war machines forward and fire on the golems. It took nearly two hours for the entire infantry and mounted forces to slice through the dead jungle and drag the catapults within firing range. Using all their abada zebra magic, they levitated the heaviest stones they could into the machines. The sun set low on the horizon before they even managed to fire the first shot. Launching the large boulder, it sailed through the air, crashing into the broad shield of one of the Everguard golems. The golem itself didn't budge as it was struck, but its shield showed chips and cracks where it had been struck. "Keep firing! I don't care if you have to destroy them with a hammer and chisel, just do it quickly!" the warlord screamed to his artillery captains. They continued the bombardment, the Everguard taking it like a shower of rain. The hail of stone continued, eventually breaking off huge chunks of their shields. Exposing the face of one, the captain ordered an increase in elevation, firing the catapult with deadly precision. The huge stone sailed through the air, past the crumbled shield and slamming into the golem's face. A shower of stone and dust exploded from its face, the golem slowly reaching up with a hand and clutching the wound like a normal creature would. Sparks arced between the loose stone chips, dissipating as the binding magic laid hundreds of years ago was dispelled by the destruction of the golem. Encouraged by their success, all the crews aimed their catapults through the gaps in the golem's defenses, firing for the vulnerable chest and head. The injured golem still reeled as more stones flew past his shield and impacted into his chest and head. "Bring it down! BRING IT DOWN!" N'dutu shouted to his crews. Firing one lucky shot, a stone sailed past the flailing arms and struck solidly on the golem's face. With its features shattered, the great stone monster groaned, swaying on its feet. The sparks of dispelling magic shot through it like lightning, and the golem became as stiff as solid stone, falling forward and shattering. The impact shook the landscape for miles, knocking many off their feet and causing a minor earthquake. The remaining Everguard looked over to its companion, and if it were possible for stone to shed tears, a tear would have fallen gently down his cheek. Standing tall, he tossed his shield toward the river, cocking back his spear as the artillery re-positioned to fire on him. Hurling his only weapon, the spear skidded along the ground, shattering the trees like matchsticks and crushing dozens of his enemies. As the cascade of stones struck him all over his body, the Everguard's magic began to dispel from the punishment. He fell to his knees, his entire existence validated by the thought that though he failed at his eternal task, he would not leave the world alone. His stone crumbled under the onslaught, and the last Everguard fell to the ground, a lifeless field of shattered rock. All around him, N'dutu could feel the presence of the defensive magic dispel. It was as if a veil had been lifted from the forest, and without even congratulating his artillery crews, he ordered his entire army to begin building rafts. ********************************************* Daring took in a whiff of air, a more organic scent lingering in her nostrils. They had spent two days straight on the Zengo River, meandering through the canyon that led to what they believed to be the Lake of Stars. And that time had gone quietly, much to her chagrin. Her companions did not chatter like they used to, perhaps it was the anticipation of what was coming, perhaps it was simply the gulf between all of them. The scents of life on the air had become more and more prominent, and the plants decorating the shore became thicker and fuller. Even the river itself had a different feel about it. Not the slow, sluggish feel of the river as it flowed through the jungle, the water soupy and dark. Nor did it seem like the turgid waters of the forbidden zone, where the water stayed clearer to warn the wary about those foolish enough to come before them. No, the water here was clear as crystal, and seemed to flow with purpose. Dipping a hoof into the waters, she felt the coolness rush across her skin, inviting her to simply dive in and escape the ever present and oppressive heat of Zebrica. The canyon began to broaden, opening slowly into a valley. The stone walls still seemed to steep and too loose to scale, but as they broadened outwards, trees began to conquer the shore, entire fields of papyrus reeds seeming like the spring fields of grain in the farmlands of Equestria. But as she peered into the water, the fish of the canyonland seemed absent, and indeed all the fish had left the area. Looking off into the distance, she saw the river broaden out into a vast lake, the center of which was broken by a tall spire of rock. An entire jagged mountain speared out of the dead center of the lake, and the walls of the canyon stretched out and around in a ring of black stone. Leaping from the boat, Daring spread her wings and flew to the low, fluffy clouds. "It's a volcano," she said to herself as she got a better look from above. The entire lake was formed from the ancient eruption of some gargantuan volcano, with the mountain in the center being an old magma core. It was nearly a perfect ring around the mountain, with a stretch of sandy shore concentric to the hard, uninviting obsidian of the old crater. And in that mountain, through that massive crack the lay open in the side of the peak, lay her goal. In there, Talib's Tomb had gone undisturbed for centuries, and so had his burden and the curse of Zebrica. Looking down to her companions, they appeared to be rowing towards the shore to rest and prepare for the last trial. Landing down with them, she felt the shivers of anticipation, the cold emptiness inside that was always filled by the rush of adrenaline as she reached her goal. But her companions seemed more morose, and once she landed on the sandy shore with the zebras, Jack walked over with his holy book in an arm. "Well, here's where we part ways, Daring Do. I brought you up the river, farther than most could ever have gotten you. I know things haven't been the smoothest between your friends and I, and I apologize for that. I have a gift for ya." He lifted out the holy book, bound tightly and lovingly in a waterproof cloth. "You've been one of the best potential converts I have ever met, may the Allgood bless your holy mission." Daring took the book, holding it with reverence. Placing it in her pack gently, she gave the ape a hoofed hug. "Thanks, furball. Maybe one day everypony can just sit down and learn from one another, happy trails." The ape returned her hug, patting her on the back before letting go. Walking back over to the boat, he grabbed his small pack, throwing it over a shoulder before walking proudly out to the thick jungle that grew on the thin strip of land around the Lake of Stars. But before he could disappear into the bush, he turned back. "Hey, were they what you expected?" he yelled back to her. "What?" Daring asked, shouting to the chimpanzee. "You know." He held a hand well over his head, indicating something much taller than himself. Daring gave a grin, remembering her foalish fascination with the Everguard. "Nothing is ever what we really expect." The chimp nodded in agreement, taking a few steps into the brush and melting into the forest. Alone with Zecora and Timur, Daring nodded to the boat, ready to begin the final stage of this strange journey and fulfill the purpose laid upon her by a Princess and a god. Climbing back into the boat, the sun began to set over the horizon. A thought passed through Daring's mind as the zebras paddled their boat out into the placid, crystal clear waters of the Lake of Stars. "Why do they call it the Lake of Stars?" she asked to the zebras. They looked to one another, shrugging their shoulders. "I do not know why it is called that. It is a good thing to question at," Zecora said off hoof, focusing more on the approaching tomb of Zebrica's greatest warrior. And also the resting place of the greatest evil that had seen the light of day since the fall of Discord. Dusk began to slowly fall over the crater rim, plunging the boat into darkness within minutes. Thinking about what she might face inside of that mountain, inside the tomb of the Blind Warrior, a sound broke her concentration. Looking over the side of the boat, the ripples of a jumping fish flowed over the surface of the lake. "Woah," she said quietly. With the crystal clarity of the spring fed water of the Lake of Stars, she saw schools of fish beneath the boat. But what made her hold her breath in astonishment was the lights. As a fish swam by, he lit up like a small star, his scales flashing a spring-green light. All around the boat, from the water's surface down to the deepest depths, the flashes of these ghostly fish lit the water like stars lit the sky. Their light glowed through the water, illuminating the lake and all the forest around it in pale show of bioluminescence. "Damn," she said aloud. "This continent just keeps throwing surprises at me left and right." The show of light and the dance of entire shoals of fish seemed to calm Daring, reassuring her for the coming task. Timur and Zecora also leaned over the boat, drinking in the sight of the fluorescent creatures that inhabited this lake. After staring wholeheartedly for a full minute, the urgency of their mission pressed them forward. The zebras steered the boat towards a cave in the mountainside, preparing torches for when the natural lights of the fish were not enough. Pulling into the mouth of the great cave, Zecora struck a spark from her steel striker onto the oil soaked torch. Illuminating the barest reaches of the inside of the ancient lava tube, Daring looked in. In her thoughts, she could hear the words of the High Chief. "Up the river Zengo lies your goal, Past dangers of the jungle untold. Travel north for many nights and days, Past the Everguard's watchful gaze. Find you will the Lake of Stars, Enter into the mountain's scar," she said aloud, her words echoing off the walls of the cave entrance. Taking a moment to pray one last time for guidance from Yeye, the trio steered the boat into the cave mouth, crossing the threshold into a realm of horror and wonders.