//------------------------------//
// Unity through Understanding 
// Story: Daring Do and the Eyes of the Demon 
// by PegasusKlondike 
//------------------------------//

Silence.

Blissful silence after hearing so many things she could never forget. The gentle sway of the boat as it traveled downriver rocked her to the deepest, most well deserved sleep she had ever had. She would never forget what had happened back there  in the depths of that mountain, and neither would she ever live down the foolishness of her own self sacrifice.

Daring had become the ultimate abomination of magic back there, and hopefully she would be the last Zebrica would ever have to see. With the stolen magic the Eyes had given her, she had sealed their fate. For only the twisted product of the demonic relic could turn back on its creator and destroy it.

And the absolute worst part of it? When she placed the wretched Eyes of the Demon onto her face, she heard it whispering to her to her mind, telling her to look upon her friends and gaze deep. It had promised her life beyond the natural limit should she simply do the unthinkable. It whispered to her, probing deep into her mind and laying salt upon the fresh wounds upon her soul, hoping to break her and sway her over to chaos.

And she refused.

Daring had been through far too much to simply give in to the suggestions of a piece of wood. 

And with her will, her spirit, and her heart she had conquered the darkness, but in the end the darkness had shown its spite, leaving her trapped with the angered souls of thousands of violated and abused warriors. And in the end, having destroyed the evil outside, she had to release the anger within. She gave in to Legion, and allowed them to strike her death knell. For all intents and purposes, she had died. But some things just refuse to stay down, Daring Do among them.

With her resurrection came a price, her god given power had to be taken back by the one who had bestowed it. And in Daring's  opinion, a small price to pay for a second chance.

Daring's rest was deserved, and as the dappled sunlight filtered through the treetops as they drifted downriver, she began to dream once again.


*************************************************


She opened her eyes to gaze upon the ivory white streets of Canterlot. A gentle breeze rustled through her monochromatic mane, and though she heard the sounds of ponies distantly conversing and laughing, she was alone on this street. Their voices seemed surreal, as was the cafe patio that she sat upon. The velvet pillow felt real, and the daisy sandwich lying in front of her seemed real enough. She even smelled a touch of mayonnaise on there, just like she always ordered.

You gonna eat that?

Daring looked up and gave an annoyed groan. "I didn't know gods could eat, Gaia."

The forest green alicorn sat on her own pillow across from Daring, sitting there as though this were a regular lunch date that she indulged with an old girlfriend. Not in a sense that you eat, but we do. And you seem to use that word so frivolously, 'god'. If you truly knew what that meant, you would probably slip into some kind of shock or coma from the mind boggling truth.

"What do you want from me now?"

Taking her questioning as a 'yes', the goddess levitated the sandwich over and took a delicate bite. To simply say 'mazal tov' and be out of your hair forever.

"What the hay does that gibberish mean? Is that even a language?"

Gaia's smile could have knocked a mere mortal creature flat. If everything goes to plan, you'll see. I do have other things I'm planning on doing. But you are not a necessary part of those, and therefore I see no reason to brief you on them.

Daring leaned back, folding her forelegs and raising a suspicious eyebrow at her old sponsor. "Why the sudden drop of formality? Win the game and suddenly you can buddy up with the pieces?"

The alicorn goddess rolled her eyes in exasperation. Consider it a 'first name basis' type of thing, Daring. And by the way, you could have just not played the game, ever consider that? Not a single one of those poor, misguided souls could have made it through the trials like you did. The Eyes would have been safe where they were. All I did was give you the edge to get through. There was every chance to accept defeat and go back home, but you know what you did? You sought out evil and chaos, and destroyed it. And for that, I cannot thank you enough. I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life after you awaken from this dream, unless of course you have a desire to be fulfilled? Something that I might be able to do for you?

Daring considered for a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof. "Yeah, maybe you could cool off this damn continent a bit? Zebrica is hotter than an oiled striptease." 

Gaia grimaced. Ooh, sorry. That's not my jurisdiction, and besides it would take thousands of years and maybe cost the extinction of a few thousand species. Is there something else you might want? Maybe a forewarning or something?

"Damn, okay, I'll take the forewarning."

M'kay then. Come close. The alicorn waved her closer with a hoof. Rolling her eyes at the completely useless gesture, Daring leaned across the table as if the goddess' mind voice could whisper to her. My brothers, sisters and even a few of my cousins are planning something big in a few years. They're going to let somepony out that hasn't seen Earth in quite a long time; in fact, it will be kind of a millennial anniversary. For once, do not attend the Summer Sun Celebration in about five years. In fact, it would be wisest to stay out of Equestria completely. Don't tell anyone, got it? Spreading such knowledge around could be disastrous.

Leaning back, Daring tried to comprehend the warning. "Uh, okay. I'll take a nice sabbatical to the Southern Jungles."

Gaia grinned, nodding in approval. Perfect. And while you are there, why not vacation with a special friend?

"What are you talking about? Hey, wait, what are you doing?"

The goddess levitated a baseball bat from beside the table, testing the heft and banging it against the table once for good measure. All things will come to fruition in their due time, o' curious explorer. Standing on her hind legs, she took the bat in her hooves, walking over to Daring's side of the table. Well Daring Do, this is goodbye, see you in the afterlife. "Oh, by the way, I heard your little 'conversation' with Grinwa. Don't you ever think about plotting against me with demons again, little missy!" Gaia shouted rather angrily. Swinging her bat, Daring shut her eyes as it came to her face and jettisoned her out of the dream world.


******************************************************


"WOAH!" Daring shouted, sitting bolt upright in a soft, comfortable bed. Shivering a little bit from the godly rage, she clung to her sheets, vowing never to so much as speak to anything that called itself a demon. The room around her was a strange mix of a jungle hut and a Trottingham manor home. The walls were made of rough hewn wood, but sophisticated shelves brimming with leather bound books and framed paintings hung from them, expertly placed by a decorative hand.

The canvas curtain that served as a door parted, a familiar simian head poking in. "Well! Look who finally woke up. Mornin', sleepy hooves."

Daring glanced around at her settings. "What happened? I was just on a boat coming down river when I fell asleep. Now I'm here."

Jack meandered over to the bed, sitting down to explain. "Well, I don't know much, but on my way back I ran into this huge army that was pursuing N'dutu's remaining forces. You shoulda seen it, so many different tribal banners, so many zebra tribes, a couple of the larger packs of gnolls, and even a host from some of the ape nations! Luckily I was their side, they freakin' hammered N'dutu's army! Those of them that still wanted to fight, anyway. Most of them just dropped their weapons and begged them to get the slave collars off. It's a mess out there right now, feeding all those malnourished former slaves, getting them medicine and sending the ones who are healthy back home."

"Wait, how many banners?"

Jack tapped his chin, mentally recounting. "I think most of Zebrica showed up, even some of the trade lords. Like I said, it's a mess out there, there have never been this many zebras in our jungle before. Hell, I think even the airships they brought are packed!"

"Airships?" Daring asked.

"Yeah, flying some kind of blue flag with two ponies like you on it."

Rising quickly from the bed, Daring cantered out the canvas door, being wary to avoid falling off the wooden walkways built into the treetop homes. She was back in the chimpanzee capital, but the chimps here were by far the minority. Literal thousands of zebras milled about below, dressed in garbs that were both familiar and completely new. The swift, feather mantled Nyika marched in loose groups, like hawks seeking their prey. The red tunics of the Din'Jaro stuck out like a stray feather, their bearers intermingling with the milling mass. The Zare with their croc tooth spears, their hides scored and scarred to look like the skin of a reptile. The Mbusa, heavy and burly like the elephants whose tusks made their armor. N'disi, Gochano, and even a few Matsunga rebels from all the way back to the beginning of the conflict marched side by side.

And there were others, huge black furred gorillas left a wake in the crowd, their heavy wooden mauls looking like they could smash through solid stone. Zebras and pony mercenaries coiffed in their leather and steel jerkins, hired by the trade lords to protect the precious port cities and caravans moved uneasily about the crowd. There was an overall sense of tension, one that was belayed by a sense of grander victory over the warlord who would see them enslaved.

Daring felt a calloused hand lay down on her shoulder. "Pretty impressive, huh? I don't think I've ever seen so many creatures from so many backgrounds come together!" Jack gave her feathered shoulder a small clap. "C'mon, Prime Minister wants to see you. Him, and every other leader."

Following Jack down the ramps to the ground, they waded through the crowds, their goal being the large stone building that Jack said normally housed Parliament. Nodding to the pair of chimp soldiers standing guard at the door, they grabbed the handles and pulled it open to reveal a house in turmoil.

Chiefs from every tribe of Zebrica were present in their full war regalia, seated around a very large table, shouting over the table at their old grudges and causing a storm of papers. A few even abandoned logical speech, devolving back to neighing and braying. But zebra representatives were not the only ones present, a few gnolls sat off to one side, nervously looking around. Apes of all races tried to maintain their calm and cool exteriors in the face of such chaos, the gorilla President snarling out of the corner of his mouth at a zebra chief who jostled him too much. Daring even spotted Timur sitting next to a much older stallion that looked shockingly like him. Zebras were hard to tell apart as it was, but the elder zebra had the same hard jaw, the same blue eyes and even carried himself like her guide. And though his legs had run many trails and seen illness that brought him to the edge of death, he remained as strong as his son. But the beaded necklace denoted him as much more important than a simple prince.

And at the head of the table sat the chimpanzee Prime Minister, holding his head with his hands and accepting the chaotic screaming in front of him. Noticing Daring, he motioned her over. Giving her a pat on the neck and leaving the table to talk more privately with the explorer, the chimp leader looked absolutely worn. "Thank the Allgood you're here. Blimey it's a mess."

"What's this all about?" she asked the Prime Minister.

"Well, since we all kinda came together to get rid of N'dutu, everybody picked now to suddenly drag up every land dispute, old grudge and turf war in known history. I've been tryin' to mediate, but they won't listen to me, there's too damn much goin' on between too damn many people! The Gochano and the Mbusa are in a tiff over who gets the old Matsunga land. The N'disi remnants are fighting amongst themselves over who is gonna lead them. The Nyika are pretty much dueling with Tashim's trade lords over some mining dispute. President Koba over there," he waved a hand at the well dressed gorilla, "is right about to declare war with the Zare because they have been fighting over a stretch of river for fifty years. I can't even get the gnolls to say a damn thing, and us chimps are trying to negotiate a treaty between all of this that won't leave us in the dirt!" 

Daring shrugged her wings, at an utter loss. "What do you want me to do about it?!"

The Minister poked her in the chest with a long finger. "Oh come off it! They'll listen to you. When they brought you off that boat and into Jack's house, most of the zebras out there were shoutin' about a 'Golden Angel' that brought them together. The Angel who slew N'dutu with her own hoof and destroyed the Blind Warrior's Burden."

Daring relaxed a bit, considering all of that. "I guess that is something. Okay, you swayed me, I'll give it my best shot."

"Thanks, lovey." The chimpanzee ambled back over to his chair, picking up his gavel and rapping it several times against the hard table top. The various leaders of the tribes ignored it, only increasing their volume to cover the rapping. Baring his fangs, the gorilla President slammed one of his tree trunk arms on the table, shaking the entire room and leaving a visible dent. Almost instantly the shouts of the chieftains subsided, and everyone stared at the head of the table.

Despite the abuse to his Parliament, the Prime Minister nodded to the gorilla. "Eh hem, thank you, President Koba." The gorilla nodded slowly, wanting to get this over with. Pushing his glasses back up his flat nose, the chimpanzee cleared his throat. "I have someone here who I think can settle many of our current disputes, if you would just hear her out. Please hold your applause for Ms Daring Do."

Daring flapped lazily over to the top of the table, walking up and down the table and inspecting all the chiefs in their regalia. 

"Friends," she nodded to the familiar chief of the Nyika. "Fellows," she gave a glance to both the ancient and decrepit Din'Jaro high chief and the chief of the Gochano. "Only days ago we faced annihilation at the hooves of one. N'dutu, the warlord whose dark armies threatened to enslave us all, and crept into our nightmares with his promises of taking away our very souls. Together, we destroyed N'dutu, we crushed his armies and freed those who despaired under his lash. We survived this because we came together. And though it took me as the instrument of Yeye to destroy the curse on your land, N'dutu would have succeeded if we had not unified. You crippled his armies and brought fear into his heart. Do any of you have such power alone? The power to stop one who would see you fractured and enslaved?"

Each chief's interpreter leaned close, murmuring a translation to their leader.

"And what does it matter that some of us envy the same land or the same river? Why can we all not share this land and come to an agreement over how you should use it? Look what we did as one, we took down the darkest plague in Zebrica since the scourge Grinwa walked the land. Think. Think of what you could do if you used that power to try and make a better life for everyone; zebra, chimp, gorilla, and even gnoll. We could change Zebrica into something greater, something more than just this backwater place where all the rest of the world sees is wars and atrocities. It was the strife between your people that created the warlord in the first place. It was this disunity and mistrust that allowed Grinwa to sow the seeds of chaos across Zebrica."

A thought came to Daring, and she fluttered over to the doorway, stealing a quiver of arrows from a chimp soldier. "Hey!"

"I'm just borrowing these for a second," she said, flying back to the center of the table. Pulling an arrow out with her teeth, she fumbled it around in her hooves, trying to demonstrate something. She exhaled sharply as the arrow fell to the table. Looking around, she spied Jack. "Jack, come here for a second, I need your hands."

Climbing up on the table, the chimp took the arrow into his hands. "Um, okay, now what?"

"Gospel of the Allgood, page sixty seven," Daring whispered to him. 

Jack's eyes brightened. "You did listen!" 

Clearing her throat again, Daring continued with her speech. "Alone, we may seem forceful and true, but we are weak." Jack snapped the arrow in his hands, holding it up for the leaders to see. "But when we work together, we are strong." Jack pulled out all the arrows, forcibly trying to break them in his hands. Though the bundle bent, the chimp strained with all his might, unable to break them. 

The apes at the table nodded in respect, recognizing one of the core lessons from their religious text. 

"And so I say, you may argue amongst yourselves, you may even hold each other as enemies. But do not forget the people of this great place. Those people out there who look to you to guide them through the dark, who look to you to be their voice. Strive to understand one another, listen to your fellow and know his view before claiming that yours is the only way. Thank you," she finished, hopping down from the tabletop and walking over to sit next to Timur.

The room full of chiefs, shamans, elected executives and their interpreters sat silently, considering the words of one who spoke for god and had selflessly removed the curse from their land. The chief of the Gochano pushed back his chair, standing tall to address his fellow chieftains.

"Mwanamke amesema kweli. Tunahitaji kuacha kufikiria kwa wenyewe, na kuanza kufikiria kwa ajili ya watoto wetu." Those who understood Gochano nodded, those who did not had their interpreters close to ear, listening intently.

"Wow, Grandpa looks a lot better than how you described him. What did he say?" Daring whispered to Timur. 

The stallion rolled his eyes. "How did you know that is my father?"

"The family resemblance is, shall we say, striking."

Timur nodded to Daring. "He said, 'She is right. We need to stop thinking for ourselves. We need to start thinking for our children.'"

The grey in his mane only seemed to enhance the chief's wisdom, and he continued, looking down to Timur with obvious sorrow in his voice. "Na majuto yangu kubwa ni kuongeza mwana kujua umwagaji damu kama jibu la matatizo yetu."

Timur looked as though a tear could fall from his eye, but for his own honor and the for the respect of his tribe, he held back. Daring nudged him with a hoof. "What did he say?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Timur continued. "My greatest regret is raising a son to know bloodshed as the answer to our problems. Where we need kindness, instead we have savagery."

Taking his seat again, the chief of the Gochano rested his plea. The hall remained silent for a moment, each chief or leader thinking for a moment, thinking for what his people needed. The High Chief of the Din'Jaro rose from his seat, his quivering legs threatening to give way with each second. "Chidi ni haki. Kwa nini tunapaswa kukaa kama watu wengi wakati sisi inaweza kuwa moja?"

"Chidi is right, why should we stay as many people when we could be one?" Timur whispered to Daring.

"Kwa nini kujitenga wenyewe kama Din'Jaro? Kama Gochano? Kama Zare, au Nyika.... au ape, au gnoll?"

"Why should we divide ourselves as Din'Jaro? As Gochano? As Zare, or Nyika or even ape or gnoll?"

The High Chief continued his speech, slamming a hoof on the tabletop for emphasis. "Kwa nini sisi si kuweka kando tofauti zetu, na kuja pamoja kwa ajili ya kufanana zetu? Hebu kuja pamoja kama Zebricans." He placed a hoof on his chest, his sightless eyes gazing out over the people of this room.

"Why can we not set aside our differences, and come together with our similarities? Let us come together as....Zebricans." Timur said the last word with almost reverence and disbelief.

A still silence hung in the air, the only thing piercing it being the frantic murmurs of the translators whispering to their chieftains. 

And as the High Chief sat down, a hoof clopped against the table top. Again it came, and everyone searched for the one giving the applause. All eyes fell to Daring Do, standing tall from her seat and giving her applause. She stood alone, as she always had, struggling to do what she believed was right. Though she knew many here disapproved of her, her heart burned with the fires of harmony between these people. And as she began to increase her applause, a sharp clap came from the head of the table, the Prime Minister standing and applauding this proposition of unity where once there had only been segregation and animosity.

The gorilla President rose from his seat, his huge hands coming together in a booming approval. 

Eagle feathers rustled as the chief of the Nyika rose, stomping a hoof to pledge his people to this cause of harmony in Zebrica. 

The cadence of applause rose from more and more chieftains, eventually the entire hall rising in support of this idea. And as the sun passed through the eternal sky, sinking into the starlit night, each chieftain gave his thoughts and added his own touch to this new ideal, this new way that would see Zebrica no longer as a place of backwards barbarians, but as a people of respect in their own right. It went against the individualism of every tribe, and those who believed strongly in the ancient traditions did not smile upon it, but Zebrica was in the dusk of the old ways, and the bright dawn of a new era of prosperity touched the horizon for their posterity.

Each person almost trembled with anticipation as thought after thought came to rest upon a parchment written by the hand of the chimpanzee Prime Minister. They would still know themselves by tribe, they would still choose their own beliefs and their own ways of life. But they would answer to each other, and know one another as equals. But most importantly, they know themselves first as Zebricans.

And in the early hours of the morning, the only thing that alerted the excited leaders of this new united Zebrica to the time was the clatter of wooden armor as one of the chimp guards at the door collapsed from exhaustion. Deciding it was high time to get some rest, the gathered leaders shook hands and hooves, giving their obeisance to their new brothers in arms.

As the line of chieftains filed out the door, Timur poked Daring awake, who had lightly dozed through most of the proceedings after getting the ball rolling, her pith helmet expertly covering her eyes just enough to still look awake and alert. 

What could she say? She was an archaeologist, politics just weren't her thing.


**************************************************


The sharp, permeating odor of tobacco smoke filled the small room the investigative team had been given by the heads of the Royal Intelligence Service. Princess Celestia wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, and though it had been several weeks since the pair of botched burglaries had put all of Canterlot on high alert, she still wanted some answers from her best agents. Agent Lucky Charms sat at the main table, several files on each crime scene laying open in front of him. 

His eyes were tired and baggy, his shirt rumpled and not ironed. The single, dingy light above his head did little to illuminate the dark room where three ponies were crammed into. The Princess had even gone so far as to delegate the task to the Deputy Director, and Morning Dew was not pleased with this. She puffed a cigarette, running a hoof through her blue mane. Blowing a line of smoke into the air, even the hard and cold Dew was positively beaten. 

The other two agents lounged in chairs, waiting for Charms to give up for the night or fall asleep at his desk so they could go home.

One of the other agents, a unicorn with a yellow coat and white mane, finished making an origami swan with his magic. Throwing it in the trash with all the other bored little projects he had done since Charms recruited him to the case, he rose and walked over to the desk. "Lucky, buddy, there's nothing to this case! We all know Ahuitzotl had his henchmen try to rob the castle and the museum as a distraction! There's nothing in these files that can tell us anything. It's past midnight, you need some sleep, Lucky."

Charms sighed, looking up from his massive piles of photos, notes and what little evidence was available. "Look Leafy, Princess Celestia thinks there is something to this, and I won't rest until I find out what it is."

Deputy Director Dew ground out the cigarette butt clasped in her wingtip. "I have to admit, Leaf is sounding more right than he ever has. This was all a distraction to keep our eyes here."

Charms leapt from the desk, his scruffy face and bloodshot eyes glaring down everypony that sat around denouncing him. "It can't have been just a distraction! Look here." He grabbed one of the Royal Guard reports from a file. "It says that the Royal Guards that discovered the attempted burglary said that the perpetrators could have been there for easily half an hour! Half an hour! Don't tell me that Ahuitzotl would pass up the chance to plunder some of the most valuable and dangerous artifacts known with that kind of time on his paws! The Sanctum of the Elements, untouched! The vaults of artifacts, nothing missing! The Royal Library, even more orderly than the day before!"

"That's the thing, Lucky! Not a single thing was taken from either the palace or the museum! This is exactly what that blue freak wants, us wasting our time and resources chasing after ghosts," Leaf bitterly replied, having spent too much time away from his wife on this dead end. "We've even got reports from Tashim that N'dutu may have suffered a major defeat. He might even be dead, especially after that idiot had one of our caravans attacked. Even with his army he can't stand against the might of Equestrian air power. There's nothing left to this, so just let me and Morning go home for the night. You can sit here, waste your time and spend the entire week looking over the same documents over and over again, just don't drag us down with you."

Lucky sat down at his desk, running a hoof through his blonde mane. "Alright...get outta here. Go home. I'll sit here and review the evidence until it kills me."

The unicorn and the pegasus grabbed their jackets, slinging them over their backs and walking out into the empty hallways of the RIS building. Charms stared down at the files with no real intent, wondering if the carafe still had a few drops of coffee left in it. He didn't do this for the crown, he didn't do it because he had been assigned it, he did it for somepony in particular.

He had no idea what had happened to Daring after she left Tashim, but all reports were saying that after she ventured out into the bush, strange things started happening. The zebra tribals that the RIS kept in contact with said that animals had destroyed N'dutu's compound, and that somepony seemed to be raising the standard and unifying the tribes against the warlord. Some of the latest reports claimed that with the assistance of Equestrian airships, a force of allied tribes had wiped most of N'dutu's army from the face of the Earth. But the warlord had gone after the Eyes of the Demon, he had found their location and just gone for them.

And that was what concerned Charms the most, that he might reach the relic that Daring was after. And then, since Daring was bound to be close behind, what if he found out how to use it on her?

The sepia mare just wouldn't leave Lucky's mind. That sense of passion for what she did, that spark of life that always glittered in those magenta eyes. So quick to joke and hard to hold a grudge against, even if she had left him in a Knossian prison for a month, and then stuck out in the middle of a jungle while she flapped off with the artifact. 

Goddess damn that mare! Even though it had been weeks, Charms still hadn't burned the correspondence that she had sent from Tashim. Something about it seemed so personal to him, that flighty, touch and go mare always just seemed to worm her way around in his mind.

Charms stopped his thoughts, a single syllable of a word from his thought striking like a hammer to his skull. "Wait a minute. In." He stood up, charging out the door and through the blacked out hallways. 

Bursting out the front door, Charms managed to catch Dew and Leaf trying to hail a taxi wagon. "Wait!" he yelled as Morning Dew climbed into a wagon seat. Dew held the taxi puller, stepping out to confront Charms. "In!" he said, as though the word were the meaning of life.

"In? What do you mean 'in', Agent Charms?"

Charms felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins as he prepared to explain. "The burglaries were a distraction, but not to keep our attention here. What if one of the break-ins was a decoy, while Ahuitzotl tried to bring smuggle something into the other! His henchmen couldn't have taken anything, because they were already too focused on trying to discreetly smuggle something in! We spent all this time looking for what was missing, when we should have been looking for what wasn't there before!" 

Deputy Director Dew's eyes grew wide. "Leaf! Go to a few Agents' homes and wake them up! Rouse a few of the palace guards while you're at it and get in contact with Guard Captain Armor, we're going to scout out the palace for whatever Ahuitzotl planted there. And if that is all clear, we're goin' on a little field trip to the museum! Charms, come here you beautiful, scruffy son of a bitch." Deputy Director Dew grabbed his tie with a hoof, dragging Charms close and planting one directly on his lips. "Now get back in there and start writing up some search warrants!"

Charms nodded eagerly. "Yes sir!"


****************************************************


Dawn crept over the jungles of the chimpanzees, a gentle mist clearing from near the river. Though the light of the sun filtering through the mist made a show of coating the forest in wispy flame, the beautiful sight was lost on Zecora. She had seen it so many times in the boughs of Nyumbani, and her heart yearned for something new. Something that wasn't the harsh and brutal reality that came with every waking moment on the scorching savanna.

Perhaps the princess of the Din'Jaro needed a change in her life. Since she was a little filly scampering about the boughs of Nyumbani, everything had been foreordained for Zecora. Every morning, go out with the young shaman apprentices and learn the ways of the spirits. The sun would climb higher, and the great warriors of her tribe would drill the filly on the martial practices, of which she seemed to have a hoof for the quarterstaff and the short knife. 

They would make her practice until she either collapsed from exhaustion or until the sun dipped towards the horizon. From there, she retreated indoors to study what books her elders managed to buy from the caravaners and merchants in Tashim. An incredibly ordered and strict life for such a free and independent tribe. But they would need her, should her father's time come and if Zitali were killed, it would be up to Zecora to take control of the tribe. Or at least it would be up to her husband. And who, among all the eligible princes of the tribes of Zebrica, even amongst her own tribe, should she be betrothed to? Timur.

Though she had shared such a bond with him, it was young love, little more. She considered the stallion a brash, inconsiderate, bull headed and unthinking choice for a mate. A good fling for an immature mare, but a bad husband to be.

And here, in the aftermath of the destruction of the Eyes, she had found a new purpose. All her life, she had been trained to be a mystic, a warrior, and a leader. But as she walked amongst the sick, the starving, and the wounded of N'dutu's army, her talents had found purpose.

Not recognizing her as the Princess of the Din'Jaro, some zebra who needed an extra pair of hooves had recruited her to clean and dress wounds. The healer mare dragged her to a line of nearly emaciated former warriors, placing down a bowl of herbs and a pile of clean dressing. 

"Dress the wounds of those in pain. Do you know the remedy for burn, scrape and sprain?" the overly rushed tribal healer asked Zecora. 

"Yes," Zecora answered curtly, not having time to properly rhyme before the other mare nodded and ran to a different row of sick and wounded former slaves.

The groans of the injured and the rasping breath of the starving awoke something in Zecora. She had always known how to treat injury and chase away illness with herbs, there wasn't a mare in Zebrica that didn't. But as she came to her first patient,  barely more than a colt who shouldn't have even kissed his first love, much less bore a spear in violence, a fire of anger and determination burned in her heart.

He looked to her with pained and dying eyes, a gaze that had seen barbarism and been a tool to atrocities that he could never live down. As she dipped a cloth in a salve, smearing it delicately on his cuts, she felt the need to comfort him. "There there, the pain will not be long. Zecora is here to make you healthy and strong."

And despite himself, the teenage colt managed to crack a small smile, wincing as Zecora cleaned his festering wounds. Laying a bowl of fruit by his resting mat, Zecora moved with a restless and determined step to the next patient. Singing a soft song as she worked, Zecora hooves moved with almost unnatural speed, cleaning wounds, applying salves and finally bandaging them. And with each patient she left a hopeful smile and a generous portion of the sustenance they needed. All patients were equal under her care, and she treated each with the care and respect each one deserved. 

And at the end of the day, Zecora stood back and wiped her brow with a hoof. Her legs and her jaws ached like she had trained with the quarterstaff all day, but this was far more satisfying than any combat she had ever endured. But somehow she felt disgusted. Though the skillful work of her hooves and kind words today had undone the damage sown by the warlord that had ravaged all of Zebrica and threatened to spill his violence over into the rest of the world, she felt disgusted by what she had witnessed today. 

All of those poor, innocent youths. All of those wise and once kind elders. All of them, scarred forever by the trauma of anguish and despair. Though their future looked brighter, something told Zecora that if she stayed here, her light would flicker and die, the fire and passion she had felt today would leave. Like a burning torch it would stay bright, but slowly dwindle as her eyes bore witness to more of the brutal reality here.

And with the leaders of the tribes all coming together under one roof, and word passing through the massive encampment around the chimpanzee capital that the old ways of isolation and superstition were being left behind for something new, Zecora made her decision. If Zebrica would see a brighter and more welcoming future, then so could she. 


*****************************************


The next morning, they began to leave. 

Those tribes assembled took up their spear and their shield, bearing them in all directions back to their homelands. Back to their farms and their herds, back to the huts and hearths. Their voices would bear the tales to be told, of a long sealed away curse that had poisoned the heart of Zebrica, now destroyed and shattered into pieces. Of a warlord whose arrogance and foolishness led to his downfall. They would tell their families and their friends of this new idea of a unified Zebrica, and a dawn of the confederation of their continent, now a place where all tribes and all peoples worked together for common goals of bringing Zebrica out of the Classical Era. But mostly, those warriors who came back to their families would tell one tale until their manes grew gray with age, the tales of her. 

She who flew like an eagle and whose hooves struck like thunder. She who bore a pelt of pure gold and whose smile could enchant the very air. And the tales that she walked between the worlds of the living and the dead, and bore the sign of a god.

Those who saw Daring Do raised their spear and cried out to her as they marched out of the chimp capital and back to their homes. After about two solid days of it, it almost got on her nerves. And so she took the time to draw once again, something she hadn't done in so many days, what with the extreme distractions and all. 

Back leaned against a tree trunk, she tried to capture the stoic yet sorrowful essence of the Everguard on paper, knowing that they might be the only time she would ever see the creatures whose remnants had been peppered throughout her life. And as she sketched and jotted down notes of each figure, she came to the last page in her notebook. A look of surprise came to her, although she always carried one, she never completely filled a notebook on a single journey before.

She pondered what to put there, but nothing came to mind. She took in a deep breath of warm Zebrican air, the scents of forest loam, dust from the distant savanna, and the scents of the river Zengo all mixing in her nostrils. 

The airships above were boarding their crews and loading supplies bought from the chimps. At first, Daring had questioned the Equestrian captain and his crew, asking them if this was a breach of international agreement. The looks on their faces were almost enough, but they went on to say that a stray war party bearing the black seal of N'dutu has strayed too close to Tashim and had apparently been drinking too much grootslang milk. They came close to sacking the city, only the heavy mercenary presence had driven them off eventually. But, they said with sorrow, a few Equestrian merchants had died, and the Embassy itself had taken some damage. A quick letter to the Princess, and the three military airships in Tashim were deployed with deadly efficiency.

Another death knell for N'dutu, but a godsend for Daring. Packing her notebook away, she flew up to the massive tree where the tiny armada's flagship had been tethered. Landing on the deck, she approached the captain, who stood proudly on the helm, charting his course with his navigator. "Uh, excuse me," she asked demurely.

"Hmm? Oh, good morning, Ms Do. How can I help you?" the captain responded.

Daring flashed a grin. "Think I could hitch a ride back to Tashim? I kinda have to be back as soon as possible, royal mission and all that."

The captain almost bowed with how much he nodded to her. "Of course, we'll be pulling anchor in fifteen minutes and heading back to Tashim. Should be just a day or so, then about a three day course back to Equestria."

"Four days, huh? Wow, it seems like it was a decade ago that I stepped on that airship in Manehattan." Deciding she only had fifteen minutes to say her goodbyes, Daring dove headfirst from the deck and down to the ground to find Timur and Zecora.

Searching as quickly as she could, with a start she found both Zecora and Timur at the base of the great tree where the ship was tethered. They gazed into one another's eyes, speaking softly in a zebra language whose nuances confounded Daring. Landing by them, she interrupted the intimate moment. 

"Um, I just wanted to say a few things before I left, if that's alright with you."

Both zebras broke away from their embrace, gazing with sparkling eyes to Daring. The pegasus walked over to Timur, grinding the tip of her hoof into the dirt, wondering how to say this. "Timur, I've been on a lot of adventures with a lot of companions. Many of them were warriors, many of them knew the way things worked and knew how to make me smile. But you're the only one I've ever had the honor of calling Dad. I'll miss you." She wrapped her forelegs around the stallion's shoulders, Timur placing a hoof gently on her back and embracing her. 

"You...have been a fine daughter, Daring Do. And though you have tested my patience and my sanity, I would not have you  any other way." A smile crept up the mare's lips, and she slowly let go of Timur. 

Reaching into her pouch, she brought out a half of a wooden mask, presenting it to Timur. "I want you to take this, keep it safe and keep it to remind everypony of  the price of arrogance and slavery."

He nodded, delicately taking the shattered half of the Eyes of the Demon and placing it in a pouch to be kept by the tribes of Zebrica. 

Daring turned to Zecora, whose coy smile seemed to rile the somber mood of the situation. "Zecora, you've been one of the closest friends I've ever had the grace of meeting. You're kind, you're sweet, and you always know exactly what to say when I need somepony. And...I owe you my life, in more ways than one. You were my angel when I lay dying out in the desert. You shared the water of life and the bonds of friendship with me." Daring threw her hooves around Zecora's shoulders, hugging the mare tighter than was socially acceptable. 

But all the while, Zecora maintained that coy smile, keeping something up her sleeve as Daring poured her heart out.

"You are a close friend to my heart, Daring Do. Which is why I am coming with you."

Daring broke away, looking awestruck. "Wait, you're coming with me? You're coming with me to Equestria?"

Zecora nodded, taking up her saddlebags and cinching them on. "Never before has a land like Equestria appealed to me so greatly. A land of peace, acceptance and where things are much more stately."

"Are...are you sure? Zebrica is your home, don't you have duties to your tribe? What about Timur? Aren't you still supposed to marry him?"

Zecora gave Timur a small smile. "We have talked much in these past few days. It is for the best that my life ends this phase. I need a new place to call home, and who better than my spear sister with to roam?"

"And, um-" Daring's eyes flicked over to Timur, nodding slightly. Zecora gave a knowing glance to her one time fiance. 

"We have spoken about what is to become of us. Timur thinks he can make up for my absence thus. We were never meant for one another, and this is a path were we may find some other. Ours was a love full of secrecy and lust, if we married it just would not last."

High up above, the captain of the airship rang the brass bell, signalling that his ship and crew were fully loaded and ready to disembark.

Daring threw one last hug onto Timur, breaking away to usher Zecora up the spiraling ramps to where the airship was tethered. With her additional passenger in tow, Daring leapt aboard, Zecora following timidly as she set her hoof onto the deck of a flying machine for the first time.

The captain pointed the pair of mares to some empty quarters belowdecks. Scrambling down below to give the crew the room to work, they crashed in their bunks. Thankfully, this active duty ship was far sturdier than the Storm Rider, but Daring still felt fairly apprehensive about powered flight. A quick glance at Zecora told her the feeling was mutual, and the zebra mare looked positively terrified as the magical thrusters engaged at the aft of the ship.

"Daring Do, I have a confession for you. I do not know if it has shown, but this is the first time I have ever flown."

Settling back into her bunk, Daring gave a sheepish grin. It was going to be a very long ride indeed. "Got any ginger?"