//------------------------------// // Prologue: Prologue of Daring Do and the Return of King Kookaracha // Story: Idol Hooves and the Double Do Daring // by GrenadierGallus //------------------------------// “CUUUUURSE YOU-“ Daring Do held on tight to the rope which hung between her and the depths as Ahuizotl plummeted to his defeat. Darn… that one was too close, Daring thought as she began to climb her way back up. Once on solid ground, she got a knife out of her saddlebag and began to cut through the ropes which bound her wings. You’d think I’d not fall for that trap another time, but no! I did it again! Now free of the ropes, she trudged onwards through the mud and thicket of the jungle, heading into the area where her foe had fiercely resisted her investigations. Eventually she reached a clearing with a massive temple! Taking note of a lack of creatures defending the structure, Daring approached the apparent entrance. Sealed, Daring noted, is there another way in? She took a flight around the temple and noted none. Returning back to the entrance, she took closer a look. A carving of a ponylike creature wearing a crown and holding a cup approaching a throne. The throne appears to be illuminated. Is this a palace? A temple? A tomb? On the doorway was a panel slightly larger than her own hoof. Daring considered whether or not the panel could trigger something. Could be a way in, could be trap, Daring thought, But I’m not Daring Do if I don’t! Reaching out, Daring touched the panel, only to feel a sharp and sudden pain. Ouch! Daring yanked her arm back from the electrifying panel far quicker than she had placed it. Fortunately for her, the pain stopped as she did so. A buzzer of some sort, with quite the sting but fortunately not lethal. Huh, perhaps I should be more careful when touching things? On the other hand, I- The structure spoke, interrupting Daring’s thoughts in a language few besides her were familiar with, “Inside lies the blessing of the worthy… It awaits the one who has acquired the cup.” The cup? What cup, exactly? Daring took a closer look at the carving at the entrance. Cup… now that I think about it, that cup looks familiar... Daring realized where she had seen that cup. “King Kookaracha? No, I thought the curse would have prevented him from coming back… unless…” Daring’s eyes widened as she considered the implications “He’s still around despite the curse of the chalice? Where is he then?” After considering the possibilities for a while, Daring began to make her way out of the jungle. “I suppose I should start searching.” In the nearby jungle, another pony listened in. Rubbing his chin, he noted, “King Kookaracha? Huh… sounds like I’ll be doing some searching of my own.”