//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Daring Do and the Cascade of Gloom // by Ponyville Ranger //------------------------------// The taxi rolled through the streets of the small village, its passenger looking over her files. However, not much information existed about the subject she was looking for. "I can't believe this is all the information that exists..." Daring Do mused as she glanced over another piece of paper. The different articles didn't tell much about the subject Daring was looking for. She'd spent the past few days trying to gather intel on what she was looking for, but her search had turned up barely anything. "There's gotta be more than this..." Daring sighed. "Uhg!" But to her disappointment, there was nothing. She placed the papers back into a folder and stuffed them into her saddle bag. Tilting her wrist, she checked her watch for the time. Yesterday, she had been called by an old friend of hers, Alminac Porter, to come to the southeast boarderlands because he had information pertaining to an old myth. Naturally, Daring's curiosity and adventurous spirit got the best of her, and she had to go. She gathered her gear and hopped on the first plane there. Being a pegasus, she could fly, but the location was miles from where she lived. Thus, the trip would be exhausting, and she knew she'd need her energy for whatever lay ahead. And knowing her reputation, that was as definite as the sun rising. Before she left, Daring Do had tried to gather all the info she could on what Alminac had discussed over the phone, but hardly any information existed. So with what she could gather, she headed off to the airport. Now, she was in a taxi heading to the rendezvous point, where she was supposed to meet up with Porter. Hearing the engine slow down, Daring looked up to see what looked like a couple of trucks parked just up ahead. As the taxi rolled to a stop, Daring saw Alminac approaching it. He was an older stallion, gray in color with a white mane and tail. He wore round glasses. She got out and walked up to greet him. "Well, hello, Miss Do." "Hi, Mister Porter! It's great to see you again." Daring shook hooves with the older stallion. "It's good to see you too, Miss Do. So what have you been up to these days, eh?" Daring gave a wave of her hoof. "Oh, ya know... same old, same old. A little adventure, a lot of action and excitement, heh." Alminac chuckled. "Yep, that sounds just like you." The two friends laughed. "So I guess you're eager to hear about what I found out." "You bet I am!" Daring replied eagerly. "Well, follow me and I'll show you." Alminac gestured to the small group of trucks and started walking with Daring trotting alongside. "So what do you know of this Cascade of Gloom?" "Not much I'm afraid," Daring replied with a shake of her head. "All I could find were myths, legends and folklore, and even that was few and far between. But from what I could gather, it's supposed to be a pool of water in a jungle or something somewhere." "Ah, but that's only half the story," Alminac said with a wry smile. "You see, the cascade is a waterfall, and it is supposedly located deep within a jungle." Daring rolled her eyes. "Great... Another jungle." "Yes, and a dangerous one at that." "Aannd this just keeps getting better." "Heh. I doubt you're a stranger to danger, Miss Do. But the danger is merely to hide the beauty within. My grandson could tell you more about it." Daring looked up at Alminac, quirking a brow. "Grandson? You never told me you had a grandson?" "I didn't? Huh. Heh. Guess my old mind is slipping, ha ha. Anyway, he has more information on the subject than I do." As the two ponies reached the lead truck, another pony, a stallion, was standing on his hind legs and leaning over the hood of the truck, looking at a map. He looked up when the other two approached him. "Miss Do, I'd like you to meet my grandson." As the other stallion, just a year or two older than her, lowered himself back onto all fours facing the two, Daring was able to get a good look at him. He stood roughly several inches taller than her, and was a pegasus just like her. He had a light yellow body with black hair, mane and tail. White highlights were in his hair and tail as well. He wore a similar shirt and hat to the ones Daring wore. He had a lightly muscular build, and his eyes were light red. His Cutie Mark was a white and black compass. "Hey," the stallion greeted. "Hi!" Daring said. They extended hooves to shake, and Daring couldn't help but notice that he had a pretty strong grip. "I'm Rock Porter." "Name's Daring Do." "Ah, so you're the famous Daring Do." Daring's cheeks flushed a bit. "W-Well, I don't know about famous..." "Are you kiddin'? My grandfather's told me a lot about you." "Well, I wish I could say he's mentioned you..." Daring shot a glance at Alminac, who gave her a sly grin. "My grandson's been doing some research on the whereabouts of the cascade. Care to fill Miss Do in?" Alminac asked. "Sure!" Rock reared up once more to examine the map on the hood of the black, 1977 Ponyota pickup, Daring and Alminac doing the same. "Here's the jungle where the cascade's supposed to be located in." He pointed to a large jungle on the map. "Now, nopony knows exactly where it's located. The farthest anypony has made it was to Dragon Rock, here." He pointed to a rock formation that resembled a dragon's head. "How come nopony's ever been past there?" Daring asked. "It seems that after anypony gets past Dragon Rock, they either go missing, or somehow get turned around. The whole cascade is supposed to be really just a myth, but a few have attempted to find it. Four other explorers have tried to find it in the last decade, but only two of them actually made it out of the jungle. Of the two that survived, one got turned around, and the other got lost until a rescue party found him almost a week later." Daring cringed. "So how does anypony know that it actually exists?" Daring questioned. Rock smiled. "Because..." He reached into a satchel that he had around his shoulder and pulled out a small jar of water. "...of this." Daring looked at it with quirked brows. "A jar of water?" "Not just any water. Water from the cascade itself. Years ago, my dad stumbled upon the cascade. His plane ran out of fuel over the jungle and he made a crash landing there. He wandered through the jungle and stumbled upon the cascade. He was able to recover from his injuries at the cascade, and after a couple of days, he started venturing out further into the jungle to see where he was. Somehow, he found his way out of the jungle and a rescue team picked him up. He left a few markers to find it again, but he never could find the markers. Wind and rain must have blown or washed them away. And he couldn't find the plane wreckage because he'd crashed so far into it. This jar of water was the only thing he brought back. I was just a little colt then, but I remember him saying that it was so pure and clean that you could drink from from it." Daring was interested. If it did exist, it would be a wonderful find. She looked up to Alminac with raised brows. "How come you never mentioned this before?" "My son didn't want another soul to know the true whereabouts of the fabled cascade. He said that he wanted Rock to be the one to find it again if he couldn't. After he..." Alminac closed his eyes for a second. "...passed away, I knew he would want Rock to be the one to find it again." Daring looked to up at Alminac, then to Rock. "Then... why're you telling me all this now?" Alminac chuckled. "Rock here's a good boy, but he's not exactly steady on his hooves." "Thanks, Grandpa," Rock said sarcastically. "I really appreciate that." Daring couldn't help but grin, then turned back to Alminac as he started to speak again. "I've known you for over a year now, Miss Do, and within that time you've shown me just how trustworthy you are. You've given artifacts to museums without asking for a penny." "I just love the adventure and the thrill," Daring spoke up. "I know, dear, and I can see that in you. You've got a good heart, that I can see. And I think if my son were here, he'd want you to go with Rock on this adventure as much as I do." He laughed. "Besides, I think you could teach my grandson a thing or two." Rock rolled his eyes. "Again, Grandpa, you're a big help. Thanks." "So... you want me to go with you guys on this?" Daring asked. "No, just with Rock," Alminac replied. "I'm getting a little too old to be galabanting around all over. My bones aren't what they used to be. But I have faith in both of you." Alminac nodded. "We better get going," Rock stated, folding up the map and slipping it into his satchel. "We've still got a little ways to travel before we get to the jungle." All three ponies moved back down onto all fours. "You two kids take care, and have a safe trip," Alminac said. "And be careful out there." "We will. Don't worry, Grandpa," Rock said as he climbed into the Ponyota. "We'll be back with proof that the cascade exists!" Daring said proudly as she got in on the passenger side. "Oh, I don't doubt that. Now be careful you two! And Rock?" "Yeah?" Rock hollered out the truck as he started it. "You take care of Miss Do! And if I find out you've done anything to her, you're never to old for me to put you over my knee!" "Grandpa!" Rock hissed under his breath, sinking down into his seat as he put the truck in drive. "Got it... See ya later." Rock hoped that Daring hadn't heard, but she had. Daring sat in her seat, avoiding looking over at Rock so he wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks. They waved at Alminac as they started down the road, heading out of town. About a minute of silence passed before either spoke, and when it happened, Daring was the one to break the silence. "Soo, uh... Your grandfather's-" "A real hoot and nutty sometimes and loves to embarrass me?" Rock cut her off. "I was actually gonna say really nice, but he is really funny sometimes." Daring chuckled. "Yep, that's my grandfather." Rock smiled a little. "But I love him." "If ya don't mind me asking, what... happened to your dad?" Daring asked cautiously. She knew that Alminac had never really spoke of him very much, and he certainly never told her what happened to him. Daring heard Rock sigh, and thought she'd went too far with that question. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked." "No, it's... it's okay, Miss Do." "You can call me 'Daring'," she said with a little smile. "Everpony else does." Rock smiled a little. "...Daring... You don't have to apologize. It's just... my father isn't really something I'm comfortable talking about right now. Sorry, but I'm just..." "It's okay," Daring reassured him. "If ya don't wanna talk about it, it's okay, I understand. Just... if ya ever wanna talk about it... I'm here." She offered him a reassuring smile. She knew that she shouldn't press the issue, and perhaps if he ever did want to talk, that he'd open up to her about it. "Thanks, Daring," Rock smiled lightly, and Daring wondered why she suddenly felt a little warmth in her cheeks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The trip to the jungle itself took about a half hour of driving, and the two pegasi got better acquainted during the trip. For Daring, she learned that Rock was quite funny and had a positive attitude about things. She liked that. Also, he seemed to have a love for adventure like her, and had actually been on a couple of adventures himself. And he was - she admitted this to herself - handsome and cute. He had intense, beautiful eyes, wavy hair, a warm smile, and his body was pretty good looking- what the heck was she thinking? She shook her head, trying to get herself to focus. She had to focus. She was on an adventure! It wasn't that she didn't want to think about Rock, it was just that adventures could be intense and dangerous. And thinking about Rock would be a major distraction for her. She agreed that she could let her mind wonder a little, but that she had to remain focused. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm trees started appearing more and more frequently, as did other plants and such as the two ponies neared the jungle. And the dirt road the truck was on soon turned to mud, dirt and rock. Finally, the two pegasi made it to the jungle. The path the truck was on was bumpy, rocky and had lots of dips and sudden turns. The old Ponyota was smaller made, and could navigate the twists and turns of the jungle with relative ease, but it still made Daring hang onto the door handle with one hoof and her seatbelt with her other. The road was almost nonexistent, as very few travelers made the journey through it. So the road was hard to make out in many areas, and a few times, the duo had to stop and check to make sure they were still on the right path. "Are you sure we're going the right way?" Daring asked, her body shaking from left to right as they rolled over another pothole in the so-called road. "Not anymore than you are," Rock replied. "I'm just followin' the map." "Lemme see that thing." Daring reached over to the center of the seat, picked up the map and searched for their location on it. Sure enough, they were on the right track. If, that is, there even was one to begin with. "According to this, there should be a-" "Bridge!" Daring jolted forward a bit and instinctively let go of the map as she gripped the seatbelt and door handle tightly. The Ponyota skidded to a stop in the mud on the road that now sloped downward, leading to a rickety, wooden bridge just about 14 feet away. The drop of the road was so sudden and the bridge so close, that anypony going fast enough wouldn't have been able to stop in time, and would no doubt plummet over the ledge. The two pegasi unbuckled themselves and got out to survey the surrounding area and the bridge. The bridge was old, and looked like it was barely hanging on. The boards looked old and weak, and a few were even hanging loose by one side. The ropes looked dangerously loose in some areas, and frayed and worn in others. "...Yep. That's it," "Well, we can't take the truck over that..." Rock mused. "It's a good thing you weren't going fast, otherwise be'd be at the bottom of that ravine," Daring stated, taking a small deep breath. The ravine over the cliff dropped off into a some 60-foot drop, leading to a cold river below. Daring glanced over at a wooden signpost next to the bridge entrance. In black, faded letters, "Dead Stallions Crossing." That couldn't have been more spot on. "Well..." Daring turned at Rock's voice to see him getting back into the truck. "We better hide this somewhere for now. Looks like we're flyin' from here on out." Rock pulled the Ponyota off the path and parked it amongst some tall weeds and shrubs. Then he and Daring broke off some limbs from the nearby bushes and trees and used them to cover up the truck, camouflaging it. Rock got their saddle bags from inside the truck bed and strapped them on. "You ready to fly?" Daring asked. Rock grinned. "Of course. Are you?" Daring smirked, flapping her wings and lifting off the ground. "Are you kidding? Flying is a passion for me. That and adventure." Rock flapped his wings and lifted off as the two started flying over the ravine. "So ya enjoy flying, huh?" "Heck, yeah!" Daring done a loop, which Rock thought was both cool and cute. "I love flying! The exhilarating feeling of the wind blowing through your hair, mane and tail, the rush of it blowing across your skin... It's awesome!" She done a spin to her left. Rock chuckled at her display, thinking it was adorable. "So what about you? You're a pegasus; don't you love flying?" "Yeah, I do. But I also enjoy walking sometimes too. It's nice to just be able to walk and take your time." The two young pegasi made it to the other side of the ravine, and Rock landed and began walking as Daring hovered next to him. "Umm... You do know we can make better time if we fly, right? I mean, I like walking sometimes too, but..." "If we walk, we can enjoy the scenery." Rock was looking up at Daring and didn't notice the small rock at his hooves, and tripped right over it, hitting the ground with a thud and an, "Oof!" Daring tried to contain her laughter, but little snickers escaped her as she covered her mouth with a hoof, landing next to him. "Like walking, huh? Heh heh..." Rock looked up from the ground, his tone timmed with slight annoyance. "I said I liked walking, I didn't say I was good at it." At that, Daring lost it, and fell onto her back laughing. Rock pulled himself up and cocked a brow down at her. It was bad enough that he'd tripped in front of the famous Daring Do, but now she was laughing at him. That would be a blow to any guy's ego. Daring's laughter died down as she wiped her eyes with a hoof, getting back onto all fours. "Sorry, Rock. It's just that what you said just made me lose it. I'm sorry." She was still smiling as she wiped her eyes again. Rock grinned. "Yeah, you sound real sorry, alright." "I am!" she insisted. "You're just..." She paused, a slight warmth now in her cheeks. "...a really funny guy." She gave him a gentle nudge in his rib with her elbow. "Heh. You're okay, Rocky." Rock raised a hoof to his chin. "'Rocky'? Hmm... Nopony's ever called me that before..." "Oh..." Daring's ears flattened atop her head slightly, afraid that the nickname wasn't to his liking. "No, no, it's okay!" he insisted. "I like it." Daring's ears perked. "Really?" "Yeah." "Soo... me laughing... Forgive?" She looked embarrassingly up at him. Rock simply grinned as he started trotting away. "Already did." "Wait... So you..." Daring realized he'd already forgiven her, and was simply playing her for an apology. "Oooh, you sneaky...!" She grinned, and trotted after him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The two young pegasi continued their trek through the jungle. As they got deeper, they noticed the fog was getting thicker overhead in the tree tops, and it was also getting later. It wouldn't be long before they'd have to set up camp for the night. "Soo... have you ever tried looking for the cascade before?" Daring asked, ducking underneath a tree branch. Rock shook his head, walking beside her. "No. This is my first time looking for it. It was only just the other day I found enough info to go on to try to find it. My grandfather said that you'd want to come along, so I couldn't say no." The two smiled a little. Suddenly, Rock stopped walking and quickly put a hoof in front of Daring, stopping her. She looked down at his hoof and up to him, confused as to why he'd stopped her. His face was solemn, looking at the ground not five feet in front of them. He turned to a tree, broke off a branch with his mouth and tossed it onto the ground ahead. Daring gasped the second a bear trap clamped on the branch, snapping it in two. Rock walked closer to inspect it. "Somepony's been through here..." Daring mused. "And it doesn't look like it's been that long ago, either," Rock observed. "This trap isn't that old." Daring looked around. "Who would set a bear trap in the jungle?" "I don't know..." Rock stood and looked around. "But we better be careful." "Do you... think somepony else is here?" Daring asked curiously. "Maybe somepony came through here a few days ago with the same intent as us." Daring looked around at the folage, inspecting it. She raised a hoof to her chin in thought. "I think it's been just recently... Look at these plants." She pointed a hoof to some on the ground. "They're still flattened like somepony walked over them not that long ago." Rock looked at them. "You're right. And the dirt here suggests the same conclusion." Daring glanced ahead. "If anypony's out there, we'll probably run into them." "...That's what I'm afraid of..." "Huh?" "Nothing." Rock took the saddle bag he had on his left side and dropped it on the ground. "Daring, I want ya to do me a favor. Put this on and make sure you keep it on." Daring looked at the bag curiously, then up to Rock. "Huh? Why?" "Just... please put it on. It's got supplies in it." Daring shrugged. "In case ya haven't heard, I'm more of a live-off-the-land kinda girl." "I know, but... just please keep it, okay? It'll make me feel better." Daring picked up the saddle bag and swung it over her back. "Okay, if you say so." She noticed that the bag had a little weight to it, but nothing she couldn't handle. "Everything we should need is in these bags. I made sure to pack everything we might need." "Didja pack a kitchen sink too?" Daring joked, earning a slight glare from Rock. "No, that's the one thing I didn't pack." He grinned as he finished. Daring unfurled her wings and lifted off the ground about a foot and a half as she started hovering next to Rock, who simply walked along the path. She thought back to the bear trap and couldn't help but feel worried about him choosing to walk. She kept her eyes fixated ahead, trying to spot any potential threats. However, she couldn't help it as she would glance at Rock from time to time. A couple of times she caught him looking at her out of the corner of her eye, and that made her cheeks pinken a little. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before long, it was starting to get dark. So Rock and Daring decided to set up camp for the night and resume their trek in the morning. Daring landed softly in the dirt and slipped the saddle bag off her. Glancing over, she saw Rock sit down as he, too, pulled off his saddle bag and set it on the ground. He opened it up and pulled out a folded up tent, complete with poles. Daring sat on her haunches as she pulled off her hat, placing it on a nearby fallen stump. She looked around at the jungle, observing their surroundings. She could hear the sounds of different animals and creatures in the jungle as night began to fall. Daring was no stranger to sleeping on something besides a comfy bed or somewhere else besides home. But this would be the first time she'd be spending the night with a handsome stallion. Speaking of... She watched as the said stallion attempted to put up the tent he'd packed. The longer she watched, the more Daring grinned. With a grunt, Rock tried to put two of the poles together and insert them into the tent fabric. No dice. The poles came loose and flopped around. With another grunt, Rock pulled them out and tried to reattatch them. He succeeded. But his ego suffered another blow as he attempted to raise the tent. It collapsed on top of him, leaving him fumbling around inside for the exit. Daring raised a hoof to her mouth, suppressing a giggle. "Need some help with that?" "No, no! I can get it. ...Just gotta... get this... stupid pole... into the hole!" Daring couldn't contain her giggles any longer. She started laughing, falling onto her back. Rock poked his head out from the tent to give the filly a slight glare. "Oh, ha ha." Daring calmed her laughter and stood as she trotted over to him. "Here, lemme see that. I can get this thing up." Rock stepped aside and watched as Daring started putting up the tent. "Lessee... This goes here... Put that there..." he heard her say to herself as she worked on the tent. In just a couple of minutes, the tent was up. "Ta da! Done." Daring pointed at the tent with a proud smile, then bowed. "No need to thank me." As she rose, she noticed Rock's jaw hanging. "Heh, toldja I could get it up." "H-How did you...?" Daring stepped closer to Rock, smirking. "Whereas you boys don't read the instructions, we girls..." She poked his chest with a hoof. "...follow 'em." "Gee, um... Thanks..." Rock rubbed the back of his neck. "No prob," Daring replied with a wave of her hoof, starting to put up her own tent, about six-feet from his. Rock rubbed the back of his head, an embarrassed blush forming on his cheeks. "You, uh... need some help with that?" "Nah, I can get it." Daring paused for a second. She hadn't ever dated a guy before, but she knew that some guys tended to have a bit of a masculinity complex about them; they wanted to be a hero, particularly to the girls they really liked. And Daring had already put a dent in that for him. She started to feel a tad guilty over it, but she could give him a chance to reboost that complex. "Actually," she started, "ya can help me hold onto these poles if ya want." She offered him a smile as she sat on her haunches. Rock smiled a little and stepped over to her, taking a pole into a hoof. Together, it didn't take the two but about a minute to put up the tent. After the tent was up, the two sat back to admire their hoofy work. They did a hoof-pump and chuckled. Just then, the sound of an owl drew the ponies' attention. "We better get some sleep tonight," Rock mused. "Yeah, we've got a big day tomorrow," Daring finished. Rock started over to his tent, and glanced back to the girl pegasus. "I'll see ya in the mornin', Dare." "Yeah, see ya in the mornin', Rocky," Daring said with a little smile, and started to climb into her tent. "Oh, and Dare?" Daring looked back to Rock. "Yeah?" "Make sure ya keep that bag nearby. And if ya need anything, just lemme know, okay?" He gave her a wink. Suddenly, Daring felt a little weak in her knees. "Alright... Thanks." "G'night." Rock climbed into his tent and zipped it up. "Good night." Daring smiled, and pulled her bag into her tent and zipped up the door. Daring unbuttoned her shirt, folded it and laid it next to the saddle bag. She pulled off her hat and laid it atop her shirt. She then sighed as she laid down upon the mat that made up her bed, laying flat on her back with her hooves behind her head. The small lantern next to her gave off a soft glow. She reached over and turned down the dial, switching it off. The moonlight shone through the tree tops and gave a faint appearance through the fabric of the tent. Daring thought about how her adventure had started out. So far, the adventure was going smoothly. But she knew from previous endeavors that that wasn't likely to last. She thought about the fabled cascade. Where it was, how difficult it'd be to get to it, and how beautiful it might be. And she thought of Rock. At the mere thought of him, it stirred up something inside of Daring that she couldn't identify. She liked him, she knew that. But... something just felt different. She had to admit that he was good looking. Okay, he was handsome. And he was sweet, and gentle, and funny. And he loved adventure. Suddenly, Daring's mind exploded with fantasies of her and Rock going on adventures together, getting their picture in the papers, braving dangers to get rare artifacts... Daring let her eyes drift shut as she felt the fatigue sinking in. A smile crept to her face as she come to the realization that Rock was just six feet away. And Daring felt... safe, protected. She didn't know why. Dangers never really scared or bothered her before. But for some reason... she felt safe with him there. Thinking of Rock, Daring drifted off to sleep, knowing that the next day would be another day she could spend with him. To be continued...