Daring Do and the Sun-piece

by Rarity Belle

The failure

 
Those exact words same were spoken by a single pegasus mare. There was a small smirk appeared below her muzzle. “That is why ponies like myself are needed. To explore those regions and sniff out the hidden treasure the land holds. And just have a good time,” she added to them.

        “Daring, are you sure this is a good idea?” a red coated, unicorn mare asked to her. The unicorn was looking rather nervous around their surroundings. Daring would have just glared into the distance, further into the rain forest with the overgrown valley. She found herself standing with one hoof on a rock. Her mustard coat almost appeared to be shining in the afternoon sun, while her graybow manes were looking as beautiful as ever while it waved in the faint breezes of wind.

        She tapped her hat and adjusted her vest a little bit. “Yeah, I am sure, don't worry about it too much,” she said in the hope to reassure the other mare. Her eyes fell deeper into the valley and the smirk began to change itself into a smile of glee. “We found it. The lost temple of Princess Platinum. Come on,” added Daring. She jumped off the rock and began to look for a way downhill.

        “No offence, Daring, but you are a pegasi, you can just fly, right?” asked the other mare. The nervousness still hadn’t left her when she caught up with the explorer.

        “On one end yes. On the other, I have never been a good flyer and my wing never fully healed. Now, shall we go, Elly?” The red mare nodded and kept trotting next to the mare. Daring had been hired by her for the expedition. “I prefer the ground over air anyway, air happens to be so empty,” added Daring with a smile and a gently nudge on Elly’s back.

        The unicorn had gathered all of her guts in order to walk out a little bit before Daring. Almost if she was trying to prove herself something. The further she got ahead, the more the pegasus began to notice something on her shoulder. It made her tilt her head to a side. All of the sudden did her eyes open wide. She knew just what happened to be moving on her companion’s back. “Elly, do not, move, one, bit,” Daring spoke with a calm voice. With a hoof she reached out for a stick.

        “What? Why?” Elly asked in confusion. If there was one thing she learned on that particular travel, was that it would be a good idea to listen to Daring. There she then stood, standing like a rock while a small hissing sound finally caught up in her ears. Elly’s eyes widened up at the sounds. The unicorny could only pray it wasn't the thing she thought it would be. Daring took out a rather large pincer from one of her pockets. She couldn’t reach for any kind of stick. She walked up the unicorn to remove the thing on the back. Mere seconds later could the sound of something going through the thick vegetation be heard. A soft chuckle came from the explorer before she returned the pincer in her pocket.

        “I know how much you hate snakes, Elly,” said Daring while she gave her a wink when she passed by. “Mind if I take lead from here on?” It took the unicorn quite the time to figure it out just what happened as her ears dropped themselves once more and a thankful smile appeared on her face. She gave a nod to the words spoken and quietly began to follow the mustard coated pegasus, onward to the place they were looking for.

 
The two of them kept moving through the thick vegetarian of the jungle. Elly called upon her magic to cut through the branches, thus creating a somewhat safe passage. Though the journey also began to exhaust her. She had travelled for over a week and found herself in conditions she normally never would have found herself within. And the worst part of it all had to be the humidity in the air which was sometimes just unbearable for her. “Just how far is it now, Daring?” she spoke in a soft voice. She tried to hide the annoyed and tired undertone yet the streams of sweat traveled down her coat.

        “We must be pretty close by now. By my compass, we need to head east now, and keep walking that way for...” replied Daring in first instance. She allowed her eyes to look at over the trees. There she found it. She had found the very spot they stood before while another smile appeared on her face. “…About ten minutes.”

        The unicorn gave a small nod of both approval and understanding as she continued on her job of creating a pathway. “What do you want to find there anyway, if I may ask?”

        “Whatever there is to find Elly. Treasure, story, history,” replied Daring. A bright spot became more visible through the trees. Just a couple more steps and then they would be there. But so would the dangers be as well. “Remember that you wanted to see it first,” she added with a chuckle.

        It wasn’t much later before they stood at the opening, looking over the structure that had risen. “Ah, it is here. Behold, the temple of Princess Platinum herself,” Daring Do spoke to Elly. They walked further to the open plain in the legendary Jungle of Nothing. Both of the mares gave their eyes the time to look around for two things. One being any form of danger, which did not happen to be around. The second thing being the entrance towards the temple. One which was naturally overgrown by vines. Daring only began to smile more when they found the actual entrance. They did it, after a week in the jungle, a week of horror and almost no sleep they found it. The ancient temple of Princess Platinum has been found by the pair of them.

        “Are you coming, Elly?” the explorer asked after her companion had cut away the vines before the entrance.

        But instead of the desired answer of ‘yes’, she get a bit of a different reaction. “I rather not Daring, you know how I am against that. I mean, it is her temple after all. I don't want to be known as a defiler of holy,” replied Elly after her horn had been discharged.

        “Alright then, I will, hopefully, see you in a bit then.” With those words spoken had she disappeared into the darkness of the ancient temple. A temple nopony had even found or ventured into for the last twenty-five hundred years at least. Outside of it had the unicorn made herself a bit more comfortable in the soft grass, bathing a little bit in the sun as between the leaves and darkness of the jungle, figures could be seen moving around. Figures that caught her attention.

                    
The more Daring walked forward through the temple, the more the pure darkness began to surround her. That alone gave her a rather uncomfortable feeling. The mare took out her whip just in case it would be needed. Yet her eyes tried to peek through the dark. On either side of the wall she found torches and knew it was of essence to take them. So Daring took her whip into her mouth before she reached for a set of fire stones in another pocket. Without any hesitation in her body for what she might find, the explorer walked over to them. She smashed the stones together to let the sparks emerge, hoping that her little plan would work.

        After a couple tries did her hopes became a reality, the dry wood in them caught fire. The created light illuminated the hall she stood in. Though it also revealed slightly what laid ahead of her. The hall was far longer than she ever would have expected it to go and many more torches could be found. But as she looked even closer, the hallway was actually divided into multiple sections which crossed each other. And on the very end was another small light to be found. Daring kept her eyes peeled at everything that was visible for now while her suspicion never lowered itself. But as brave as she was, she simply walked towards the unknown, determined to find whatever laid beyond.

        The pegasus kept slowing going through the hallway and lit up all the torches that came into sight. The light came into the dark temple of the princess which also revealed written words on the walls. Words writing in the ancient language of the unicorn kind. Daring stood still by one as she gave her eyes the time to read the words and to translate them into her head. Many of them she knew from books and own exploration, but there was one that was new to her. “The change of a life, begins with the help of another,” she mumbled softly after having roughly translated the words in her mind. And it was that mind that began to think about the words written before smiling at their deep and double meaning. “Wise princess I must admit that. I wonder what caused her downfall though.”

        After some careful further trotting did Daring found herself by the stone archway. The one where seemed the light came from. The mare took off her hat and ventured under the arch with care, straight into the room ahead. Her eyes glared over the circular room, only to widen themselves in both amazement and slight fear. Many statues became visible for her eyes, statues that were all of the princess of the unicorns. Each of them molded out of the finest platinum the land had to offer and each stood in a different pose. But one thing they all had in common was the fact that their eyes she stared at the same point in the room.

        "My goodness,” was all the daring pegasus could say upon seeing the sight. Yet her voice echoed freely through the room. Of course she caught the manner in which the statues looked upon the room, but didn't wanted to believe it at first sight. Daring walked further into the room with care. In her eyes fell the exact item she was sent out for too collect. A little statue made of the finest platinum, with rubies for eyes and a emerald encrusted crown, in the shape of the fallen Princess.

        She walked up to it but a shock went through her as it was only now that the very thing her prize was surrounded by revealed itself. Her prize laid in the boney hooves of the deceased unicorn princess. And that made everything crystal clear all of the sudden. “This is no temple to worship her, this is her tomb,” said Daring under a soft gulp while her eyes kept on looking. As much as it was true she was an explorer, she wasn't a grave robber of any kind. Though the bits given for returning with the artifact was just a little bit too tempting to let it lay around for her liking. “Where have I come?”

        Under a deep and rather annoyed sigh did she began to search for a way to open the glass coffin. Minutes slowly crawled by and the attention of Daring was focused on three points. The first being the doorway leading out, the second being the massive statues and the third on actually trying to get it open. Many wiggles and punches later would a loud inhale of air echoed through the room and with one last pull, the entire lid of the coffin flung open. The force was strong enough that it sent the mare back to the ground.

        Daring shook her head lightly after the events had taken place and she placed her hat right on her head and spoke her words on the matter. “Right then.” The pegasus walked up to the little artifact, which was a staff that was rumored to wield great powers, and began to examine its surrounding. She was looking for any hidden traps that could have been placed within it to make sure it would stay safe in the coffin.

        But her eyes caught nothing that could possibly lead to something like it and in a moment of overconfidence did she just took the staff. Her eyes gave one look over to the body of the princess before she hid the object under her wounded wing and stepped away from the coffin. "Sorry your highness, but you have nothing on this anymore," she spoke as her excuse to the body inside.

                    
After she turned herself around in order to simply walk out of the doorway there was a tremor that could not only be heard but also felt in her bones. That caused her to be frozen on her spot. Her eyes narrowed themselves before she took a deep inhale through her nostrils. “Time to go!” Then she was just gone. All of her body parts thawed themselves in a millisecond. She changed her pace into a gallop in order to not only leave the room, but the tomb as a whole. Daring had just reached the stone archway before a large cylindrical boulder came rolling down the ceiling. It had barely missed the glass coffin and set the hunt on Daring. Who had to run even faster.

        The pegasus knew what was coming behind her back but she didn't want to look at it to lose precious seconds and she just kept galloping towards the light of the torches and exit. All while she prayed that she would be on time. Sweat of fear began to run down her face while the rolling sound of the builder came ever so closer.

        There was only one thing she could do by then. A thing she wasn't looking forward to do. Daring closed her eyes and send all her power towards her hind legs for a massive jump towards the exit. And there it came, the powerful jump which would have sent any normal pegasus high into the air. While she was suspended in the air, the mare passed through many spider webs she had avoided on her way on and could feel the hairy legs on her back. Something that caused a cold shiver to walk over her spine.  

        Aside from the towering pillar of dust that left the cave, her face was met by the soft grass of the outside world. The burning sun that shone down upon her mustard coat. The many spiders kept tickling her for a little while before they all returned into the darkness of the stone building. Not even five seconds after that, the crashing sound of the boulder was heard against the entrance, blocking it for all of eternity. Or at least that would have been the plan for it.

        It was only after she heard the crashing sound that Daring dared to stand back up on her hooves. With a couple quick motions had she allowed her eyes to fall upon the blocked tomb. She wiped away most of the webs from her vest and hat before she turned herself back around. The pegasus had the hope to find her companion somewhere lying around. "Wasn't so bad... If you don't count the spider webs. Elly? Are you still here?" she spoke up to herself and called out.

        Instead of the unicorn mare was Daring greeted by an old foe of her. A stallion with a gray coat, brown mane and tail and wore his almost signature dark blue vest while his green rimmed eyes stared on a small pocket watch. He didn't even look at the mare as his deep voice spoke up. "It seems I am you again one step ahead miss Do. You do the work, I claim the prize. The staff, hoof it over."

        "Hmfp, over my dead body, Bolocs. And what have you done to Elly?" Daring replied under a small grow. She assumed a more battle ready pose. She wouldn't give up all of her hard work that easily. Not in a million years. Though in the back of her head did she knew how it would end.

        The stallion just rolled his eyes in response and signaled a unicorn companion of his own to charge up its horn. "I give you ten seconds, then he will fire and thus grant your wish. As for miss Elly, she's safe, miss Do, I can assure you of that," Bolocs said before he placed his pocket watch back in his vest. Finally he allowed his eyes to rest on Daring. "Be a wise pony, we both know you are that," he said in a taunting tone towards her.

        But to add even more insult to injury came the voice of Elly herself which spoke from behind the explorer. “You were a fool to trust me, Daring. I was working for Bolocs the whole time and you didn't suspect a single thing. Blinded by the thrill you happened to be, making it perfect for me to leave the breadcrumbs.” With that statement were countless thoughts that began to race through her mind. Daring knew she did not had to mess with that unicorn aiming for her.

        She had to admit her defeat against her nemesis or face a hellish pain before it would be taken from her. With pain that originated from deep within her heart she untucked the wing and allowed the staff to fall in a hoof. "Fine then. But you will pay for this eventually, Bolocs!" she spoke before she allowed a soft sigh to be released. "Here, catch."

        The staff was thrown over to the earth pony stallion who caught it without any trouble. His eyes examined the whole thing to see if it was the real deal and then hid it away in a bag of the unicorn stallion who rose back up. "A pleasure doing business with you once more, miss Do," Bolocs spoke sarcastically. Then he turned himself around and erupting into a sinister laughter. As quick as they all came, they simply left again. They left the broken Daring Do behind in the Jungle of Nothing, which ironically and unfortunately honored its given name.

        Feeling humiliated by her so maniest defeat against him, the pegasus began to run in a unknown direction. She just ran away from everything that had happened. She tried to find an escape of some kind. The more she galloped, the more tears of sadness and hatred ran passed her cheek as she lost all sense on the world around her.