"We were diving in caves. It wasn't totally safe."
-Jason Statham
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It was late evening when they ran across their next exploration in the form of a cave. The entrance was large enough to fit a human bus. It was smoothed down on the top, a result of rain and wind wearing down the rough edges and the deepening darkness as light failed to penetrate the deeper than thirty feet in. "Thinking what I'm thinking?" Daring asked her assistant, Hal.
"Let me guess, Explore the cave which most likely has something living in it for shelter." Hal stated, it was obvious.
"Yep," Daring replied, gathering the materials to form a torch from a few stray sticks and moss lighting it with the flint and tinder they went in. The cave was rather plain with only the occasional scratch mark decorating the unmarked cave as well as the smell of animal filth. occasionally a stray bone of an smaller animal or fish was strewn about but soon enough the reason behind the bones were presented in the form of a snoozing bear.
Quietly they watched the bear from afar before slowly backing out of the cave and moving on. They had no quarrel with it, so they didn't disturb the sleeping creature. Soon enough they were back out but Hal couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on Daring Do's face. Hal tried to cheer her up, "At least it wasn't a cave full of blood sucking bats or wolves. A bear seems tame after that incident with the spiders."
Daring rolled her eyes melodramatically the disappointment vanishing as they walked onwards away from the cave and further down their chosen game trail of a path, "Don't know if I will ever look at those things the same way again without thinking about that giant one being eaten by it's babies."
"Ditto," Hal nodded, "How's that wing of yours anyway?"
Daring Do nickered an okay before continuing on, elaborating, "It's fine, just waiting for it to recover completely before straining it again. How about yours, got any secret high leveled wing power I should know about Hal?"
"Wing power?" Hal questioned.
Daring Do face-hoofed, "It's a measurement of how strong you are of a flier, forgot you are new to the whole Pegasus thing, sorry."
"None needed, Miss Do."
"It's Daring. Do you even know how to fly?" She questioned back.
"Theoretically..." Hal answered, not liking where this was going.
Daring spoke bluntly removing any form of doubt from the awnser, "So in other words, No."
"..."
Daring's face softened to a small smile of sympathy for her friend,"Hey don't look feel so glum, we all had to fly sometime. How about this, next time were in a town, I'll take you out and teach you to fly?"
Hal nodded, his lips were tight in the unwavering polite smile that had been on his face throughout all their conversations and events. Hal didn't know it but Daring knew that this polite smile was empty, the way it never reached his eyes was outright creepy at times. Conversation over a campfire? Polite smile. Running for your life from burning spiders and housing? Polite smile. Even the conversation they had just said had that same expression. The only time his mouth changed was to eat or talk. Daring was a bit worried for Hal because of this, with well hidden nervousness she asked, "Hey is something bothering you? Besides the flying thing, I mean."
Hal shook his head in a negative, "All's fine Miss Do, why do you ask?"
Daring took the time to consider a response, seconds slowly ticking by as they trotted down the beaten path, "It's Daring, Hal." she retorted again, "Well it's just, your expression hasn't changed at all over the last few days, almost as if your trying to show no excess emotions or something."
"It's just part of my programming Miss Do. Or as my creators would put it, 'just how I am'. Am I being rude? If you wish I can try holding a different expression from now on." Hal's smile turned into a determined frown, "That better?"
"Not really..."
"How about now?" Hal puffed up his cheeks giving her a strange bloated fish like look.
Daring laughed at that and Hal changed back to his normal polite smile again. Daring bumped against Hal playfully asking, "You don't have to be so formal, how about this, "You can choose the direction we go next if you agree to show how your really feeling from now on."
Hal processed it for a few moments while trotting next to the adventurous mare who was staring at his face, noticing something she did not up ahead as a result, "Agreed then, and looks like I get to choose now."
Hal pointed at the intersection in front of him, smiling this time. To the left, was a deeper section of forest full of wild untamed plants of various varieties. It was over grown and teaming with wild life. They could even see a danger sign half collapsed at the entrance to it, the way that Daring no doubt would of wanted them to go, but he wasn't pointing there. Instead he was pointing down the boring route which lead back to the well worn trail and a sign with the words 'To Canterlot'.
"Aww..." Daring whined like a filly who had been denied candy and Hal smirked for a split second before returning the expression back to normal, "Come on Miss Do. It's time to head to this 'Canterlot'."
"It's Daring..." She frowned, slowing down slightly for him to take lead. Disappointment was evident in her face and slumped bodily posture.
Hal nudged her, "Hey I hear that cities are just as lively as exploring the woods is. Back where I came from a popular saying for one of them was 'The concrete Jungle'."
Daring snorted at that, "That sounds no where as fun as an actual jungle."
"I'll admit," Hal continued on, "I think they would find it hard to swing on vines made of solid concrete if it were literally a concrete jungle. Could you imagine? Try to swing across a pit on a concrete vine only to not move? Or worse have the vine break?"
Daring giggled adorably at the thought, or at least Hal found it cute. Afterwards Daring picked right back up trotting slightly ahead of Hal as she remarked with a head movement that left her hat crooked, "Funny Hal. Let's go then, no point in keeping ourselves waiting and all. Race you!"
Daring picked up speed and galloped fully past him. Invoking a race that Hal joined after a few seconds. Though Daring Do missed a small change to Hal's face in her eagerness, the slightly more upturned edges of his lips in a genuinely happy grin.