The humid jungle heat weighed Daring Do down as she slithered and squirmed through the dense vegetation. She wiped the sweat off her brow and looked upward, into the thick, green canopy above. Pulling her pith helmet further down into her head, she pushed on. She was getting closer to her goal; she could feel it. Years of studying and searching had lead her here, into the depths of the Amarezon Jungle.
The branches and twigs that littered the forest floor snapped as she bounded through a wall of plants. Warm sunlight bathed her tired body as Daring landed in a clearing. In front of her, monumental in the empty clearing, was what she had been searching for. A stone temple, reaching up into the clouds hundreds of feet above her and covered in thick vines and creepers. She walked slowly, in awe, to the base of the massive building.
Her feelings of fatigue were diminished as the shadow of the temple enveloped her, taking her into its cooling grasp. She sighed with relief, unable to believe the fruits of her labors. Her investigating eyes noted the stone blocks used in the construction of the temple; they were covered in runes and hieroglyphics unknown to Daring. She reached a hoof out to feel the massive blocks. As her hoof grazed the surface, she felt a low rumbling rise up her legs and down her back. She spun around rapidly.
The familiar trees and foliage of the jungle fell and seemed to disappear into the ground. From their fallen trunks, tall brick and mortar buildings sprang up at unimaginable speed. The temple remained unmoved as cobbled streets worked their way up through the grass, and lampposts pushed their way out of the ground. The dizzying skyline of Manehattan blocked out the setting sun, and out-shined the wondrous temple in the now-modernized clearing. Ponies began filing out of buildings and from around street, completely oblivious of the massive stonework structure and the bewildered mare standing next to it.
Optimism was replaced by confusion as Daring Do surveyed the picture in front of her with wide eyes, her heart pounding. Through the bustling streets and dark alleys, a cold wind howled in the Manehattan air. Daring looked skyward. Huge black thunderheads lazily rolled into view, shadowing the city with their mass. Lightning arced between the clouds in long, spindling strands, contrasting heavily with the jet black of the storm-clouds. They were directly overhead, readying themselves to let loose a downpour of freezing rain.
The ponies around Daring continued to go about their schedule, ignoring the grim skies above. As fat raindrops began to descend upon their heads, they continued to pay no attention, remained stalwart on their paths. The rain intensified, creating a deafening noise that drowned all other sounds, including Daring’s own thoughts. Soon, water began trickling down the streets in small streams. Then in large rivers. And finally, they roared and crashed through the streets of Manehattan in a tidal wave of destruction.
Ponies were swept off their hooves and thrown into the air as the waves crashed to and fro. The white, frothing maw of destruction was rapidly reaching Daring Do, who was frozen in terror at the sight of it. It came smashing down around her, the sprays of water obscuring her vision. It had parted in front of her, and roared past on either side. Daring could faintly hear the sounds of crashing bricks and breaking stone past the deafening sounds of the water.
Slowly, it calmed, until it remained nothing more than a trickle. The once bustling scene of Manehattan had been crushed, leaving a pile of soaking debris around her. She gawked at the wreckage, which sprawled out in every direction as far as she could see. However, on the horizon, standing out of the destruction like an island, was a lone building. As Daring focused on it, the fallen buildings began to move around her. With her hooves still firmly planted on the ground, Daring Do rocketed towards the building.
Her speed was incredible as the building came closer and closer. All four hooves were still on the ground as she stood at the base of the object. It was built on top of a craggy pile of stone and rocks. Her neck craned upward, investigating the strange survivor of the waves. Again, by an unknown force, Daring was thrust upward, her hooves now dangling in the air as she levitated next to the structure. Columns held up a small rotunda, adorned with expertly crafted statues and busts. Inside, resting on a stone pedestal was a shining crystal. It glowed a dark, forest green and pulsated to the rhythm of Daring’s beating heart.
Out of the shadows, a single grey pony strode into the room. One side of his face was bloodied, and he had a bad limp. His glasses had shattered on one side, and now hung on the end of his nose. He stopped in front of the pedestal, grinning madly as his eyes enveloped the crystal. He began to laugh, low at first, almost inaudible. It soon grew to a horrifying cackle as he threw his hooves in the air, laughing madly at the dark sky above him. Out from the top of the rotunda, red lightning shot across the air, striking nearby rocks, clouds, and the tan pegasus.
Her muscles went limp as she fell to the ground, which appeared to be miles below her. Her mind was blank, but conscious as she plummeted down to the debris-covered ground.
-----
Daring nearly felt the impact of the ground as her eyes shot open. She was drenched in sweat and her heart felt as if it were about to explode. Her harsh breathing filled the dark room of The Onyx Wind as she clumsily rolled over and made her way to the door.
Still breathing heavily, Daring Do made her way to the empty deck of the airship. It was night, and the moonlight reflected off of the desert sands below. Overhead, thousands of stars painted the night sky in a marvelous display of refinement. Daring Do slowly began to collect herself from her dream. She had had nightmares before, but never one so real. She had never had one that was so vivid. As she leaned on the railing, admiring the waves of sand below, she heard somepony softly clear their throat behind her.
She whipped around, still a little jumpy from her dream, and saw the young navigator. She was shuffling her hooves nervously under the magenta eyes of the pegasus.
“Are you... um... okay?” she squeaked. Her voice was soft and sounded tired.
Daring was about to reply, but found her mouth completely dry. Instead, she merely nodded.
“Okay. I was just wondering.” she yawned, “My name is Borealis. Sunny Borealis. I already know who you are.” She chuckled apprehensively.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Daring managed to say in a cracked voice.
“You too, Miss Do.” the unicorn navigator began to warm up to Daring and scooted a bit closer. “I’ve been up all night flying. The cap’n says that I should get some sleep sometimes, but I figured if I stay up and fly we’d be in Istanfoal by mornin’. What’s so important in Istanfoal anyways? I’ve been there before, and I didn’t like it. It smells.”
“Um... Well... An old friend of mine wants-”
“Jack?” Sunny interrupted.
“Yeah, Jack. How do you know him?”
Sunny leaned on the railing, resting her chin in her hooves as she looked out on the horizon. “He worked on the ship for a while. He left a month or two ago, and I haven’t seen him since. He talked a lot about you though.”
“Oh, that’s interesting... Anyway, he wants me to get something from Istanfoal. It’s really urgent though, which is why he asked your captain to fly me there.”
“Huh. Okay.”
There were a few moments silence before Sunny became more talkative.
“Did you really go to the Amarezon jungle?”
Daring’s heart skipped a beat as the vivid images of her dream raced through her mind again.
“Jack told me once about how you went to the Amarezon jungle to get some sapphire thing. And that you broke your wing, but your wings look fine now...” Sunny continued after a few seconds.
Daring Do relaxed as more peaceful memories swam through her head.
“Yeah, I’ve been there. There was a sapphire idol hidden in a temple, deep in the jungle. I’d broken my wing in the descent,” she waved her right wing in the air in front of Sunny, “and I had to get there on foot. There were savage cats, and deadly traps all around! But I managed to get the idol and get out of there alive.”
Sunny’s eyes widened with intrigue. Daring could see the excitement on the young mare’s face as she continued her story.
“You see, I might not have made it out alive if it weren’t for my quick wits and a bit of luck. Another fella was after the sapphire stone too; his name was Ahuizotl. He had trapped me inside a room filled with snakes and spiders, and where the walls were covered in spikes and slowly crushed you to death, all the while being drowned in sand!”
“How did’ya get out?” Sunny asked, trance-like from the story.
“I ricocheted my trusty helmet off the wall and flipped the switch. After that I swooped down, got back the stone from Ahuizotl and got away safe.”
Daring Do raised her chin high and flipped her grayscale mane to one side as the young mare gazed at her with wonder.
“Wow!” Sunny exclaimed, “I wanna go on adventures! Will ya take me?!” she nearly shouted.
“Well, kid, adventures aren’t always that grey, you know. You get hurt. A lot.”
Sunny puffed out her chest, “I can handle it! I’m tough!”
Daring Do laughed a genuine laugh, “I’m sure you could. Tell you what, when all this Istanfoal stuff is over, I’ll think about taking you on an easy one. How’s that sound?”
“Kay.” She said plainly, “I guess I should go get some rest. Watch the ship to make sure it doesn’t do a nosedive or something like that. The cap’n doesn’t like it when that happens...”
-----
As the morning sun rose over the desert horizon, Daring Do remained at her post at the railing. She hadn’t moved all night, she just sat there and thought. It wasn’t often that Daring had a chance to just sit down and think, and she cherished the time when she could. She used to sit around and think with Jack; the two would ponder ideas and study ancient temples and tombs together. But those times were gone as Daring became more interested in the adventuring aspect of the job; something that Jack wasn’t able to follow as much as he would have liked to.
Mbarka stepped out of the cabin, stretching his legs. He spotted Daring Do, and trotted over to her side by the railing. At first he said nothing, and simply stared into the sunrise over the desert. Eventually, Daring was the first one to talk,
“Mbarka, how did you meet Jack?”
The zebra took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gathering his memories.
“He was looking for a ride out of Equestria, and my ship happened to be the only one flying that day. On an unrelated note, we also happened to be smuggling spices. We were just over the border when a rival group of pirates raided our ship. To this day, I’ve never seen a pony as cowardly as he was.” The zebra captain paused, “But he got over it. Despite him being the most frightened pony in the known world, he managed to hold his own against a rather nasty pirate. I guess he loved the excitement, ‘cause he joined our crew for the next few months after that.”
Daring Do nodded slowly, “Hmm... I was just curious. I never saw Jack as the adventuring type. In fact, that’s half the reason he left the museum. Too many bandits and thieves involved for his taste.”
Mbarka didn’t respond. He continued to stare at the red sphere that was slowly rising over the horizon on the starboard side. Daring Do was uncomfortable with the silence, but let it be. She preferred silence over the awkward conversations of piracy and Jack. She kept looking around, expecting to see Sunny, but to no avail. The unicorn was probably still asleep. Daring decided to switch the topic to something new,
“So where does Sunny fit into this?”
Mbarka rolled his eyes as he scratched at his shaved head. “That one. Yes, she’s a hoof-full alright. She’s a nice pony, don’t get me wrong; she’s just a bit stubborn at times. We found her below deck years ago, hiding in the crates. We don’t know how long she had been down there but she was just a little one, I’d guess no more than a year old. Since she was so young, we don’t really know much about her. Her parents could be looking for her, or they could be dead, I don’t even know.”
“She was just there? No name or nothing?”
Mbarka kicked his hoof at the air, “Nay. We’d taken to calling her Sunny after her cheerful nature as a filly. It wasn’t until she had proven herself to be a natural-born navigator that we added Borealis. It was the middle of the night and I’d accidentally flown directly into a huge thunderstorm.”
Daring raised an eyebrow at the captain’s incompetence.
“I had had too much to drink. So what?” he retorted before continuing. “I eventually passed out, either from the alcohol or the fright, I can’t honestly say. When I came to, I learned that Sunny had steered us through the lightning into the clear skies all on her own.”
“That explains the ship’s wheel as her cutie mark then. But you’re saying that she’s never lived with anyone but you?”
Mbarka nodded.
Daring Do said nothing else and stared into the desert again. She remembered her dream, much to her distaste, and decided to talk with Mbarka about that. She turned to him, and had just opened her mouth to talk when her right ear twitched. Her eyes widened and her heart sped up, preparing itself for the imminent action. She reached her hooves out and grabbed Mbarka by the shoulders, and violently threw him to the ground just in time to save him from being beheaded by a wicked scimitar.
From the floor of the deck, Daring stared up at the patched balloon keeping them aloft. A figure flew beneath it, going from port to starboard at lightning speed. Daring recognized the split-second shape. Griffons. She sprang up on her feet and looked over the side. Flying in a triangle formation were five griffons, three of which branded diverse bladed weapons in their sharp talons. The lead griffon, who was wearing an eye patch and a red cloth tied around his feathered head, gave out a shrill screech as he dove back down to the deck.
“Mbarka! Go get the others!” Daring shouted over her shoulder.
“Are you kidding? It’s the crack of dawn, it’s impossible to wake those idiots up!”
The griffon leader and two wingmen landed on the deck with a loud thud, causing many planks to groan under their combined weight. The lead griffon was balancing on his lion hind legs, using his wings occasionally to adjust his balance. He swung his scimitar lazily from side to side as his shrill voice spat,
“Daring Do, eh? Who’s this pathetic sap?”
The griffon waved his sword at Mbarka, who stepped dangerously close to the shining scimitar.
“I am Captain Mbarka of The Onyx Wind! And just who might you be, you grimy little mongrel?”
The griffon shrieked in disgust, “That doesn’t matter, zebra filth! Only one thing matters; our pay! Reinerth sent us to intercept you, and that’s just what we intend to do. No doubt you remember Reinerth, Miss Do.”
“You’re not stopping us!” Daring boldly said, ignoring the cocky griffons’ attitude. “We’re going to beat Reinerth to Istanfoal, and he’s never going to find his precious Thunder Stone!”
The three griffons on deck filled the air with their squawking laughter. From behind Daring and Mbarka, the remaining two griffons landed on the deck. They grabbed the pegasus and the zebra from behind, pinning them with their razor sharp talons. Daring could feel warm blood slowly trickle down from her shoulders where the griffon cruelly grasped her. The one-eyed griffon leader stepped in front of Daring Do, raising his cruel scimitar to her chin.
“I don’t think that’s up to you to decide.” he snarled.
He motioned his clawed hand at his two wingmen, who approached Daring Do and Mbarka. They held their blades to their throats, the cold steel against their skin making them shiver. The lead griffon made his way to the helm, and took the wheel in his talons. Slowly, the ship began to turn around, forcing the griffons to concentrate on their balance more. Daring Do shifted her eyes in Mbarka’s direction.
“They’re turning us around. That isn’t going to wake your crew?”
“They’ll sleep like rocks! Except... Oh no.”
“What?” Daring nearly shouted.
“Only Sunny is that sensitive to the ship’s movements.”
One of the griffons backhanded Mbarka, who bit his tongue upon impact. He spat out some blood as he turned his head towards the cabin as far as the knife-wielding griffon allowed him to. Instantly, the door swung open and the half-asleep navigator stood in the doorway. Her eyes widened as she noticed the burly griffons holding her idol and her captain hostage at knifepoint.
She reached somewhere behind the door and pulled out a dull, unpolished cutlass. A field of silver light shone around the sword as she levitated it in front of her. One of the griffons spotted the tiny pony, and motioned his beak in her direction. He cawed up to the helm,
“There’s a crew member down here! She’s got a sword!”
Before long, the one-eyed griffon crashed down onto the deck again, shaking the whole ship. He flapped his wings and brought his weight onto his back legs as he held his scimitar out in front of him. He tried to refrain from laughing as he saw his challenger.
“You’re it? Are you the only one who can help?” He asked, turning to the hostages. “A friend? A daughter, maybe?” He playfully swung his sword closer and closer to the young mare. “It doesn’t matter. In few seconds she’ll be dead. Along with you.”
He thrust the scimitar forward, expecting to hit the unicorn easily, only to find himself losing his balance and falling forward. Sunny had slipped in between his legs, and slid along the deck, stopping at Daring Do’s hooves. She immediately tackled Daring to the ground, wrapping her hooves around her as if to protect her. The pair slid several feet away from the danger, and got onto their hooves as quickly as possible. The sword remained levitating behind where Daring had previously been just seconds before, and was fending off the perplexed griffons.
Daring Do quickly took off her helmet and flung it at the knife-wielding griffon standing next to Mbarka. The solid helmet hit the griffon in the beak, whipping his head to one side. The knife staggered, and Mbarka used all of his strength to throw the griffon holding him over his back. The two crashed onto the deck, splintering boards, but incapacitating the griffon.
The three ponies stood with their backs close to each other. Around them, the four available griffons formed a circle, with the lead griffon eyeing Sunny with a mixture of pure hatred and ominous curiosity.
“She’s a feisty one, isn’t she?”
Sunny smirked, too worked up to think of a clever comeback.
“Too bad it won’t help you.” the griffon snarled.
The eye patch wearing griffon feigned a charge, to which Sunny faltered backwards. On the other side of the circle, a griffon wielding a one handed bearded axe charged at Daring Do. The commotion on deck was growing wilder, with ponies dodging attacks everywhere, trying to land a punch or two where possible. Sunny was overwhelmed by the high-tension situation, and worked her way to the helm of the ship, leaving Daring Do and Mbarka to fight off the griffons alone.
Doing the only thing she could think of, Sunny turned the ship’s steering wheel sharply to the right, turning the ship back to its original orientation. Suddenly, an idea invaded her head.
“Hold onto somethin’!” She shouted from behind the wheel.
She spun the wheel continuously to the right, forcing the ship to bank at an impossible angle. She could hear the muffled sounds of crates shifting and crashing into things below deck, and fought hard to keep from sliding off the side of the ship. Down below on the deck, Sunny could see Daring Do attempting to fly away to escape the new angle, only to be thrown back down to the deck by a griffon. The fight raged on, with blades slashing and whistling through the air.
Sunny wiped the sweat from her hooves and turned the wheel sharply the opposite direction. After a moment, the deck of the ship was leaning at nearly a forty-five degree angle, and griffons and ponies alike flailed to grab onto something to keep from falling over. Sunny herself nearly fell, but remained stalwart, grabbing hold of the wheel and turning it sharply back to the right. The ship rocked once again as the griffon leader swore loudly before flying up to the helm of the ship.
He approached Sunny with blood in his eyes. The scimitar was held out in front of him, pointing directly at the innocent mare’s face. A wild slash from the scimitar was easily dodged and bought Sunny enough time to begin to turn the wheel again. The ship was leaning at a very steep angle to the left when Sunny was kicked in the ribs by the griffon. She fell down, scraping her hooves against the wooden floor for grip, but failed. She tumbled over the side, barely managing to grab hold of a dangling rope with her teeth to save her life.
She began to climb back onto the deck of the ship, and as she pulled herself up she noticed the griffon leader. He wasn’t interested in Daring Do or anyone anymore. Instead, he began flying along one side of the ship, scimitar in hand. As he passed by the ropes connecting the ship’s deck to the balloon above, he swung his sword against them. The twanged as the pressure was released, causing the ship to spin violently on its axis as one side of The Onyx Wind was disconnected to the only thing keeping them aloft.
Daring Do and Mbarka slid off the deck towards the golden sand below. Quickly, Daring took Mbarka by under his arms and flapped her wings intensely, trying to gain altitude. She looked back at the deck, which was now nearly perpendicular with the ground below. The griffons had taken flight and were catching up to Daring Do. She zipped over the ship’s balloon, and dumped Mbarka on top before landing hardly on the inflated surface. The griffons strafed the balloon, slashing at the duo with their blades.
“Mbarka!” Daring shouted after falling close to the balloon to dodge a griffon. “Remind me to never fly with you again!”
“Noted, Miss Do.” He replied, breathlessly.
Mbarka laughed almost maniacally as he noticed another griffon preparing to swoop down. As he approached Mbarka, the zebra captain jumped into the air, crashing into the mid-flight griffon. He wrapped his hooves around his neck, attempting to force the griffon to crash into somethin. A sharp, cold pain hit his leg followed by warm blood slowly gushing out. He looked down and noticed a dagger’s hilt protruding from his upper thigh. He grimaced as he continued on, trying to ignore the distracting pain in his leg. The griffon dove and swooped around all over the place, trying to dislodge the stubborn zebra from his back, but to no avail. Mbarka had him in a vice-grip. The griffon gave up control, letting Mbarka steer him at his will. A sharp turn to the right brought the griffon crashing head on into the perpendicular surface of the deck. Boards were torn loose and the griffon plummeted down to the sands below. Mbarka had shoved his hoof in an empty space on the deck where a board should have been, holding himself up with one hoof as his leg continued to spill blood onto the ground below.
Sunny was running alongside the side of the ship, jumping over portholes and cannon windows as she made her way to the bow. Following closely behind her was the one eyed griffon, nearly frothing at the mouth in frustration. He was on her heels when she tripped, hitting her face against the splintered wood. Her head went fuzzy, and she rolled off the side of the ship. The griffon ended his pursuit and flew off, leaving Sunny screaming in her descent. Atop the balloon, Daring Do heard the shrieks of the filly and jumped over the side, rocketing down towards the mare.
How many times am I going to have to do this? She thought to herself as the wind ripped at her face, bringing tears to her eyes.
She deftly flew beneath Sunny, catching her on her back. The navigator scrambled around, fumbling to get a good grip. With the extra weight, Daring Do was slowed down, and allowed the remaining griffons to catch up with her. The two remaining mercenaries took positions on either side of her, brandishing their weapons. In return, Sunny withdrew her own cutlass from her belt and levitated it in front of her as she prepared for combat.
Sunny took the initiative, swinging at the large griffon flying to Daring’s right. Her attack went too far off; leaving herself vulnerable to the second griffon on Daring’s left. The skinnier griffon on Daring’s left too the opportunity to swing a hefty spiked club in Sunny’s direction. She was barely able to bring her sword around to deflect the blow.
Daring Do banked around the crippled ship, held together by only three intact ropes and a balloon. She performed barrel rolls and loops to try and shake the griffons off her tail. But no matter what she tried, the persistent murderers were right next to her. Sunny became bolder in her attacks, leaning towards the griffons as she savagely swung her cutlass. Occasionally she made contact with one of the griffon’s wings, or the tips of their talons or legs. In one case, she had delivered a solid blow to the side of the grey griffon, but failed to pierce the skin with the dull blade. Daring Do saw the attack, and aided by ramming her body into the stunned griffon.
As the larger griffon attempted to recover, Sunny relentlessly attacked the griffon on Daring’s left. Most of her blows were blocked by his mace, but several made it through his defense. She pelted him with lashes across his back and wings, and despite the blade being unable to cut through anything, the griffon still pulled away from the fierce duo. As the two flew around the ship, the larger griffon caught t up and took his position below Daring Do. He attempted to attack upwards while flying upside-down, but was stopped when Daring rolled 180 degrees. Sunny now hung from Daring’s back as she flew upside-down over the griffon.
The awkward angle made it difficult for either foe to make any significant attack. The griffon switched to the defensive as Sunny performed a flurry of strikes with unusually superior tactics. A blow to the head was barely parried by the griffon, and Sunny easily dodged a potentially fatal slash to the chest. The inverted fight continued, and Sunny felt the blood beginning to pool in her head from hanging upside-down.
“Daring Do! Do something quick!” She shouted through clenched teeth.
The griffon was fixated on the pair, never taking his eyes off of the two. Daring Do thought up a quick plan in her head and moved fast to engage it. She picked up speed, flapping her wings vigorously. The griffon continued to keep pace with her, despite her now lightning fast speed. She weaved her way through the hanging ropes and rigging above the deck, deftly moving through them as if they were hardly there at all. Sunny looked behind her as the large griffon’s wings got tangled in the hanging ropes. He flailed about, attempting to break his bonds, but only making his situation worse. Daring turned around sharply and flew as fast as she could. As she passed over the griffon she dropped one hoof, hitting him square in the forehead. He stopped flailing and went limp.
The two found the most level spot on the side of the ship, which was still at a horrible angle. They relied on each other to hold onto as they shuffled their hooves to get a grip. They looked around, bewildered. With the griffons either gone or knocked out, the two finally had a chance to take in their surroundings. Around them, boards were splintered and ropes were frayed. Daring Do couldn’t believe it, but The Onyx Wind looked worse now than when she first laid eyes upon it.
From over the side of the ship, from the deck, Sunny could hear muffled grunts. Ignoring the perilous angle of the ship, she galloped over and peered over the side. Hanging onto a few splintered planks by one hoof was Mbarka, struggling to climb up. Sunny extended her hoof, which Mbarka wrapped around his own. Daring Do grabbed the unicorn from behind and helped pull the two onto the slanted side of the ship. From there, the three made their way through a window, into the deck below where they could easily rest against the wall.
Inside, the three ponies stared at each other. They were covered in blood, with bruised and frayed coats. Sunny was the first to start laughing, followed by the hearty baritone laughs of Captain Mbarka. Finally, Daring Do joined in, filling the cabin with fits of laughter and giggles. Mbarka grimaced as the knife in his leg brought new pain. He ignored it for the sake of Sunny; he didn’t want her to see him in pain.
From down the cramped hallway, a donkey poked his head out awkwardly from one of the sideways doors.
“Captain?! What in Celestia’s name happened to the ship?!”
Mbarka pointed his hoof towards the crew member, “Wake up the crew. Tell them they’re fired.”
-----
The broken remains of The Onyx Wind landed on the outskirts of Istanfoal, kicking up clouds of sand as it made a very hard landing. Daring Do and Sunny helped carry Mbarka across the sandy dunes. He had left what remained of the ship to his first mate, an incompetent diamond dog that was likely to run off at the first sign of command. He wanted nothing to do with the lazy crew anymore. Daring Do promised the two that she would help them find a new ship.
“No.” Mbarka replied sternly. “One ship is enough for me. I think I’m going to look for an alternative job.”
Daring Do looked to Sunny, who seemed rather sullen.
“How’re you holding up, kid?”
Sunny shrugged, “Not too great... But at least I’m in one of your adventures.” She smiled up at Daring Do with her big green doe eyes. They were tired, not to Daring’s surprise, but seemed as happy and joyful as always. “That ship was my home for as long as I can remember. But for some reason, I don’t really care to see it go.”
“Fair enough.” Mbarka interrupted indignantly. “Let’s just find a doctor to get this knife outta my leg. Then we need to find whatever Jack wanted and get the hay outta here.”
The trio approached the front gates of Istanfoal, which graciously opened at the sight of the tired group. A couple dark brown ponies rushed out, taking Mbarka onto their backs. A larger, more rotund brown pony clad in purple robes and wearing a turban atop his head trotted out to greet the pair of mares.
“Welcome to Istanfoal! My stallions will take your friend to a doctor, don’t worry! Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home!”
Sunny and Daring cantered in as Mbarka was carried off. They scanned the crowds and market stalls that lined the streets. Ponies were trying to sell carpets, pottery, fruits and anything else that could be sold. They were following the large pony through winding sandstone streets, lined by similar sandstone buildings. Eventually, he led them through the crowds to a large circular building of white stone. He stopped in front of the door.
“This is my home! As governor of Istanfoal, I grant you permission to rest here as long as you like! We’ve all heard the stories about you, Miss Daring Do.” He gave a low bow, to which Daring politely returned.
“Thank you.” She said kindly, “We’ll try not to be a burden.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem at all.”
He opened the large brass doors to the main chamber. Around the room, mares sat on the floor, obscured by curtains and shades. In the center of the room, underneath a beam of sunlight emanating from an ornate hole in the rooftop, where three thrones. The middle one, which was large and made out of gold, was obviously for the governor. Daring couldn’t tell who the second, slightly smaller golden throne was for, but her heart dropped as she saw the third throne.
He sat motionless, grinning wickedly at the pegasus. His taloned hands clasped together as he gazed at Daring Do and Sunny with his one available eye. His shining scimitar was leaning against the side of the throne, still with traces of blood on the surface. The eye-patched griffon chuckled under his breath as he came face to face with his foes for the second time that day.
Sunny leaned over to Daring Do, “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”
Daring Do gulped as the doors shut behind them. “Big trouble, kid.”