Kangaroo Isle
Location: Kangaroo Isle; Hopperrusa Temple.
A single mare trotted up to the ruins of an old abandoned temple located in a nearby forest off the shores of an island.
Stepping into the ruined temple the mare began to move through the foyer slowly, with both interest and caution as she made her way through.
The old ruin of Hopperrusa had gained quite the many tales in the past century. Tales that foretold of the old ruin that held a mystical artifact given to the ancestors of this country many many many years ago by a being said to be from another world. From recent rumors this said artifact held a message of utter importance that could unlock unforetold secrets.
And this particular mare was going to find it.
Trotting through the foyer in silence as the mare gazed at all the Macropus inscriptions that had been made on the ruined wall eons ago, the pegasus with a compass for a cutie mark didn’t realize that she had stepped on a tile, before it was too late.
Click!
But nothing happened.
Daring Doo stared in silence her wings up, her brows furrowed as she prepared herself for something to happen when she least expected it.
But nothing happened.
Seconds passed.
But still nothing happened.
Minutes passed.
Still nothing happened.
Finally unable to take this trivial waste of precious time the adventurous pegasus moved towards the door opposite her but had to jump back when she heard something slide open near the door’s entrance.
A slot emerged at the very front of the stony door, emitting only darkness, which the mare could not see through.
Then she heard something, a whirring sound, like something had been thrown at her.
Instincts and years of experience going on dangerous adventures through ruins kicked in as the mare ducked in the nick of time only to turn her head and see that she had dodged nothing but a...boomerang?
That’s right. It was a boomerang. A simple throwing device made out of wood, however the boomerang having been shot out of whatever contraption launched it at the mare was released to hard.
And ended up hitting the side of one of the column’s nearby the courageous adventurer.
The result from the throwing device was, less than satisfactory.
Upon touching the column said boomerang exploded, tossing monary, rock and dirt at Daring Doo’s hiny also forcing the mare forward and causing her to lose balance and fall completely to the ground.
Looking back at the now smoking column that had no real infrastructural value the mare gained a look of great terror, that she had nearly just been blown up to a billion pieces since she was planning on grabbing that device.
CLINK!
Daring Doo turned her attention back to the explosive sling trap of death before her. She glanced at the door.
If I’m quick I should be able to get through that. Standing up on her hooves the mare pushed her hat back up on her head. Then broke into a gallop.
Boomerang, after boomerang, after boomerang was shot at the mare in quick consecutive motions, if it weren’t for her being used to such traps then she surely would’ve been caught in the last two launches that came extremely close to touching her.
Her ears twitched, the door had begun to shut.
But Daring Doo simply grinned.
Classic. Dodging one more boomerang, as she picked up the pace to avoid the ones closing in behind her the mare quickly slid under the closing stone door and with a loud clunk, the mare heard it shut behind her, followed by the rather meager sound of explosions soon enough.
Sighing a breath of relief the light gold pegasus rose to her hooves and dusted off her hat before placing it back on her head, taking a look around. The mare saw nothing but statues of bucks lining the walls. That and a few skeletons, along with weaponry that layered the ground. Facing the very end of this chamber was one exit, an exit that required going through a small or in a pony’s case large flight of stairs before being able to get in and cross to whatever lay beyond. The only thing offering a source of light, illuminating the dark grey chamber was the sun from the skylight about twenty three feet above her.
The mare didn’t move.
Her eyes scanned the area. She expected another trap to activate but none such thing occurred.
And so she took a step, then another, her eyes shifting from statue to statue as she passed each one.
And just as Daring Doo’s left forehoof crossed over the threshold of the line of jack statues, she heard movement.
Turning to see what had been activated Daring Doo froze upon what she saw next.
Before her eyes, the jacks- male kangaroo statues that guarded either side of the large chamber, had come alive. A total of 6 teenage looking kangaroo statues, eyes glowing blue, began to move from their stony clamps that held them to the ground. And almost at the same time each stone kangaroo turned its head at the mares direction, staring at her as she stood staring back in surprise.
For a few seconds Daring didn’t move lest she activate something else to put her in an even tighter spot. And for those few tense seconds everything seemed fine. Then their eyes went from a cool light blue...to a dark blood red.
Time to bail! Turning on a hoof Daring Doo began galloping through the chamber in the direction of the stairs only a few more feet away, as she sensed one of the stone figures had just come free of its position.
She stopped, an arrow imbedding itself directly where her hoof would have been on the very first step had she placed it there.
Turning her head in the direction of the one free jack- for now- she saw a bow in the bucks hand as the stone figure prepared to load another one from it’s pouch.
Daring Doo scowled, turning her attention back to the stairs the mare began the long awaited climb. Arrow after arrow flying by her, some nearly hitting her hind legs as she just barely managed to quickly lift them up onto the next step.
Daring’s breath was growing heavy, the steps were taking more time than she’d thought as they were built by the kangaroos of this nation. The light gold mare had just cleared the first flight of steps halting for only a second to catch her breath, her ears alert in the case of any more arrows being fired.
None were, but a single shadow flying over her.
With a powerful crash, that shattered a part of the landing where Daring Doo stood, just inches from the second flight of stairs that would mean freedom, the mare looked up to see one of the stoned statues had actual bandages around its wrists going up to the knuckles.
She raised a brow, the stone jack looked down at her it’s eyes glaring red, before it raised its fist.
Daring gulped.
POW!
The stone jack hit the ground with mind shattering force, missing the mare by only an inch, looking up the jack saw that she was now above it.
Daring Doo sighed, but something caught her eye. Number three stony, that was beside the archer out of arrows had a slingshot in it’s hand, it loaded up, sending something in her direction.
Her hat fell to the ground, and as it fell Daring could clearly see the hole in it that would have been her head had she been two inches higher up in the air.
“HEY!” she yelled at the stoned figure actually causing it to flinch from the sudden shout. “That thing’s pricey so watch it!”
The stone figure looked at it’s comrades. They all shrugged, then they turned their attention back to the mare in the air.
Daring gulped.
Her hat was falling to the ground and if she was fast she could snatch it up before the close combat statue was able to free it’s fist.
Tilting her wings, the mare zoomed in for her hat only to slow down when suddenly the fourth member of the group of statues hopped right into her blind spot.
WHAM!
The stoned figure brought its tail down on the mare hard, before landing to the ground safely beside the closed combat fighter.
Daring now lay on the far side of the ground, completely knocked off course from the stairwell her hat landing inches away from her hoof. She moved to reach, but winced. Slipping a hoof into her coat she pulled out a bent piece of large gold coated metal that had been in her jacket’s pocket, tucked to her side where the four hundred pound hopping beast had struck its heavy tail on her.
Daring stretched her wing. By a miracle it was alright, but she wouldn’t be if she kept stalling.
Tossing the metal shield aside the mare, ignored the small pain she felt in her side and rushed for the hat throwing it back on her head before she took off once more, managing to avoid a spear and several more shots from the slingshot jack and the javelin jack.
“This is a waste of time I’ve got to-” she paused seeing something on the ground. Daring Doo looked at her exit, then looked at the guards, the close combat and agility one now moving towards her.
Please let this be something I can use, dropping her wings to her side Daring dove down to the ground where she spotted the object hidden underneath some of the sand that surrounded the stairs.
The mare could hear things whizzing by her. “Just a bit closer” she muttered as she narrowed her eyes, focused on the small glinting black object underneath the sand.
Her eyes caught something. The javelin jack had gotten another spear from the ground, near a unicorn’s skeleton and tossed it right in the path of Daring Doo and the object she so desperately wanted to grab.
Time slowed, Daring’s eyes widened.
One wrong move and she would be skewered by the flying spear point that could either impede her path completely or kill her in the process if she wasn’t fast enough. Should she stop she could see the slingshot kangaroo ready to shoot her down, and by some cursed luck the archer had found another arrow. The swordsbuck that had made no movement as of yet could do something as well, and the close combat and agility based statues weren’t far away from her either.
Daring’s eyes narrowed a grin slowly crossing her face. Challenge accepted.
With her wings spread open, Daring gave one powerful flap to increase her descent, the mare dove right into the ground, rolling in the process to avoid the spear, and single rock or stone that had been shot at her.
She quickly looked at what she had in her hooves.
It was a shield, and despite it looking slightly old it was still in tip top condition, barely any scratches on it save for the few on it’s front.
Daring grinned. “Oh yeahh.”
The agility jack launched at her, doing a spin in the air and sending its tail downward directly towards the mare.
Daring was prepared, quickly slipping her hoof into the strap she jumped back her rump hitting the wall, as the tail slammed into the ground sending sand in the air.
Agility, looked around. It could not find it’s target the sand had spread and now acted as a smokescreen.
It’s ear twitched, then looked up, before something crashed into it with a force that made the entire statue crumble.
Daring Doo now stood on the rubble of Agility, her new shield under her left forehoof, as she examined the strong shield not shattering despite the speed she had descended upon to crush the statue.
This wasn’t the time to celebrate though as she could see the Combat statue was now hopping quickly towards her, since having seen it’s fellow guardian had fallen.
Daring jumped into the air ready to take flight with the shield now once again strapped to her hoof, she was too slow. Combat grabbed her right hind leg then raised its fist with the other hand ready to crack every bone in the mare’s body.
Quickly she rose the shield, and to her amazement it withstood the hit. Combat didn’t give up the slamming its fist into the shield hit, after hit after hit, pushing the mare back a bit further towards the wall once more.
“Now!” she yelled when she felt the kangaroo draw its fist back for another strike.
Swinging her shielded hoof around the mare managed to slam the shield right into Combat’s stony face, a crack formed as the stone statue fell to the ground, paralyzed temporarily.
Slingy over there had prepared another stone to fire at the mare, but she had protection this time. Lifting the shield up the mare charged towards the archer, and slinger as they fired all their rounds at her, all bouncing off her sturdy shield with ease.
The two figures obviously weren’t the smartest, because they failed to realize they could have easily jumped out of the way, but instead met their end as Daring rammed her shield right through them gaining a new shade of grey in not only her mane, but her coat as well.
Daring sneezed, then felt her legs give way as a tail swept her legs from under her.
The Javelin statues eyes beamed a red glow above her as it advanced towards her, spear in hand.
Jab left, jab right, jab, jab, jab! The statue tried to hit the mare with it’s spear over and over again, but even with her back on the ground the light gold, now dusty pegasus was able to dodge the hits.
Slipping her hoof in front of her as the shield blocked the spear the mare heard a snap from above. The next thing she saw was the spearhead fall to the ground.
“The shield broke it?” she asked perplexed. But she shook her head, suddenly feeling the weight on her leave.
Quickly getting up Daring looked to see Javel now backing up its eyes still red but a look of surprise on its face. The pain once again came back to Daring as she shifted her weight, when the stone statue began to move towards her once again.
Gritting her teeth Daring charged with a scream that echoed through the chamber as she pounced on her attacker. Javel dodged her, then the two circled each other.
Daring’s rose eyes staring into those red magic powered ones.
A strong hop and Javel launched towards her, but with quick reflexes the mare dodged, managing to avoid being crushed by the four hundred pound weight. Tossing her shield into the statues back when it imbedded itself in the wall that had been behind her the mare watched the statue shatter into tiny pieces.
She sighed, feeling exhausted and now noticing the pains she felt in her body.
Glancing over to where the frozen Combat statue lay the mare moved back to the remains of Javel, took her shield in her hoof and then moved to the fifth statue. Standing over it she stared as the frozen statue, remained motionless for a few seconds before she sent the shields pointy edge into it’s back.
Combat shattered into dust like the other four.
Spreading her wings the mare flew to the second floor where the exit was, and landed weakly with exhaustion. Then she froze.
The swordsbuck that had remained motionless throughout the entire fight and had only moved to get off it’s clamps was now in front of the only exit out of this chamber and on to the next stage.
It had two straps around it. Two swords behind it’s back, it’s eyes closed as it stood there silently waiting for the mare to make a move as it guarded the exit.
Daring Doo, lifted her shield up with a determined look in her eye, despite the exhaustion she felt.
Lifting the other hoof a small smile cracked on the mares lips, as she stared at the motionless final statue. She moved it in a taunting manner.
“Bring it.”
The swordsbuck or Steel Stone as Daring now considered him, was probably the toughest one out of all five of the jacks she had fought so far. The kangaroo had flown directly towards her, not even caring how easily the shield had destroyed it’s comrades and drew its blade in one swift motion that the mare had nearly lost her head had she not ducked in time.
Now in the air Daring Doo watched the buck from a great distance, high enough in the sky she was sure that the buck couldn’t jump up to reach her, but not high enough to exit from the skylight.
Steel Stone, stood with his blades out, his posture lax but his red eyes in the mares direction. The jack stood a few feet away from the door, enough that Daring could easily slip through if she were fast enough, but also enough for her to be easily cut down.
So Daring circled from above, the jack following her movement below with caution. Then she dove right towards the door.
Steel Stone anticipating this launched into the air with his powerful legs, and in one swift motion brought the sword in its right hand down upon the light gold mare, Daring blocked, but was knocked a few feet away by the force of the swing.
Once the mare had been able to gain control of her flight pattern again she maintained her position, watching the stone jack return to guard the door.
Daring’s eyes narrowed.
What on earth is so important that these guys don’t want anyone to see? She thought as she looked at all the fallen skeletons that littered the certain parts of the ground below.
Turning her attention back to Steel Stone the mare decided to land in front of the jack, prepared in case he were to attack. The statue did no such thing, and simply watched as Daring Doo landed before it.
She peered behind the statue to see the exit waiting for her, calling out to her, but it was blocked as the statue shifted its weight to block her gaze, Daring shot it a look but the statue remained impassive.
With a heavy sigh she knew there was only one way she was going to get through this: Outsmart it.
Lifting her foreleg up and tightening the strap against it to assure the shield wouldn’t fall off, along with her hopes of getting through that door and her life the mare got back down on all fours, staring down her opponent.
A few seconds of silence passed between the two. Kangaroo versus pegasus as they sized each other up.
Then they charged.
Left swing, duck, right swing, block, tail ascend lightly into the air.
Strike after strike, blade swing after blade swing, each time the sword was swung Daring Doo found it tougher and tougher to block and avoid getting sliced in half. But she continued to maintain her ground waiting for an opening.
Steel Stone bounced onto its tail and sent the mare back with a powerful kick from its legs, blocking it but still feeling the wind knocked out of her, when she hit the ground on her back.
Rolling to the side as the statue brought a sword down in her direction, she scrambled to her hooves and jumped out of the way when Steel Stone brought the other sword in her direction.
A stinging sensation filled her wing and Daring looked to see she had been cut, not deep or large but just a small line.
The fight continued, Daring managing to continue dodging most of the hits till she finally saw an opening when the jack raised his arm to deliver a strong right swing.
Leaping through the opening while lifting the shield up to her side, Daring felt the weight of the sword slam into the shield, then quickly slide off. Using her weight to push up against the jack’s side as fast as she could before Steel Stone could lift another sword at her she forced the jack to the side, then made a mad dash for the exit.
Steel Stone had stumbled, because of it’s massive feet and was now fighting for balance, but upon seeing the mare beginning to reach the exit the guardian began launching it’s swords at her.
Daring turned her head just in the nick of time, managing to jump and turn the shield up only to have the shield actually get pierced through by the sword, inches away from the strap where her right foreleg was.
She spread her wings flapping backwards in the direction of the exit, now just a few feet away from her. Another sword came at her but it embedded itself deep within the wall inches away from her.
Sweat had begun to form on her brow. She was inches away from the door. She just needed to get this shield off her wrist so she could make a mad dash through it.
Quickly leaning into the shield the mare began to fiddle with the strap, trying to release it with her mouth. It clicked.
“Yes!” she yelled.
Flinging the shield off her foreleg, she looked up just in time to see that the statue had once again regained its balance and was now standing a few feet away from her with something in it’s hand.
Daring froze when she got a look at it.
Daggers. Four daggers were in each of the kangaroo’s hand. It remained motionless as Daring was now inches from the door. All she needed to do was cross it and take cover.
But the question was who would be faster? Her? Or Steel Stone’s blades?
Daring’s eyes narrowed, her wings still flapping, she glanced at the door then glanced back at the final statue in her way.
It shook its head. Telling her “Don’t do it.”
She grinned. “Watch me.”
Daring flapped hard, ignoring the pain in her wing, she flew through the doorway, the statue swung its arm diagonally sending four daggers in her direction.
The door had begun to close from the sides.
WHOOM!
It shut, but before it did leaving three of the daggers in it’s wake the mare watched one single dagger sail past her face and slice through a single hair off her mane cutting her cheek just a bit, before it imbedded itself all the way on the other side of the wall.
She went limp, her wings relaxing as she came to a steady descent landing on the ground and leaning against the door, with a sigh of relief.
“Talk about close calls” Daring said tiredly.
Taking a few minutes to relax the mare remained sitting there in silence before she got up once more and focused on what was ahead of her.
The only thing in the room that was once again illuminated by the sunlight from the sky, was a single podium that held something in the very center of it.
Moving towards the virtually empty room Daring climbed the two steps that led to the podium in the center before she glanced down at what it contained.
A horseshoe shaped mark lay on it’s surface. With a raised brow Daring Doo placed her hoof on the mark.
Upon doing so the surface of that podium caved in, fell into the ground and a few feet away from it another podium a couple inches shot out before the horseshoe one was sucked underneath the floor.
She moved towards it. Taking it slow as the pain decided to rear its ugly head on her wing and from her side. Once there she moved towards the podium and saw a strange print on it.
It looked like it was the hand of a minotaur...except it had six fingers instead of four?
Daring squinted staring at the print. Right next to it there was a switch with the very same hand print that required it to be used in order to activate whatever released the secret of this temple.
She placed her hoof in it to get a better look, but froze when the room began to shake.
Instantly everything in that chamber closed in on her. Like a prison cell being shut, several newly formed walls closed around the room, then blocked out the skylight so that no one could fly out or jump out. The lamps were lit to offer light.
Daring Doo scowled, slumping by the side of the strange relic that had trapped her in this new room with no way out.
She was stuck here.
“Great.”
Location: Kangaroo Isle, Macropulian City.
“We’re finally here” I said with a sigh of relief.
After having to go by train, then chariot in what was most likely a three hour ride from Ponyville to this island we had finally arrived in the kangaroo based culture. And boy were there a lot of equine based tourists around here.
“Guys!” I turned my attention along with Rarity, Fluttershy, Screwball, and Applejack to see Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight heading in our direction.
At the moment we were now sitting in front of a large building made out of wood, the kangaroo folk passing us by with nods of their head. Some leading tourists others going about their daily business.
Upon our arrival I had suggested we look for a guide and after asking around we had managed to make our way to this city called Macropulian, and from the looks of it my friends seemed to have been able to find an escort from the grin on Twilight’s face.
“I’m guessing you found our guide?”
Twilight nodded. “He said he’ll show us to the temple the map instructed us to head towards.”
“Great” I said with a smile.
“Wait...where is he?” the three mares looked confused. Turning behind them they saw no one there but the civilians of this city passing by.
“Weird. I thought for sure he was behind us” Pinkie said.
“JERONAMO!” a shout echoed from above, startling us and a few others nearby as a kangaroo came sailing from the rather large tower in our general direction.
Are those sunglasses? I thought as the jack got closer.
Catching the teenage jack in her magic, with some effort Twilight managed to lower the jack safely to their side, before sighing from having to drop that weight.
“Oi, mate that wasn't very nice now was it? I had been practicing all day ta get me that kinda entrance and you just gone and ruined it” the tanned buck stated with a frown from its dark shades.
I gawked, Rarity, AJ, Twilight, and Fluttershy looked confused. Pinkie Pie probably wasn’t sure how to take this considering her reaction. And Screwball and Dash were staring at the jack with admiration in their eyes.
“That was-”
“AWESOME!” Dash stated cutting Fluttershy off. “Jumping off a building like that without any sort of protection! That’s insane!” she said with a grin.
The buck shrugged with a smile. “I wouldn’t have been harmed. We macropi have strong legs, and tough bodies. A jump from that height wouldn’t even bother us.”
Twilight gawked. “B-but... that building is forty three feet tall. With the jump you lept off about forty-eight feet into the air, there’s no way you could have.”
The buck snorted with a chuckle. “Looky here missy, I’m a kangaroo, I think I know my own species better than you do.” Ignoring the frown the buck looked at me and smiled.
“Well would ya look at that, the only male aside from me in this group huh? What ya ‘ere for mate? Planning to just stick with the girls here because ya want a lil action” he nudged me with a wink.
I rolled my eyes.
“No we’re here for-”
“I know what ya ‘ere for mate. Names Swift Strike by the way. I’ll be your tourist and help while we head towards the old Hopperrusa Temple.”
I nodded. “Appreciate it. Name’s Hailstorm, and these are-”
“The elements of harmony. Yeah I know ‘em. Who doesn’t you’re famous” he said winking at Dash who grinned back with glee.
“Even out here?” Twilight asked genuinely surprised, as we followed our guide.
“Of course out ‘ere. Everybuck that’s a buck knows who you are.”
“That would explain all the staring” Applejack said with a small smile as a group of kangaroos waved when they passed by.
“Yeah, well what ya gonna do. Fame is fame” he said with a grin.
“Now off we go! Oh! Hold it one sec now” Swift Strike stated stopping before he hopped off.
“I should warn you guys” his expression grew serious now. “Whatever you do don’t touch anything in that temple. Our ancestors held magic that’s been lost to us for an entire millennia, and that temple has quite the defenses. So I’m warning ya” he leaned in causing Twilight and the others to lean back while I simply stood watching.
“Don’t touch anything. Ya got it?” They nodded, I shrugged.
“No promises with her around” I said pointing a hoof back to the violet mare hopping around me.
Swift Strike, stared in silence for a few seconds then chuckled. “Your funeral then mate. Alright then, off we go!”
And so we moved in the direction of the temple. And for some reason as we neared our target I couldn’t help shake this nagging feeling I had in the back of my head.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”