//------------------------------//
// Tashim 
// Story: Daring Do and the Eyes of the Demon 
// by PegasusKlondike 
//------------------------------//

The Storm Rider drifted south along the stone shores of Zebrica, seeking the port city of Tashim. After all they had been through on this trip, all the passengers wanted was to blow off some steam in Tashim before resuming their various voyages. Daring and Timur stood on the deck with saddlebags slung across their backs, eager to disembark as the bustling port city came into view. To the pegasus, the ground never looked more beautiful, and the only thing stopping her from just taking a leap off the deck was the basic bureaucratic procedures when coming into port.

One of the unicorn crew members leaned over the railing and fired a shower of green sparks into the air. From ground level, the crew member received a similar green flare in response from the ground crews. Reporting all clear to the captain, Storm Rider began its final descent onto the dusty airship field in Zebrica. The crew tossed down the mooring lines, and the still surviving skipper lowered the gangplank to allow passengers to disembark. 

Walking off right behind Timur, Daring anxiously placed a hoof on Zebrican soil. Smiling at the novelty of a land she had never tread upon, Daring quickly ran to catch up with her guide. The pair walked together to the edge of the airship field to a small customs house hear the gate to Tashim. A very bored looking Equestrian soldier sat inside, scribbling down notes in a logbook as travelers came and went. Timur stood first in line.

"Name please," asked the bored customs officer. 

"Timur Duan!ziti."

"Reason for visiting Zebrica?"

"Just coming home after a long visit to Equestria."

Propping his head on his hoof, the unicorn scribbled it down. "Any trade goods, magical artifacts or fruits and vegetables?"

Timur shook his head, despite the uncounted small potions he kept in his pouch. "No sir, just luggage."

"Very well, welcome to Tashim and welcome back to Zebrica. Next please!" Daring walked up to the customs station, "Name please."

"Daring Do."

The unicorn looked unamused. "Seriously m'am, name please."

Daring glanced up at Timur, whose eyes glared, "Oh I'm sorry, I was just reading an article and that name is stuck on my mind. My name is Dolphin Breeze," she said with a very large, very fake grin.

The customs officer scribbled down the name, "Reason for visiting Zebrica, Ms Breeze?"

"Tourist, sir. I've always wanted to see the sights of Zebrica."

The unicorn's eyes left the ledger, "Forewarning m'am, anywhere east of the Okavana River is currently off limits to tourists due to hostilities. Now, do you have any trade goods, magical artifacts or fruits and vegetables?"

"No sir, just a change of clothes."

He checked off a mark next to her name, "Very well, welcome to Tashim. Next!" Daring trotted out the gate to a fuming Timur.

"What part of 'incognito' do you not understand Ms 'Dolphin Breeze'?!"

"Hey, don't get your socks in a knot, we got past customs." 

"No thanks to your arrogance! Now come along, we are staying for a few days at the Equestrian embassy in the foreign quarter. Do not get separated from me." The zebra turned back to enter the sandstone arch that separated the airship field from the marketplace. Daring stifled a growl and followed closely. 

Almost as soon as they crossed that sandstone barrier, Daring was surrounded on all sides by ponies, zebras and other creatures partaking in a crowded market day. Brown, mud brick buildings lined the streets, only rising one or two stories before being topped by rooftop gardens. The street level was far more cramped, the walkways lined with street vendors and merchant stalls. Hawkers cried out in several languages about the freshness or superiority of their goods and the cloying smells of exotic spices drifted on the nearly dead breeze in the bazaar. 

The creatures shopping at the market were by no means polite about it, on more than one occasion Daring was forcefully pushed out of the way by a complete stranger with no apology in sight. Even the vendors seemed to be on edge, more than one was actually shouting at a customer who tried to haggle too low.

Daring passed by a stall that smelled absolutely delicious, leaning in and peering past the steam put off, she nearly choked as she saw various small animals being roasted with their skin still on. The vendor spun the meats on a spit, noticing the pegasus, "You want to buy, pony?" The ape creature working the grill growled. Holding a hoof to her mouth she stopped from gagging and ran to rejoin her guide.

"Geez Timur, is this what all of Zebrica is like?"

The zebra shrugged, "Think of it like a city in Equestria compared to a small village. When we get to the countryside you will notice a difference. Watch out!" He very quickly grabbed Daring with a hoof and pulled her off to the side of the street. A large creature shoved multiple creatures as it walked by, the only way the explorer pegasus could describe it was like a grey cross between a huge hyena and a bear, with large sloping shoulders and a blockish head. A much smaller creature rode on top of it, like a hyena but upright. Timur shook a hoof at the rider and shouted, "Mimi kutembea hapa, Nandi mpanda farasi!"

Daring stood slack jawed, "What in Tartarus was that?"

"That was a gnoll riding a nandi, inconsiderate brute. Didn't even have his mount muzzled!" he shouted in the direction of the nandi mounted gnoll. The gnoll chortled back and shook a fist at the zebra. "Get a muzzle for that beast! Damn nandi, they never even finish the corpses of their kills, just eat the brains and maybe the liver." Daring was taking on a decidedly greener tone at the mention of brain-eating, giant hyenas. 

"Can we just get to the embassy already? My gut ain't feelin so well."

Timur lifted his muzzle into the air, a delighted grin spreading across his face as he smelled something delicious from his foalhood. "In a few minutes Ms Do, I want to get something really quick." The zebra walked over to a stall, chattering with the old zebra mare that owned it rapidly. Eventually they both laughed at some joke, Timur laid down a few bits and the old mare pushed a bowl to the stallion. Tossing some of the contents into his mouth, Timur chewed contentedly. 

Walking back over to Daring, he chewed with a huge smile on his face. "Mm! Taste of Zebrica! Care to try?" He offered the bowl to Daring. The pegasus leaned in to take a look at its contents, then went green in the face when she saw the grilled locusts laying in a nice sauce of their own bug guts. 

"That's it! I've been in Zebrica for ten minutes and already I can't stand this entire continent! Where's that airship, I think I'm ready for the return trip!"


*********************************************************


After a few minutes of convincing Daring not to just leave town, the pair eventually reached the foreign quarter of the port city of Tashim. To the infinite relief of the pegasus, the foreign quarter was a much nicer place in her opinion. Instead of low slung, mud brick buildings, the buildings in the foreign quarter stood much taller and were made of white washed stone. There were still street vendors, but far fewer than in the market district, selling much more civilized goods. 

Zebras dressed in metal studded leather armor patrolled the streets, keeping their eyes ever vigilant. Daring nodded over to the patrolling guards. "What's with them?"

"They are mercenaries hired by the local trade lords to make sure that N'dutu's violence doesn't spill into Tashim. Nothing would be worse for trade than if a warlord forced out the trade lords that run the city and took over himself."

"So, it all boils down to personal gain instead of the welfare of the people."

"Only in the larger cities where the two concepts are nearly inseparable. If Tashim suffered a stagnation of trade, then all those creatures in the market would be destitute and starving, desperate for even a crust of moldy bread."

Daring raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "You act like you've seen that happen before."

"I have, many times," the zebra replied in a grim manner. Eventually the pair reached the walled and gated entrance to the Equestrian embassy in Zebrica. Daring flashed a letter that Agent Charms had given her, and the pair of gold armored guards out front waved her in.

Walking through the lobby, Daring stopped Timur, "You go ahead, I've got business to attend to." The zebra nodded, taking a leisurely walk to the embassy quarters. Daring rang the bell over on the lobby desk, shortly a secretary showed up.

"Can I help you Miss?"

"Yeah, do you guys have a messenger dragon? I need to get a letter back to Equestria immediately."

The secretary pointed down the hallway, "Mail room is the third door on the right." The pegasus thanked the secretary and made her way to the third door on the right. Pushing open the door, Daring stopped behind another desk with a very bored looking earth pony and a grey dragon whelp in the corner, snoring lightly. 

"Excuse me, I have to get a message back to Equestria, priority shipping."

The earth pony pulled out a quill and a bottle of ink, "Destination?"

"Lucky Charms in the Offices of the Royal Intelligence Service, Canterlot, Equestria." Daring replied coolly. 

The earth pony nodded, "Iggy! Wake up and take a letter!" she shouted to the sleeping dragon whelp.

Daring interjected, "Actually m'am, this is private."

The secretary nodded and slid over some stationary and a quill. Daring grasped up the quill in her hoof and began to scribble down a letter.

Charms,
Anonymity seems to be difficult these days. My cover was blown before we even made it across the ocean, and now N'dutu is aware of my presence and has already tried once to kill me. With how quickly the attack came, I can only guess that somepony back home is a spy for N'dutu or Ahuizotl. If somepony has infiltrated back in Equestria, we may be in deeper trouble than we think. Do your job Lucky, investigate our little problem and find the mole. Haven't yet begun investigations into our object of desire, but the way Timur talks we may be scouting Zebrica for the next three years without finding anything.

D.D.

Daring rolled the scroll and sealed it with a wax imprint of the compass rose, her personal calling card and cutie mark. Passing it off to the mailmare, she included a small pile of bits. The gray dragonling was rudely awakened from his rest. "Iggy, mail this." The dragonling nodded and sprayed it with a small jet of violet fire. The scroll vanished into smoke and shot like an arrow back to Equestria.


******************************************


Daring took her government provided quarters in the upstairs of the Equestrian embassy. Cracking open the door, she noticed that she was actually sharing her room with Timur. He sat outside on the balcony, watching the sun set over the blue waters of the great ocean. The pegasus took a seat next to the zebra on the balcony, "Something on your mind?"

Timur nodded, "It is all so strange, for years I believed that I would never forget my home. And then I went to Equestria, learned your ways and immersed myself in your culture. I found a new home with you ponies, a place of safety and love where I could live quietly, and I forgot. I forgot my beloved Zebrica..."

Daring laid a consoling hoof onto Timur's shoulder, "Hey, if traveling around the world has taught me anything, it's that home is where you make it. If you were happier in Equestria, who gives a buck if that's what you consider your home?"

His gaze shifted from the sun to Daring, "I care. I have a duty to my people, a duty I have failed at all those years in Equestria. I may have been happy, but it was at my people's expense. And I ran from such a pitiful little...."

Daring raised an eyebrow, "What? What did you run from?"

Timur shook his head, "Nothing. It is not important anymore."

"Well obviously it is if it bothers you so much. You can tell me, or I can spend the rest of our journey guessing."

Timur stripped off his cloak, tossing himself onto his cot, "Go ahead and guess."

Daring rubbed her chin with a hoof as she fluttered over to her own cot, "Let's see, what do I run from? Bad debts?"

"No."

"Hmm, how about responsibility?"

"Wrong."

Daring looked over the zebra for any clues, noticing his spear and shield cutie mark raised a few ideas. "Oh, a pacifist forced to fight, I see."

"Stop trying, it will only drive you mad with curiosity," the zebra rolled over onto his side.

"Oh come on, I love solving a puzzle now and then. How about a girl? You jilt a lover out there on the savanna?" The zebra was silent, the slow rise and fall of his chest telling Daring he had fallen asleep. Daring rolled onto her back, resting her hooves behind her head and tilting her pith helmet over her eyes. She would solve this mystery of the cryptic zebra later.


**********************************************


N'dutu paced before the flickering red of his shamanic fire, awaiting an answer from the spirits he held thrall inside of the Spirit Masks. His six captured shaman sat around the blaze, chanting their spells and sending their minds out to the world to find their servants. 

His sponsor was growing impatient, as was the warlord himself. The damn Masks should have reported in by now! He had even promised their inhabitants freedom if they were quick about it, a little white lie to make them work faster.

One of the shaman interrupted N'dutu's walk, "Warlord, a spirit has returned here. But he does not linger in fear," the shaman warned. N'dutu had to wonder, normally the spirits were terrified of their masters. Why would one come back without being totally afraid?

"Bring him out," the warlord ordered. The shaman nodded, increasing the volume of their chants to bring out the imprisoned soul. The shamanic fire rose, and a spirit orb flickered out of the flame. "Where is your mask, slave?"

The orb flared with light, "I am no slave to you! The Lost Prince has set me free! After two millenia I can finally rest with the All Mother!"

N'dutu quivered with anger, "Did you succeed? Is Daring Do no longer a threat to me?"

The orb bobbed smugly, "She will come and tear you to pieces, zebra." The orb turned his attention to the chanting shaman, "My brothers and I frown upon our capture as slaves. For two thousand years my kind and I have dreamed of sweet justice against our slayers and captors, and now we have our revenge!" 

Several dozen of the spirit orbs flew from the fire, burning brightly with magic. They coalesced into a single ball of magical fury, shooting out bolts of arcane lightning to strike the zebra shaman in their throats. The zebras clasped their throats with their hooves, desperately trying to continue their chants. Their voices came out hoarse and unable to complete the complex incantations. With a roar of vengeful laughter, the souls split apart and dispersed back to the elements.

N'dutu threw open the tent flaps and stormed out of the tent, "Curse you!" he screamed to the savanna night. All across his camp, those zebras who dared to use Spirit Masks found themselves unable to commune with the souls of the dead, and indeed incapable of doing their magics. In his arrogance, the warlord had taken a major blow, and Ahuizotl would not be pleased with the setbacks.

One of his field commanders came out of the shadows, a gnoll with a scar slanting over a milky white eye. N'dutu grabbed the gnoll by the collar, "Send out your nandi riders! Hunt down a pony with golden fur, bring her head to me on a spear!"

The gnoll in his grasp smiled and began to cackle.


*******************************************


A soft chant filtered through her dreams, a pleasant harmony of words and inflections that danced with Daring as she drifted through the haze of the unwaking world. Slowly opening her eyes and tipping back her helmet, Daring looked out to the balcony. Timur sat there, eyes closed as he softly sang to the rising sun.

Daring lay in her cot and listened for a while, in all her life she had never heard a more pleasing sound than this. Rising from her cot, she felt refreshed and ready to take on anything. Walking over to the zebra, she sat down next to him to watch the sun rise.

"What's that you are singing?"

Timur opened his eyes and smiled, "It is a song that tells a tale. A tale of two in love, who by distrust were kept apart. They protested their leaders to let them be so, but their chiefs forbade it. The stallion chose to leave his tribe, and asked the mare to be his bride. Her father tasked him with an impossible task, 'Bring the sun to my daughter, and you may have her hoof in marriage.' The young warrior climbed the highest peak in Zebrica. For twelve days and nights he stayed upon the mountain top, seeking to claim the sun as it passed overhead. But it always stayed out of his reach." Daring stifled a grin, as a pegasus she knew that the sun was unreachable by flight and as an Equestrian knew it was actually far out in space. "And then the warrior came down from the mountain top, but he grinned as he came to the father of his love. He said, 'I cannot bring the sun to you, for it is out of my view. My thoughts are deep and done, I will bring her to the sun.' The warrior and his mare shed their forms and became Impundulu, lightning birds, to forever fly the skies together and live under the bright sun."

"That's...incredible. Why were you singing it?"

"Yeye ya Kupigwa Wote enjoys music, she loves being sang to above anything else."

A knock at their door brought Daring's attention. Opening it revealed the lazy dragon whelp from the day before. "Mail," he said before tossing down a scroll and yawning. Daring scooped up the scroll, the wax seal emblazoned with the RIS symbol. The dragonling didn't leave, instead rubbing the claws on his hand slightly. Daring rolled her eyes as she tossed a bit his way and shut the door.

Unfurling the scroll, Daring took in Agent Charms' neat and flowing script, though it looked like he had written in extreme haste and panic.

Daring,
You aren't the only one with problems. There was an attempted break in at both your museum and the Royal Palace shortly after I received your letter. The assailants were unidentified and appeared to be seeking anything of magical power. A regiment of Royal Guards was thankfully on hand to scare them off. You should have seen the look on Princess Celestia's face when she learned that they were after magical artifacts, I think she personally might tear apart Canterlot looking for the perpetrators. I'm concerned for you Daring, just try to stay anonymous and keep your nose clean until you learn where you can find the Eyes. I've already dedicated all the agents under me to start investigating and bringing in suspects for interrogation. Hopefully we will have this cleared up in a week.

L.C.


Daring rolled up the scroll, "Well, it seems that we're being attacked from both fronts. Somepony is back in Equestria causing havoc, probably to keep the Royal Services distracted from helping us here." Walking over to a candle, Daring lit the end of the scroll and let it burn. 

The zebra rose and threw on his saddlebags, "Then we must get away from the city. N'dutu's servants may be watching us now."

"And the countryside is a better alternative? What about that entire army he has tearing up the country looking for the Eyes? And where do we even start looking?"

Timur cursed to himself in Gochano, "There is only one place where we can learn where to find the Eyes, and I swore to myself never to go there as long as the sun rose in the east. Ms Do, we must go to Din'Jaro territory."