Daring Do and the Crown of Corruption

by Dr Dash

A Daring Mission

Daring Do was not a fan of trains. “Overcomplicated tin cans on wheels,” she would often say when asked about traveling by rail. She sat alone in the first class car, the door barred by two royal guards, with another four separating her from the next car forward. To her chagrin it was the dining car, and her stomach rumbled in protest at the smell of fresh carrot soup and toasted hay sandwiches. Her wings also made it clear they were not on board with the train journey, beginning to cramp up slightly after such a period of disuse, still slightly sore from her injuries sustained fighting Ahuizotl.

She sighed and turned to the nearest guard. “Hey metal pants! How much longer until we reach Canterlot?”

“Approximately 2 hours,” he replied.

“Great” she said sarcastically. Daring pulled her pith helmet down over her eyes and quickly fell asleep. Unbeknownst to her, a certain blue pegasus was doing the same thing, hidden in the luggage rack over her head.

---

Clouds of steam billowed across the platform as the Friendship Express arrived at Canterlot Station. The hiss of releasing pressure was quickly drowned out by the dull roar of the busy station. Flanked by two royal guards, Daring Do exited the train and made her way through the crowded terminal and out into the main boulevard. A luxurious carriage adorned with the royal seal was waiting outside. She jumped in, accompanied by two guards. As they set off down the street, she was amazed at how different Canterlot was compared to her hometown. The hustle and bustle of the big city was nothing new to Daring, however the ponies she saw were anything but familiar. No matter where she looked, they all were wearing extravagant outfits with large jewels, feathers, and hats. They all wandered about without any sense of urgency, and as the carriage passed they would descend into hushed whispers and leer at her. Daring’s stomach once again began to protest its lack of food, and she decided to listen.

“Any idea where I might get a good slice around here?” Daring asked the guard to her left. He shot a quizzical glance back at her.

“Slice? Do you mean some sort of knife or blade? There is a blacksmithy not too far from the castle, or our own armory might be able to construct something to meet your needs.”

She frowned. “No you dimwit, PIZZA! You know! Tomatoes, cheese, crust?”

“What is this...PEET-ZAH you speak of?” he replied, confused.

She shook her head slowly. “Nevermind...” She glanced around and spied a small deli coming up on their right. Without hesitation she leapt from the carriage towards the storefront, and promptly landed in a large mud puddle. The royal guards began to turn around, but she waved her hoof towards them.

“JUST KEEP GOING!” she yelled, “TELL CELESTIA I WAS STARVING! I’LL BE THERE SOON!” The guards nodded and continued towards the castle. She stood up and began shaking herself off. A slight gasp caused her to stop and glance up. A small crowd had gathered, all of whom were visibly horrified at her current state.

“Don't worry, I’m fine!” Daring laughed. “I’ve jumped from more carriages than I can count, though not always willingly, and besides, a little mud never hurt anypony!” She turned to one of the closest ponies, a pink pegasus with a heavily styled blue mane wearing a black suit.

“Can I borrow this? Thanks.” she said as she pulled the stallion’s handkerchief out of his suit jacket. She wiped her face clean and stuffed the dirty rag back into his pocket. As she turned to walk into the restaurant, the stallion looked down at the soiled linen and promptly fainted.

The bell above the door made a slight jingling sound as she entered, her mane still clumped with small bits of mud and a faint bruise appearing on her left flank. Daring walked to the counter, behind which stood a slate grey unicorn with a white mane.

“Hey buddy,” she said as she glanced at the menu, “Gimme a toasted daisy sammich on rye with some chips. And make it quick, I’m in a bit of a rush.”

The stallion glared at her with discontent, before making a slight scoff and rolling his eyes. His horn glowed a faint blue and her meal was assembled rapidly. He dropped it onto a plate carelessly, and tossed a bag of chips next to the sandwich.

“That’ll be 15 bits” he said grumpily.

“FIFTEEN BITS?!” Daring shouted, “IS THAT THING MADE OF SOLID GOLD?” She glared angrily at the unicorn before pulling out her money bag. She tossed the coins on the counter and stormed off to a table. She dropped her bag next to her seat and began wolfing down her food quite rapidly. Two ponies, one white and one green, sat at the table next to her. The green pony made a quiet cough, and Daring glanced up at her.

“So...what brings you to Canterlot, Miss...” she asked.

“Do. Daring Do. You know, the famous archaeologist, adventurer, generally all-around awesome pegasus?” Daring replied. “I’m here on business.”

“Really? And what sort of business would such an uncultured pig like yourself have here in Canterlot?” The green pony sneered, and her companion laughed venomously. Daring glared at her but resumed eating her meal.

“Are you sure you didn't get off at the wrong stop? The apple farms are much closer to the Ponyville station than here.” The green pony began laughing bitterly with her white companion. Daring stood up from her table. She walked over to the green pony and plucked the olive off the toothpick stuck in her sandwich. Daring popped it into her mouth, chewed for a few seconds, then promptly spat it back out, directly into the green pony’s open mouth. She stopped laughing instantly, a look of horror plastered upon her face. The green pony began to cough and dry heave, disgusted with what had just entered her mouth, while her companion screeched in absolute revulsion. Daring laughed and began to walk back to her table, but was interrupted by a royal guard entering the shop.

“Sorry to interrupt your meal, but Princess Celestia requires your presence immediately. Please come with me, Miss Daring.” he said, motioning towards the door. Daring crossed the shop, the patrons stunned into silence by the sudden turn of events. Before she left, she turned back just in time to see the green pony cough up the olive pit onto her sandwich.

“Next train to Ponyville leaves in 15 minutes” Daring said with a smirk.

---

The doors of the Canterlot Castle throne room swung open slowly, moved by the magic of the two unicorn guards stationed outside. Flanked by the same guard that fetched her from the deli, Daring Do entered the throne room through the imposing doorway. A large gilded throne dominated the other end of the massive room, the walls adorned with intricate stained glass murals. Seated upon the throne was the goddess of the sun, Princess Celestia. As Daring and the guard drew near, she arose and stepped down from the raised platform to meet them. The guard abruptly dropped to his knees, and after a few seconds of quizzical hesitation, Daring removed her hat and followed suit. Celestia motioned for them to rise.

“Thank you for fetching Miss Daring for me, Thunderbolt. You are relieved for the remainder of the day.” Celestia smiled, and the guard saluted and marched out of the room, the gigantic doors swinging shut behind him.

“I would be willing to wager you’re curious as to why I summoned you here so abruptly,” Celestia started off, turning to Daring. “It is a matter of utmost importance. But first, a short history lesson.”

She walked over to the stained glass window depicting herself using the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon. “I would assume you are familiar with this story?” she asked, gesturing towards the mural with her hoof. Daring nodded.

“Well, there is a small detail that is often left out of the history books. As it turns out, It is rather important in this context. When Nightmare Moon was banished, the power of the Elements transported her physical body alone. Her soul was left behind. Due to the spell I used her soul was trapped inside her arcane armor. The helmet, to be precise. This was an unfortunate and unintended side effect, but there were further repercussions. After I banished her, I simply left the area with the intent to never return. However, others investigated and discovered the horrifying truth about the helmet. When worn by any mortal, their soul is corrupted by the power of Nightmare Moon, turning them into an unimaginably powerful and evil version of their normal selves. As such, I had to defeat a second Nightmare Moon, this one occupying the body of a wandering treasure hunter, much like yourself.” Celestia crossed the room back to her throne, and Daring followed.

“I took the helmet from the ruined temple and brought it back here to Canterlot, where it was locked away in the Crystal Caverns located under the castle. I no longer paid it any mind, as anyone foolish enough to search for it would almost certainly fall prey to the twisting tunnels and endless mazes of the caverns. It remained there for several hundred years, until approximately a century ago it disappeared without a trace. I need you to find it.”

Celestia paused, and Daring seized the opportunity. “But Princess,” she asked, “if the helm vanished with no evidence, how am I supposed to locate it? I don’t even know where to begin...” Daring trailed off as Celestia smiled knowingly.

“I said it disappeared a century ago without a trace. However, here and now, that trace has been revealed to us.” She nodded to her guards, and a side door into the throne room opened. Two guards entered, ushering in another unicorn wearing a tattered robe. His coat was a deep midnight blue with an ivory mane, and a single star adorned his flank. He was limping slightly, and had a deep cut under his left eye that had been recently bandaged. The stallion stood next to Celestia, and the guards departed. “This is Sirius. And he knows where Nightmare Moon’s helmet is.” Sirius turned and smiled at Daring, revealing a chipped front tooth.

“That I do. It resides in New Zebrania, locked away in an ancient temple of the night.”

“And just how do you know that?” asked Daring, eyeing him with suspicion.

“Simple. I’ve seen it.” Sirius replied, “I am a member of a cult known as the Children of the Nightmare. We worship Nightmare Moon, and to an extent, her helmet. When the helmet disappeared from Canterlot, it was actually taken by one of our founders. He returned to New Zebrania with it, and it has dwelled there ever since.”

Daring thought for several seconds before replying. “Okay, I’ll buy that. I’ve seen stranger things. However, why are you here? If you’re a member of some sort of secret cult, shouldn’t you be, oh I don’t know, SECRETIVE?!”

“Normally we are,” said Sirius, “But a series of unfortunate events has occurred recently that puts us all in danger. I was captured back in New Zebrania and brought here to Equestria. Subsequently, I’ve spent the past few days being tortured and drugged until I was forced to give up the location of the helmet. I was promptly thrown out to the curbside, presumably to die of my wounds. Thankfully, a passerby brought me to the hospital where i received treatment and then hurried here to the Princess as soon as I could.”

“Who would do such a thing?” asked Daring, “I thought nopony knew the helmet even existed, much less want to TORTURE somepony into finding out where it is!”

Celestia sighed, and her face changed to a look of grave determination. “They are called ‘T.R.O.T.T.’. It stands for True Rulers Of The Throne. An extremist terrorist group who wants to oust me from power by whatever means necessary. They have considerable resources but have never been much of a threat until now. If they succeed in finding the helm, they will use one of their own to harness its power. I know that even with the aid of the Elements of Harmony, I will not be able to defeat Nightmare Moon for a third time.”

“I still don’t understand one thing.” said Daring, “Sirius, you worship Celestia’s arch-nemesis. Why would you want to help her get the helmet back?”

“The Queen of the Night herself is the only one who should ever wear her Crown, not some blasphemer who seeks to abuse her divine powers. It is in our mutual interests to stop T.R.O.T.T., and the Children of the Nightmare are no match for them without some considerable help,” Sirius explained. “I will accompany you as a guide. The continent of New Zebrania is quite hazardous to those who do not know her tricks.”

“So let me get this straight,” said Daring, “You want me to travel to New Zebrania, an uncivilized penal colony, and stop a bunch of terrorists from summoning a Nightmare Moon surrogate using her helmet which is worshipped by a bunch of cultists.” Celestia nodded somberly.

Daring picked up her pith helmet off the floor and put it back on. “Well,” she said, “What’re we waiting for?”

---

Sirius and Daring Do had almost reached the Canterlot Station. Celestia had given them both train passes to the port city of Baltimare, as well as passage on a prison freighter bound for the uncharted continent. As they rounded the corner and arrived at the main terminal, a familiar voice rang out.

“HEY DARING! DARING DO! HEY!” shouted Azure as she shot across the street. She hit her hoof on the sidewalk and tumbled end over end several times, ending up as a tangled heap directly in front of Daring and Sirius.

“Kid?!” exclaimed Daring, “What in Celestia’s name are you doing here?”

“I came to see you! I wanna help!” replied Azure enthusiastically.

“Help?! Kid where are your parents? Do they know you’re all the way out here in Canterlot?” asked Daring.

Azure’s heart sunk as her eyes fell to the pavement. She mumbled an almost inaudible response.

“What? Speak up Kid, I can’t hear you.” said Daring.

Azure looked up, her eyes beginning to well up. “I DON’T HAVE ANY!” she said, holding back tears. “They died when I was only 8. I’ve been surviving on the street alone since then...I just thought...maybe...I could help you....” She slowly began to walk away, sniffing. Daring looked at Sirius, who cracked a small smile and nodded.

“Hey Kid, w-wait up!” yelled Daring. She galloped over to the small pegasus, who looked up at her, ashamed and heartbroken. Daring removed her saddlebag and placed it on Azure’s back. “If you’re coming along you’ve gotta pull your weight, Kid. No free rides.” She smiled.

Several ponies’ dinners were interrupted by a squeal of delight that was loud enough to be heard faintly by Celestia in her throne room, several miles away.