Daring Do and the Warlord's Folly

by CluelessBrony

On The Trail

Author's Note:

I wonder if anyone is even going to read this? Whatever.

Haven't touched this site in nearly two years now. Haven't seen an episode of MLP or anything in that time, either. Just not a fan anymore, but that's okay.

Tonight I started feeling all nostalgic and logged back in to see how things are going (and I'm lucky my computer remembers my password, otherwise I'd be SOL!) So I logged back in and saw that this story had an unreleased but finished chapter, and figured why the hell not?

So here it is. I hope you enjoy, and to anyone who reads this, thank you for supporting me years ago, reading my stories and giving me a grand old time. I love writing, and I love when people enjoy what I write. Unfortunately, I haven't written much in the two years I've been gone, but maybe I'll pick it up again. Again- why the hell not?

The hotel lobby’s couch was soft. Very, very soft. Daring wondered why that was necessary. There were rooms in a hotel, after all, and one wouldn’t need to spend any prolonged amount of time in the lobby. That is, unless they were waiting for a late travelling partner.

The adventuress glanced at the clock hanging high on the wall of the posh hotel. The face read 8:10, and Daring sighed. Perhaps the clock was wrong?

She flagged over a passing hotel employee. “You got the time?” she asked him.

The bellhop took a watch out of his pocket and checked it. “It’s 8:10, m’am,” he answered with forced cheerfulness. “There’s a clock right up there, by the way.” He pointed to the clock Daring had been hoping was slow, then proceeded on his way.

Daring sighed and slumped back onto the unnecessarily comfortable couch. ‘I’ll just wait a few more minutes. I thought Rainbow Dash would be a liability, too, but she turned out to be pretty useful.’ She stared at the hotel’s main doors, waiting for Amethyst to show.

Daring didn’t have to wait much longer. At eight fifteen, Amethyst finally trotted through the doors, a styrofoam cup with the word ‘Marebucks’ emblazoning the side levitating near her muzzle. She was wearing a white shirt under a thick brown jacket, a brown fedora, a saddlebag decorated with her cutie mark hanging from one side, and a whip coiled through a loop hanging on the other hip. Noticing Daring, Amethyst trotted over to the couch.

“You’re late. And dressed like a fool. What took you so long?” asked Daring.

Amethyst held up a hoof and took a long drink from her cup, letting out a satisfied sigh before answering. “I’m late because the mare in front of me couldn’t decide if she wanted a mocha frappe or a caramel one. And what’s wrong with my outfit?” Amethyst looked down at herself, a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong is that we’re going on an expedition to the Amarezon, not the local library to find the latest cheesy Fillydelphia Jones novel. Nopony actually dresses like that!” Daring struck a pose. “If you want a real adventuring guide, you should read some of my books. They’re actually accurate.”

Amethyst snorted derisively. “You’re just upset that Fillydelphia Jones sells better than your stories.” She smirked at Daring and took another sip of her coffee. “Maybe they sell better because Fillydelphia Jones is a better adventurer than Daring Do.”

Daring knocked the coffee out of Amethyst’s magical grip, spilling it all over the floor. A nearby custodian glared at her. “Let’s just leave already. And lose the whip. It’s completely useless.”

Amethyst stared down at her spilled coffee for a moment, heartbreak written all over her face, before looking back at Daring with a livid leer. “That was just uncalled for! And what’s wrong with the whip? Fillydelphia Jones uses one all the time.”

Daring sighed exasperatedly and turned to Amethyst. “Fillydelphia Jones has no basis in reality. Half the things he does aren’t scientifically possible! A whip is pretty much useless in a survival situa- ah, whatever. I don’t feel like arguing.” Daring turned back and waved her wing in a beckoning motion before trotting out towards the door. “We’ve got a train to catch.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Daring and Amethyst disembarked from the train in an unremarkable town outside the Amarezon. After spending some bits on some basic supplies, they immediately set out for Azure’s last known destination.

Entering the jungle, Daring took a deep breath, savouring the wild scent of the air. Some of the trees in this part of the Amarezon were among the biggest in the world, easily being able to tower over even the tallest of Canterlot’s towers. The dew that formed in the humid environment pooled in the bowl-like indents of the broad leaves, creating natural servings of crystal-clear water. Insects the size of a pony’s head buzzed by, occasionally landing on flowers or snatching another bug for a tasty treat.

For Daring, it felt like home.

The same could not be said for Amethyst. The city-bred unicorn was already sweating in the humid climate, and she used her hat to swat at any insect that flew too close for comfort. Discomfort and misery were written all over her face. However, to her credit, she did not complain.

The two ponies travel at a comfortable- at least for Daring -pace through the jungle, not in any particular hurry. Daring would occasionally, glance at her map, making sure that they were headed in the right direction. Amethyst simply followed behind, flinching from every strange sound that came from the environment. They travelled like this for two hours, neither saying much.

When the sun was in its zenith, Amethyst let out a groan. “Daring, do you even know where we’re going? I never got a look at Rosetta’s book.”

“Azure Sharde came to the Amarezon looking for the Warlord’s Folly.” Daring didn’t bother to look back as she spoke. “As long as we keep heading towards the center of the jungle, we’ll probably run into him eventually.”

Amethyst frowned at that. “How do you know that for sure?”

“In my experience, the important artifacts are almost always kept in a structure somewhere in the center of some forest, desert, canyon, whathaveyou.” Daring glanced at Amethyst over her shoulder. “That makes the center of the Amarezon our best bet at the moment.”

Amethyst didn’t look particularly convinced. “And if we don’t find him at the center, or even on the way to the center? What do we do then?”

Daring thought about that for a moment. “Well… after we grab the Warlord’s Folly, we could do a cursory search around the Amarezon, see if he got lost somewhere.”

“And if we don’t find him then?” Amethyst asked.

Daring sighed and looked away from Amethyst. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. Just focus on reaching the center for now.”

The two mares travelled another hour in silence, Daring focusing on the path ahead of her while Amethyst appeared to be lost in thought. She subconsciously started to flap her wings, hovering above the ground instead of walking upon it, avoiding the quicksand pit in her way.

‘Wait, quicksand!?’ Daring turned around just as she heard Amethyst cry out.

Amethyst walked right into the quicksand pit, her forehooves sinking into the ground and causing her to trip forward. The hapless unicorn fell entirely into the pit, her body immediately beginning to sink as she struggled vainly to stand back up. The only reward for her efforts was some loud squelching noises as she sunk faster into the pit. Amethyst cried out in desperation. “Daring, help!”

Cursing under her breath, Daring’s eyes darted around for something to help Amethyst with. She noticed a thick vine hanging nearby. ‘Perfect!’ Daring dashed to the vine and tore it of its tree, throwing one end towards the distressed unicorn. “Grab this, Amethyst! I’ll pull you out!”

Amethyst followed the sound of Daring’s voice and looked in her direction. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw the vine. “S-snake! Keep it away from me!” Amethyst floundered and flailed, trying her best to get away even as her hind legs were pulled completely into the quicksand, leaving only her forelegs free.

Daring double checked the vine. It was, in fact, just a vine. She resisted the urge to facehoof. “Oh for the love of- it’s just a freaking vine! Unless you want to die, grab the damn thing!” Daring did everything she could to put the vine within Amethyst’s reach, but there was only so much she could do without the unicorn’s cooperation.

Daring’s words apparently made it through to Amethyst. The unicorn’s eyes locked on to the vine and she began to strain her forelegs towards it. Her hooves missed the vine by mere inches, causing Amethyst to fall forward, her forelegs now sinking into the quicksand. She tugged at them violently, but it was no use; her forelegs were trapped. Amethyst looked up at the vine, her face contorted by pure terror. The quicksand had swallowed most of her body, leaving only her neck and head above it’s surface.

Amethyst gasped as the quicksand reached her neck. Just as the sand was about to reach her muzzle, her horn flared, wrapping the vine in a violet field and drawing it closer to herself and grasping it in her mouth. Her eyes clenched shut and her muscles strained as she tried to pull herself up.

Daring tugged on the vine, bringing it closer to her and quickly tying the opposite end to a tree. She continued to pull, digging in her hooves and flapping her wings with each step, until the unicorn’s upper body was freed from the sand and she was able to pull herself along the vine. She soon crawled onto the bank of the pit, sand trapped in her fur and tail and under her jacket. She gasped for breath, her body trembling from fear and exertion.

Daring rushed over to Amethyst and helped her up to her hooves, brushing as much sand off as she could. “You alright, kid?” she asked, her normally cocky tone replaced with one of concern. “You’ve gotta look where you’re traveling in the Amarezon. Daydreaming is a good way to get yourself killed.”

After a few minutes, Amethyst’s breathing returned her normal and her trembling died down. She glanced up at Daring. “Thanks for helping me out,”

Daring smiled. “Don’t mentio- oof!” Daring was cut off when Amethyst sucker punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She keeled over, clutching her stomach and trying to catch her breath.

Amethyst glared down at Daring. “That was for not telling me about the quicksand! You should have warned me! You flew right over it! I could have died!”

‘Damn, this mare can throw a punch...’ Daring wheezed as she tried to get her breath back, slowly climbing to her hooves. “Okay… I kind of deserved that.” Daring took a deep breath, regaining her composure. “I’m sorry, alright? I was on autopilot there. I’m not used to traveling with company.”

Amethyst huffed at that. “Well, give me a warning next time.”

“I’ll try to do that in the future, but you also have to keep your eyes on the path in front of you. I’m not going to foalsit you the entire expedition.” Daring eyed Amethyst, glancing over the wet sand covering her. “You’re going to want to wash that off. It’s only going to get worse as it dries. Trust me on that.”

Amethyst grumbled under her breath and shook herself, sending sand flying in every direction. “Let’s just go. The sooner we find the Warlord’s Folly, the sooner we can get out of this Celestia-forsaken jungle.”

Daring shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The two adventurers resumed their journey, Daring leading the way around the quicksand and back on track towards the center of the Amarezon. Amethyst followed closely behind, eyes darting around the environment looking for possible dangers. All the while, the sand trapped beneath her outfit began to dry and cake, rubbing and scratching against her as she traveled.

Daring jumped over the remains of a fallen tree branch. ‘Any minute now, she’ll be begging me to take her home,’ she assured herself. ‘Not everypony has what it takes to adventure like me or Rainbow Dash. After all, she’s just some Canterlot unicorn. This is probably her first time setting hoof outside the city!’

As she reassured herself that the unicorn would be out of her mane soon, she heard a scratching sound from behind her. ‘That’s the sound of a Zebrican black bear brushing up against a tree! But we’re nowhere near Zebrica...’ What could a Zebrican bear be doing in the Amarezon? “Hey, Amethyst, did you hear about any bear relocation projects or something while in Canterlot?” she asked the unicorn. “I definitely hear a Zebrican black bear. Those don’t live here, right?”

When no answer was forthcoming, she turned to look at the unicorn, only to be greeted by an empty trail behind her. “Amethyst?” she called out. “Amethyst, where’d you go? Did the bear get you? Did you seriously just die after escaping quicksand?” Daring looked around for the unicorn, her disbelief turning to concern.

Before Daring called out again, a bush on the edge of the trail rustled and Amethyst tumbled out, her cheesy adventurer’s outfit missing. Where the outfit was, a coating of caked sand could be seen sticking to Amethyst’s body. She was using her magic to rub a thick tree branch on her back, flakes of sand flying off in all directions. “So... itchy!” she shouted. “Get it off get it off getitoff!”

Daring chuckled at the spectacle, shaking her head. “Having a little trouble there, Amethyst?”

Amethyst continued to desperately scratch at the caked sand with her branch, not hearing Daring. “Why is this so itchy?! I think there are bugs in it! Help! HELP!”

Still grinning, Daring flapped over to Amethyst and tried brushing the sand off, but it was firmly caked into the unicorn’s fur. “Hold on a moment, I have an idea,” she said before disappearing into the jungle.

She came back a few moments later, a large leaf held carefully in her teeth. A pool of water had collected in it, and Daring flapped her wings and floated over to her unfortunate sidekick. She dumped the water onto Amethyst’s back. “There you go,” she said, spitting out the leaf. “Nice and clean. For the jungle, at least.”

Startled by the sudden shower, Amethyst dropped the branch and sputtered as she was drenched. Then she let out a relieved sigh as much of the caked sand came off. She took a moment to wipe off the worst of the sand that remained, leaving only marginally irritating amount of sand in her fur. She brushed her wet mane out of her face and looked up at Daring, giving a small smile. “Thanks, Daring.”

“Don’t mention it.” Daring landed near Amethyst and looked around. “Where’s your stupid outfit and gear?”

“Oh, yeah. I, uh, kind of tore it all off.” Amethyst smiled sheepishly at Daring. “I think I left it a little ways back there.” She gestured in the direction she came from.

Daring sighed. “Well, no point in going back for it. I’m carrying most of the food anyways.”

“But I payed a lot of bits for that stuff!” Amethyst protested. “And I left my saddlebag back there! It has my compass and canteen in it, among other things. I left my whip back there, too! What if we need them later?”

“Should have thought about that before you ignored the advice of an experienced explorer. Now get a move on, we’re burning daylight.” Daring turned and began to walk off. She didn’t take two steps before she heard rustling behind her. Turning around, Daring saw Amethyst heading off in the direction she came from. ‘Ugh, that stupid mare is going to get herself killed!’

Daring briefly considered just moving on, leaving Amethyst on her own in the Amarezon. The unicorn has only really slowed her down so far. Just as quickly as she had thought of it, Daring dismissed the idea. If Azure Sharde turned up, Amethyst could help convince him to share what he knows. Of course, it was also wrong to just leave Amethyst by herself in a hostile environment. Even if she really deserved it.

Sighing, Daring turned and followed Amethyst, quickly catching up to the unicorn. They found Amethyst’s gear in a pile nearby and cleaned off as much of the sand as possible. Once Amethyst was back in her cliché adventurer’s outfit, the two continued on into the forest.

Aside from Daring glancing over her shoulder to check on her companion occasionally, neither interacted much as they traveled through the lush jungle underbrush.

‘What was she thinking, leaving her city life for a dangerous adventure like this?’ Daring idly wondered as she hopped over a large protruding root. Amethyst tripped on it, falling face-first into the dirt with a thump and a string of muttered expletives. ‘Doesn’t she realize she could die out here? Only a Celestia-damned fool would risk everything for a thrill-seeking expedition like this one.’

Daring expertly avoided a veil of magical, see-through vines dangling from a tree, noticing the hazy shadow they cast. Amethyst walked straight into them, getting tangled up. ‘Then again, maybe that’s not a bad thing,’ she thought, chuckling at Amethyst’s predicament. She remembered the first time she got tangled in chameleon vines. ‘After all, I was a newbie like she is, once. I was almost as clueless as she is…”

Daring frowned and shook her head. ‘No,’ she thought. ‘Now’s not the time to think of crap like that. I need to be focused.’

Daring was dragged out of her thoughts by Amethyst’s voice from behind her. “Do you think we’re close?” she asked, a slight whine to her voice. “I’m hungry. Can we take a break?”

Daring rubbed her grumbling belly. “Maybe it is about time we took a break.”

Amethyst picked up a fallen tree branch in her magic, using the leafy end to sweep a small space for them to sit.

“Hold up a second,” Daring ordered, “and quiet down.” She closed her eyes and listened to the jungle around her.

“Uh... what are you doing?” asked Amethyst, a confused look on her face.

Daring shushed her. “Trust me,” she said. “You need to find the perfect spot to eat your lunch in peace. There are all kinds of things hiding in the dirt, grass and dead leaves that seem to exist solely to vex ponies that take breaks in the middle of the jungle”

Amethyst rolled her eyes but stayed quiet, sitting down and glancing around.

In the silence that followed, Daring heard the buzzing of dragonflies and the croaking of frogs. “There’s a pond nearby. Follow me!”

Daring bounded off into the jungle, surprising Amethyst who tripped as she tried to get up. “W-wait for me!” she shouted, hastily running after Daring.

Amethyst trailed Daring for a few minutes, her hooves struggling to keep up with the adventuress. After a short while, her running took her to the edge of a small pond, reeds growing on its banks and lily pads floating gently on its surface. A large rock with a flat top protruded out of the center of the pond.

It was this rock that Daring was pointing to, a proud grin on her face. “See? That’s a perfect spot! No centipedes climbing in our tails, no spiders or ants biting our flanks, and no solid ground for predators to pounce from. Perfect spot to eat in peace.”

Amethyst stared at the lone rock dubiously. “And how am I supposed to get there, exactly?”

“You can swim, can’t you?” Daring smirked at Amethyst.

Amethyst just gave Daring a deadpan stare.

Daring chuckled and flapped her wings a few times, hovering over to Amethyst and wrapping her forelegs around her. “Hold still, I don’t want to accidentally drop you into the pond, now.”

Amethyst growled but otherwise stayed still while Daring ferried her over the water and plopped her down on the rock before landing and taking a seat herself.

“You’re lucky I’m around to take care of you, otherwise this jungle would eat you alive!” Daring snickered, unpacking a few food items from her bag. “Or, at the very least, it would eat your lunch.”

Amethyst rolled her eyes at this but said nothing, instead opting to levitate some of her own food from her saddlebags.

The lunch, consisting of hay and water, was eaten in silence for the most part. Amethyst munched absentmindedly on her hay, apparently deep in thought. Daring kept an eye on the shore of the pond as she ate, keeping an eye out for any possible danger.

As Daring bit into her hay, she felt a small tremor beneath her, and she looked down at the rock they were seated on in confusion. The previously still water in the murky pond rippled around the stone as more rocks seemed to rise out of the water of their own volition, shaking the stone and sending the two ponies fleeing.

Amethyst jumped off the rumbling rock, using her magic to push herself further than her own legs could carry her. Daring flew behind her, staying low to the ground to avoid being tangled in the mass of vines dangling from the forest canopy above.

Amethyst landed with a grunt, her hooves touching the ground causing small clouds of brown dust to float up from the ground and causing her to cough. “W-what is that thing?” she shouted out at Daring, who landed alongside her. They both turned to face the pond, their faces paling when they caught sight of the massive beast rising from its depths.

A large grey beast, its skin like a miniature mountain range and covered in small, stone-like protrusions, turns to face them, its red eyes gleaming in the sunlight. It opened its mouth and roared at them, revealing rows of pointed, sharp teeth, angry at being awoken from its afternoon nap.

“It’s a cragadile!” Daring shouted, placing herself between Amethyst and the beast. “Hold still! Its vision is based on movement- if we don’t move, it can’t see us!”

Amethyst stood rigidly, her stillness causing her to resemble a statue, similar to the effect the cragadile’s flesh gave to it. Daring stood, wings spread, head held low, ready to fly away at the first sign of danger.

The cragadile eyed them for a few moments. The tension hanging in the air was almost palpable as the deadly staredown continued. Suddenly, with the force of a hurricane, the cragadile roared and charged towards them.

Daring mentally berated herself for her mistake. “Oh, horseapples. Plan B, Run!”

The two turned tail and fled through the jungle as the cragadile slowly gained on them, Amethyst slightly lagging behind.

“‘They sense movement’ my flank! You are the worst adventurer I have ever met!” Amethyst cried out as they tore through the foliage of the forest, the cragadile hot on their heels. The unicorn stumbled over a large, protruding root, but quickly regained her balance and continued running for her life.

Daring looked around at the jungle as she fled, searching for anything that could be used to get them out of the situation they’d found themselves. She could, of course, fly up and out of the forest, but her ground-bound companion would be left on her own, and she decided against it.

As Daring examined the surroundings, Amethyst wrapped her magical aura around a low-growing tree branch, pulling it along with her as she ran. When the wood started to creak and shudder, she released the branch, which snapped back and hit the cragadile in the face with a might thwack!

“Hah, take that, you _______!” Amethyst cried out in triumph, but the cocky grin on her face was dropped when the cragadile burst through the improvised weapon and chomped down on her tail, stopping her in her tracks and dragging her backwards..

Hearing Amethyst cry out, Daring turned to face her. ‘Horseapples...’ Daring thought as she noticed her companion’s peril. She twisted her body mid-air and dashed towards the cracadile, which had thrown its head back and tossed the screaming unicorn into the air, opening its jaws to catch her.

Just as Amethyst dropped into the beast’s mouth, Daring rocketed between the cragadile’s quickly closing jaws and snatched the unicorn, carrying her to safety. The cragadile chomped down on empty air and let out a perplexed growl.

Daring dropped Amethyst on the ground, panting. “You’re kinda heavy, you know. Now I know why you were lagging so far behind,” she teased.

Rather than acknowledge Daring’s remark, Amethyst started running as soon as her hooves hit the ground. Daring took off after her, the cragadile in hot pursuit. The chase went on for a full minute, the predator never letting up on the two adventurers. As Daring flew, she could hear Amethyst’s breath growing heavy and ragged.

‘This isn’t good!’ Daring thought. ‘Amethyst’s not going to make it if this keeps up. Why is this cragadile so damn persistent?’ Daring searched ahead desperately for an escape. She found it in the form of a group of narrow hazy shadows on the ground several yards ahead. ‘Perfect!’

Without warning, Daring dove at Amethyst and scooped her up off the ground, causing the unicorn to yelp in surprise. Daring quickly flew ahead, traveling in a long curve before setting Amethyst down.

“What was that about?” Amethyst demanded.

“Don’t worry about it right now, just keep moving!” Daring took off again, followed by Amethyst.

After a few seconds, a frustrated roar came from behind the fleeing pair. They both glanced over their shoulders as they ran and saw the cragadile seemingly floating in midair, thrashing against nothing. The restrained cragadile quickly faded from view as they ran, hidden by the thick foliage.

“What happened back there?” Amethyst asked, slowing down to a trot. “It looked like that thing was caught up in nothing.”

“Chameleon vines! Same thing you ran into earlier,” Daring answered with a grin. “You grow to love them.”

It’s never a smart idea to hold a conversation while running at high speeds in a jungle where your vision is blocked by leaves and trees. Daring and Amethyst learned this the hard way when they slammed face-first into a hard, stone object, sending them reeling backwards in pain.

Muttering curses under her breath, Daring looked up at what she just flew into. She was greeted with the sight of a weathered, sandy-beige pillar, vines crawling up its side and an open flame in a bowl on top. Behind the pillar, several more could be seen, all flanking the gaping mouth of a cave. More lights could be seen further inside.

Daring blinked a few times in surprise while Amethyst stared open-mouthed at the entrance. Daring looked over at Amethyst. “I think we found the tomb.”