Chapter 10: Up From The Ashes
Daring Do found herself being held against her will by two large stallions, while a single mare had pinned down Scootaround. The three cult members and Bloodhorn had seemed to come out of nowhere, but now Daring could see the hole dug into the wall, and the planks that spanned the chasm around the pedestal.
"Surprised, Dr. Do?" asked Bloodhorn in a smug way. Daring returned the smug smile with a glare, the coldest glare she could muster. All she wanted to do was to break free of the grasp from the two ponies holding her back, and sock Bloodhorn a good one right in the nose.
"You won't get away with this, Bloodhorn!" shouted Daring, still struggling against the hold of the two stallions. Bloodhorn came in closer to her, almost taunting her with the fact that she couldn't reach out and strike him, despite his being within hoof's reach.
"I think I already have," said Bloodhorn, holding aloft the ivory idol for a moment before placing it back onto the floor. There was little walking space on the walkway around the pedestal. There was maybe two yards around the pedestal in every direction, before dropping off to the deep chasm below.
"You see, Dr. Do... without this idol, nothing stands in our way on this island," Bloodhorn said, motioning to the idol of the phoenix. Daring glared, and spat in his direction. The piece of spit landed on the stone only a few inches from Bloodhorn, who raised his eyebrows.
"You don't believe me, do you?" he said, and then proceeded to chuckle to himself. Bloodhorn began pacing, his short black tail remaining motionless and his head held high.
"You see, this island is only the first step. Soon we will spread. This island is just the cradle of chaos in the new age- soon the mainland will fall too. And when south equestria falls, north equestria is not far behind. Oh yes, even your teensy weensy nation of "Equestria" will collapse. The last refuge of harmony does not stand a chance against the forces of chaos," boasted Bloodhorn, emphasizing the word chaos and getting right up into Daring's face.
"Equestria's not some tiny speck, it makes up most of that continent! And we will not fall to chaos that easily, us Equestrians are made of tougher stuff than that!" exclaimed Daring, trying once more to break free, but the strong forelegs of the stallions on either side of her held her in place. She looked sideways to try and see how Scootaround was faring. The filly was squirming, and the mare holding onto her had to keep adjusting her grip.
"You are mistaken if you think that some mamby pamby princess is going to stop us." said Bloodhorn. He turned his attention towards the idol.
"This is only a source of trouble!" he said, looking at the idol carefully. "There's only one thing to do about it, and that is to destroy it."
"No!" came a voice from behind Daring. Scootaround kicked the mare holding her, and dashed towards Bloodhorn, intent on getting the idol back from him. Daring struggled too, but the stallions holding her were made of tougher stuff. Bloodhorn stepped in front of the idol, Blocking Scootaround's path. Frustrated, Scootaround charged him, ramming her head into his chest.
Bloodhorn didn't budge. He glared down at the filly, and with a swat of his lengthy foreleg, she tumbled backwards, and was once again pinned down by the mare. Bloodhorn glared, and turned his attention back towards the idol.
"Thanks for trying, Scoot," Daring said, gulping. Bloodhorn had now picked up the idol, and held it over his head with both hooves.
"I'll deal with you two later, but first things first," said Bloodhorn, "This needs to be destroyed." With the idol lifted over his head, Bloodhorn looked as if he was about to throw it onto the ground and smash it. And a moment later his hooves swung down, throwing the idol down to the ground with a strong force. Daring winced, expecting the idol to smash into many pieces...
Only it didn't. When the idol landed, it clanged to the floor, landing on its side. Instead of even bouncing, it held tight in that position, as if some force was holding it there. The banging sound resounded off the walls of the chamber, and afterwards all was silent for a moment. It was then that Daring heard it. There was a low humming sound, almost like a throb of energy. The idol on the floor quivered, and then suddenly flipped into an upright position all on its own. Something wasn't right, and Daring could feel it.
"What the hell?" said Bloodhorn, scratching his scalp. He raided a hoof above the idol, bent on crushing it. With a cry, Bloodhorn slammed his hoof down on top of the idol. A shattering sound was heard, and Daring winced, keeping her eyes closed for a moment. She peeked after a moment, looking at the idol. It was intact.
Bloodhorn stood above the idol, mouth agape and clutching his right leg. Daring looked closely at him, and she saw that his hoof had cracked and splintered when he had tried to crush the idol. For a moment, Bloodhorn was surprised, but his surprise soon turned to fury. He yelled and cursed, and made a terrible sound of frustration. He swept at the idol, wanting to knock it free from the stone walkway, but it would not budge.
The flames around the pedestal burned brighter, and taller. Sparks flew up from the flickering fires, and seemed to hover in midair. Moments later another spark would fly up, and join with the other spark that had not died out. Soon the sparks formed a ball of flame in mid air that kept burning. There was no fuel source, just a ball of flame hovering over the pedestal. Bloodhorn was not paying attention to this in his temper fits, but Daring took note.
"Why won't this thing break?!" bellowed Bloodhorn in a state of infuriation. "The powers of chaos must prevail!" His last words echoed off the walls and down to the very bottom of the chasm. As the sound faded, it was warped and distorted. Daring listened carefully. It was starting to grow louder, and took on a different tone. Instead of a stallion's yelling, the echoing noise sounded like the war cry of a bird. The noise grew louder and louder, working it's way up the chasm walls until it reached its climax and full volume. At that moment, the ball of flame erupted, taking on the form of a great and mighty bird.
The same war cry erupted from the beak of the bird, and it charged. Swiftly it struck the tall and slender unicorn, knocking him off balance and raking its flaming talons across his flank. The charred streaks could be seen on Bloodhorn as he turned angrily to face the flaming form, but he was too late with his spell. The phoenix was already upon him, striking at the neck. Bloodhorn was thrown back, letting out a choked cry as the bird tore at his throat. He was on the edge now, struggling for balance and to remain on the platform. With another strike, the bird rendered his struggles in vain, and Bloodhorn fell. He fell down into the abyss of the chasm, disappearing in the darkness.
The proud and mighty bird flew around, its flaming wings deforming and becoming a swirling mass of fire. The flame swirled faster and faster, encircling the ivory idol. Slowly it was lifted off the stone floor, and then it descended down onto the pedestal. The flames continued to circle the idol as it was placed upon its proper pedestal, until they fit into its form, merging with the idol. The eyes, which had previously just been carved out of ivory now took on a reddish glow, but all other sound was silent. But then there was another noise, and Daring could feel the floor beneath her quake. One of the tiles on the stone encircling the pedestal began to come loose. Everything in the chamber except for the pedestal and the idol was going to crumble.
"Ugh... what happened?" came a voice from behind Daring. The stallion that had been holding her were no longer grey. One was blue, and the other a bright cherry red. A yellowish mare also stood above Scootaround, a confused expression on her face. Daring winced as the rumbling grew stronger, and she saw cracks beginning to form in the floor beneath them.
"Quick, everypony to that tunnel!" Daring ordered, dashing in the direction of the tunnel that had been dug by Bloodhorn and the chaotic cult ponies. Leaping across the void (as the plank had fallen away) Daring landed safely on solid stone that was not crumbling. She was soon followed by the two stallions, and the mare leaded across and landed shakily, dusting herself off. Daring looked back, and saw Scootaround trying to walk over to jump, but her legs were wobbling.
"Come on, Scoot, jump!" yelled Daring, with an urgency in her voice. "Jump!" Scootaround was at the edge of the crumbling circle. The other side was falling apart, and the floor beneath her gave way. Scootaround leaped towards the tunnel's opening, but it was apparent that she wasn't going to make it. She was too far, and she was already losing altitude. Her wings fluttered with a valiant struggle, but she was unable to get all the way over to the lip of the tunnel. Daring was reaching out her hooves to grab her, yelling loudly, but Scootaround was already too low. The other ponies slipped past her vision as she fell. Scootaround screamed out in alarm, and everything seemed to be going by in slow motion. She could hear daring screaming, but she couldn't see her anymore. Her head was pointing down, down into the void she was falling into. She heard a sharp crack, and closed her eyes, squinting to keep them shut.
A few moments passed. Scootaround opened her eyes again, looking down into the dark recesses of the chasm. The rock wasn't rushing by, and she could clearly see the texture. Why wasn't she falling?
"For the love of Celestia, you've gotta help me, kid!" Daring said. Scootaround looked behind her. Daring was leaning over the edge of the ledge, her back legs being grabbed by a couple of stallions as they held onto her to keep her from falling over the edge. She had her whip out, and the end of it was tightly wrapped around the base of Scootaround's grayish brown tail. Scootaround gulped, and began flapping her wings again, squirming to get herself up. Slowly but surely she was reeled up, and hoisted back up and over the edge, and into the mouth of the tunnel. Daring and Scootaround collapsed, glad to be on solid ground again.
"Dr. Do?" asked Scootaround.
"What is it kid?" asked Daring, rubbing the hat into the filly's hair.
"Thanks for that," said Scootaround, and she meant it. Daring nodded.
"Hey, you've got my back, I've got yours." said Daring, standing herself up. She looked at the other three ponies, who were all in some state of exhaustion. She raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I suppose there's a lot of explaining to do. Come on every pony, let's get back to your guy's mining village. There's a lot of fillies and colts that deserve an apology." Daring said, pressing her pith helmet down over her head.
****
The sun was bright on Daring's back as she and Scootaround stepped out into the miner's village. It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set. Around her were the sounds of active jungle creatures going about their business. Behind them, ponies of adult age and their fillies and colts filed out of the mines, taking in the fresh air and the sights and sounds of the outdoors. Daring went towards the edge of the village, overlooking the overgrown forest. Down far below was the tapir village, with a column of smoke rising up from it. Undoubtedly life was returning to that village as well, along with the tapirs that had been caught up in the chaotic cult's activities.
Scootaround was talking to Charlie. He and his parents had a reunion, much like the rest of the fillies and colts in the village, which had been very tearful when his parents had realized just how cruel they and the rest of the adults had been while under the corrupt influence of chaos.
"So what are you guys gonna do now? Didn't the mine get wrecked?" asked Scootaround, feeling somewhat guilty for having ruined the conveyor system. In her head she looked back and thought about all the ways she could have upset the adults to the point where they'd bring her in front of the altar without ruining everything. Charlie put his hoof on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about it Scoot," he said. "I think that if it was a step that led to everypony being free again, then it was worth it. Besides..." Charlie looked at all the ponies pouring out of the hole in the side of the mountain that served as the worker's exit of the mine. They all looked relieved to some degree, and were very glad that they were free from the oppressive disorder of chaos.
"We'll be able to work together, now. All the adults will get their heads together, and cooperate. We'll get the stuff fixed in no time." said Charlie, "I'd actually like to thank you for what you did."
Daring was approached by an older pony, a grey stallion with whitish hair. Grey was his true coat color, and not a symbol of chaos. He was free like all the other ponies. Daring turned, and faced the elderly pony.
"Young mare, I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you," said the stallion, shaking hooves with Daring, "I'm Mineral Mike, you could say that I'm in charge of this entire operation. What's your name, again?"
"Daring. Daring Do," Daring said. She was aware that all the other ponies had become quiet, and the focus was now on her. The elderly pony smiled, and nodded.
"Yes, well, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don't know how a ruffian like Bloodhorn got the better of us all, but I'm glad to be free of it, as we all are." the pony said.
"Well, thank you sir," replied Daring, as she extended a hoof towards Scootaround, who galloped over to her side, " but I think young Scootaround deserves some recognition, too. I got dragged into the cult kicking and screaming, and if she hadn't stood up and fought, We'd all still be in a world of hurt. I think that we all owe our gratitude to her for not giving up. And I really mean that, kid."
"Well then, I think that these two deserve ALL of our thanks. We are eternally in your debt, Daring Do and Scootaround." said the elderly pony. He turned to the crowd watching. "Three cheers for Daring Do and little Scootaround!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause as they cheered and stomped the ground with their hooves. The throng encircled both Daring Do and Scootaround, full of smiling faces and happy ponies. Life had returned to both sides of the island, and harmony had triumphed over discord.
"Well kid, this is it. Either you die chasing after some piece of history, or you get it back successfully," Daring said, "But every now and then you get the chance... you get the chance to make the world a better place."
"What about what we were after in the first place, in South Equestria?" asked Scootaround, as Daring and her departed the mining village and began to descend the mountain, followed by the ship's captain.
"I don't know. It's getting dark out kid," said Daring, "and that'll just be another day, and another dungeon."
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Why does this have no comments yet?
This was a great read!
Better comment to follow, probably.
543604
Haven read it yet, but EQD hoard is incoming, so expect more soon.
In retrospect, this got featured pretty quickly. Nice work, Geno Blast.
Also, in before "Scootaround is best sidekick".
I read, "Equestria's not some tiny speck, it makes up most of that continent!"
but I heard, "I think you'll find that Equestria pretty much covers everything."
I enjoyed it. Plenty of action, but not overbearingly so, and great interactions.
Nice. Glad people liked it! Suppose I should make more Daring Do stories? It's neat to write fiction that's granted some liberties as it supposedly exists in FiM as yet another work of fiction. You don't get bogged down with canon and stuff, y'know?
Nice. It had some very striking similarities to Temple of Doom, but I'm not complaining. It was a very good read and I'd really like to see more.
556295
Yes, that was intentional. There were certain plot devices in ToD that I thought would lend itself PERFECTLY to Daring Do. I mean, the Kali Ma's brainwashing is obviously what inspires the depiction of Discordian brainwashing.
Keep in mind that these stories were supposedly written in-universe long before the events of "The Return of Harmony", so making the means and methods of Discord and chaos appear means a different interpretation needs to be applied, as the ponies wouldn't know exactly how ponies were corrupted by chaos until the events of FiM.
For Daring Do, Indiana Jones is a great place to look for inspiration.
559132
Nah, like I said, I'm not complaining. There's nothing wrong with having some references to Indiana Jones in a Daring Do story.
This was a very epic story! There's definitely not enough Daring-Do fics, and I loved this one!
559132 You know, there's an entire semicanonical series of Daring Do Books you could work with... I think someone with your style might do well with them.
They already have ready made plots even, so inspiration won't be hard. Writing them with Daring Do spirit and flavor however, will be the challenge? Do you accept?
If you do, take a look at this page.
638182
Not quite. Actually, Scootaround is an OC (kind of) made for the Daring Do series. I figured Daring needed a sidekick. Actually, she's directly inspired by both Scootaloo (as Daring Do is totally Rainbow Dash in the show) and Short Round from Indiana Jones. I did take some effort to make them different, as much as she is a homage to Shorty. So no, She's neither related to Scoots nor is she Scoots herself. After all, if we believe that these books were written in-universe then they would have existed before Scootaloo was even born.
638273
Not so much a crossover as a homage to. The whole cult thing & Daring's brainwashing are directly inspired by Temple of Doom.
Insert gif of Dash hugging a book and saying "Awesome!" here.
I like what you did with this story. I thought for sure that this was going to be a Temple of Doom knockoff, but instead you turned what I expected inside out. Well done, Geno Blast. You made my top 10 favorites with this story!
As far as a critique goes, I feel that you put way too much Indy into Daring Do. Daring doesn't "feel" right in my brain the way you portrayed her in this story. Given that you were inspired by the movies, and kept your plot moving and original, I can overlook that. After all, Daring IS just the ponified version of Indy, and that is what you were shooting for. You also had a brace of typos scattered throughout all 10 chapters, but none of them bothered me too much to stick in my head or significantly distract from reading. Your writing style stays tight, and the story has great flow when transitioning from chapter to chapter. No major moments when a breakdown in writing distracted me from your narration. Except (there's always one) when referring to Scootalong's hat. newsfilly or newspony might be better substitutes. You established Scootalong as a she, and not a he.
Should you write more Daring Do tales? Absolutely. Is it wrong that I read all of Scootalong's lines in Short Round's voice? Absolutely not.
If you wouldn't care to write more Do, how about some Scootalong stories? That could be fun. I always wondered what happened to Short Round after Temple of Doom.
Thank you for reading the inane blathering of a blind chimp beating on a keyboard.
801611
Thanks very much. As a matter of fact, I've got another one in the works, Daring Do and the Trials of Zenith
Glad you liked this one!
Scootaround was certainly cute, and I loved the throwbacks to Indiana Jones. Aside from it being Daring Do.
Anyway, like I said, it was a cute and thrilling tale, and I'll be happy to be read the next one.