Daring-Do and the Leaf in the Wind

by Sylvian

Celestial Guidance

Chapter 11: Celestial Guidance.

The hour is late when something stirs Daring from her sleep. At first, she thinks it is just Leaf stirring beside her, but as she rolls over and looks she finds Leaf is sound asleep, even drooling slightly on the pillow. Shaking her head and smiling at her love, Daring starts to lay back down, when a flash of light catches her attention.

Sitting upright again, she watches as light, bright and golden like a sunrise, comes from the small crack beneath the door. Getting out of bed and grabbing her vest, as well as a lantern from her saddlebags, Daring heads to the door. As she reaches it, the light suddenly vanishes, and when she opens the door she looks down the hallway to see what looks to be a glowing multicolored tail darting around the corner. Not wasting any time, Daring starts down the hallway as quickly, and as quietly as she can.

Rounding the corner, she finds that the strange light and the figure that goes with it is already down the hall again, this time she catches more of the figure, a snow white flank along with the long flowing tail. Growling around the handle of the lantern, Daring bolts down the hallway, taking flight to get down there faster. Reaching the end of the hallway, she uses the wall to springboard herself around the corner, something she picked up during her training as a Wonderbolt, and rushes at break neck speed. This time, when she reaches the next corner, she catches a flowing mane, the same multi-colors as the tail, a pair of wings, and a bright white body. Yet again, as impossible as it seems, it is at the other end of the hallway!

Growling, Daring makes to perform the quick turn again, but comes to a screeching halt as she realizes that at the end of this next hallway is the door to the mess hall. Landing back on the floor Daring doesn’t see any light coming from behind the door as she gets closer.

Sighing and shaking her head, interested anyway as to why the light would lead her here, she reaches up to open the door, but right before her hoof can touch the door latch, bright light surrounds her, and a soft voice whispers in her ear.

“I knew I could count on your inquisitive nature, my little pony,” the voice is melodic and echoes softly in Daring’s ear. Daring knows this voice, though she has only heard it a few times up close and personal. She opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out as a sense of loving comfort, almost akin to the feeling a foal has with their mother, fills her. “I have need of your help, Daring.”

“What… what could I possibly do to help,” Daring finds herself saying, “and how are you here, Luna…”

“Luna is the reason I need your help,” the motherly voice continues as tendrils of light flow from behind Daring -- one gently brushing against her cheek, imparting a feeling of warmth but no physical contact -- and touch the door before her. A small ‘window’ opens in the door, allowing Daring to see the sole occupant within. “Luna, and the alicorn you have met today. Both have parts to play in something, something very important that shall soon happen.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Daring states softly, unable to find the will to argue with the presence. “I guess you want me to make them meet? How?”

A glowing hoof, white and pure as freshly fallen snow, comes into Daring’s view and points towards Shiro, who is standing in the room beside the jade statue of Guardian, and looking up at the statue of Strength. “Watch, and you will find out how.”

----

Shiro sits silently in the mess hall of the temple, his eyes gazing up at the statue of Strength with a look of profound longing. How long had it been since the last time he had felt her hooves against his cheek? Since the last time he felt her strong, comforting presence beside him?

Sighing, Shiro looks down at his hooves, finding his voice at last.

“It’s been a while since I… last spoke to you,” Shiro starts softly. “Even if you are on my mind a lot, as of late, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to you.” He shrugs, his wings unfolding slightly then refolding. “But, we have visitors, for the first time in ages Jin has convinced me to let outsiders stay within these halls.” He chuckles softly, looking back up at the statue. “I… it feels good, in a way, to have others around, even if I at first didn’t approve of them. But, we shared an evening meal with them, told them of… the fall. They seemed interested, more like scholars than treasure seekers.” He then sighs once more, shaking his head and looking down at his hooves. “Jin spoke to me this evening about possibly leaving the temple, the island, behind; going out into the world and finding a replacement for you…” He trails off, closing his eyes and scrunching his nose. “I know it’s something we need to do, but… I… I don’t know if I am strong enough.” He looks up at the statue, eyes full of tears.

“I don’t know if I can let you go.”

----

Outside the door, Daring puts a hoof to her mouth, both to stop the gasp of surprise she felt rising in her chest, and the giggle that followed right after it.

“Well, that’s unexpected,” she comments, forcing her tone to be neutral, “but what do you expect me to do, the pony that statue commemorates is long dead.”

“That might be so,” Daring’s astral companion agrees. “But, if you added wings, and a crown too perhaps, would that statue not bear an uncanny resemblance to Princess Luna?”

Daring opens her mouth to say no, but then stops and actually looks at the statue for the first time. She imagines wings, and a long flowing mane full of the evening sky, perhaps a playful smirk…

“That’s scary uncanny…” Daring whispers, tapping a hoof against her chin. “So, you want me to tell him that there is a pony out there that looks like his lost love, so that he’ll go see for himself?”

“Not in so many words,” the voice laughs. “I want you to try and convince him that, if he hopes to accomplish his task of finding a new Strength, he should visit Canterlot.”

“And if he won’t?” Daring asks, looking up at the glowing white muzzle hovering just above her right shoulder.

“Then, tell him to visit Saddle Arabia,” the voice assures softly. “I’ll be waiting for him.” Daring then feels warmth on her shoulder, and looks to see a hoof on it. “Now, go back to bed, Daring. I am sure Leaf is missing you terribly.” Then, the light, and the voice that goes with it, vanishes leaving Daring sitting outside the mess hall with more questions than answers.

Shaking her head and muttering about discovering the existence of Equus being more trouble than she expected, Daring heads back to bed.

------

The soft stirring and yawning of Leaf beside her rouses Daring from her sleep. Scooting over she wraps her arms around her partner, and pulls him back down to the bed as she leans over and whispers in his ear.

“And who said you got to leave and take your glorious warmth with you?”

“Nopony,” Leaf replies with a smirk, “except perhaps my stomach.” As he says that his stomach makes a loud grumble.

“Oh, well now,” Daring chuckles releasing Leaf. “I can’t argue with your stomach, now can I?” Her own promptly also decides to play the song of its people, making Daring blush. “Nor my own. Shall we go see what our gracious hosts have in store for us?” She then gets up, following Leaf as he heads to the door with a yawn, stopping only as he looks to her saddlebags and the lantern that is sitting next to it.

“That’s strange,” he starts, looking over at Daring. “Did you use your lantern last night?”

“Hm?” Daring hums, looking to the lantern. “Oh, yes, I had to use the restroom and figured I’d bring that just in case.” She shrugs, a smile on her face. She doesn’t want to explain to Leaf that she had an encounter with… well she wasn’t exactly sure what she had encountered but whatever it was she figures it’s best to keep it to herself for now.

“Okay,” Leaf replies with a shrug, heading to the door and holding it open for Daring. “Mares first.”

Daring smiles to him and inclines her head. “Thank you, dear.” She then starts down the hallway, Leaf right behind her, and towards the mess hall. It is an easier task than it had been last night, what with it being day now and Daring not having to chase down a mysterious astral figure that always seemed to be one step ahead of her. Her train of thought ends when she pushes one of the large doors to the room open, finding the others already present.

“Good to see you two back in the land of the living,” Fion greets the two over a mug of warm tea. “Our hosts made us breakfast, though don’t get your hopes up on anything fancy or amazing.”

“If it’s edible, we’ll eat it,” Leaf states, his stomach growling loudly. “And if it doesn’t look edible, I might still eat it.”

“Well, then I hope you like rice pudding.” Fion smirks over his tea.

“Eh, it’s not my favorite, but I’ll take what I can get,” Daring returns the smirk and sits down at the table. A bowl of mushy rice pudding levitates over to her, spoon already in it, and lands right in front of her. She looks over at Shiro, who is wearing his cloak and a more friendly version of the frown he wore yesterday. “Thank you, Shiro.”

“You are welcome, Daring,” Shiro replies, raising an eyebrow before resuming eating his own food.

“I think he likes you,” Jin chuckles from where he is sunbathing on a stone in the window. Shiro grumbles something along the lines of ‘well they’re nicer than you,’ which causes Jin to chuckle before he looks to Daring. “So, what are you plans for the day? Birdbrain and the conspiracy nut say they want to look around the city a bit, I figured you two would like to do the same?”

Tapping a hoof against her chin, spoon sticking out of her mouth, Daring shrugs before swallowing and removing the spoon. “That sounds like a plan, though I am not sure how much longer we’ll be here. Our primary goal was met, which was to find out what happened to the city.” She looks to Leaf who is eating his meal, spoon discarded to one side. “I think he’ll need to walk off the meal, anyway.”

Leaf looks up at Daring, mouth full of food. He swallows and looks at her. “What?” Daring picks up a cloth napkin and tosses it in Leaf’s face.

“You have something on your face, dear.” Daring chuckles. “And I was just saying that if we don’t get you moving after a breakfast like this, you’ll go pass out in our room and sleep the day away.”

“Well… okay I might do that,” Leaf admits with a blush, “but it isn’t half bad.”

Shaking her head and smiling, Daring looks over to Jin and Shiro. “What about you two? What are your plans?”

“Patrolling,” Shiro calmly states, “like I always do.”

“I am going to meet with Page Turner,” Jin says with a sigh as he too looks to Shiro. “Perhaps he can talk some sense into his great-grandfather where I have failed.”

“Grandfather?” Leaf asks slowly, looking between Shiro, who is glaring at his food, and Jin who is wearing a smug smirk. “That… kind old stallion is related to this walking bag of sour apples?”

“Hard to believe, I know,” Jin says, gesturing with a clawed hand. “To think, he is part of a long line of valiant warriors, the blood of Gods in their veins!”

“Well, if Shiro is the grandfather… with however many ‘greats’ in front of it,” Daring asks as she swirls her rice pudding, “who was the grandmother?”

“Strength,” Shiro says softly. “She and I… it was forbidden… but.”

“But you and her shared something that even the Cosmos favored,” Jin replies, waving a clawed paw dismissively. “If it was not, you would not have had a child.”

“Sounds like you two had something special,” Daring comments, smiling as she looks over to Shiro.

“We did,” the alicorn whispers, “but, in the end, our child and I were what broke her.”

“And that,” Jin says in a calm voice, as if stating the obvious, “is why you and I should leave the island.”

“As I have told you before,” Shiro states, eyes narrowing at his friend. “I will not abandon my duty. We must stay and…”

“Find a new Virtue of Strength?” Daring supplies causing both Shiro and Jin to look over at her with mixed reactions, Shiro smiling while Jin raises an eyebrow. “To do that, though, wouldn’t you need to, I don’t know, be around other ponies?”

“My point exactly!” Jin declares. “See, Shiro! Daring agrees with me!”

“And, where, exactly, would we go?” Shiro asks nopony in particular. “From what I am to understand, there are not many male alicorns walking around the world right now.”

“You seem to hide your wings and horn well enough,” Leaf points out as he pushes his empty, and rather clean, bowl away from himself. “You’d fit right in around Canterlot, or even perhaps Ponyville? None of the other real ‘major’ cities, though… Capes and turbans aren’t exactly common wear.”

“I don’t want to go into the major cities,” Shiro grumbles. “Not yet, at least.”

“Well,” Daring starts slowly. “You could go to Saddle Arabia, I have a friend there who runs an inn. You could go there, and perhaps retrace Leaf’s and my steps to Life’s Library?”

“We could do that!” Jin says, sitting up with an excited look. “What do you say, Shiro! We could go visit that old stone-faced stick in the mud! I am sure if anyone will know what we need to do, Librarian will.”

“I will think about it,” Shiro concedes.

“I’m still going to talk to Turner,” Jin sighs. “You can be as stubborn as Strength sometimes. You two made such a perfect match.” When Shiro doesn’t even grace him with a grumpy remark, Jin looks back to Daring and Leaf. “Well, you two have the run of the temple and the island for the day. With some luck, I can dig this old stick in the mud out of his rut. If I do, though, do you think we can travel with you?”

“That is more a question for Fion,” Daring replies, looking over at Fion who has been quite the entire conversation.

“Hm?” Fion hums looking up from his tea, as well as a book he had been reading as he ate. “Oh, well I don’t see why not. Though, good luck getting this pile of grump past Bones or my father without them figuring out what he is.”

“That sounds like it could be a problem,” Jin admits, scratching the back of his head.

“No, not really,” Fion smirks. “My father and Bones, the ship’s doctor, would likely take it as par for the course. Though, Bones might trap poor Shiro here in the galley and swap war stories.”

“Oh, then never mind,” Jin chuckles. “I think it’ll keep him occupied the entire boat ride if he tells stories.”

“No doubt he could earn his trip by keeping Bones from biting some poor sailor’s head off,” Fion smirks, sipping his tea in a very sophisticated manner.

“Say, feather brains,” Daring speaks up, looking at Fion, “I can’t help but notice your drinking your tea as if Celestia herself is sitting at the table. Why so fancy?”

“Habit,” Fion admits as he picks up his book again in the other taloned hand. “My mother and father instilled into us some… Shall we say refined qualities when we were younger.”

“Fair enough,” Daring chuckles, finishing her breakfast and turning to Leaf. “So, my love, shall we go explore some ancient ruins?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” Leaf smiles as he stands. He nods to Jin and Shiro. “Thank you for the food, my friends. Talk to you later.” He then turns and starts walking off towards the door.

“Thank you indeed,” Daring agrees. “We’ll see you two later, hopefully you have an answer by then.” Jinsong waves to her, but says nothing as he goes back to sunning himself, leaving Daring to follow Leaf out the door.

Once out of the mess hall, Daring and Leaf wander through the hallways of the temple for a while, Daring making note of the artifacts and decorations as they go, explaining the time periods their from and commenting on the pristine condition the majority are in. After a few hours of that, they exit the temple and go to a wall, and fly over. Once in the air, they tour the city from a good distance above, making note at how parts of the city look like a bomb had gone off. Entire sections of the city are nothing more than craters, the buildings around them leveled away from whatever caused the explosion. Clearly, whoever or whatever had caused it, had been kept away from the temple, as the devastation is mostly centered around what looks to be a harbor area, and what looks to have perhaps been a market district.

The pair lands a few times to explore some of the more intact buildings around the destroyed areas. To Daring’s trained eyes, there is evidence that the attack had come early in the morning, as the tables that are still standing have plates, cups, and even bowls with their respective utensils set out beside them. There are also… quite a few skeletons in beds, or sprawled out along the floor of their houses. Some are, sadly, quite small, and held in the arms of larger ones, as if to shield them from whatever was going on. After the fourth, or perhaps fifth Daring really did not care to keep track, of finding this she suggests to Leaf that they perhaps head to the harbor, and walk around there. Leaf doesn’t argue, his usual cheery attitude dampened by all the death.

The two of them spend the majority of the morning, and well into the afternoon, walking along the harbor and the beach near it. They discuss happier things, such as Daring potentially moving in with Leaf down the road, and how while Leaf’s sister is in the Wonderbolts both of them can’t see her really doing anything more adventurous than that. After a good and long talk they decide to head back to the temple, and see how things there are going.

The short trip back to the center of the city is done in silence, the two of them gliding around each other and making small passes on occasion.

Landing in the courtyard of the temple, Daring and Leaf are not surprised to find themselves stumbling into an argument in progress.

“Grandfather, for the last time, I am only looking out for you,” Page Turner states bluntly in his age worned voice. “You cannot expect to uphold your vows to the Cosmos by staying here, locked away from the world!”

“And what would you know of my vows,” Shiro retorts, barely restrained fury in his voice. “You are barely old enough to call yourself even a stallion!”

“I am well over seventy, Grandfather,” Turner retorts. “And you vowed, promised, to the Cosmos that you would protect Strength with all your abilities. And should one fall….”

“Don’t you say it,” Shiro growls.

“You should be looking for her replacement,” Turner continues, meeting Shiro’s furious gaze with one of cool determination. “Not wallowing on your own pity! You knew that she wouldn’t live forever, that someday you’d have to say goodbye, be it in battle or from old age! So buck up!”

“You and Jin,” Shiro continues to growl. “Both of you have lost sight of what is important! This temple must be protected!”

“It’s just a physical thing,” Jin’s voice comes from nearby, and Daring looks over to find him lounging in a chair that looks to have been made for him. “Physical attachments; I thought the Gods were beyond such things.”

“Don’t you dare start with me!” Shiro shouts, turning around and glaring at Jin.

“I’m right,” Jin smirks, “you just can’t let go of all of this, can you?”

“That is not the…” Shiro starts, then stops as he spots Daring and Leaf sitting on the edge of the courtyard, watching. “What are you two looking at?”

“A God who’s had his heart broken, and doesn't know how to move on,” Daring states in a sympathetic tone.

“And what would you know about broken hearts,” Shiro growls, though Daring can tell she has struck a nerve. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose the single most important thing in your life.”

“No… But that’s not the point…” Daring replies slowly, holding her ground. “Would Strength have wanted her relic to gather dust because you couldn’t arse yourself to find her successor any further than the local port?”

Shiro opens his mouth to retort, eyes full of fury, but quickly closes it and sighs as the fury cools. “No, she wouldn’t.”

“Thank you,” Jin says with an over-dramatic sigh. “You have done what we could not, oh great Daring Do.”

“Sarcasm is unbecoming of immortals,” Daring chuckles as she gestures to Leaf with her head. “I’ll leave you three to your arguments. Though, I do hope you two join us when we leave.”

“As do I, Daring,” Turner states, his eyes having never left Shiro.

Daring smiles, but says nothing as she starts off towards the nearest door into the temple, Leaf in her wake. As they enter the building, they can hear Shiro and Turner resume their argument, though Shiro sounds less vehemently opposed than before. They head down the hallways towards a common area that Daring had seen earlier while they were shown their rooms the other day. Upon reaching it, they find Unsolved and Fion playing cards.

They’re not speaking, just staring at their cards.

Sitting down at the table, Daring taps her hoof against the table three times, and Fion deals her in without comment while Leaf goes to the nearby window and pulls his sketchbook from a pocket and starts drawing some of the more exotic flowers present in the garden beyond.

The card game lasts for a few hours, Daring and Fion slowly losing to Unsolved who, despite their first impressions, has a very good poker face.

As lunch rolls around, the cards are put back into the deck and Unsolved quickly puts the deck into his mane as everyone heads off towards the mess hall. Walking in Daring is not surprised to find Shiro, Jin, and Turner all already present and eating their own lunch. As the late arrivals sit down, Shiro looks to Daring.

“When do we leave?”

----

Hours after the last of the group has vacated the the temple of strength, as night casts its dark and warm blanket upon the ruins, a light comes on in a window in the now empty structure. The light is coming beneath a pair of large iron-clad doors, the emblem of the Virtue of Strength proudly upon their face. For a few moments, the light seems to move around, as if trying to find a way out of the room behind the door. Eventually, whoever or whatever visitor has suddenly appeared there decides upon the obvious route, and a pool of what almost appears to be liquid light, glittering and glowing in the darkness, spills out from beneath the door.

Once freed from the confines of the room it had found itself in, it travels swiftly down the hallway it has come into, clearly knowing where it is going and eager to be at its destination.

That destination is the mess hall, and the final silent occupant of the temple.

As it enters the room, the cloud of light stops and coalesces into the form of a bright white, and glowing, alicorn mare. She wears no crown, no regalia to mark her station, but if any observer dared to look at her glowing and translucent form long enough, they would see the sun marking on her flank.

Walking, or perhaps even gliding as the form is not solid and freely shifts and unfocused as she moves, draws up to the silent guardian of the temple, a soft echoing sigh escaping her lips.

"You have lingered in mourning long enough, my sweet daughter," the mare's voice, though barely a whisper, echoes off the walls. "It is time to end you nightmares, and return you to us. For soon you will be needed." Reaching upwards with her horn, a small ball of light lifts from the tip. The wisp of light lazily floats up, and into the clutched claw of the large jade drake, melding with the cracked amulet within. After a few moments, the gem set into its face starts to glow softly, pulsating with a small almost inaudible drumbeat, as if it were the heart of a child starting for the first time. Smiling softly, the mare lifts off the ground, her astral wings bearing her up so she can softly kiss the dragon's forehead. "Until you are called, may your dreams be sweet, my dear daughter." The mare becomes nothing more than a cloud of light again, and retreats from whence she came.

Author's Note:

I seem to enjoy writing a certain non-physical alicorn -way- too much.

Oh well, she is a lot of fun to write, and a good plot device! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as it is the official 'end' to the story! However, next week is a final, short epilogue that will lead into things that are to come with my next story!

Until next time!

~Sylvian

Comments

[Witching Hour]

[Jim Hoxworth]

Looks good, man.

[Dustchu]

Awesome chapter man, awesome chapter!
This is going great!

Good show!
Daring Do~