Daring Do Adventures: Daring Do And The Griffin's Goblet

by XombieSlayr

Chapter 15: "The Gates Of Kamara Mista."

Chapter 15: “The Gates Of Kamara Mista.”

The skies around them exploded as Daring and her team’s lone escape ship dipped, dived and weaved around the cannon fire like a mad hornet through a mine field. This was not the way griffin escape ships were meant to fly.

But Swift Wing was having too much fun to care.

Storm on the other hand, was beside himself.

“This isn’t a fighter plane!” He yelled, over the innumerable explosions going off around them.

Swift only smiled wider. ”It is now, old-timer!” She let a whoop of victory as she did a barrel roll past another mortar shot.

Daring was laying down, one hoof holding her helmet down, the other wrapped firmly around a support brace. Storm looked at her for support, but she only smiled.

“Let her, have her moment.”

Storm’s eyes widened. “Her moment, is going to get us killed!” He yelled.

Daring shrugged.

“Or, maybe it won’t! Positives, Storm.”

Storm rolled his eyes. “Of course, Positives. How foolish of me!” He said sarcastically.

Daring laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

The small escape ship looked like a small bronze fly dodging and weaving through a massive fireworks display. They had a few close calls, but Swift Wing’s reckless yet expert piloting got them through to the sparkling courtyard on the outer rim of Kamara Mista.

The craft landed not at all gently, but they were alive and well.

Or at least alive.

Storm was the first out of the ship, landing face first on the sparkling gold colored stone and taking deep breaths.

Daring casually strolled out of the ship, brushing back her mane before putting her helmet back on. She looked over at Storm and chuckled.

“Not feeling too good?”

“*huff*…were lucky to be alive.”

Swift Wing strolled out next. “Oh come on! My flying wasn’t that bad.”

Storm picked himself up and flapped the dust from his wings. “We’ll…I’ll be honest. I’ve seen worse.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Swift turned to Daring. “C’mon Daring, back me up on this.”

….Daring?”

Daring didn’t hear her. She could only hear the sound of her own heart racing as she took in every detail of what she was now seeing. Her eyes widened to better allow her to see everything.

Then Storm and Daring saw it as well, and reacted the same way.

They were in a gargantuan courtyard of shining gold and white stone. They walked to the edge to see a great gleaming staircase leading up to an enormous bronze gate. Powerful looking griffin statues stood at 50 feet at either side of the gate, Guarding it.

Daring and her friends said nothing as they made their way to the stairs to the gate. They looked around and saw great pillars carved to the smallest detail to resemble clouds with flecks of gold rolling over their surface.

Swift looked to see a small clearing with several exotic and strange plants shed never seen before, blooming in the light. Unwatered.

Daring suddenly took off up the steps at full gallop and sat at the base of the great gate, unable to see the top of it, no matter how far back she leaned. She fell back and let the moment consume her. She laughed happily as tears began to form in her eyes.

She had done it. She had found Kamara Mista. The Great City of the Clouds. The place she'd only dreamed about as a filly, after hearing the legend from her father for so many bedtime stories. She was there now. And maybe her father was here to.

“We did it dad. We found it.”

Swift Wing walked up to her beaming. “Why don’t we head in, so you can tell him yourself?”

She offered a hoof.

Daring laughed as she took it and was pulled up to her feet. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

They both looked up at the enormous gate. Inlaid in the brass metal was intricate symbols along with several designs of Ponies and Griffins flying, planting gardens, and building homes. At the top was a carving of a great spire tower with a beacon of light shining in waves from its window.

Daring took a moment to admire the artwork, before a thought crossed her mind.

“So…how do we get in, exactly?”

Swift Wing scratched her head. “Um…No clue.”

“Storm!”

Storm Talon was already gazing up at the gate when Daring yelled for him. He looked at the carvings etched into its surface in awe.

“Remarkable! This city is so well preserved. There’s not a speck of dust or debris on any surface.”

His eyes suddenly lit up.

“Of course! We're at the perfect elevation where dust cannot reach anything, nor can air and moisture break any metal materials down! Nothing up here will erode or become covered in dust. Ever! Oh, this is simply amazing! And me without a journal!”

“Storm.”

“Huh?”

“How do we get in?”

“Oh, yes.”

He looked over the artisan crafted surface of the brass gate. “Well…this gate was obviously operable. There must be a switch or a lever of some kind. We won’t find it on ground level though.”

“Why?”

“It wasn’t exactly a common practice for ancient cultures to have the switch for letting strangers into their great cities, on the outside of their gate.” Storm replied.

“Oh.”

Daring scanned the area. Apart from the truly magnificent architecture, she saw nothing that looked like a switch.

Then she spotted it, high up near the top of the gate. She squinted to see the lever catch a gleam of sunlight.

She took off from the ground and landed at the small perch where the lever jutted from the wall.

“Okay, so…about a fifty-fifty chance this will either open the gate, or kill us in some horrible way.” She told herself.

“Let’s hope it’s the second.”

She grabbed the lever and with effort pulled it down. She jumped as the loud clunk of metal and sounds of grinding stone gears echoed through the courtyard.

Suddenly she saw from the perch, that the great griffin statues which stood as high as the gate came to life and grasped a side of the gate.

The griffin automatons pulled, moving the great brass doors apart and revealing the city of Kamara Mista.

Daring landed back at the top of stairs, and the three adventurers walked through, as the gates continued to open.

Daring felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the splendor of the city.

“Holy Celestia Above.” Storm said, completely awestruck.

They walked to a great outdoor hall of gleaming gold inlaid in white stone, and a set of stone steps that became a marble tile pathway stretching into the city.

Great golden spires and towers rose up from the depths of the city, amongst small lavish homes with draped and domed roofs.

Towering staircases which lead to different parts of the city were adorned by aqueducts,which had sparkling clear water rushing through them in rivers,which emptied into great lakes and ponds around the sprawling metropolis.

Huge marble statues of griffins and ponies in centurion like armor stood proudly at the bases of several buildings.

Lush gardens brimming with life and vibrant colors, grew in parks and small inlays around the streets.

The city of Kamara Mista, was a whole world onto itself.