Daring Do and the Hunt for the Hippogriff's Harp

by Tyrael

Chapter 3

July 5th, 2013
100 feet above the treetops
Everfree Forest, Equestria

Slipstream had made good on her boast of thirty-minutes, and the Forelockheed techies had even worked on the plane's engines that had been troubling Daring for quite some time. The Adventure was now better than ever, and Daring had giggled with glee as she saw a little sign they had added to the cockpit - 'Do not exceed airspeeds of 500 MPH.' After loading their supplies and a getting a quick rundown on how to operate the camera and ditch the drop tank, if need be, Daring and Marion had heartily thanked Slipstream once more and had immediately took off on a heading towards Everfree Forest.

The flight had been uneventful until the Adventure had crossed over into the airspace above Everfree Forest. As they passed over the outskirts of Everfree, the aircraft's instruments and gauges had gone haywire due to a magical anomaly. When they were still airborne several anxious minutes later, they laughed it off as just one of the many magical mysteries that abounded in Everfree.

The weather conditions over the Everfree Forest, infamous for changing at the drop of the hat and ranging from fierce storms with hail the size of bowling balls to fog so think movement was impaired, were mercifully perfect for their task, providing high visibility and therefore greatly increasing their odds of finding the Half-Blood's Lament. The first hour had Daring and Marion on the edge of their seats, concerned over what calamities could assail them from the forest below. When nothing happened besides a line of clouds merrily following in their wake like a fluffy white serpent, the pair had relaxed and resumed the casual chit-chatting they had been engaged in on the flight over.

Daring was bemusedly observing some brightly glowing will-o'-the-wisps as they darted amongst the foliage below when she felt her stomach begin to growl. "Hey, Marion. Could you pass me some berries, please?"

"Sure thing," Marion said as she began to turn around to get some of the blackberries and blueberries they had brought for a snack. As she looked to their rear, her blood froze. On their six o'clock was an enormous mound of vegetation in hot pursuit. A pair of glowing yellow eyes glared up at them from above a gaping maw of a mouth. It was a plant elemental, which were usually benign, but unfortunately the roar of the Adventure's twin supercharged engines had awoken this one and sent it into a fury.

Marion tapped Daring with her wing, "D-Daring, we have a problem."

Daring's ears perked up in concern as she heard the fearful quaver in Marion's voice. Daring looked back and swore, "Hay bales! Alright, buckle up, time to see what my baby can do!"

Daring pushed the throttle forwards and yanked back on the stick, hoping to get some distance and altitude between them and the elemental. The plane shot upwards with a speed that surprised Marion and Daring both. After ascending several hundred feet, Daring looked back over her shoulder and swore again. The elemental was expanding its body in order to keep up with the fleeing plane, and now towered over the Forest.

Daring leveled off and put the ball to the wall, pushing the throttle all the wall forwards until the knob touched the instrument panel. The Adventure accelerated and quickly left the lumbering elemental far behind. Daring glanced towards the airspeed indicator and sighed as she saw it was still on the fritz. She felt something nagging at her and she remembered the warning sign the mechanics had added. "Is it gone? We need to slow down. I have no idea how fast we're going and I don't want to risk damaging the plane, or us."

Marion looked back and scanned the treetops - there was no sign of the elemental. "I think we're safe, I can't see it. I think it's gone."

"Good," Daring said, as she eased back on the throttle. "Remind me to send some gifts to Slipstream and her crew once we get back to Baltimare. Those improvements her boys made really saved our flanks. We had to be doing at least four-fifty."

"All I know is we were going fast! Uh, so, should we quit for the day?" Marion asked.

"Up to you. I'd guess we got maybe one-sixth of Everfree covered today. The conditions are good right now though if you want to keep going, since who knows what it will be like tomorrow, or even five minutes from now."

Marion, her heart still racing, thought it over for a bit, letting her nerves calm down. "Well, I was going to say we should go home, since that thing tried to attack us, but you're more familiar with this region than I. I say we stick it out until we can't search anymore."

Daring flashed her a smile. "That's the spirit! Now, about those berries.."

"Oh, right. Here you go," Marion said as she passed Daring a bowl of the berries.

Daring popped a hoofful into her mouth and let the sweet juices flow over her tongue. "Ooh, these are good. We should pick some more up at the market and bake something with them. I know a pretty amazing pie recipe. Found it in the tomb of a fourth century knight. Why it was there, I don't know, but it is delicious."

"That sounds scrumpt-" Marion began to say, interrupting herself with a shriek of terror as the elemental suddenly emerged from the forest in front of them. Vines began to lance out towards the Adventure as Daring choked on her berries. She composed herself and pulled the stick back and to the right and slammed on the rudder pedal as she tried to pull an evasive maneuver, but the vines had already begun to ensnare the plane.

The engines sputtered and groaned as the vines thrust into their casings and began to clog up their mechanisms. Foliage covered the cockpit, plunging the two frightened mares into darkness. With one final wheeze the engines died and the Adventure began to be forcibly dragged downwards as the elemental receded into the Everfree Forest.

"Wh-w-what do you think it is g-going to do to us?" Marion stammered.

"I have no idea. Never encountered something like whatever this thing is," Daring said.

"C-could this be what happened to the airship?" Marion asked.

"Good thinking. Could be," Daring replied. "It can likely crush us like a tin can if it wanted to. I'd imagine it or something like it could have easily destroyed an airship."

As they reached the treetops, the elemental created a web of vines between the trees and tied up the offending aircraft. Satisfied that its slumber would no longer be interrupted by the plane, the elemental slunk off into the distance, returning to its home. Daring and Marion, unable to see the elemental's departure, sat in concerned silence for twenty minutes before curiosity got the better of them and they ventured forth to find out what had happened.

"I know I said it was gone last time, and it came back, but I think it's gone now," Marion said as she pointed to the path of leaves the elemental had left in its wake.

"Good. But I sure don't want to be here if it does come back," Daring said. A single tear ran down her cheek as she inspected her vine-ravaged aircraft. The elemental had caused damage to the plane's engines and frame that would take thousands of bits and weeks of work to repair, if it could even be recovered from its current predicament.

"Yeah.. Sorry about the Adventure, Daring. I can tell she meant a lot to you."

Daring sighed. "Thanks. We've been through a lot together. It breaks my heart to see her like this, but right now we need to worry about ourselves. An hour or two of daylight left, and I'm not sure if I want to be in Everfree after sundown."

"Think we can fly out of here ourselves, or do we need to hoof it? I don't want to get attacked by that thing if it has something against flying creatures."

Daring laughed. "Yeah, getting ravaged by vines isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Head on up past the treetops and see if you can figure out where we are while I get our gear out of my poor plane."

Daring began unloading their supplies from the Adventure as Marion flew above the treetops to try and get their bearings. They appeared to be at least a mile deep into the forest. As she scanned the horizon, Marion could hear faint sounds of a melody, which began to grow louder the more she listened. Perplexed, Marion swooped down and landed next to Daring, who had already strapped on her haversacks and pouches.

"I think we're near somepony's house," Marion said. "Does anypony live out here? I can hear this beautiful music."

Daring perked up her ears but could only hear the creaking of the vines overhead. "I suppose some foalhardy ponies may live out here. I can't hear anything though."

Marion frowned and began slipping on her gear. "Really? It sounds so wonderful."

Daring closed her eyes and tried to hear the music again. "I must be getting old. Wings or hooves?"

"Wings, but let's stay low," Marion replied.

"Gotcha. Want to look for this mystery music house?" Daring asked.

"Sure. You really can't hear this?" Marion asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Daring shook her head. "You take point, Marion."

Marion began to hum along to the tune as she and Daring flew through the trees, juking and dodging a maze of branches and trunks. The sky began to darken above and after a tremendous crash of thunder, a gently drizzle began to fall over Everfree, providing a welcome relief from the hot summer sun. Marion, seemed to be enthralled by the music and began to fly faster and faster as the music began to intensify. Daring was slowed by her packs and struggled to keep up with Marion and yelled for her to slow her pace, but Marion could hear naught but the music.

As the pair arrived at a large clearing the music abruptly stopped. Daring and Marion came to a halt and tried to catch their breath as the drizzle became a downpour. Sweat poured off both the mares and their wing muscles burned from their frantic flight. Marion set down on the forest floor, anxiously looking for the source of the music, but could see nothing but trees and plants. Daring landed and sat up against a tree, taking a long draught from her canteen as she swept off her helmet and let the rain soak her mane.

Daring was screwing the top back onto her canteen when she felt a sudden sense of unease, like a little voice in her head telling her to be wary. As a veteran adventurer, she had felt that feeling many times before, and knew something was wrong. She knew it had to be related to the music. Why can only Marion hear this? And why was she flying like a mare possessed? Hay bales. I know I've read of something like this before...

Mario looked towards a tree that seemed big enough to house a home. "Hello?"

The sound of raindrops pattering against Daring's helmet was the only response.

"Well this is a bit odd, isn't it," Marion said as she looked back at Daring, who was suspiciously scanning the area, her hoof slowly drifting towards a bullwhip coiled at her hip. Marion began to speak and Daring held a hoof up to her mouth. Daring whispered, "Be on your guard. Remember the tale of the sirens, whose music led ships to crash? Neither did I until just now."

Marion's face paled with fright. She whispered, "B-but sirens live on islands, d-don't they?"

"Yes, but this is Everfree," Daring replied.

Minutes passed with no sirens in sight, and the pair breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry for scaring you," Daring said as she swept up her helmet and adjusted it on her head. "I've learned to trust my instincts, and my instincts were telling me that something is not right here. I suppose it may not be sirens, but stay alert nonetheless."

"Oh, no need to apologize. What do you think was producing that music if it wasn't sirens? It sure seemed to originate from this area."

Daring took another look around and shrugged. "Could be a spirit of some sort. Perhaps a nymph having a little fun with us."

"A nymph?"

"They're nature spirits. Presumably we're dealing with a dryad, which live in trees, so this clearing may be where her home grows. Nymphs love to dance and sing, too."

"Are they hostile?" Marion asked.

Daring shook her head. "Only if you're intentionally trying to destroy their trees."

Marion began to explore the area. Strange flowers, the likes of which Marion had never seen, grew interspersed in the clearing. She took a few steps forwards and noticed that the ground was spongy, seeming to give way beneath her feet. Perplexed, she leaned down to try and study the ground. She began to claw through a thick layer of moss and gasped as she saw an inky blackness below. Her gut told her to flee, but she continued clawing away at the moss and began to expose a web of old, rotting rope, which seemed to have been placed over some enormous hole in the ground.

Marion looked back over her shoulder, "Hey, Daring! Check this out."

Daring began to clamber to her feet and gasped as she heard the rotted rope begin to snap and Marion scream. Marion spread her wings to try and escape but was too slow and the rope web became entangled around her body. Daring lashed out with her whip and wrapped it around one of Marion's back legs. Daring dug her hooves into the ground and frantically flapped her wings as she was slowly drug towards the gaping chasm.

Movement from above caught Daring's eye and she glanced upwards and saw a high-tech gyrocopter hovering above the clearing. Rapidly rappelling towards Daring was an Earth pony mare with turquoise hair and a pale, bluish-white coat, she was wearing camouflage fatigues and had on a pair of dark sunglasses. There was something in the Earth pony's expression, a lopsided smirk, that sent chills down Daring's spine. The mare's smirk and the fact that her gyrocopter was almost soundless told Daring all she needed to know - she was in trouble.

The mare hit the ground and unhooked herself from the rappel line as she performed a defensive roll. then began galloping towards Daring. Daring found herself with two options. She could let go of the whip, letting Marion fall on her own, and confront the mysterious mare while she herself was encumbered by supplies. Or she could let herself be pulled down with Marion, where hopefully they could regroup and be prepared to face the mare.

Daring being Daring and always craving adventure, stopped resisting and let herself be drug down the chasm, vanishing into the unknown darkness below.

The mare carefully approached the edge of the chasm and listened to Daring and Marion's fall. The mare pouted when she didn't hear the oh-so-satisfying *SPLAT* and crunching of bones that she was hoping for. She began to check the clearing for a landing zone, then hoof-signaled the gyrocopter to land. Two more Earth ponies wearing camouflage fatigues disembarked from the gyrocopter and trotted over to the mare. They were both stallions. One had a brawny build with dark brown hair, a scraggly beard, and a khaki coat. The other had a vicious looking scar across his muzzle with dark olive drab hair and a russet coat.

The mare pointed towards the chasm. "We need the ropes."

The stallions saluted and sprinted back to the gyrocopter and began to collect their rappel lines and climbing gear.

"What if they're dead?" the bearded Earth pony asked the mare as he hammered in an anchor for their rappelling lines.

"Well, I suppose I'd be all broken up that a dodo bird and a mutt bit the dust," the mare said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

The two stallions laughed as they finished setting up the lines. Each Earth pony pulled a flashlight out of their BDUs and strapped it to their forelegs. Satisfied that their lines were secure, the three Earths began rappelling down into the chasm in pursuit of their prey.