Daring Do and the Soluna Stone

by Goldenheart

Chapter 5: The Soluna Ruins

Daring Do and the Soluna Stone:
Chapter 5

-The Next Morning-

When Daring woke up, she saw the letter from Sandy. It explains that she's sorry for writing the novels in a way she didn't like it. So she's going to the ruins to get the Soluna Stone all by herself in order to apologize to Daring, and to prove to her that she's actually brave. Daring immediately woke everypony up and told them everything that was in the letter. They also woke Spike up from his snooze with the sleepy gem in his claws. Even after Spike tried telling them again about Sandy, he added that he saw Ahuizotl's treasure hunters leave in the middle of the night. Daring knew that Ahuizotl would take the night as an advantage to get the stone first, so she got everyone dressed in robes and everypony left to the entrance of the ruins.
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-Outside the ruins-

Everypony is standing in front of the entrance of the Soluna Ruins and the hallway that leads into the main room. Daring is analyzing the door as it has been recently opened. Only herself and Sandy know the way in, as they did the investigation years ago on how to open the door. Daring couldn't but help and get something off her chest.

"I feel this is my fault. I didn't mean to blow up in her face like that, I was just tired of the media attention because of the false information Sandy wrote in the books.", says Daring.

"No it's not. She's just doing what she thinks is right.", says Twilight.

"Hopefully she hasn't gotten far enough in the ruins so we can have her go back to camp.", says Daring in a depressed mood.

"I hope so too Daring.", says a comforting Twilight.

"I question sometimes if doing these expeditions are to please myself for my sense of adventure.", says an aggravated Daring.

"You do this cause you love them, and it's what also your destiny is.", says Twilight.

"Yeah, my cutie mark shows my interest of archaeology and exploration. Though I feel like it was a mistake, and I just shared my interest with Sandy. If I didn't, she would be better off and safer without me.", says a sadden Daring.

"No Daring! This isn't your fault! If you were never there during Sandy's down moments during fillyhood, she would've been miserable without you.", yells Twilight.

"I don't think so. Sometimes I feel, like I want to stop doing these so called, 'adventures'.", says a even more depressed Daring.

"Don't do something like that Daring! These adventures are what define you as an individual. Your friend is doing what she thinks is right. So what do you think is the right thing to do?", questions Twilight.

Daring starts thinking about what Twilight told her, her own adventures, and her relationship to Sandy. Daring is about to give Twilight a response until...

"Daring, where's that mare I looked up to?", speaks out Spike.

The group turns to Spike and are shocked to hear him speak up.

"Daring. What happened to the mare that we all know? You showed us your bravery against Nightmare moon and were honest enough to reveal your real identity to all your friends. You sound like you aren't being honest or true to yourself at all. So tell me Daring, is the mare of front of me real or a work of fiction as well!?", says an angered Spike.

Spike is then exhaling heavily after speaking loudly. Twilight is actually shocked to hear something like that out of Spike. She then turns to see Daring have another thought from both Twilight and Spike. Daring then turnes to everypony, who's all waiting for a response.

"I apologize everypony for getting you all down. Myself included. I guess I've been putting too much pressure on myself.", says Daring.

"Don't worry Daring. I'm always there to help my friends.", says Spike.

Daring then collects all her thoughts, and stands more proud and determined than ever.

"C'mon everypony, let's find Sandy and the Soluna Stone!", shouts Daring.

"Yeah!", yells the group.

They then open the doors to the ruins and then go inside to find Sandy and the sacred treasure. As they enter in, two mysterious figures follow silently behind.

-Inside the Soluna Ruins-

They then continue down the hallway, but it starts getting darker down the path. Daring then takes out a torch and gives it to Trixie to hold with her magic. Spike lights the torch with his fire breathing, and the whole hallway is then lit up. They all continue down the path until the hallway opens up into a large chamber.

"Please tell The Great and Powerful Trixie, what room this is?", says Trixie.

"This is the main chamber where The Tribe held ceremonies to perform a ritual with the stone to raise or lower the Sun and Moon.", says Daring.

As Daring finishes, Twilight is awed and jots down more notes for herself. Trixie looks unimpressed and looks with disgust by all of the dust and decay in the room. Spike looks around and sees a lamp. Spike takes the torch from Trixie and goes to light the lamp, which lights the entire room. Daring though shocked, is impressed by Spike figuring out a light mechanism in the shrine. Daring is then shocked to see a bag in front of a door leading into another chamber. Daring goes to the bag and yells for everypony to come by.

"Guys, I found Sandy's bag!", she yells.

Everypony is then by Daring and see Daring with the bag.

"Why did Sandy leave her bag here? Wouldn't she take this with her?", asks Spike.

Daring looks at the door, and realizes why, and says, "This door leads to the Trials of Soluna."

"Trials? Like a test? Why have this here?", asks a confused Twilight.

"It must be a defense mechanism in case of robbers. They created three trials only the oracles or shamans can solve. Sometimes I wonder why these traps are still here and operational. Even if the ponies make places like this disappeared years ago.", questions Daring.

"Well we need to go in now.", says Twilight.

"Yes, but we need to abandon our supplies.", dryly says Daring.

"Why?", asks Twilight.

"It appears that the door is sealed with magic and only opens when ponies have little to no supplies with them.", says Daring.

"How? Since when did the Tribe have unicorns?", asks Twilight.

"Unicorns were very rare in the Tribe, and were often shamans or oracles. So they often put them in charge of protecting the stone or reading signs in the stars.", says Daring.

"So those shamans must have also sealed this door with magic. Even if somepony got through, there's traps waiting for them right?", asks Twilight.

"Precisely.", Daring says correctly.

"Okay then. Everypony, leave your supplies here.", says Daring.

As Twilight said so, everypony leaves their bags by Sandy's. Twilight is only bringing her notepad as it won't bother that much. As everypony drops their things, the door opens and the path lights up in front of them.

"Let's go.", says Daring.

Then everypony enters the hallway. Unknown to them, two figures are following them in the shadows.

"Let's have them solve the trials of this place. Then when the time is right, we steal the stone right under them.", says the figure as he smiles.
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-1st Trial-

The group continues down the path until path opens up into a small room. The room has no other pathway or door to enter into. Plus, the room is decorated with flowers and covers the entire room from the head of the roof to the floor beneath their hooves. They all gather around the center of the room.

"Ooh, this room is pretty. These flowers are pretty.", says Twilight with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, but this seems off. I know I've seen these flowers before.", says a concerned Daring.

Just as she said it, the door behind them shuts tight, and the room rumbles.

"Oh no! This room is going to come down on us!", yells Spike.

"No it isn't, but look. The flowers are shaking too much. The pollen is coming off.", says Twilight.

The pollen from the flowers gets all over the group and on all of them, except Daring, inhaled the pollen. Daring tears off a bit off her robe to cover her mouth as to not inhale any foreign bacteria. Daring is prepared for situations like this, but everypony else isn't.

"Quick everypony, cover your mouth before you inhale the pollen. This flower is Heart's Desire. If you inhale too much pollen, you hallucinate and see your heart's desire in front of you.", says Daring.

Although Daring warned the group, they are in a daze and loopy eyed. Daring was too late to warn the group of the danger that they are in. Daring is now trying to listen to the group to know their heart's desire so she can find a solution to snap them out of their hallucination.

Daring goes to Twilight first.

"Celestia, you want to make me your right hoof mare? Oh, I don't know what to say, but yes. I'll happily be your assistant!", happily says Twilight in her hallucination.

Daring then goes over to Trixie.

"Oh, what a glorious sight! A magnificent crowd to perform in front of. Now I can leave Manehattan and travel the world to perform wherever I want!", shouts Trixie in her halucination.

Finally, Daring goes to Spike.

"Yipee! An entire cave full of gems! I never want to leave. I'll be happy here and eat to my heart's desire.", happily says Spike in his hallucination.

Daring listened to all their hallucinations, then figures out a common ground to snap them out of their hallucination.

Daring then shouts out, "If you are all happy, then what about your family and friends? Do you really want to leave them?"

Then the three all hear Daring and all made the same realization. They have to sacrifice their friendship to fulfill their heart's desire.

"I'm sorry Celestia. I'd love to be your assistant, but I want to be with my friends in Manehattan more. I could never sacrifice my friendship.", says Twilight.

Twilight then snaps out of her illusion.

"Trixie may be flattered of the attention, but it's no fun without my friends to be with me and seeing my performence. So I must go back to my friends.", says Trixie.

Trixie then snaps back to reality.

"These jewels may be tasty, but staying here forever will be very lonely. I could never leave Twilight or anypony else. They're my best friends, and Twilight is like my big sister.", says Spike as a tear goes down his cheek.

Spike is brought back to reality as well.

Everypony had broken through the hallucination. Then afterwards, they all have a group hug.

"Oh girls, I never knew how much you all meant to me.", says a comforting Twilight.

"Trixie happily agrees to that, I'd give up my performing career to be with you all.", says a soothing Trixie.

"Not even all the gems in the world are worth the friends I've made.", says a sad Spike.

"Glad you all made through it. This must have been the trial. To overcome our heart's desire and value our friendship overall.", says Daring.

As soon as she finishes speaking, a hidden doorway behind them opens up.

"You have passed the first trial, venture forth to the next trial", says a mysterious voice.

The group gets startled, but shake it off as anything else can happen in the ruins. After that, they go into the doorway and move on to the next trial.
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-2nd Trial-

After overcoming the first trial, they head down the hidden passage into the next room where it has hexagon shape to it. The passage behind them closes and the group decides to look around the room. Daring goes to the front wall and sees something written on it.

"To pass this trial of two, here's what you need to do. Be an example of the six that connects us all, or in this room, you will fall.", says Daring aloud.

The walls then glow and reveal a large marking as big as the walls themselves. Twilight gasps and knows what the markings are.

"These markings are the Elements of Harmony!", says a surprised Twilight.

"They look nothing like Trixie's element.", says an upset Trixie.

"The elements take shape based on their owners. These symbols are based on the look before Celestia and Luna used them.", says Twilight.

"Okay, but how do we pass this trial?", says a confused Trixie.

Daring speaks up, "Well, the riddle says we need to be an example of the six. So we maybe need to use the Elements inside of us."

"New flash Daring, Trixie notices that only half of the element bearers are here, and that none of us have the elements with us.", says Trixie.

"I know that, but let's use what we have at hoof now. Twilight, Trixie, take a wall.", says Daring.

"Now try thinking about the element you bear."

All the ponies take a wall, save for Spike. They all put a hoof to the wall and think on their elements.

Twilight starts off, "I'm thankful for all my friends and how I care so much for them. As I know, and all my friends know too, friendship is magic!"

Trixie is next, "I adore the awaiting crowd and making them happy. I also enjoy making my friends happy, through my ways of making them laugh."

Daring finishs off, "I'm thankful to show my friends of who I truly am. For showing them my real side is better than making a lie. Honesty is my best attribute, and I will always be true to you my friends!"

They all finish up, and the walls in front of them glowed. The markings change to the shape of their cutie marks, and the colors of the elements gems. Now half of the room is cleared. Only the last three walls are left.

"Okay, we got our elements down. Now how do we get the other half?", asks Twilight.

As the group starts brainstorming on ideas, somepony speaks up.

"I think I know.", speaks out Spike.

Everypony then looks to Spike with confused looks on their faces.

"You do, Spike?", says a concerned Daring.

"You guys thought of your elements. Why not and try thinking about our friends and their elements, it may work.", says Spike.

Daring puts a hoof to her chin and ponders a thought and says, "I don't know."

Spike, not waiting for an answer says, "I try it first, watch."

Spike goes to an unchanged wall and thinks of the only other pony he can think of, Octavia.

"Octavia is very gentle and kind, and always sees the positives in our friends. She's the kindest mare I know of.", says Spike.

The wall then changes to Octavia's cutie mark and element color. The group gasps, and this even surprises Spike.

"S-s-see, it does work!", says Spike making him sound like he's right.

So Daring and Twilight go the last two walls and think of their last two friends, Blossomforth and Orange Sherbert.

Twilight starts thinking of Blossomforth, "Blossomforth has always been loyal to her friends and never lets them down. She is very gentle and kind and was also loyal when she came back to help us during the Nightmare Moon event. She'll always be the most loyal pony I know."

Daring then thinks of Sherbert, "Auntie has always been generous to any filly and/or foal that comes on her doorstep, and will even sacrifice her most valuable possessions to feed a family. Auntie will always be generous to anypony to help them out."

The last two walls then light up and resemble Sherbert's and Blossomforth's cutie marks and element colors. As all the walls light up, one of the walls goes up and reveal another hidden hallway to the last trial.

"You have completed the second trial. Move onward to the final trial.", says the mysterious voice again.

The group again looks around to see where the voice came from, but found nothing.

"Let's go, Sandy must be close-by now.", says Daring.

The group goes through the hallway right away. Spike is left behind, and noticed the group went ahead.

"Hey guys, wait up!", shouts Spike.

As Spike tries to catch up, he hit something on the floor which felt like a button. Spike is then swallowed up by a pitfall that opens up beneath him as he screams falling down.
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-3rd Trial-

The group moves on to the final trial room, where the room is just blank as can be. It is just a blank room, nothing out of the ordinary. The hallway closes behind them and the group waits for something to happen.

"There's nothing in here. It's just a blank room.", says Twilight.

"Pretty underwhelming if you ask Trixie. Maybe the Tribe ran out of ideas?", questions Trixie.

"It seems rather odd.", says Daring.

When she is looking around, she notices that Spike wasn't in the room, "Hey! Where's Spike?".

Twilight and Trixie noticed this too and panic.

"Oh no, did he get left behind in the last room?", panics Twilight.

The room then rumbles and shakes. The floor beneath them gives way, and forces the ponies to the center of the room. The only place left standing is the center of the room, where the group realizes they're on a pillar. Below them several feet down, is a bubbling green liquid pool, which is surrounding them completely.

"Acid! Nopony move!", shouts Daring.

Below them near the pool of acid, they hear a cry for help. It sounds like two voices crying out at the same time. The group looks down, and sees.....Spike and Sandy on a smaller and lower pillar!

"Spike! Sandy!", the group calls out.

"Twilight, Daring, Trixie! Help us get off of this!", calls out a scared Spike.

"Hold on, I'll levitate you both off.", says Twilight. The room shakes, and the pillar Spike and Sandy are on gets closer to the acid.

"Stop Twilight! If you do that, they get closer to the acid!", warns Daring.

"I understand Sandy, but can't Spike be burned?", questions Trixie.

"I may be a dragon that can resist lava, but I can still be burned by acid!", shouts Spike.

"Then how do we get you out?", questions Twilight.

"You must solve my riddle.", calls out the mysterious voice.

The group looks around and sees a pony dressed in old robes. The robes are odd looking and they can't make out his mane, coat, or eye color. What made him stand out was the fact he was see through, like a ghost.

"Who are you?", angrily says Daring.

"I'm the spirit guardian that protects the sacred gem from unworthy hooves. If you wish to obtain it and leave here alive, you must solve my riddle.", says the spirit.

"What riddle?", questions Trixie.

"If you wish to obtain this sacred treasure, you must solve my riddle. Fail, and your friends fall to their doom, and you with them.", says the spirit.

The group ponders on their options and try to think of a solution.

"Honey Do, please help us, I need you!", cries out Sandy.

Daring then makes the decision for the group.

"We have no choice. We'll solve your riddle.", says Daring.

"Very well.", says the spirit in a gravely tone.

The group readies themselves for the riddle they are about to be asked.

"The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?", says the spirit.

The group is confused by this and only get one guess, or else they fall to their doom. Only Twilight walks up and speaks the answer without hesitation.

"A coffin.", says Twilight.

The spirit is surprised, as is the entire group along with Spike and Sandy.

"How did you know the answer so easily?", says the spirit.

"Puzzles and quizzes are my specialties. That was too easy to solve.", happily says a smiling Twilight.

The spirit vanishes as he says, "You are worthy of our sacred treasure. Move onward and claim your prize."

The spirit then completely vanishes. The room then brings Spike's and Sandy's pillar up and the floor back to the room. Then the tiles of the room suddenly reappear with a bright flash and restores the room to its former state. Then the final hallway appears in front of the group. Sandy runs over to Daring crying and hugging her.

"I'm so sorry Honey. I just wanted to be useful to you for once instead of being a nuisance. I tried to get to the chamber. When I went down the first hallway, a trap door opened up and brought me to this room on that pillar. I'm very, very, very sorry.", cries and sobs Sandy.

Daring wants to be mad and shout at her for making a stupid decision, but couldn't have the heart to do it. Instead she hugged Sandy back and comforted her.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that before.", calmly says Daring.

Daring lets Sandy go. Then goes to the doorway towards the lair of the Soluna Stone.

"Let's go everypony, the Soluna Stone is straight ahead.", says Daring.

The group, now followed along by Sandy and Spike, move on towards the chamber of the Soluna Stone.
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-Antechamber-

They finally arrive at the antechamber where the stone is being held. As they enter the room, the first notable thing is a pedestal on top of a tower, with stairs leading to the top. At the top of the pedestal, lies the Soluna Stone. The torches in the room light the gem up and have it sparkle like the night sky, and the glow of the morning sun.

"We finally have made it. Finally no more troubles!", gleefully says Spike.

As if by bad luck, somepony speaks up.

"Yes, for us!", says a voice behind them.

The group looks behind them and see two figures. Instead of another spirit, they are visible.

"We will be taking the stone from you all.", says the same figure.

They step into the light, and the figures are of a griffon, and a red unicorn. They're both covered in robes and could barely make of their appearance other than what race they are.

"Who're you?", questions Twilight.

"Soon to be very rich individuals!", says the unicorn.

Author's Note:

Whew, my longest chapter yet. I wanted to get to the antechamber in this chapter instead of doing each trial by chapter. Next chapter is the finale!

Comments

[TheDerpyOutcast]

[touileasaso]

So...who are those guys at the end? Ah, you'll reveal it to us at the end.

I'll be looking forward to the finale.

[Skyeheart]

I'd replace man with pony, for universal sake. Also, the dialogue between the ponies was a little confusing to discern who was talking at the beginning of the chapter.

[ShadowLDrago]

Should be interesting to see who the griffin and unicorn are and to see them get their flanks kicked!