> A Life of Love and Adventure > by Israel Yabuki > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Preparing For Adventure > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Life of Love and Adventure Written by Israel Yabuki Edited & Co-written by NineTailBeastBall You’re one of those lucky guys who never took life for granted and lived a life of adventure most of your life with your mom and dad. They didn’t take you to school like normal parents do. Then again, who needed school when you could learn so much about the world first hand? Once every 2 or 3 months, your parents would take you to places either inside the United States or outside the country. Some children would give away their favorite toys or video games to be in your position. Unfortunately, your near perfect life didn’t last long. By the time you were 17 and a half, while you and your parents were exploring an Egyptian tomb, your father ended up getting caught in the middle of a cave-in and hurt his foot. The good news was he survived the disaster, bad news because of the misfortune your parents decided to end their journeys around the world. It wasn’t that your father was scared of the cave-in, in fact, he’s dealt with his fair share of cave-in’s before. But there was something different about this one that really shook him up. He spent weeks in the hospital rambling about a “mummy’s curse” and “swarming locusts.” It had taken him 2 or 3 months to fully regain his sanity back, but at least now he was doing okay and he wasn’t going crazy anymore. As for you, you found another way to travel around the world. Even though you suffered had a few bumps on the way, you eventually decided to follow your new dream as a racer. It came as no surprise to you to know that your mother was worried about this new career of yours, but both she and your father still supported you. The money wasn’t an issue in a way, but there were a few downsides when you made it. To make a long story short, there were a few artifacts you had to sell back to the places where you and your parents got them. These artifacts were originally meant to be kept safe from greedy treasure hunters, but not everything can be kept from harm forever. It was tough decision to make, but they still did it for your sake. They even used the extra money to get you this amazing car they thought you might like. However these cars are so rare, it’s more likely to find them in video games than in real life. It was a 1997 red Honda NSX-R LM. Once they showed you the vehicle, you exploded with joy. As much as you wanted to test out your new car, you had to wait for the start of your debut as a racer. At the ripe young age of 18, you won total of 4 races out of 5 in about half a year. You decided to put your career on hold when you reached the age of 20. Your mother was struck with an illness that needed treatment right away. With the money you earned from your previous winnings, you paid for her treatment and waited for a while before your mom could get back on her feet. Once she made a full recovery, you resumed your career as a racer. Right now you were 25 and competing in a big race as you aimed to win the worldwide championship. However, the competition was a whole lot more intense. Most of the racers you were ahead of were either rookies or seasoned veterans. But there was only one season veteran ahead of you and this guy was anything but an honorable racer. How do you know this? Simple, he rammed his car onto yours and caused you to slip and slide through the grass. You were never the type of guy to resort to racing dirty just to get back at this particular cheater. Instead, you countered his dirty tactics by speeding past the other racers and coming up to the lead racer neck-in-neck. Once again he tried to run you off the track by ramming your car. But this time, you pulled back in time for him to slam against the wall. You took this opportunity to go full throttle and speed past him. Victory was almost certain. Almost... As you neared the finish line, the dirty driver behind you causes you to swerve out of control, which surprisingly takes him along with you. Your cars swerved and slammed against the road until your car was pinned underneath his. From inside your car, you can see the flag man wave the checkered flag and the announcer shouting your name, which meant you won the race. But there was no time to celebrate. Needless to say, the car crash did a number on your body. You felt so sore, you could barely crawl out. You unbuckle your seatbelt and crawled out of the crushed vehicle. Blood was trickling out of your leg. You struggled to get yourself up, but then you hear the sounds of tires screeching and the people watching from the seats screaming. You look to your left and a car about to run smack into you. Instead of showing fear, you closed your eyes and braced yourself for impact. All too quickly, everything went black and the screams and tires screeching silenced. At the moment, all you could see was darkness. You couldn’t hear, smell or feel anything. Your body was weightless and seemed to drift off further and further into the void. You had no idea how long you’ve been drifting throughout the endless abyss, however this state of mind didn’t last much longer. You opened your eyes and immediately saw the beautiful clear sky up above. You were, for some strange reason, lying down in a dirt path. You check your surroundings and noticed you weren’t at the race track, but in a jungle, instead. While you were indeed confused as to how you got here, you couldn’t help smiling as being in a jungle brought back so many memories. No dangerous animals in particular seemed to be around, only the sounds of insects and frogs. However, you quickly stood corrected as a growling rang into your ears along with the rustling from the nearby bushes. Shakily you turned to the said bushes to see a large tiger was eying you with a hungry gaze. “Crap...” you muttered, too scared to decide whether or not you should run. The tiger hunches back, ready to pounce. Back home whenever you had these kinds of problems while exploring, you always had a tranquilizer gun ready. Evidently, you were completely vulnerable. No weapons, no bait, no hope for survival. You got back onto your feet and took a step back from the large, salivating predator. Even though you were unarmed you weren’t just going to sit there and let yourself be devoured. You kept your eyes locked on the striped carnivore, circling it. You kept your breathing steady, making sure it didn’t shake so it wouldn’t sense your fear. From the moment the tiger found the moment to pounce, you went straight towards it and rolled underneath it to avoid getting caught by its sharp claws. Once out of its range, you turned to look at the giant hungry feline. It’s tail wagged, which wasn’t a good sign. It locked its eyes back onto you. It once again tried to lock its claws on you and it almost did. But you barely manage to move underneath it and only lost your shirt. You regained your footing and threw off the ripped up shirt. You backed up, which was a big mistake as you ended up trapping yourself against a tree. There was no escape and the tiger was too close for you to try another dodge roll. All you could do was stare into the eyes of your killer with determination. Just when your death was almost eminent, the tiger was knocked to the side by a strange creature you’ve never seen before. You gaze at you savior and noticed she wasn’t a human, but a humanoid horse. Her fur seemed brownish gold and had magenta-colored eyes. Her mane was a mixture of black with grey streaks. She wore a safari hat that seemed to go well with her green shirt and brown shorts, which seemed to reach only her thighs. Her feet resembled hooves and she had a proud and strong pair of wings. Walking up to you, the horse lady offered you her hand, which you took gratefully. “Thanks for saving my hide. I really thought I was gonna get eaten for sure,” you said. “Glad to know you’re okay, but I didn’t expect that I’d be rescuing a human in this neck of the woods, plus, you seem to be feeling calm for someone who’s talking to a pony like me,” she said with a smile, quirking her eyebrow. “W-What did you say you were?” you asked with your eyes widening. “A pony, what of it?” she asked somewhat amused. At this point, you thought you were going crazy. “Either I’m hearing things, or that car might have bashed my brains out,” you said, gripping your head. “What do you mean, did you end up in a crash or something?” “In a way, yeah. But at least there wasn’t any pain after that. Although, I kinda miss my parents,” you said as you look up at the sky. The jungle hadn’t completely blocked out the view of the clouds in the sky. “So, what’s the story? Are they resting in peace, is one or both of them doing time?” she asked. You actually chuckled a little bit since she kind of jumped to conclusions. “No, they’re alive and healthy. Though I’m not so fortunate, at least back where I came from,” you said, rubbing the back of your head. “Well, why don’t you follow me back to my house and you can tell me all about it there.” “Eh, sure, why not? It beats having to wait for another predator to come and eat my carcass,” you shrugged. She chuckled and patted you on the shoulder. With the safari mare’s help, you managed to exit the jungle without coming across any more predators and eventually found a nice little house. You wondered if she’s been in this jungle on numerous occasions. Another thought crossed your mind when you and her reached the door. “Sorry for asking this, but what’s your name?” you asked. “Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I technically have two names as my pen name is A.K. Yearling,” she said, unlocking the door. She walks into the house and you went inside with her. You take a look at the house admiring the decor. “So what is your real name?” you asked. “Daring Do. That’s who I really am and I’m no longer hesitant to admit it,” she answered her tone changing to one full of pride. “Daring Do, huh? That’s a neat name. A.K Yearling is cute, but I like Daring Do better. Makes you sound like a total badass,” you complimented, making her chuckle. “But tell me, is there a reason why you have two names you go by?” “Like I said before A.K.Yearling is a pen name. These days I usually just use it when I’m publishing a new book featuring my adventures as an explorer,” she explained. This definitely caught your interest. “An explorer you say?” you asked. “Yeah, I go around collecting artifacts and bringing them to safer places. I’ve had to jump through numerous hoops just to keep them away from this evil pony called Dr. Caballeron. Normally, I handle these adventures on my own, but it was thanks to my brand new friend, Rainbow Dash who taught me that there’s no harm in asking for help,” Daring explained. You were surprised how much you had in common with this mare. She’s an explorer exactly like how you were at one time. Of course, that was all before you went to pursue your career as a professional racer. “Guess you must have had quite the adventures. Does this “Dr. Caballeron” guy still try to give you trouble, or has he finally stopped being a literal “gold digger?” you asked. You honestly didn’t expect that Daring would find the joke to be as funny as she did and were slightly taken aback from how loud she laughed. “I haven’t seen him since he was chased out of Somnambula, but I don’t think I’ve heard the last of him. Troublemakers like Cabelleron always return sooner or later,” she sighed. “If he does, that’ll be another story for me to write for my fans out there... especially Rainbow Dash. She can’t get enough of my stories” “Wow, sounds like this “Rainbow Dash” is a real diehard fangirl,” you said with a chuckle. “Now that I’ve got my story out of the way, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself? You told me you were in a crash before you got here, right?” she asked. “To be honest, I was hoping you would have an explanation as to what I’m doing here. True, I did die in an crash, but it wasn’t an ordinary one. You see, back home, I used to be a young adventure. But due to an accident with my dad, I pursued a different career. I was a professional racer who had a pretty decent winning streak.” you explained. “Really? So then, what happened at your last race. You told me you got in a crash, but do you mind giving me more details?” Daring asked. “Sure, I don’t see why not. See, on my last race, I was aiming for the world championship trophy, but there was another racer who was after it just like I was. But he used dirty tricks to run me off coarse. I was coming up on the finish line and then suddenly, the dirty racer tried to once again run me off coarse. He got me, but I also took him down with me. Karma’s a bitch to anyone who fights dirty,” you explained more. “I won the race, but my car was a wreck. I crawled out and then that’s when one of the other speeding racers crashed into me, even though they tried to stop.” “Ouch! I’m sorry you had your accident. You’re not too sour about losing your trophy, are you?” You sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “It was a pain at first, but then I remember something this old man back at my world once said: It’s just an empty cup,” you joked once again. Daring rolled her eyes, but still let out a short chuckle. “If I may change the subject, how did you know I was a human?” you asked. “Oh, right! I forgot to tell you. Before you arrived here in Equestria, this was a world mostly inhabited by ponies and other mythical creatures not originally found in your world. But lately for a few years now, humans have been getting pulled from your world to ours. And because of how many have been showing up, we now treat them like they’re one of us. Some ponies are okay with it, some aren’t.” “Evidently, you don’t mind,” you theorized. “Not one bit,” she said walking over to ruffle your already messy hair a little bit. “Anyway, feel free to make yourself at home, I’m gonna see what I can come up for my brand new story,” she said, nudging her hat over her eyes a bit. “Although… now that I think about it, I did end up saving you from a tiger earlier, so maybe you can come along with me,” You gave it some thought, and were unsure whether to accept or deny her offer. “Well, it has been a long time since I last went on a journey and my adventurous instincts are aching for another journey. On the other hand, I’ve got this itch in my hands to take the wheel and race some more, but I know that’s probably impossible,” you said, stroking your chin. With a sigh, you glance at Daring Do and nod. “Alright, Daring. I’ll tag along. After all, I’ve been dying to make my triumphant return!” you said, confidently, before blushing from your little outburst. “You know what, I like you. I can tell we’re gonna have a blast,” she said, patting you on the back. You had no problem taking walks and it was a good thing too, as Daring planned to have the two of you travel quite far. It had been a few years since you last walked this long. But in order to progress any further with the real adventure, you and Daring Do stopped at a local town out in the middle of a desert. One thing was for sure, though. The ponies in the village would give you friendly smiles and wave at you. Well, either that, or they were just waving at Daring Do. “Hey, Daring. Nice to see you again!” one village pony said. “Is he a friend of yours?” she asked staring at you with great interest. “Yeah, we’re about to go on our first journey together. We just stopped for supplies,” Daring replied. “Daring, when you said the ponies here knew about humans, you never told me they were this welcoming,” you whispered. “Yeah, they're a friendly bunch, but keep in mind, not all ponies are familiar with humans,” she reminded. “I’ll keep that in mind,” you nodded, before giving the village ponies a friendly wave. At least no one was shouting insults at you. While it was indeed hot due to being in a desert, this village was quite beautiful. Both the temperature and the environment brought back so many memories of your previous adventures with your mother and father. You stopped as you spotted an impressive statue of a pony in egyptian clothing with a blindfold covering her eyes. It was easy to see she was female due to some of her “feminine” features. “Impressive, isn’t it?” Daring spoke up, reverting your attention back to her. “I remember I accidentally broke this statue once.” “Who is this?” you asked. “Her name is Somnambula. In addition to being the namesake of this village, she is recognized as a hero who long ago saved her fellow ponies from a tyrannical sphinx who demanded their crops and captured Prince Hisan, the pharaoh’s son. She rescued the prince by answering a hard riddle given to her by the sphinx,” Daring explained. “Well, shit. Talk about heroic. So what’d the freaky sphinx do then?” you asked. “As enraged as the sphinx was that it lost the challenge, it became even more enraged when it lost to Somnambula a second time. Nonetheless as agreed, the sphinx was never to be seen or heard from ever again.” Gazing at the heroine’s statue for at least 10 more seconds, you lost interest and allowed Daring to guide you to your next destination. It was still a long journey, so now is the time to stock up on some food supplies. The only problem was that you didn't know if your currency was the same as this world’s. “Uh Daring,” you began, getting the pegasus’ attention. “It’s embarrassing that I didn’t ask this before, but what do you use for money around here?” you asked. “Oh yeah that's right, I never explain that to you, did I?” She reached into her bag and pulled out a single gold coin. “These coins we call “bits” are what we use as our currency. Rest assured, this village may be old but they use these, as well,” she said with a chuckle. Given that you're still not familiar with this place, you stood by Daring Do most of the time while you were in the village. You hoped that you and Daring would find everything you need in this village. Unfortunately, something told you that it wasn’t gonna happen in just one day. You paid the mare who unlike Daring didn’t have any wings, but rather a horn. You didn’t need anyone to tell you that she was a unicorn. Giving you the same look as the other villagers, the mare gave you a bag of fresh fruit and vegetables. “Thank you,” you said, being friendly. The mare just nods and puts on a kind smile. Now that you have the food it was time to hit the road. Thinking of what awaited you on your imminent adventure, you were slowly losing the ability to care what the villagers thought of you. “So do we leave right now or what?” you asked peering into the bag containing your fresh food. “Almost. We just need to get some sleeping bags, lanterns and some pots and pans. It’s easy to find things in a town you’re so familiar with,” she said with a wink. It didn’t take even five minutes for Daring to lead you to the store for kitchen supplies. The store owner, unlike the previous pony you saw at the food stand, was neither a pegasus or a unicorn. He may or may not just be an ordinary pony like the ones back home, minus the ability to talk, of course. On the bright side, he also greeted you and Daring Do with a friendly smile. “Well, if it isn’t the lovely hero who chased out Caballeron,” he said. This sudden praise caused Daring to blush a little, much to your amusement. “I think he forgot to mention “cute,” am I right, Daring?” you asked. She turned to you with her puffed up cheeks and stomped on your foot. You bit your lip hard as you groaned from the pain. “That smarts!” you exclaimed. “Well, that's what you get for calling me “cute”,” she retorted, smirking. Getting no kind of retort from you, she turned her attention back to the store owner. “It’s been a few months since my last visit. Has there been any news on Cabelleron and his stallion stooges?” she asked. “So far, that shady stallion hasn't shown his face around here. Because you exposed him and his crew, he’s well despised by the town. It would be quite unlikely, but if he ever shows up, we’ll let you know right away,” he assured. “Good to know. Now, how about we get some cooking supplies for our food supplies?” she asked, turning towards you. You nodded and walked around the store with Daring, looking for the right kinds of cooking supplies you'll need. Believe it or not, you know for a fact that some fruits and vegetables are best eaten cooked. You looked forward to the meals you would be having for the big adventure. After getting all the necessary supplies you and Daring needed, you were both just about to leave the village. However, something didn't seem quite right... Seems not many ponies come around this part of the village. The only thing that seemed to be on this street was a few hotels that went out of business. In between some of the buildings were some dark alleyways that sent chills down pretty much anyone’s spine. Part of you was telling you to get out of there as quick as possible. Likewise, Daring also felt uneasy as she glanced around this unfamiliar part that you so carelessly walked into. You can tell judging by the way her eyes keep shifting from left to right. “Okay that’s it, let’s get out of here. I’m getting goosebumps just being here,” you said flatly. “Right behind you p-” Daring said, before she’s cut off. Your eyes widen and you turn to see her being dragged into an alley. The perpetrator was a middle-aged stallion. While he had neither a horn nor wings, he was quite muscular with a bandana over his mouth and a piece of cloth held over Daring’s mouth. “Hey! What do you think you’re d-” you too didn’t get the chance to finish as something hit you in the back of the head. Falling to your knees, the sounds of menacing chuckles filled your ears before you collapsed. > Dr. Caballeron's Revenge > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regardless of how long you were unconscious, you were brought back to reality by a hard smack to your face. “Dammit, that hurts!” you exclaimed. You shook your head and opened up your eyes, though your eyesight was still blurry. “Alright who’s the wise guy that knocked me upside the head?” when your vision finally became clear, you noticed a couple of stallions looking down at you laughing. You looked around to see you weren't in the village anymore. Instead, you’re in the middle of the forest tied up along with Daring Do. “Good work, gentlecolts. I never thought I’d see the day where we would capture the great Daring Do THIS easily!” a slightly deeper voice laughed. It was easy to assume he was the boss. The thugs made way as a new stallion walked up to you and Daring. His fur was a light shade of brown while his mane was black. His style of clothing reminded you of a mafia gang member, as opposed to his menacing expression, he was a well-dressed individual in a nice tuxedo. Many gold rings decorated his right set of fingers, matching his single gold tooth. “You can take off the gag. I actually want to hear what Miss Do has to say for herself,” he said. A dark green stallion complied with his orders and roughly yanked the cloth from Daring’s mouth. Finally free from the gag, she coughed violently and glared at our captors. “As much as I hate this, I’m not even remotely surprised to see that you’re behind this Cabelleron!” she snarled. This information immediately processed into your mind. “So you’re Dr. Caballeron,” you said, then decided to crack a joke. “I'm disappointed. I thought you were some head honcho out for money and power, not some circus freak in a monkey suit,” you said with an equal amount of venom. Dr. Caballeron only glared at you for a few seconds before he returned his attention to Daring Do. Mockingly he cupped her chin before he grinned again. “My dear Daring, surely you realize that after all the times you foiled my plans, humiliated me and ruined my dreams, I can no longer let you live. And it's such a shame I have to get rid of such a beautiful desert flower,” he said, stroking her chin. Unfortunately for him, before he could pull away, Daring quickly bit down on his thumb. You smirked as Cabelleron shouted in pain and tried to free his hand. Eventually he succeeded and fell to the ground looking at his now bleeding thumb lividly. “Touch me again and I’ll go for your pinky finger, you slimeball!” she yelled spitting at the ground in disgust. “Make all the jokes you want. Very soon you won’t be able to talk at all,” Cabelleron said as he got back on his hooves. “Take her and her pitiful little friend here to the densest part of the forest so we can dispose of them! Afterwards, we’ll move onto the next plan.” You were pulled up to your feet by Cabelleron’s lackeys who had the bandana over his mouth. They roughly shoved you forward before he walked up with the rest of the goons. The whole time you and Daring were being forced to walk further into the forest, you tried to come up with a plan to break free from the ropes that binded your hands. There were many kinds of rocks and other objects along the path, but your captors kept a close eye on you as you were pushed every 5 or 10 second. Halfway through, you “accidentally” tripped and fell on the ground. The stallion in front of you turned around and looked down at you with an annoyed expression. “Hey, get up!” he commanded. The fall hurt only a little, but then he kicked you so hard, you rolled to the side and gripped a sharp rock behind you before barely getting back on your feet. Before they saw what you picked up, you quickly shoved it underneath your back pants. It was too risky shove it in your back pocket, so this was the only way to hide it. You finally arrived at your destination and once there, you and Daring were forced to sit down on the ground. Dr. Caballeron and his goons stared down at you and Daring with sinister grins. Meanwhile, you made sure to cut the ropes quickly, but made sure they didn't catch up on your plan. “How I’ve longed to finally have this day. The day where I would finally get rid of you for all the trouble and humiliation you’ve caused me. Getting the villagers of Somnambula to hate you was satisfying when it lasted, but now it's not enough. I'll never be satisfied unless I get rid of you once and for all!” he laughed before looking at you. “And since your friend here is a witness, I’m afraid he has to die as well.” After speaking his true intentions, he becomes blinded by his insanity and laughs and to no surprise, his subordinates joined in. Taking advantage of the situation, you passed Daring the rock you picked up earlier and she quickly caught on. She quickly took it and made sure to cut through her ropes as much as she could. Who knows how long it’ll be before they get done with their laughing. Unfortunately... “HEY!!!” Dr. Caballeron shouted. You gasped and looked over at him and his goons. They all had their eyes on your hand. Needless to say, they now know you used a sharp rock to break free from the ropes. “Well, like dad always said: when faced with danger, give ‘em a smile and a good old-fashioned beat down!” you said, before lunging at the goons. In addition to taking you on many adventures, your father had spent many years teaching you lessons in the art of combat. Now was as good a time as any to test your fighting skills in your first opponent here in this new land. And your first target was the stallion who knocked you out. This time it was his turn to fall unconscious. Jumping into the air to avoid the other thugs, you landed in front of your desired target and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. The stallion got knocked off his hooves and fell on his side, out cold after one kick. Daring Do held her own ground just as well as you did. Only she's dealing with two of Dr. Caballeron’s goons. One of them was knocked down after a knee drop to the gut and a crotch kick. Desperate not to end up like his partner, the second stallion swung fiercely at Daring from behind. Sadly for him, even without turning around Daring lowered her head to dodge the strike before kicking the fool in the shin. He wasn’t given time to shout before the mare brought her head backward striking his snout. To finish the job, she flapped her wings, flew up a bit and struck him with multiple spin kicks, knocking him out. Only one left was Cabelleron who by this point was attempting to make a run for it. You and Daring chased after him. For an earth pony, he’s got some real speed. Sadly, speed isn’t always gonna be the key to victory in this kind of situation, maneuvering can be handy in times like this. “What’s the matter, Dr. Caballeron, afraid to fight us like a real stallion?” Daring called out. “This is not over yet, Daring Do! I will take you and your little friend down one of these days! I swear it!” he yelled, still running like the coward he was. The chase went on for a few minutes until Daring Do free worried when Dr. Caballeron ran inside of an old temple she explored some time ago. “Hey, Daring, what's up? You look kinda worried right now,” you said noticing how focused she’s suddenly become. “New plan, we gotta get him outta that temple, or it’s gonna collapse on top of him! I grabbed an artifact from there some time ago and had it sent to a museum. The whole temple’s unstable because I got into a brawl with Dr. Caballeron and his goons in there. Come on, there’s no time to lose!” she exclaimed, dashing off into the temple. “Right behind ya!” you shouted picking up the pace and trying not to fall behind. Following Daring Do’s instructions, you continued to run as fast as you could, while at the same time, keeping your eyes peeled. You’ve traveled into temples before and you suspected that there are still a few traps set up somewhere inside. One wrong move and you could set one off. And with the shape them temple is in now, you can’t afford to make a mistake. Looking left and right this temple was indeed an old one, which made it all the more unstable. You hoped you could quickly find and grab Dr. Caballeron and get out of here. “A little lost are we?” You looked up to see an opening in the temple’s ceiling. The miserable thug had somehow made it all the way towards the hole and was now laughing at your predicament as he looked down at you. “Hey, how the hell did you get up there? Come on down here and put up your dukes, or are ya too chicken to fight head-on?” you taunted. “Ooh that sounds fun,” he mocked. “However it would be much more satisfying to see how far you're willing to go just to try and stop me! So why not follow me outside the temple and we'll have our fight. That is... if you're too chicken to do so!” “Not a problem!” Daring said, confidently. She then looks over at you. “Grab my hand, this is gonna get a little bumpy!” she instructed. Nodding you did as she told you and held onto her hand tightly. With some difficulty, she extended her wings and managed to lift you both off the ground. Dr. Caballeron reacted a bit faster than you both anticipated as he took one of the boulders and closed off the exit. Daring just barely stopped in time before she collided with the ceiling. “Now what?” you asked. It wasn’t long before a piece of rubble landed on your head. “Holy bug in a pizza box!” “Just hold tight, we're gonna find another way outta this place, but we gotta move fast, this place is gonna fall apart!” Daring replied. Right on cue, she dived down and flew straight down the dark halls of the temple, dodging as many traps and pitfalls as she possibly could. Meanwhile, you kept a tight grip on her hand, considering how fast she was flying. Soon, Daring could almost see the outside and picked up the pace. But then, just as you feared, a large piece of debris fell, this time, landing on Daring’s left wing. “AAAH!” she screamed in pain and the two of you fell onto the ground due to her disabled wing. Fortunately, you got back up shortly afterwards and went to help Daring. “Hold still, I’ll get this off of you!” you said, trying to lift it. The debris was heavier than you thought it would be, but you didn’t concede. “Forget it, you gotta stop Caballeron, or he’ll get away! There’s no sense in both of us dying while that scumbag lives!” Daring protested. “Shut up, I’m not leaving without you!” you shouted still trying to move the rock. “Don't be an idiot! Just do as I say and go after him, I’ll be fine!” she insisted. It wasn’t even remotely convincing. “I told you to shut up! I’m not gonna let you die like my dad almost did! I'll break my own bones if it means we make it out safely!” Hearing that, Daring stopped protesting and her mouth was left open. And with those words, you summed up all of your strength and finally managed to lift the debris. Then, you threw it out of the way before carrying Daring Do out just in time before the temple finally crumbled from the inside and fell apart. You let out a breath of relief as you saw that all that remained were heaps of rubble and dust scattered everywhere. Looking around, it seemed that Cabelleron did indeed escape. “That damn bastard got away,” you scowled, kicking a small piece of debris. However, your luck quickly began to turn when you hear the sound of Dr. Caballeron shouting somewhere in the northeast of the forest. “Bingo!” you exclaimed. You would make sure this whole abduction scheme would not go unpunished. “Come on Daring, let’s get that overgrown freak show in a monkey suit and bring him in!” It was so fortunate that her only injury was her wing, but ever since you freed her she hasn’t said anything. You simply assumed it was because she was still trying to cope with her injured wing. As you cracked your knuckles, you and Daring were walking closer and closer to Caballeron and his lackeys and they still haven’t noticed your presence. What’s more is that his hench-ponies still had yet to recover from their earlier beating. Too bad there in for another one. You gestured Daring to follow you. Evidently she had a high pain threshold, as she managed to ignore the damage done to her wing as you moved through the forest and moved up closer to the hench ponies. Once you got close enough, you tapped one of the them on the shoulder. He quickly turned around, only to get surprised when he sees you and hear these words. “G’day mate!” you said before you punched him square in his already damaged face. Seeing how he was out like a light, you moved to your next target. Amazed at how you were still alive, Cabelleron and the other stallions could only shake in fear and let out loud screams as you advanced toward them. The beating took a little longer than you thought, but Dr. Caballeron and his goons were finally dealt with and you were pretty worn out while Daring was still hurt. Giving them a taste of their own medicine, you made sure to tie them up only difference is that there was nothing sharp that they could pick up. It was a bit of a long walk to the nearest town and because of the fight, you were too worn out to walk fast. Nonetheless, you did make it before Daring’s wounds became infected. After some time passed, Dr. Caballeron and his goons were arrested and carted off to prison while you took Daring to a hospital. Thanks to the doctor’s treatment, she would be able to recover within a few weeks or so. You sat by her bed the entire time, relieved that she would be able to fly again. From the little time you had to escape that temple, things could have been much worse. “Hey, we make a pretty great team. Sorry if I screwed up at the temple,” you said. “Don't be sorry. You saved me or rather... you saved us,” she replied with a smile.   “Even so... I feel kinda guilty after what happened with you,” you said with a sigh. “At least the doctors said you’ll recover within a few weeks.” “True, but right now, there’s something I want to tell you...” she spoke softly, followed by her cheeks unexpectedly turning red. “This is a bit sudden, but… when you went back to free me from the fallen debris, I was shocked. You didn’t even care that you might get injured or even killed. “Are... Are you trying to say what I think you are?” you asked. Daring let out a small chuckle in response to your shock. “Yeah. As I just said it’s sudden, but... I think I’ve developed a bit of a crush on you. It's rare that I find a guy like you: full of bravery and confidence and have a strong love for a great big adventure.” “To be honest, when I first went on my very first worldwide adventure back home, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But over the years, I developed a love of adventure, getting to know the ways of many lands and even facing numerous dangers. After my father’s accident, we had to stop traveling and settle down. But I was too stubborn to stop, so I became pro racer, which to be honest, is what eventually led me here,” you said. “And it’s thanks to you that my spark was truly reignited. So, thanks for everything, Daring.” “It’s kind of funny how things ended up in a short amount of time, but I’m not complaining. At least, not anymore. Now...” Daring paused and gripped you by the shirt collar, pulling you in for a kiss. Your first kiss to be precise. You should have seen this coming, yet this feels just right, so you embraced it and kissed Daring Do back. If you thought the adventure was great before, then you could only imagine what lies in store now. > Passion in the Jungle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You’ve been living in Equestria for about 5 months now and already, your life has become a thrilling one full of adventure with your new marefriend. While of course you’ve had more than enough time to just take it easy in the nice small house the two of you share, there was also time for Daring to write down the adventures she had in her newest book: Daring Do, The Final Stand of Dr. Caballeron. On the day of her book’s release date, Daring Do aka A.K. Yearling expected to get more bad reviews than good, but it was the complete opposite of that. Though the book was shorter than the rest of her novels, the fans found it no less entertaining, especially Rainbow Dash. You remembered how the rainbow-maned mare was one of the first to read Daring Do’s stories when they were released. It came as a surprise to you when she one day stopped by to have the chance to meet you in person. What surprised you more was the fact that she was married to a human who also loved the stories. If that wasn’t enough of a shock, you got another surprise when you discovered they also had a son. It was one thing that the ponies of this universe look humanoid, but you honestly never thought they would be able to cross breed with each other. Switching back to reality, you and Daring Do were camping out in the middle of the jungle. It was nice to see your companion’s wing was as good as new as she flew above you, performing these loop de loops and then a vertical aerial spin before landing on her hooves, expertly. “Quite the show off if I do say so myself,” you said with a smug expression. “Oh shut up, you'd be doing the same thing if your wing was fully healed. You can’t blame me for feeling a little enthusiastic,” she retorted, though you kept that amused look on your face. “A little?” you asked, quirking an eyebrow. Your question did the trick as you noticed an irritated, yet cute blush growing on your marefriend’s face. “Alright, a lot! But you get my point. I’m relieved that I can finally kick back and relax with my main man. Huh, Casus?” You smiled back. “You betcha, Daring. As much as I love adventures, some good old-fashioned relaxation, especially with my favorite pegasus.” With that, you got a little mischievous and tackled the mare, pinning her to the grass. Daring playfully resisted and squirmed in your grasp. She laughed when you smothered her with kisses and nuzzles all over her face. Daring had gotten used you bringing out her cute side every now and then. To think that Rainbow Dash told you when she first met Daring Do, she was an independent and arrogant mare, always wanting to do things on her own. Now, she’s an independent mare at the same time is willing to work and travel with a partner. She can be a bit stubborn sometimes, but you’re willing to put up with it. Eventually Daring got the upper hand and it was your turn to be pinned to the ground. “Ho-ho, someone's feeling dominant tonight, aren’t ya?” you asked, teasingly. “It’s mostly your fault, hot shot. Now zip the lip and pucker up, you sexy beast!” she ordered. You did as you were told and pucker up your lips and braced yourself. Immediately, Daring lowered herself and slammed her lips onto yours hard. You could tell this kiss would be much more... passionate than usual. This is because Daring prodded her tongue against your lips, begging for entry. You complied and opened your mouth, granting her access. In no time at all, Daring invaded your mouth and began pushing her soft tongue against yours, trying to claim dominance. You naturally gave her the opening and allowed her to work her magic on you. Lost in your own little world as you savored the tender moment, you had no idea how long the kiss had lasted. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, as Daring Do finally pulled away of her your lips. You breathed heavily along with Daring, staring at each other's eyes. She looked so beautiful the way she had that alluring look in her eyes. Anyone could see where this was going. As Daring was about to lift up her tank top, you quickly grabbed her hand before she could do anything. “Hang on a sec, Daring. Are you sure you want to go through with this?” you asked still holding her hand. A long silence passed before Daring broke it with both a response and a ruffle of your hair. “Casus, I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't 100% sure I was ready for it. You’re the only one I trust to give me my first time,” she said softly as she began blushing. This time you didn’t stop her from removing her tank top. Even though she's worried a black bra underneath, you can guess her large bust was an E-cup size. While you were still of course concerned with taking your marefriend’s virginity, for now you masked the worry and reached up to give her breasts a good grope. The beautiful pegasus responded with a moan “Mmm, that feels good,” she sighed before letting out a squeak as you suddenly pinched her nipple. You looked at her with surprise, as she’s never made such sounds. Deciding you wanted to hear more of these lovely sounds, you pinched her nipples again. You got what you wanted as she let out another squeak and blushed a bit deeper. All of this excitement took effect on you as well, as you could soon see your pants become tighter. You were the one who was blushing now. “Ooh, someone is enjoying himself,” she giggled as she looked at the large tent between your legs with wonder. “How about we give this little guy some air, shall we?” she asked licking her chops. The question was obviously rhetorical as she didn’t waiting for an answer before she reached and roughly pulled your pants off. Suddenly she’s become quite aggressive and hungrily gazes down at your large shaft. “Ready or not, you’re about to get it now. I’m gonna suck the tip off this juicy mushroom,” she hissed. You were partly intimidated by your lover’s mood swing, but you also couldn’t help finding her fiery behavior to be attractive. You decided to be bold. “You really think such a cutie as yourself can handle it?” you challenged, causing the mare to laugh and put on a cocky, yet seductive smile, then lick her lips. “A better question is “can you hold your own against my incredible skills?” she retorted. She began to rub your shaft with her smooth hands. “Let’s find out. Come at me, cutie,” you urged. Looking at your erection as she continued to massage it, Daring leaned down and lightly sucked on the head. You closed your eyes as you received your first blowjob. You sighed blissfully as your body got goosebumps. “Ah yeah! That feels real good!” you moaned loudly. Daring Do chuckled and took in more of your massive length, swirling her tongue in circles around the base before taking it deeper. Obviously, she was determined to show you that she can indeed handle a member of your size. Though she was slow, you were nonetheless impressed as she deepthroats your shaft. You felt shivers coursing through your body. As she relaxed her throat, Daring made things even better by moaning, sending vibrations up your spine. Reaching out with a shaky hand, you grabbed her wild, messy mane, marveling how it felt like touching silk. Her wings flapped gracefully and wildly up and down like she was having fun. She looked so captivating when she stared at you with her beautiful magenta eyes. But sadly, Daring Do grew impatient and pulled away from your shaft, much to your disappointment. “Hey, why’d you stop?” you asked. “Shush. I tasted you, now you have to do the same for me!” she demanded as she hastily stripped out of her shorts and panties. Presenting her nice posterior, she lifted her tail and showed off her glistening marehood. This is the first time you’ve ever seen a woman’s... or in this case, a mare’s private spot and it looks so cute. “H-Hurry up!” she yelled and you could tell she was getting embarrassed. You hurried over to the naked pegasus and leaned your face in closer to her slit. You opened your mouth and slurped her outer lips, savoring the sweet juices she produced. It was a magnificent combination of mangoes and watermelons. You wanted more, so you slurped her insides like crazy. Daring Do’s heavy panting and loud moaning was a clear sign she was enjoying the treatment. “O-Oh, buck, t-that feels so damn good! C-Casus, where did you learn to do that?” “Ask no questions, cutie. This is only the beginning of a really long, passionate night,” you replied. Having said that, you went back to eating out her sweet juices from inside her love tunnel. Daring Do felt the same kind of shivers run up her spine as you had not too long ago. But this time, it gets better. You knew Daring was feeling hot and bothered from your skilled tongue, because of how her wings stiffened and sprouted. You slurped and swirled your tongue in the deepest parts of her love cave and massaged her soft, squishy flanks where her cutie marks were located. Daring was in heaven and you had a hunch that she have wished that it would last forever. But it wasn’t to last forever. Just when she was about to press her flank on you, you pulled away. “Hey, what the? Why’d you stop?” “The some reason that you did... to move on to the next step. Now how shall we start off with the main event?” you asked unsure of yourself. While you never had sex before, you know how much taking Daring’s virginity would hurt her. “I got an idea...” Daring said softly. “Sit down.” You weren't sure what she was up to, but you did as you were told and sat down. Daring crawls over to you and sits on your lap while she tries to align herself with your hard rod. “Take... Take your time, don’t be afraid cutie...” you whispered and took her hand. She sighed in relief when you gave her some comfort. Casting aside her worries, she takes a deep breath and sinks down onto your manhood. You grunted when you felt the resistance of her hymen. And then... you felt it. At long last, you had popped her cherry. Neither of you could call yourselves virgins anymore. Daring Do bit her lip, grunting in pain. She had never felt something this painful before. Compared to the time her wing was crushed, this hurt a lot worse. But slowly, she felt herself getting used to your size. Just when you were about to ask if she was okay, that fiery mood of hers returned. Without warning, you were pushed to the grass once again and felt her bounce atop your lap with a lot more energy than you expected. A devious smirk slowly worked its way on her face. “H-How... How’s this C-Casus?!” she asked, shaky and moaning. “W-Whoa! Y-You sure like it rough! I know I do t-too,” you groaned with a smile. Daring then gave quite a hard slam. “Mmph! Hell yeah, that’s what I'm talking about!” Caught up in the excitement, you put your hands on Daring Do’s ass cheeks and squeezed the nice, balanced layer of fat and muscle. Since you too enjoyed doing this rough, you up the ante by pulling her tail. Not too hard to hurt her, just enough to make her lust-crazy and ride you faster. Daring laid herself down and sucked on your neck and mashed her jugs on your bare chest, driving you nuts. Daring moved away from your neck and got down to sucking in your nipples as hard as she was riding you. “F-Fucking hell this feels so good!” you exclaimed loudly. Daring stopped sucking your nipple and looked at you with a smirk before letting out another moan. “No, f-fooling! H-How’d you even get such a h-huge dick... my insides feel like they’re being stretched!” Daring moaned. “I s-said before not to ask questions, c-cutie. In fact...” With your hands still on her rear, you suddenly pull her off. “...I think I have a better position,” you said as you rolled over to lay on your side and patted the grass in front of you, gesturing for her to lay there. Doing what you asked, Daring joined you on the grass and scooted closer until her back was touching your front. Satisfied, you put your shaft back into her tight, wet marehood. “Time for me to take charge,” you said with a playful tone of aggression before reaching around to grab one of her lovely breasts. “I don’t plan on going easy on you cutie,” you warned. “Wouldn’t want it any other way-AH!” she screamed in delight. You had released her breast so you could reach under and lift one of her legs and hammer away at her pussy. Exploiting the other advantages of this position, you did quite the unexpected and began to nibble on one of her ears. Daring yelped. “You... sneaky bastard...! You’re l-lucky you’re so b-bucking good at pleasing this horny mare! G-Guess that’s one of the reasons why I l-love you so much! Oh BUCK!” You moved to chew on her other ear while showing no mercy to her marehood. It was quite naughty and exciting to be having such passionate sex out here in the jungle with your special sweetheart. After all, there’s a small chance that someone would catch you in the middle of the act and the thought thrills you more than anything else. Pulling lightly on her soft ears, it seemed Daring Do was a bit of a masochist. While she was enjoying the pleasurable pain, you got even rougher by grabbing her naked breasts again, squishing and fondling them in circles like a lust-driven animal. Daring Do was squirming and moaning from your aggressive yet pleasurable treatment. She felt like she was being taken on the best ride of her life. Her body felt like it was screaming out loud for you to rut her more. Getting bored of biting her ears, you reached and moved her long mane away from her neck so you could nibble there instead. Aroused as you chose your next biting target, Daring Do’s insides grew wetter, making it easier to slam your rod in deeper. It was truly as if she was being rutted by one of the many kinds of animals she’s fought over the years. “C-Casus, I... I’m g-gonna cum s-soon...!” she stuttered before letting out another cute yelp as you bit her harder. Alas, you no choice but to pull away so you could speak. “M-Me... Me too!” you shouted feeling the pressure in your loins intensifying. You pounded Daring Do with all the power and speed you had left. “G-Get ready for it cutie!” you warned before biting her neck again. “J-JUST SHUT UP... AND BLOW IT ALL INSIDE ME RIGHT NOW!!!” she screamed. You were very surprised at what she had demanded, as surely she was aware what would happen if you did such a thing. “B-But, you’ll end up...” “I’M AWARE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN CASUS, I DON’T CARE IF I END UP GETTING PREGNANT! JUST HURRY UP AND BLOW IT ALL INSIDE ME!!!” she growled, turning her head towards you and kissing you hard. You continued to rut her like a beast until the pressure in your loins was beyond your control, causing you to explode deep into her womb. Still occupying your lips, Daring Do moaned into your mouth with excitement and ecstasy as she felt your seed overflowing inside her. Then, you wrapped your arms around her and held her long enough for your orgasm to finally die down seconds later. Pulling away from her sweet lips, you both were left lying on the grass panting and exhausted. “Oh wow... I... I had no... idea... you were... so good at this,” Daring said between breaths. You chuckled before giving her a peck on the cheek. “Me... Me neither.. I guess I got excited by how... how sexy you are, cutie...” you said pulling her closer. “Are you gonna keep calling me that?” she asked blushing at your compliments. “Why not? You know it’s true. It’s very rare that I fall in love with mare who’s cute, sexy and loves the life of adventure. And you seem to for all those qualities.” Sitting up, you reached over to grab your backpack and pulled out a blanket. You and Daring were probably going to just lay here for a while so you might as well get comfortable. “Listen Daring, did you... did you mean what you said before about getting pregnant?” you asked as you covered yourself and your lover with the blanket. “Look Casus, as much as I enjoy doing what I do, my days as an adventurer can’t last forever. Eventually I’ll either have to pass the torch onto somepony else or settle down and retire completely. Either way, as long as I got you with me, I’m happy no matter what,” she confessed, rubbing your chest. You could see that happy tears were welling up in her eyes. It was obvious that she meant every word of her confession. “Somehow... I feel the same way. Being an adventurer has its ups and downs. Even though I was glad to relive the thrill of an adventure, and with you no doubt, I can’t keep doing this forever. If I gotta settle down, that’s fine with me. After all, we still got our life stories to tell to our kid, or kids.” “Yeah, you bet. Well, we’d best get some rest for tomorrow...” you cut her off “What’s the rush? Look around you, it’s a beautiful night and not a single predator to be found. Let’s just take advantage of this and just watch the stars for a bit,” you insisted. “A-Alright, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to relax. But tomorrow, we’re going to the hospital to get me a check-up. You dumped a whole lot of gum inside me, tonight.” You nod and give her one more kiss on the lips and then softly said, “I love you with all my heart, Daring Do...” “I love ya too, Casus...” No more words were exchanged for the remainder of the night. All that could be heard was the crickets chirping. With the stars twinkling in the night sky, you sighed and cuddled up to your new lover. Then, something occurred to you. Even if you stop traveling on adventures, there would still be one last great adventure you are looking forward to: parenthood. And when your season ends... a new one shall begin.