adventure Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet

[RainbowDash7432 97]

Chapter 1

 

Biting, cold raindrops stung Daring-Do's face, body, and wings as she dove at the speeding train. She lowered her head to shield her face from the elements’ onslaught with her wide-brimmed pith helmet. The red taillight of the train was the only thing she could make out clearly in the pitch blackness of the stormy night.

Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the landscape. The adventuress' eyes widened in terror when she saw the train entering a tunnel, the utter darkness of the passage only slightly contrasting to the rocky mountainside.

The orange pegasus bared her teeth in an determined snarl and pumped her wings even harder, diving in an ever steeper angle toward the entrance. The train disappeared into the tunnel only a few feet before her. She pulled up hard, her hooves scraping along the trail's rocky bed. The dive had left her with a surplus of speed, yet she still needed to summon the last of her strength. Inch by inch she gained on the train, stretching out with her forehooves. Her lungs burned, the smoke from the steam locomotive made her cough, and stung in her eyes. Daring clenched her teeth; she needed to get just a tiny bit closer.

With one final effort the pegasus grabbed the railing at the tail of the train with her hooves, and quickly pulled herself onto the small platform that was the very end of the train. She entered the car through the rear door as quickly as she could, and slammed it shut behind her. Sinking on her hindquarters she allowed herself to catch her breath. With a relived sigh she took her helmet off, and wiped the sweat and rain from her brow.

“Well, look who we have here! If it isn't the infamous Daring-Do, raider of ancient tombs, robber of invaluable artifacts.”

Daring looked up slowly. In front of her sat half a dozen ponies around a table, looking up from a game of cards. Most of them were earth ponies; judging by their rugged looks she took them for hired thugs, here to do the dirty work. But the pony who had spoken up was of a different breed. He was a white coated unicorn with a well trimmed light-green mane. He wore a formal shirt with a red vest, a bow tie of the same color, and a monocle over his right eye.

The adventuress got up quickly, and shook out her grayscale mane, before putting her helmet back on. “I prefer the term archaeologist myself,” she replied with a clever smirk.

The goons stood, and took stance behind the unicorn.

“If you are here for the Stone Head of Highever, I have to disappoint you,” he snapped at the mare. “This is the end of the line!”  

Daring's smile only widened to a grin, her eyes were shining wildly in the gaslight’s illumination. “So you do have the Stone Head on this train, Loaded Dice!”

The unicorn clenched his teeth in anger. “Get her!” he spat, and pointed his hoof at her. His minions were quick to follow his orders and started to close in on her.

Daring's smile faded, her eyes darted around the room frantically, searching for any way out of this mess. She grinned once more when she found one. Without hesitating she threw her sun-helmet into the air with a knock of her head, and caught it in her teeth. She swung her head in a wide arc and let the hat fly through the room like a frisbee.

The goons ducked and followed the projectile with their eyes, until it hit a red valve at the other side of the cart. With a sound of dying flame all the gaslights in the cart went out, leaving the room in total darkness. Chaos ensured as ponies jumped for the adventuress, and stumbled in the dark.

“I've got her!”

“Ahg, my leg!”

“I can't see!”

“What was that?” they shouted as they tried to grapple her.

When Loaded Dice’s horn lit up, he found his minions in a heap, wrestling each other, Daring-Do nowhere in sight. He wheeled around just in time to see the cart’s other door close.

“You fools! After her, quickly!” he yelled, kicking one of the thugs to make them untangle faster.

Daring slammed the door shut and leaned her back against it. A fake simper grew on her face when she noticed she was in a regular passenger cart, and everypony was staring at her. She quickly got back onto her hooves, and kicked over a heavy trunk to block the door with her hindleg. She shot frantic glances left and right; when nopony came to question her behavior or lift the trunk from the door, she started walking down the cart.  

“Hello! Good day! Nice train, isn’t it?” she exclaimed, greeting individual ponies as she passed them. She dared not jump into a gallop, even when rattling and kicking sounded from the door, she had come through. She looked back over her shoulder. For now the door was holding, but it shook and would yield any moment now.

When she turned towards the front of the train again, she almost ran head first into the chest of an enormous stallion. Her eyes widened in shock. Slowly she looked up to his face, gaping in awe.

“Your ticket please,” said the big red earth pony in a deep rumbling voice.

Daring blinked a few times, only now noticing that he was wearing a conductor’s uniform. She hesitated a moment, shifting her legs nervously. “Oh yes, my ticket, of course!” she said, and started rummaging around the many pockets of her olive-green explorer’s shirt. She glanced back at his face time and time again, trying to judge if he was buying the act.

With a sudden crack the door she had come through burst open, spilling five angry thugs into the cart. Daring took a anxious glance over her shoulder. The conductor looked at them in wonder.

The mare quickly jumped into action and snaked past the earth pony. “They stole my ticket! And now they are after me!” she yelled in played panic and dashed for the other end of the wagon.

The conductor looked after her in wonder, then turned around, shoved his hat deeper into his face, and snorted angrily.

When the goons had managed to get back to their hooves, the stallion was already standing above them, looking down at them sternly. “You won't trouble the lady no more!” he hissed, and leaned his head from side to side, making his spine crack. The ponies before him swallowed hard.

Daring made it through the cart and hurried to opened the door to the next one, when she heard a struggle break out behind her. She couldn’t suppress a satisfied chuckle.  

 

The pegasus passed through two more passenger cars without further incident, having lost her pursuers for the moment.  When she came into the third cart however, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Chickens? You’ve got to be kidding me! Why does it have to be chickens?” she moaned unhappily.  

The inside of the cart looked like a farm’s chicken coop. Hens were everywhere, sitting in long rows all along the walls and the floor. Luckily it was night, which meant the animals were fast asleep. Daring swallowed hard. One misplaced step, one loud noise and the cart would turn into a feather filled apocalypse. She gathered her courage and started to sneak through the cart. With slow, deliberate steps, touching the ground with the tip of her hooves first, before gently lowering all of her weight on it, she waded through the chickens, trying not to graze even one feather. Cold sweat stood on Daring#s brow and she bit her lower lip, only a few more steps to the next door.

With a sudden clash the door behind her burst open, and her pursuers dashed though, startling the chickens awake.

Quick as a striking snake Daring whipped her wings and dashed for the far door; she barely made it though before all tartarus broke loose. Chickens clucked, ponies screamed, feathers flew everywhere. She slammed the door shut behind her and leaned back against it to catch her breath.

“This stinks!” she murmured and wrinkled her nose. She had stepped into a cart transporting pigs. “What is this train? A rolling farm?”

 

When Daring finally came out of the last door and onto an open cart, she let out a relieved sigh. Even though it was still raining and the cold wind was tugging her shirt and wings, she allowed herself some well earned rest, and sat on her haunches for a few seconds. Even though her hooves were dirty and her clothing torn in several places, the mare was smiling; for the moment she was just glad to be alive.  

But she quickly got to her hooves, her exhaustion forgotten, when she saw it. Before her lay a giant head, hewn from dark stone. It was at least two ponies high, almost cubic in its shape. Even though it was eroded from countless centuries, Daring could still recognize the stylized contours of an eagle’s head. It was still wrapped in a coarse net that had been used to lift the artifact onto the train.

With slow steps the adventuress walked towards the stone, her eyes big, staring in awe. Carefully she placed one hoof on the surface as if to test if it was real. When it turned out to be solid under her hoof, she hurried, and took out a flashlight from one of her many pockets. Holding it in her mouth, Daring turned it on with her hooves, and waved it a few times to the sky from horizon to horizon, before finally settling on the stone artifact. She squinted her eyes in an effort to make out the tiny details in the torch's light.

The pegasus was interrupted, when the door, she had come through, burst open under the pressure of magical force. Through it came Loaded Dice, sporting an angry snarl. Behind him stood his goons, the five of them black eyed and covered in mud, and feathers, their cloths torn, and their coats rugged.

Daring wheeled around, backflipped onto the stone, and braced herself for a fight, taking a wide stance. She swung her flashlight around, blinding Dice and his minions in turn. They shielded their eyes form the light, but the unicorn used his levitation, took the torch from Daring's mouth, and threw it off the train. His ears shining red with rage. The torch crashed to the ground and died instantly. Having disarmed his adversary the unicorn stepped forward with an arrogant smile.

“I must say I am impressed Miss Do. You actually made it to the Stone Head of Highever. Now, if you would be so kind as to get off my property, and then get off this train immediately, so I won't have to order my ponies to throw you off. The choice is yours.”

Daring stood her ground. “Your property?” she snapped back at him. “You bribed the local authorities to salvage the head from the Temple of the Elements in Highever. You stole it from the Griffons!” While she lectured him, her gaze shifted between Dice, his goons, and the skies above.

The unicorn gave an amused chuckle. “If the Griffons are willing to sell out their history and culture for a few bits it’s hardly my fault.” His smile faded, replaced by an inflexible frown. “The Head belongs to me!”

“It belongs in a museum!” Daring shouted back with fierce determination. It only managed to make Dice chuckle again.

“Oh, and how will you achieve that, Miss Do? You are on your own, outnumbered, and outplayed. Even though you managed to get past us, there is no way you could fly away, or even lift the head on your own!” explained Dice, he and his goons stepping closer with each word, slowly tightening the loop.

The mare paid him no heed; instead she was searching the sky intently. When Dice had finished, she looked down at him again, once more smirking confidently. “Who said I was on my own?”

The loud creaking of tortured metal came from above, it made Dice and his goons look up,  then quickly throw themselves to the ground, and cover their heads with their hooves. An enormous airship came out of a steep dive, pulling up just above the train, the rigid structure of the dirigible whining under the abuse. As it came level with the train its engines roared to life.

Daring caught a thick rope that dangled from the airship’s gondola and hooked it onto the net that held the artifact. She waved her hoof, signaling that she was ready. A torrent of water rushed from the airship like a fall, as the ship dropped several tons of ballast at once. It almost washed Dice and his minions from the train.

Slowly the Stone Head with the pegasus on it started to rise. The noise from the ship's engines became a deafening roar, as it pitched upward and began to climb rapidly into the clouds.

Daring waved at Dice from top of the stone, shooting him a wide, mocking grin.

The Unicorn came to his hooves, foaming with rage. “This isn’t over, Daring-Do! You hear me? I will get you! This isn’t over!” he shouted after her, his voice quickly disappearing in the distance.

When the train faded from view, the pegasus pumped her wings and flew up to the ship’s gondola. A pony had already opened the side door and awaited her in the frame.

Daring flew next to the door and saluted with played seriousness. “Requesting permission to come aboard captain.”

The mare in the frame rolled her eyes, and stepped to the side. “Just get in lass! Save ye antics for somepony who cares,” she answered seemingly annoyed, but couldn’t help but smile at the adventuress' antics. The pegasus flashed her trademark smile, landed through the door, and the green coated earth pony closed it behind her.

“Daring ye old feather-flank! Ye look like a dog chewed on, and spit ya back out!” the captain told her, grinning widely.

“Right back at you Buddeldot, you old scallywag! Good to see you too,” replied Daring.

Both of them stared at each other for a second, then broke out in laughter. The captain put a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder and led her to the ship’s mess.

 

***

 

The next day, they were standing on a grassy field, the ship anchored to a nearby tree. The rain had stopped and Celestia’s sun greeted them with its warm blessings.

The captain took off her wide brimmed black hat and ruffled her unkempt mane of the same color. “So I be right? Ye didn’t get this here rock just to be put in the Canterlot Museum.” she said , watching Daring examine the artifact, that was lying on its side.  

“Uh huh,” the pegasus answered absentmindedly. She brushed over the head's surface with her hoof. Upon noticing a certain spot at the underside, her eyes widened for a second. She pulled forth some paper and a coal pen with haste, and put the paper on the stone. Holding the pen in her mouth, she carefully rubbed over the paper with it's flat side.

Buddeldot put her hat back on her head at an angle, walked over to Daring-Do, and looked over her shoulder.

As she watched, fine white lines appeared among the black pigment left by the pen. “Shiver me timbers! That be a map!” she exclaimed.

“Uh huh,” Daring replied, and finished the rest of the paper. On it had indeed appeared a map that could not been seen on the rock by the bare eye. It showed a river, a mountain range, and several other landmarks, as well as some writing.

The adventuress grinned widely. “Legend tells that the way to the griffon’s treasure lay under the Stone Head of Highever. Everypony thought that meant the entrance to the Highever Catacombs right under the head. Nopony ever cared to actually turn over the head and look at its underside,” she explained with deep satisfaction.

The captain nodded impressed, and put a hoof to her chin, pondering over the map.  “So, where does this map start?” she finally asked.

Daring rolled up the map and tucked it in her shirt. She turned around, and gave the other mare a confident smirk. “Prep the ship Buddeldot. We are going to Canterlot!”

Chapter 2

Daring looked down on Canterlot's white marble spires through the glass windows that made up the entire front of the bridge; the city was shining golden in the light of the afternoon sun. She watched as it slowly passing beneath the flying ship.  

“Alright captain, this I were I'll be off!” she exclaimed, turning from the windows, and headed for the side door.

“Arr, and here I thought we’d be partying all night, before ye be getting back to thee adventuring!” Buddeldot replied with a disappointed scowl.

The pegasus gave her a apologetic smile. “Sorry old friend, but you know I can’t stop myself when presented with an opportunity for adventure.”

The captain nodded. “Yar, that be true,” she replied. Her eyes became unfocused, staring right through Daring, as if they were looking into a world far away in time and space. “Used to be the same when I was young as ye are, never staying in one port longer than it took to waste me bits on stallions and rum, always chasing the horizon.”

Do looked at her curious, her head tilted slightly. Buddeldot looked no older than Daring was, a few years if any. “Is this some of your sailor’s yarn Buddeldot? I can never tell if you are serious or make this stuff up!” she inquired, distressed. “Besides, I have never seen you stay in any port longer than your mission required you to.”

The earth pony chuckled and smiled dreamily. “Just this here one port lass, just this one,” she said, then quickly went serious and took a step to follow Daring to the door. “So what shall I be doing with this here griffon rock?” she asked, pointing her hoof at the artifact still hanging suspended from the ship's gondola. “Be it worth some bits on the black market?” she added with a mocking grin.

Daring was taken aback by the question; she thought about it for a second. “Drop it off at the Canterlot Museum and give them my regards,” she answered, then put on a taunting smirk and added: “Or are you going back to your pirating days Captain?”

Buddeldot waved it off with her hoof. “Was joking lass. Luna would be flaying me alive if I were to ever break me vows.” She put a hoof to her chin and thought for a second, then actually had to chuckle. She shook her head. “Nay, being a navy captain ain’t so bad. The museum will get yer stone face.”

The two mares looked at each other for a moment, then embraced, and patted each other on the back. “Fair winds Daring. Come by whenever ye be seeing me ship on thy travels. We might be sharing that buddle of rum yet!” Buddeldot said.

“Will do Captain!” answered Daring. They ended the hug, the pegasus stepped to the door and opened it. Wind began rustling her mane and tail. “Take care!” she said, waved her hoof, and simply let herself fall backwards out of the flying ship.

 

***

 

It was evening when Daring-Do trotted down the plaza in front of the great Canterlot Library, her hooves clipping and clopping on the cobblestones as she went. She was wearing a fresh shirt of many pockets without any rips, stains or cuts. She was clean, her mane combed, yet she was still sporting the same old pith-helmet, showing off its many dents, burns and holes like badges.

The place was almost deserted at this hour. Only the occasional student running late on a deadline would come galloping from the library and quickly head for his dormitory. The cozy little cafés around the plaza were already closed and there were no bars or clubs this close to the campus of the Canterlot University.

She was just passing the middle of the plaza when a strange sound made her ears twitch, she wheeled around lightning fast and braced for a fight. Her eyes darted around the alleys that led to the plaza, the doors and windows of the surrounding houses, and finally up to the roofs and the occasional cloud in the sky. She stood this way for a few seconds, attracting stares from the passersby, before she let out the breath she was holding and relaxed.

“Nothing. Must be imagining things. Not used to city-life anymore,” she mumbled to herself and resumed heading for the library.

The entrance hall of the library was large; it had a high ceiling supported by marble pillars. It gave her the impression of entering a temple of knowledge. At the back of the hall was a single oaken desk, darkened by age. On it lay piles of returned books, and behind it stood a single clerk, going through the books with a stamp, and filing them in his papers.

“I'm sorry, but we are closed. Come back tomorrow,” he said in a monotone voice when he heard her hooves clapping on the well-worn marble floor, never looking up from his work.

Daring was undeterred; she walked up to the desk, and cleared her throat. Slowly the brown stallion looked up from his work. “I told you we are clo. . .” he began with an annoyed tone, but the words stuck in his throat when he set eyes upon her. He coughed and quickly gathered himself.

“Oh, good evening lady Do. I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you at once,” he stammered, his eyes twitching nervously.

Daring chuckled and waved it off. “Don't sweat it. Can I go in now?”

“Ah yes of course, Lady Do. The library is always open for Fellows of the Royal Society,” he answered quickly, and pointed a welcoming hoof at the double staircases that led to the gallery above and the rest of the library.

She gave him a friendly nod, then trotted up the staircase with a happy stride, her wings extended, her hooves barely touching the ground.

At this hour only the few ponies who were both privileged and either desperate or nocturnal were searching through endless rows of bookcases or reading on one of the many tables or pillows that were spread around the library in small niches. The magic lamps which lit the library at night were sparse and shrouded the place in an eerie, blue twilight. Visitors relied on mouth-held firefly lamps or illumination spells to light their reading.

The part of the library Daring walked through was utterly silent. No hoof-fall, no turning pages, not even the breath of anypony other than herself could be heard. She walked gently, her hooves hardly making a sound. When she reached a heavy, wooden door on a far wall she stopped, and looked over her shoulder. Sure of being undisturbed, she focused her attention back to the door. It was reinforced with steel fittings and had a massive lock. With a shake of her head she dropped her helmet on her hooves and drew a lock-pick hidden in the lining with her teeth. “Never thought I would need Black Rose's tricks this often,” she mumbled to herself as she put her hat back on.

With a final glance over her shoulder she sat to work on the lock, carefully inserting the pick and trying to feel the mechanism. But when her snout touched the door it swung open silently. Daring stared at it in wonder, and the lock-pick fell from her mouth. She quickly composed herself and put the pick back in her helmet. “Unlocked? Hinges oiled? This is not good,” she whispered, and started to sneak up the spiraling staircase.

By the time she reached the top floor she was crouching, her belly almost dragging on the ground. The door that led from the staircase was ajar too. She pushed it open an inch with her head and peeked through the gap. The room she saw was circular. Through several windows, barred with steel bars, shone the light of the setting sun, just bright enough to make out contours. For a moment Daring couldn't make out any sign of an intruder, then she saw it. From further back shone the greenish light of a firefly lamp. Daring opened the door a bit further and slid through the gap. She closed the it behind her, careful not to make any sound.

She snaked over the marble floor quickly and pressed herself against the bookcase wall behind which came the light, then peeked her head around the corner.

There was a pony standing in front of a wooden table, its body hidden under a dark-gray, hooded cloak. A firefly lamp was standing on the table, lighting several old maps lying on the furniture. The pony was spreading one out with its hooves and leaned close to examine it.

Daring stood tall and craned her neck to get a look at the map. Her eyes widened, and she let out an audible gasp when she recognized the landmarks. The pony yanked its head around, saw her, grabbed the map in its teeth and dashed away. The mare took up the chase.

The map thief was fast on his hooves and outdistanced her until he came to a corner. His legs flailed wildly as he grasped for traction and skittered into a bookcase. She pounced at him as he pushed himself from the wall and slid over the polished marble floor, avoiding her by inches. The mare crashed into the bookcase. This time some of the top volumes fell from their place and buried her in a heap. When she shook herself free, the other pony had almost reached the door. Even when galloping his hooves were hardly making a sound. She looked closer to see he had wrapped his hooves in thick cloth. “Black Rose would be proud of you!” she murmured to herself, and dashed in pursuit.

The thief was through the door and closed it behind him, a split second before she could grapple him. Daring crashed into the door headfirst, and stumbled to the ground. She quickly got up, and shook her head to clear her vision. A predatory snarl escaped her throat as she yanked the door back open. She raced down the spiraling staircase in a daring gallop.

They continued the chase through the main library, throwing over more bookcases, galloping over tables, sending the notes of students flying. When they finally left the library, jumping through a ground level window, Daring was hot on his heels.

 

The alleyways of central Canterlot were like a labyrinth. Buildings were seemingly placed at random, their upper stories leaning over the narrow alleys below, any of which could lead to a main street, a network of small alleys, or a dead-end.

If anything, the map thief sped up when they came onto the cobblestone streets. Galloping on the rough surface tore the cloth from his hooves, and left him clipping and clopping loudly on the stones. His hooves struck glowing sparks as he went.

They passed through the eastern market, and she had to evade empty market stalls, he threw over when he passed them. When they once again entered the narrow alleys, a sound from behind made her ears twitch, and she looked over her shoulder without slowing down. Three earth ponies had joined the chase, galloping after her in hot pursuit. They were not wearing any uniform and one of them was a hulking draft horse. But there was no time to consider where they'd come from, or what they wanted. Her map was getting away!

They entered an alley that was actually a long tunnel; the buildings on each side were connected by walled bridges. When he came to the far end the thief tried to get through a doorway, rattling at the handle and kicking the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He was trapped! She stopped a few feet before him and took a wide stance, sweat stood on her face, and her shirt was soaked. She was gasping for air, but grinned nonetheless at having him cornered. She was just about to say something, when the clopping of hooves behind her reminded her that there were more ponies taking part in this chase. She turned halfway around to have both parties in her sight.

“There is nowhere left to run Daring-Do! Hoof over the map of the Lost Kingdom and nopony will get hurt,” demanded the biggest of her three pursuers. He was a massive earth pony with a gray coat, shaved head, and a sledgehammer cutie mark. She involuntarily stepped backwards as he and his companions advanced along the alley.

“I don't have a map!” exclaimed the pegasus forcefully.

That only made the bruiser snort in contempt. “We saw you enter the Library and leave in a hurry. Don't play dumb!” he replied angrily.

“I don't have it! This pony here got there before me and took the map!” she answered, annoyed, and presented the map thief with her hoof. He was still working on the door and had tried his best to stay out of the other pony's attention. But now that everypony was looking at him, he turned to face Daring and the three thugs and braced for combat.

“So your new sidekick has it. Same difference. Hoof over the map!” spat the big guy as he advanced further, his head lowered menacing.

“You shadowed me and didn't notice I was chasing this pony? What kind stupid goons are you? Sidekick, really?” she yelled back at them in disbelief.

“I am not her sidekick!” protested the accused pony strongly. His voice was a solid baritone. It only managed to provoke a chuckle from the bald pony and laughter from his fellows. The map bearer rolled his eyes.

The goons started advancing again, and Daring-Do found herself pushed further back until she was standing beside the thief, her back to the wall.

“So you are Daring-Do? The famous adventurer?” he asked her, not turning his attention from the advancing stallions.

“The same! You want an autograph or something?” she snapped back at him. He let out a sigh.

“No! . . .well, maybe later. But right now, I say we work together to get out of this mess. I promise I won't run anymore,” he said, his voice lowered almost to a whisper.

“Deal!” replied Daring. “Can you fight?”

He snorted. “Just keep the small flies of my back, I'll handle the big one!” he answered with a confident smirk.

“Oi! What are you two love birdies whispering about?” spat the bruiser and raised his hooves for a punch.

With one lightning fast motion the hooded pony grabbed his cloth in his teeth, and whirled it into the big guy's face; the stallion staggered backwards as he tried to get the cloak off himself. Before he could do so a pine green streak had tackled him, grabbed his neck and flung itself onto his back, twisting the cloak further around his head in the process.

Daring too had jumped into motion, her reflexes and agility matching that of a panther. The two smaller goons were distracted by the sudden turn of events and looked up to their leader instead of her. With one quick dash she was in front of one of them, wheeled around on her forehooves sharply, and bucked him right in the face. He was flung backwards, and hit the ground on his back. He lost consciousness before his body slid to rest.

The sledgehammer pony bucked, and flailed his legs, trying to get the earth pony off his back. The colt held onto him with his hindlegs as he raised his hooves to strike. He slammed them onto both sides of the goon's head like striking cobras. The bruiser let out a startled grunt, and his struggles ceased at once. He stumbled a few steps, fell to his side, and didn't get up again.

The little pony had jumped clear of the falling body, and he and Daring were facing down the last of their assailants. The later took a look at his beaten companions, then at the angry ponies advancing on him, and jumped into a headless gallop to get away from them.

She let out a sigh, took off her hat and swiped the sweat from her brow, before she turned to face the colt and put her helmet back. He ruffled his fiery orange mane and gave her a sheepish smile. She examined him, her head tilted slightly. He was no taller than her and had the sinewy build of a hungry wolf, a half-pint, a lightweight compared to the lumbering hulk he had dispatched in mere seconds. She would bet bits that he was still attending school. “How did you do that? Finish him in one stroke?” she asked, but the answer presented itself when her gaze fell on his cutie mark: Two axes crossed before a round shield, a fighting cutie mark.

He clopped his two forehooves together, which made a metallic clang. “Steel horse-shoes,” he explained, not following her gaze. “Standard military issue.”

Daring nodded slowly, quickly closing her mouth when she noticed that it was hanging open. The colt looked away and traced his hoof along the ground bashfully. “I think I owe you an explanation!” he said. She nodded again.

He straightened himself and cleared his throat. “I am Bulwark, son of Vanguard. I'm looking for my father.”

 

***

 

They were sitting at a coffee table in the garden of a classical-era Canterlot manor. The sheer size of the grounds alone had left Bulwark speechless. Finally the steward arrived, bringing a steaming pot of tea. The old, blue unicorn gently levitated the fine china and poured a cup for both of them, then sat the pot down on the table and bowed his head. If he was distressed by serving afternoon tea at midnight with only moonlight to illuminate his work, he didn't show it. When Daring gave him a satisfied nod, he walked off, back into the manor.

“So is this private enough for you? Can we talk now?” asked the colt, clopping his hoof on the table to underline his point, making all the china clatter.

Daring paid the impatient youth no heed. She took her cup in her hooves and took a long sip. “Ah, nothing like a cup of Earl Cloudgrey after a long day of adventuring! Don't you agree?”

Bulwark tilted his head slightly and raised one eyebrow, but found that she was indeed not joking. He looked down at his own cup and considered this for a second, then simply lowered his mouth, and drank straight from the cup standing on the table. He emptied it in one go, and wiped his mouth with the back of his fetlock. He shot the pegasus who was still sipping her tea another curious glance. “You're not doing this just to show off, are you?” he asked.

Daring almost spat out what she was drinking. She quickly sat down the cup and shook her head violently. “No! Of course not. I would never prance about and show off my family’s wealth. You take me for Prince Blueblood or something?” she defended herself. “I only ever show off what I achieved on my own!” She finally told him and pushed the pith-helmet she was still wearing deeper into her face, showing off it's marks from countless adventures.

The colt nodded slowly. “Fair enough. But I will admit, this is an impressive home you got here.”

She took a scone from a plate on the table in her mouth, then took her tea back to her hooves and leaned back. “Yea, 'eing Cansherlot nowilishy hash itsh perksh. It'sh a nishe plashe to stay for a few daysh after ventshuring through a shick jungle for three monthsh,” she mumbled with her mouth full, then took another sip of tea and sat it back down. She leaned forward on the table, her eyes reflecting the moonlight, staring with an intensity that made him flinch. “But enough about me! Let's talk about you, and why you stole that map.”

He gathered himself quickly before he replied. “Because they wouldn’t give me access to the forbidden archive, duh!” he replied, rolling his eyes.

“So you just stole it?” inquired Daring.

Bulwark gestured bewildered with both of his forelegs. “It's not like anypony got hurt. And right back at you! You're a member of the Royal Society, you could have just asked for access. Instead you snuck in there at night, just like I did.”

She had to chuckle at that remark. “It would have taken days, maybe weeks to get all the paperwork through, and where would be the fun in that anyway?”

His eyes widened in bewilderment. “Fun? You think this was fun?”

She nodded eagerly, sporting a wide, toothy grin. “Of course! The sneaking, the chase, then the fighting! Don't tell me you didn't have fun?”

He shook his head deliberately. “No,” he replied, stretching the word just a bit too much. Daring chuckled once more and waved it off.

“That's not what I wanted to know anyway,” she said, leaning closer once again. “Why did you need the map in the first place?!”

“I'm looking for my father. . .” he started but was interrupted by a wave of her hoof.

“Yes, yes, you already said so. Vanguard right? The famous explorer, first pony to set hoof on the North-pole?” she inquired.

He nodded and waited a second, anticipating if she were to interrupt him again. When she seemed content to listen, he started again. “As you might know my father vanished ten years ago when he was on an expedition to find the Lost Kingdom. Nopony has found a trace of the expedition ever since.” He reached for his brown saddlebags that were standing next to the table, and took out an old worn notebook. It was rather thick, held together by cord, and had several loose pages inserted into it.

“This is my father's diary. He left it to me in his will, to be given to me only when I came of age. I got hold of it a month ago. It describes in detail his search for the Lost Kingdom, up to the point where he set sail. I think he wanted me to carry on his search. He was rather obsessed with it; he wrote about a legendary artifact of godlike power that is said to be hidden in the Kingdom.”

“The Griffon's Goblet!” exclaimed Daring, slowly nodding to herself. “The drinking cup said to have belonged to Discord himself. The last remnant of his chaotic power in this world.”

“The same. You're looking for it too? That's why you are after the map, right?” he replied.

She nodded briefly. “I only started my search recently when I came across sources that indicated the Goblet to be more than a mere legend. And they led me to this,” she explained, pulling the screened map she had taken from the Stone Head of Highever and spread it on the table. “This is a map that was kept secret by the Huscarls of the Elements. The order stole the Goblet from Discord and hid it away, robbing the Spirit of Chaos of its power. They left this map in case they ever needed to find the Goblet again.”

“See, the map shows the way in detail with landmarks and hints written in these verses,” she explained as both of them bowed over the map.

He nodded slowly. “So, what's the problem? Why don't you just fly in there and take the Goblet? It's what you do, right?”

“It's not that easy. See that lake here with the city right next to it? This is the starting point of this map, but it is missing a name,” she said and pointed her hoof at the city.

Realization hit Bulwark, he quickly got the map he had taken from the library from his bag, and spread it next to Daring's. The map was bigger than hers, but showed a much larger region, so it was less detailed. However, they could make out a lot of matching landmarks. They found the lake and the city in no time.

“Sanarth? Never heard of that city!” said the colt and shook his head.

Daring put a hoof to her chin, thinking, as her eyes scanned the rest of the map. They lit up and a clever smirk crept on her face. “Neither have I, but I know this city!” she exclaimed and put her hoof to a dot on the map, that lay next to an ocean about half a hoof from Sanarth.

“Manedria,” Bulwark read out loud. He raised his brows, and was speechless when he recognized the the name. He looked up to Daring who sported her trademark smile.

“Pack your bags Bulwark, we are going to Neighgypt!”

 

***

 

Two massive stallions threw a yellow-coated earth pony to the hooves of their boss. They were wearing black suits, and their manes were trimmed professionally short.

“So, Golden Song, isn't it? I hear you've got a report to make,” the unicorn sitting alone at the head of a large table, that could easily have seated two dozen ponies, asked, and he was not amused.

Golden Sun cringed at the question, but forced himself to look up none the less, cold sweat was standing on his brow.

“It wasn't my fault mister president sir!” he stammered, but was silenced promptly when the unicorn smashed his wineglass over Sun's head, drenching his brown mane in Bordeaux.

“That's for me to decide. Now report you coward! And don't think you can lie to me!” snapped the royal blue stallion threateningly, anger flaring in his eyes. Song swallowed hard and avoided eye contact.

“After Daring-Do had left the library we followed her, and a cloaked colt through the streets of Canterlot. We finally managed to trap them in a dead-end. We thought we had them and Big Hammer told her to give us the map,” he started telling, and let his head sink when he came to the next part. “Without warning the cloaked one jumped him. He moved so fast, he was like a blur. He took out Hammer in the blink of an eye! By the time I even realized what happened Daring had knocked out Sweet Hooves. When they faced me, I saw that the colt had a fighting cutie mark! I retreated so I could report!” He nodded frantically, and put on a hopeful smile at the end of his report, looking up to his boss.

The unicorn put down the silver cutlery and interrupted his meal of lettuce and caviar salad. He dabbed the corners of his mouth with a silken napkin, levitating it with his magic, before he faced Song again, rising one of his eyebrows. “A fighting cutie mark you say? Tell me more about this colt!”

The minion bowed his head obediently. “He was a pine green earth pony with a shoulder length orange mane. His cutie mark was two axes crossed before a shield,” he described as best as his memory served him.

“Hmm, interesting. Fighting is a rare special talent. Maybe the Guard is interfering with our plans,” he mused, putting a hoof to his chin. He turned halfway around to face a pony standing in the corner of the room. “Find out who that colt is! We have to know if he is one of the Princess' ponies!” he ordered. The addressed pony bowed.

“And what about Daring-Do, mister president?”

The dining pony thought about that for a few seconds, swaying his new glass of wine a servant had poured for him. He took a sip before he finally spoke up. “If I know Daring-Do, she will leave the city first thing in the morning, now that she has the map. Have all trains, carriages and airships that leave the city monitored. Have our local pegasi patrol the skies in case the featherflank decides to just wing it. We will follow her, watch her every step, and then strike when she least expects it!” His glass snapped under the magic pressure as he spoke the last words and spilled its content on the floor. Two servants galloped over immediately to clean up the mess. The pony in the corner bowed one more time and exited the room through a side door.

“So, back to you.,” said the President as he turned to the cowering Golden Song once again.

“You know how the Equestrian Patriots punish ponies who fail in their duty.”

Golden Song's face went almost white he threw himself to the ground before his boss.

“Oh please, it won't happen again! I promise I will do better.” he plead, desperately.

The unicorn stood up from the table to stand before his minion. He gently put a hoof on the trembling pony's shoulder, which made him look up. The boss showed him a benevolent smile.

“I know you will, and I would personally be glad to give you a second chance!” he said forgiving. Hope flashed on the earth ponies face as he heard these words. “But!” continued the boss and took a step back from Golden Song, whose face went to blank terror again instantly. “I fear I have to abide our rules. I'm so sorry, but there is no other way.” His sadistic smile made his words lies. “Take him to the soap factory!” he ordered the two suited stallions and went back to his place at the table.

Without hesitating the two goons took the stunned pony and began to drag him out of the room. He started to struggle half way but was unable to get out of their iron grip.

“Please no! Please give me a second chance!” he begged pitifully. “My wife is with foal! Please!”

“Stop!” ordered the president and raised his hoof. His minions held where they stood, not letting go of Golden Song. As the unicorn trotted over to him, the earth pony allowed himself the faintest glimmer of hope.

His boss leaned over him until his face was next to Golden's ear. “I have a thing for pregnant widows. I think I will visit yours and comfort her!” he whispered and licked his lips. Song froze in terror, his eyes shrank to tiny little dots, and his heart skipped a beat. He was dragged on and only recovered when he was out of the room. His screams were muffled by the closing door.

The president laughed and continued his dinner.

Chapter 3

“First time in Maredria?” she asked. The colt just nodded.

“First time outside of Equestria?” she pressed on and he nodded again. She chuckled and took him under her wing. “Oh, you will love it! This is a great place. It's the main trading hub of the Zebarkian Sea, a melting pot of cultures,” she started to explain as she led him down the pier, leaving the paddle-wheeler, that had brought them, behind, and entering the busy streets of the ancient city. The scenery was dominated by white-chalked, flat-roofed houses. The narrow streets winded among them and rose higher step by step, as they got further away from the ocean.

The sun had just sunk to the horizon and, as it became cooler, the city started bustling with life. Sales-stands lining the streets with merchants praising their wares, yelling over the crowd in half a dozen different tongues, only one of which he understood. Ponies, zebras, camels, the occasional griffon and some species he had not even heard about crowded the streets. He had to strain his neck when he tried to look up to the face of a large spotted mare that had legs and a neck longer than he was, adorned with dozens of gold rings all the way from horned head to shoulder.

Bulwark didn't get a pause from gaping at all the exotic sights. The air was heavy with the smell of spices and food, sweat and dirt. He found it hard to breath and was grateful for every gust of cool air coming up from the ocean, bringing with it the smell of salt and fish.

Daring breathed it all in like a dry sponge soaked up water. She stopped at different stands and brought them fried rice balls, richly spiced with a flavor like firework in the mouth. Then she got some sweet, and fruity tea the likes of which Bulwark had never tasted before and some slices of watermelon more sweet and juicy than any he had eaten back home. He was amazed at how she communicated with the locals. The adventuring mare seemed familiar with each and every language to some extent, and what she didn't know, she communicated with wild gesturing of hooves and wings.

Bulwark walked instinctively closer to her, pressing himself involuntary against her flank. When he noticed, he jumped and put a pony's distance between them, blushing and deliberately not looking at her. She chuckled when she noticed, remembering her first time visiting the city. She stuck glued to the father's side for almost two days before she warmed up to the strange new world. She was sure the colt would come around much sooner, she intended to make certain of that. The thought made her grin in mischief.

He cleared his throat. “So where are we headed?” he asked.

“First we go to the Cavern Market. It's the best place to get some equipment, as well as directions, and advice on current events,” she answered.

He raised an eyebrow. “Equipment?”

She nodded. “Of course. You can get the most useful stuff from the locals. Tried and improved over hundreds of years. You can get it much cheaper than back in Canterlot too! And of course you don't have to carry two bulging saddlebags with you the whole trip,” she explained and gave him an amused smile as she glanced at the two brown bags he had strapped on his back.

He let his ears and head sink and stubbornly looked in front of him. “It's standard military issue,” he mumbled, sulking. The comment made her wonder.

“You have said that before. You are not in the Royal Equestrian Army are you? You look kinda young to be a soldier,” she asked, and inched closer.

He shook his head. “Technically I'm of age to join, but I wanted to finish school first. And then this came up,” he explained.

She raised an eyebrow. “So why are you bringing all that gear, steel horseshoes and all?”

He shrugged. “Thought I might as well get used to this stuff,” he said dryly.

She inched even closer, and examined his face. “You don't seem too be to enthusiastic about it,” she mentioned.

He shrugged and went silent for a second, only answering when he noticed she hadn't stopped staring at him. “I don't know, maybe I'm not.”

She frowned. “Then why do you want to join?”

He rolled his eyes and pointed to his flank. “Fighting cutie mark, duh! What else am I gonna do? Become a mobster like that sledgehammer guy?”

“No! Of course not!” she replied sharply. “But you could become a professional fighting sports pony, or a bodyguard, a freelancer, or something!” she offered.

He shook his head. “Mercenaries are not exactly respected ponies, and bodyguards always have to keep a straight face while watching some stuck-up, rich ponies having cocktail parties.” He shrugged. “I have done that whole fighting sports thing. Learned karate, judo, bucking, and so on. I was pretty good at it too, a natural you could say. Even took part in some tournaments!” he explained.

“Won any?”

He shook his head. “Not one! Just didn't care if I lost or won, so I didn't.”

She raised an eyebrow. “But you like fighting don't you?!”

He sighed. “I dunno.”

Daring stopped in her tracks. “How can you not know? You have a cutie mark!” she exclaimed, baffled.

He too stopped and turned to face her. He took a deep breath. “My first real fight was when I got my cutie mark. One of my friends was picked on in school by three bullies. I stepped between him and them and soon the hooves were flying. They were so sure of themselves, older and bigger than I was, outnumbering me three to one.” A fierce sneer crept on his face. “I gave them a thrashing they never forgot. I didn't know what I was doing at that time and got bruised and black-eyed, but at the end I was the last pony standing.” His smile made place for a painful frown. “But fighting in school is not exactly encouraged. I got all the blame, and sat through more social service and detention than I could keep track of. Luckily my mother understood, and let me go to all those fighting schools and tournaments, but that never sparked the same fire in me. The next real fight I got in was when you and I were cornered in that Canterlot alley.”  

Daring looked at him for a while contemplating his story. “If you are fighting for nothing, everything will defeat you,” she finally mused. She started to walk on. The colt stared at her for a few more moments, before he hurried and fell in step with her. “A wise pony told me that when I ventured across the Roof of the World. I never understood what he meant by it. But I think I understand now!” she explained, staring off into the distance. He considered those words for long moments, and then finally agreed with a single nod.

 

                                                                                 ***                    

It was late at night when they came to a tavern near the Cavern Market. Even at this hour the streets were still crowded, but the general business had made way for merrymaking. Bulwark stopped in front of the entrance, eying it in wonder. “This is where you want to stay the night? It’s kind of rustic isn’t it?”

Daring looked back at him in excitement. “This Tavern is a favorite among caravan traders and seaponies alike. You can socialize with the most interesting travelers here, listen to their stories from all across the known world and sometimes beyond. Drinks are good and cheap too!” she explained, her eyes shining. She tucked him under her wing and led on. “Come on! Every good adventure leads to a tavern at some point!”

After briefly securing two rooms and stashing their luggage, they entered the tavern’s inner courtyard where long tables stood between palm trees, from which hung colorful lanterns, illuminating the scene in a dozen different lights. It was packed, and the colt thought it impossible to find a place to sit. Daring was undeterred, she led him to the end of a table further back where two patrons lay with their faces in puddles of their own drinks spilled on the table, snoring loudly. She pushed them off the table nonchalantly, and took a seat herself. Bulwark stared at her in wonder. She grinned and offered the seat opposite of her with a hoof. He observed how the two locals tried to gain their legs but only managed to drag themselves behind a palm before they fell unconscious again. He shrugged and followed Daring’s lead.

“So what do you want to drink? Tab's on me!” exclaimed Daring, patting her chest.

He shook his head undecided. “Dunno. Whatever you are having,” he replied.

She leaned over the table, a challenging smile on her face. “Oh? You sure? I don’t do my tavern adventures with foal’s drinks.”

With a heavy clop he put his hoof on the table and too leaned forward until he almost touched her snout. “I'll have you know I’m a big stallion. Bring on your feather-weak drinks!” he exclaimed, baring his teeth, the lights reflecting like fire burning in his eyes. Daring’s grin only went wider. For a moment they just stared at each other, finally she wheeled around and waved her hooves and wings wildly.

“Oi bar maiden!” she yelled, gaining the attention of a light blue pegasus mare that wriggled her way through the crowd, balancing loaded trays on both of her wings. “Two sambucka and a large jug of berry punch to wash it down!”

After receiving their drinks they squared of, the burning shots on the table between them. Daring was still sporting her trademark smile while Bulwark's expression was dead serious. They stared into the other's eyes like gunslingers at high noon, waiting for some unknown sign to signal the beginning of their fast draw. When the ice cubes in their jug of punch shifted, clinking against each other, they both sprang into action, blowing out the flames on their drinks and throwing them back as fast as a cobra strikes it's prey. They sat down their glasses with a clank at almost the same time. Bulwark licked his lips smiling. The adventuress nodded approving. “No coughing, no burning your mouth, I’m impressed!” she admitted.

He chuckled and poured them both a mug of sangria. “Ha, you’re too late to ridicule me with drinking. My stupid friends made sure to try every joke they could think of at my own birthday party. Woke up the next day with some stallion, I had never seen before, in the bathtub, lipstick on my neck, and my face smeared on with a pen.” He shook his head and smiled awkwardly at the memory, then took his mug in his teeth and raised it for a toast. “To stupid friends, life would be boring without them!”

She happily raised her cup to agree. “I’ll drink to that. Cheers!”

When she had finished the mug she turned around and leaned her back against the table. She scanned the crowd like an eagle looking for its prey. There was no shortage of travelers drawing her interest. A large, red-maned, blue earth pony was arm wrestling with a scarred, one-eyed griffon and the mare was winning. A crowd of devious stallions of different species had gathered round a half-lighted table playing cards, their eyes darting from opponent to opponent rather than looking at the cards, their body’s tense and ready to burst into violent action at any moment. Two antelope mares lay on silken pillows, sharing a shisha leisurely. Their slim, wiry bodies and shining coats attracted attention from almost every stallion and from a few mares as well.

When Daring tore her eyes away from their well-formed flanks, she noticed him. A dark feathered griffon was looking at her, hunger in his eyes. She briefly wondered in which way he fantasized devouring her. The thought sent shivers down her spine. She looked at him for a few moments, sporting a sultry pout, and made sure he noticed; but for now she turned around, facing her companion again. The alcohol began to show effect on Bulwark, his cheeks were slightly flushed. But he was holding a staring contest with his drink, resting his head on his hooves. She tilted her head slightly and tried to look him in the eyes. “You trying to find wisdom in your wine Bulwark? Are you alright?” she asked concerned.

He blinked, looked up and just stared for a few seconds before he managed to answer. “I’m okay, really. I just want this whole adventure affair to be over with!” he stated shaking his head.

She raised an eyebrow and shot him an angry frown. “Why? You don’t like adventure?” she asked as if it were a medical condition.

He sighed and shook his head again, then shrugged. “Look, this is kind of hard to explain.”

She sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs. “Try me,” she said, scowling. “I’m good at impossible puzzles.”

He stared at her angry face for a few seconds before he gave in and gathered himself. He poured both of them more punch before he started. “As you know, my father was an adventurer. He spent more time in places I couldn’t even pronounce than at home with mom and me. As far as I’m concerned it could as well have only been the two of us. And then on his last trip he just vanishes. Nopony ever knew what happened to him. Now I’m sure that he is dead, but mom never got over it. She still sits at the window every night and hopes for his return, she just can’t move on. It's eating her from the inside, making her sick. When I got my father's diary I decided to go onto this trip to find out what happened to him, to get some closure, not for me, but for her.”

There was silence between them for several long moments. He took another sip from his drink when she finally spoke up. “But you are not leaving mares and foals of your own behind are you?” she asked and pointed a hoof at him. He choked on his drink, spit all over the table and started to cough violently. He hit his chest with his hoof and eventually managed to clear his lungs.

“No! Of course not!” he protested, startled. “What brought that on?”

Daring sported her trademark smile, and leaned closer. “So you have no reason to feel that you deserted anypony. No reason to decline yourself some fun. Or are you a party-pooper on top of an adventure-spoiler?” she inquired.

He stomped his hoof on the table, making the mugs shake. “I like to party as much as anypony. In fact I party more and harder. My middle name is party!” he protested heatedly and threw back his drink with a vengeance.

“Good, good, that’s what I wanted to hear!” she said, rubbing her hooves. She leaned over the table and beckoned him to come closer. When he did she spoke with a lowered voice, almost a whisper. “You see those two mares behind you? They have been checking out your flank since we got here.” His eyes widened for a second, he quickly looked over his shoulder, and true enough there were two young mares, smiling and waving at him, a slight blush blossoming on their cheeks when they saw him looking at them. He waved back sheepishly and turned back to Daring.

“They are zebras!” he hissed.

Daring grinned. “They are twins!” she exclaimed. “And besides, that’s part of the adventure! Now go get 'em tiger!” she ordered, turning him around with her hoof and shoving him in the direction of the mares. When he still hesitated to walk over, she jumped over the table with a flap of her wings, spun in midair and gave him a cracking slap with her tail, whipping him across his buttocks. He jumped up in surprise, stumbled a few steps forward and almost fell at the hooves of the zebra twins.

He composed himself quickly and found himself standing face to face with the exotic beauties. He blushed. “Hi!” he said, smiling sheepishly. “Would, eh, would you ladies care for a drink?”

The adventuress watched for a few moments as her plan unfolded until the three of them headed for the bar. She smiled, satisfied, and emptied the last of the berry punch in one go. She licked her lips as she turned around again, ready to get socializing herself. She found the griffon who was still looking at her from time to time, not even trying to hide the desire in his eyes. She made sure her hat still sat right, and got to her hooves. “Alright Daring, time for another adventure!” she mumbled to herself and trotted over to her prey, her wings extended, her stride of floating grace.

 

***

 

“You sure this is her room?” hissed Loaded Dice between clenched teeth. His subordinate cringed and nodded.

“I checked the register. This is it!” he answered and let out the breath he was holding when Dice shifted his attention to the door.

“Right then. Gentlecolts, you know the plan!” whispered the unicorn and stepped to the left side of the door. At once his hired muscles sprang into action. With a quick buck one of them broke open the door and they rushed into the room. One went straight for the window, one stayed at the door, and the rest jumped onto the bed. A brief struggle ensued until Dice came into the room and cast a lighting spell. He briefly scanned the room, and then his gaze settled on his unfortunate henchmen. “I thought you checked the register? Where is she?” he yelled, his face red, his eyes bulging with rage.  The small earth pony he addressed cowered on the floor shaking, hooves flung over his head.

“She should be here! Her luggage is here after all. I don't know what went wrong!”

Loaded Dice smacked him across the head for good measure, before he turned around to address all of his ponies. “Go on then, search the tavern. Break the place down if you have to, I want Daring-Do!” They hurried to execute his order immediately, leaving him alone in the room. He let out a sigh. “To work with professionals, just once. Is that too much to ask?” As he shook his head, his eyes fell on Daring's luggage, and he began rummaging through her possessions. “Well I won't be the one to tell the boss. Leave that to somepony expendable,” he murmured to himself as he flung the various bits of clothing and tools around with his magic, scattering them across the room.

 

Daring woke with a start when she heard a loud crashing from outside of the room she was in, followed by hooves clattering, and finally somepony shouting in anger. “Well, I'm sure popular tonight!” she mused as she jumped out of the bed, the sudden movement making her wince. She looked down on herself, to find that her shirt of many pockets was no more than tangled rags, her feathers disheveled and her body sporting several bite and claw-marks, some of which had drawn blood that had by now dried up. She shook her head, and smiled to herself when she remembered how she got these. She turned to what remained of the bed and, entangled in the pieces, the griffon who was still out cold. He looked just as bad as her, if not worse, lying in an awkward position, his tongue hanging out. She walked over to him, planted a soft kiss on his cheek and retrieved her pith-helmet from the rubble. She took a few steps back, flung it on her head and saluted him with her hoof, then jumped through the open window into the cool night air.

Flapping her wings as quietly as she could, she hovered outside and flew from window to window, and finally glided though one of them. The room was only dimly lit by moonlight, which shone through the open window, and she could only make out contours. But it was easy enough to recognize Bulwark's ever-bulging saddlebags, so it was a safe bet that the pony, that lay with his upper body sprawled on the bed, while his hindquarters rested on the floor, was the young stallion himself. He was snoring loudly while drooling on the blanket. She smiled and shook her head in amusement. “Still a lightweight!” she mused, when loud shouts and crashing from outside reminded her to hurry. She quickly shook the colt by his shoulder with her hoof. “Oi Bulwark! Wake up!”

He brushed her hoof away without waking. “Just five more minutes mom!” he mumbled and rolled to his other side. Daring shot him an annoyed glance, then grabbed his tail in her teeth and yanked him off the bed. When his head made contact with the wooden floor with a thud, he finally woke up.

“Ow, my head!” he complained as he sat up on his haunches. He blinked and looked aimlessly around the room, his eyes finally focused on the mare. “Daring? Is that you?”

“We got unwelcome guests. Get your things, then we'll wing it!” she hissed.

The colt gained his legs and headed for the door, swaying from side to side. “Hay! I feel sick. I'm going for the bathroom!” he murmured. Just as he reached for the doorknob, the door burst open with a crash, hitting him in the face, and swatting him to the side, where he slouched to the ground.

A dark brown earth pony jumped into the room and bared his teeth. “Ha! There you are Daring-Do! Make this easy on yourself and surrender quietly.”

Daring stared at him, her mouth hanging open, then looked behind him, then at him again. He took one step closer towards her and her eyes went wide. She lowered her head and tucked her ears in, looking behind him again. “Oh, what have you done? Get out of here. Fast!” she pleaded and threw herself to the ground.    

“Pha! As if I’d fall for that. That is the oldest trick in the . . .” he was bucked in the haunches before he could finish. He flew through the window, and then vanished with a surprised scream. In his place stood Bulwark, now fully awake and huffing in rage. Traces of blood ran from his nose and down his snout. As he licked it clean his eyes went big and his pupils tiny. Daring involuntarily took a few steps away from him. He turned for the door. More clattering of hooves and crashing could be heard from the hall.  

“Excuse me for a second!” he growled and stomped out of the room.

 

Loaded Dice had finished going through Daring's possessions for the second time and started to tear the bed's mattress apart with his telekinesis. It was more a way of shedding frustration than anything. He was interrupted when one of his henchmen came flying through the door- the same earth pony who had directed them to this room. He hit the far wall and slumped to the ground. Through the door stepped a ruffled colt, his piercing eyes shining in the moonlight. He stared down Dice as he walked into the room. “You're the leader of this sorry lot? Hoped to catch us asleep, didn't you!” he grumbled.

Dice turned to face him. He took out a hoofkerchief of his suit's pocket with his magic and began cleaning his monocle. “You must be Bulwark. I see you are just as formidable as the reports told. I hope my ponies gave you at least some trouble?”

“Oh, just enough to give me a warm up!” replied the colt and stepped towards the unicorn. “Still got much bucking left for you, don't you worry.”

“I think not,” replied Loaded dryly as he replaced his monocle. Just as the fighting pony launched himself at the unicorn, Dice caught him with his magic and held him in midair. Bulwark struggled violently against the magic bounds, but to no avail. He soon let his limbs hang and stared at the caster with an annoyed frown.

“Should have known you are a cheating spell-ball!” he spat.

“All is fair in love and war!” replied Loaded Dice with a haughty smile.  

“So what now?” asked the young stallion. “Will you starve me to death?”

The unicorn snorted and flung the colt against the wall with his magic. He hit it with a crash, and the wall's plaster trickled to the ground as the caster levitated the earth pony in front of himself again.

“Or bore me to death?”

Dice smashed him against the ceiling and the floor. Bulwark curled himself up into a ball, trying to absorb the impact. He spat out blood, when floated again in midair, though.

“You hit like a filly.”

The unicorn growled angrily, his horn flashed bright and he hurled the earth pony through the room. Dice smashed the young stallion against walls, furniture, and floor, destroying most of it and leaving bloody marks in the process. The room looked like a battlefield and he was breathing heavily by the time he was done. Bulwark hung limply in midair, and could see the other stallion double. He shook his head to clear it. He coughed and spat out more blood as he was hit by a fit of laughter.

“What are you laughing about?” yelled Dice as he levitated him closer to his raging red face.                            

The colt caught his breath and shot him a weak smile. “Oh nothing. I was just trying to buy some time for her to get a free shot.”

Loaded's eyes went wide. He let go of the pony and turned around, but he was too late. Daring dashed through the window, tackled him right in the chest and pushed him against the wall. The breath was driven from his lungs by the impact, and he saw stars.  He gathered his magic, his horn began glowing with another spell, but Daring smashed her hoof on his temple before he could finish casting it. The vicious blow knocked him out cold. Do let out a relieved sigh and turned to face Bulwark, readjusting her hat. “You okay?” she asked, concerned.

“I think nothing's broken!” he replied as he gained his legs. His spine cracked as he curved his back and stretched his limbs.

Daring hoped he was not just putting on a brave face, trying to impress her. “Get your bags. We have to get out of here before more of them arrive, or the local authorities!” she told him, and started repacking her equipment.

She was just finished when her companion came back from his room. “I think the guards are already downstairs. We have to leave through the window,” he said. She nodded and headed to exit the room. Just as she climbed through the frame however, somepony grabbed her leg.

“Please!” a bruised earth pony pleaded. “He will kill me if we come away empty-hoofed. I have foals! Please!”

Daring held in her step. She looked down at the stallion, then shot a glance over to Bulwark, who just shrugged. She helped the beaten pony to a sitting position, trying to comfort him.  “Who is going to kill you? Loaded Dice? He may be a cheap, cheating trickster but he would never step as low as murder!”

He shook his head. “Not him. The president. The leader of the Equestrian Patriots. They are holding my family hostage, please!”

“Equestrian Patriots? You ever heard that name?” asked Bulwark. Daring shook her head and turned back to the injured pony.

“I can't let myself get captured,” she told him and he let his head sink. “But,” she continued and he looked up again, hope shining in his eyes. “I can give you this.” She reached into her shirt with her snout and pulled forth the map she had copied from the Stone Head, then dropped it into his hooves. Miraculously, it was not ripped and torn like the rest of her shirt. He looked at it in disbelief. “You came for this anyway, right?” asked Daring and the stallion just nodded.

“You saved my life! Thank you!” he stammered. She shot him a quick smile, saluted and jumped through the window. Bulwark followed suit. “Thank you, thank you, oh Celestia thank you!” echoed from behind them as they vanished, galloping into the streets of Maredria.

 

“You just gave him the map!” exclaimed the colt in disbelief. The mare laughed at his outburst and stopped in the light of a streetlamp.

“That pony needed the map more than we do. He wasn't lying you know. I could see the desperation in his eyes. Whoever this president guy is, he is serious bad news. I on the other hoof can remember any map I have seen perfectly fine! And besides,” she pulled another paper from her shirt, “the map won't do them any good without this!” She unrolled a second part of the map, the one with all the strange writing on it.

“You split the map!” he exclaimed in wonder. Then a grin spread on his face. “You are brilliant!”

“Oh, I know!” she replied as she replaced the scroll. “Now, if you don't mind, let's wing it. We may still be able to get there before them!” she said, as she got ready to trot on. He nodded, but suddenly noticed something he didn't know anypony could miss.

“Wow! What happened to you? You got into a fight with a predator?” he called out. She had just enough time to turn around again before he headed back to the tavern. “Oh, it is on! Nopony hurts my friends!” She quickly grabbed him by the tail with her teeth and stopped him in his tracks.

“There was no fighting with any predator!” she mumbled. She spat out his tail as he turned to face her again, one of his eyebrows raised. “I was shagging with a predator. Same marks, yet totally different.” she explained nonchalantly. His jaw dropped.

“What? Shagging whom? Oh no, say nothing, I don't even want to know.”

Daring giggled at his discomfort and set off to leave the city, he soon caught up with her and trotted by her side. “While we're talking about mating. How did it go with those twins?” she asked with the most innocent smile.

Chapter 4

When the sun rose above the horizon, and its first warm rays dispelled the early morning chills, the two traveling ponies had left the outskirts of Maredria behind them. The lush flora, made possible by the abundant waters of the river Mare, gave way to a more and more desolate landscape. Green grass and fruit-bearing palms were replaced by brown, thorny bushes and lone, gnarly trees.

The two ponies trotted at a steady pace side by side, making their way along a winding gravel path. Daring noticed that her companion was breathing heavily, and trotting with his tongue hanging out. She briefly tried to ease their pace by slowing down herself, but it made her fall behind. She shot him a worried glance as she caught up, but the colt just stared ahead and continued his single-minded gait. She wasn’t too surprised when he finally slowed down to a walk, came to a dead stop, and fell over onto his side. She just shook her head, briefly checked on his heartbeat and breathing, then grabbed him by his mane with her teeth, and dragged him into the shadow cast by a large rock nearby.

Having him out of the rising sun, Daring continued to undo his saddlebags as well as her own, pulled out a canvas cover, and arranged it to an additional sun-shelter with experienced method. After she had taken care of their shelter, the adventuress got a piece of cloth, and drenched it in water from her canteen. Holding it in her teeth she wet her companion’s lips, cleaned his face, and finally laid it on his forehead. Only when he was taken care of, did Daring opt to take a nap herself. It had been a long and exhausting night after all. She lay down beside the colt, rested her head on her crossed legs, and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

 

It was afternoon when Bulwark woke from his involuntary break. He groaned and pushed the now dry cloth from his head with a hoof. The young stallion blinked several times, and tried to clear his eyes with the back of his fetlocks. “Ugh, what happened?” he inquired, his voice raspy, as his vision cleared up enough to make out Daring’s form.

The mare was already awake, standing nearby, shielding her eyes with a hoof, and scanning the horizon. She had discarded her torn shirt, and was now wearing a wide, white  cloak and turban, that covered nearly all of her body, shielding it from the scorching sun. She turned as she heard him, and walked over to their baggage.

“Look who’s back with the living! Good, I was getting bored!” she exclaimed, pulling a water canteen from their bags, and threw it over to her companion, where it landed on the ground with a thud. He quickly gathered it in his hooves, unscrewed the top with his teeth, and took a greedy swig. It made him cought violently, and he nearly dropped the bottle, as the water burned in his raw throat. But as soon as he recovered, he continued to empty half of the bottle, before he sat it back down. The colt wiped his mouth on his fetlock and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Ah! Much better, thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” replied Daring; she then walked to him, and ruffled his mane. “Next time you get exhausted, just slow down and we can take a break. Don’t try to impress me, and run ‘til you pass out again.”

Bulwark shoved her hoof from his head. “I didn’t try to impress you!” he protested sharply. But his ears dropped, and he looked to the ground as he saw her raising an eyebrow. The colt sighed. “I just didn’t want to slow you down anymore. Bad enough that we have to travel on hoof because of me. Didn’t want you to wait for stupid hangover me too.”

The adventuress wrinkled her brow as she looked down on her companion‘s sorry form. She finally shook her head, and smacked the back of his head with her hoof. “You’re stupid!” she exclaimed as he looked up at her, eyes wide in wonder, rubbing the spot she had hit.

“I’m traveling earth pony style because it would be far too exhausting to fly in this heat with heavy saddlebags on. And now you have been slowing us down by passing out while trying not to slow us down!”

He just stared at her open mouthed, then let his head sink again, as realization of what she had said seeped in. Daring shook her head again and rummaged some more through their luggage. She pulled forth a paper bag with some nuts and dates, dropped it in front of the colt's face and sat beside him.

The mare nudged him with her wing when he still didn’t look up. “Now eat hearty! When the heat of midday has passed we should be on our way again, and you will need your strength.”

Bulwark finally raised his head and looked her in the eye. She gestured towards the bag with her snout. That was the last encouragement he needed. The colt dug into the food with a vengeance, devouring it paper bag and all.

 

***

 

They were still traveling when night fell, navigating their way by the light of the full moon, through what now was no more than a rocky desert. Bulwark too had put on the clothing, they had bought at the Cave Market, and was glad for the cloak and turban, for with nightfall the desert had become freezing cold.

They were passing a large boulder, worn smooth over the centuries by sand and wind, when Daring stopped dead in her tracks. The young stallion trotted on a few steps before he could react. He came to a slow halt, and turned back to the mare, looking at her in concern. Her ears were twitching and turning forth and back. She turned several times on the spot, scanning the horizon. Suddenly she burst into frantic action, dashing for the boulder. “Hide!” she yelled. The colt was startled, and started to walk after her. Only when he too heard a rushing noise, that became louder and louder by the second, did he spring into motion. Bulwark quickly threw himself on the ground beside the mare, and pressed himself close to the side of the rock.

The bulging form of an enormous airship passed overhead, blocking out the moonlight. The wing beat of over a dozen pegasi created a loud sough, as they pulled the blimp through the air. Bulwark and Daring craned their necks to get a look at the ship. It was of an old style; its gondola had the form of an ocean vessel, and hung under a bulky gasbag; an Equestrian flag flew at the ship’s bow. The noise died down again, as the ship vanished in the distance, traveling in the same direction the two hiding ponies were headed.

They got to their hooves when they were sure the ship was gone. “What’s an Equestrian airship doing out here? Were these the Patriots?” asked Bulwark, still staring after the ship.

Daring bit her lower lip. “Maybe,” she offered. Soon enough her trademark smile crept back to her face. “But they won’t get to the Goblet without the second part of the map!”

The young stallion turned toward her making a frown. “How’s that? What does the writing say anyway?” he inquired, distressed.

The adventuress put her saddlebags on the ground, pulled forth the scroll from her clothing, and spread it on them. “Here! Let me show you!”

Bulwark got a firefly lamp from his bags, and poked it with his hoof. One by one the insects lit up, and soon the lamp offered enough light for reading. He edged closer to the mare until both of them were hovering over the map.

Daring’s eyes darted along the text once more, before she cleared her throat, and began reading it out loud, translating it to modern Equestrian at the same time.

“The Goblet is hidden

Neither Discord nor the likes of him shall find it.

Yet should the need arise, it can be found by those of pure heart.

Follow the path; don’t walk astray for it is the Way of the Elements.

Walk the Valley of Flowers

Face the Mirror of Truth

Pass the Hidden Chasm

Rest at the Silent Lake

Carry the stone into the sun

And conjure the magic

Thus the Huscarls of the Elements offer you the key.”

When she had finished the fighting pony scratched the back of his head, and wrinkled his brow. “Alright then. What does it mean?” he asked.  

Daring chirped as she rolled up the map, and replaced it in her cloth. “I have no idea!” she exclaimed happily.

Bulwark stared at her, his mouth open, but no words would come out. “But I’m sure we’ll find out once we follow the map.” the mare said giggling, then pulled a blanket from her luggage. “We should make camp. We'll have to get up early to cover some distance before it gets too hot!” she explained, and started to set up their equipment.  

The colt shook his head slowly, his eyes wide. “So we have no idea what we are doing,” he mumbled to himself. Eventually he recovered, and went to help the adventuress put up a tent.

.oOo.

It was almost noon of their fourth day of travel, when they trotted over a barren hilltop. The sight they beheld at the other side made them stop dead in their tracks, and stare in awe. The valley that spread before them was dominated by a great lake, its dark waters contrasting sharply with the cliffs rising at its far side, where a small river had dug a deep ravine into the bright sandstone ground. The lake’s water provided for lush, green grass, bushes and trees, that grew along the lake-shore; the first the two ponies had seen in days.

Daring-Do jumped into a mad dash, laughing and yelling as she galloped towards the water. “Wait!” Bulwark called, and reached out for the mare, but she was already gone. He put a hoof to his face and shook his head, then quickly set off to trot after her.

As she neared the shore, Daring slipped out of her saddlebags and cloth, then spread her wings, jumped into a short flight, and dove headfirst into the lake. She resurfaced seconds later, spitting out a small fountain of water. The pegasus giggled happily as she rolled onto her back, and began swimming along the shore with easy wing strokes, her forelegs crossed behind her head.

The young stallion reached the shore moments later. He took a short glance at his companion, who was swimming through the lake without a care in the world, and shook his head, then lowered it for a well-deserved drink of water. The lake was clear and this close to the shore he could easily see all the way to the ground. Bulwark drank greedily, relishing the refreshing feeling the water left in his throat.

A squall of water splashed over him, interrupting his drink, drenching him from head to hoof. He slowly raised his head, his now wet mane hanging over his face, and obscuring his vision. He frowned as he brushed it aside with his hoof, and looked at the source of his involuntary shower.

“What's wrong? Afraid of a little water?” mocked Daring, standing in the lake not two pony lengths from him, her wings still raised, ready to splash more water in his direction. “Or can't you even swim?” the mare added with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows challengingly.

Bulwark skipped the witty comeback, and just jumped at her, slipping out of his luggage and cloak in the same motion.  

The pegasus nimbly avoided his tackle, and stepped to the side with a fast wing stroke. Water splashed her face, as the colt hit the lake, blinding her momentarily. Before she could recover, Daring was hit in the side by a blindly dashing Bulwark. His momentum took them both into deeper water, and they went under for several seconds. When they came back to the surface, they were a few pony lengths apart, treading water. They faced each other again, both of them grinning in mischief. As soon as they had taken a few breaths of fresh air, they went at each other again.

They continued their playful struggle for some time; both trying to dunk the other under water. They were swimming, dashing and jumping around the lake, splashing water at one anther, giggling and laughing like playing foals all the while. Daring was a faster swimmer than Bulwark, using her wings to 'fly' through the water. But the colt was stronger, and well-versed in hoof to hoof combat. Neither of them was able to gain a significant advantage.

When they finally dragged their bodies out of the lake, the two travelers collapsed not two feet from the water, too exhausted to even shake out their manes. They rolled onto their backs, breathing heavily, shielding their eyes with a leg from the scorching midday sun, as they tried to catch their breath.

After a few moments Bulwark found the strength to speak. He idly rolled his head to the side to face Daring. “So, is this the lake? The one where Sanarth is supposed to be? The map's starting point?” he asked, huffing. The mare just nodded. “So where is the city?” the colt pried on

Daring rolled to her side, and pointed a hoof at a place further along the lake-shore. The colt followed its direction, straining his eyes, and spotted something protruding from the water. It was an angular stone pillar, made of some green stone. Around it were the shades of more structures, hidden just under the lake's surface.

“It must have sunken to the ground of the lake a long time ago; abandoned and forgotten like the rest of the valley!” explained the adventuress, then got to her hooves. “We won't be prancing about the streets of Sanarth unless we become hippocamps!” She said, walked over to where they had left their belongings, and started dragging them into the shade provided by a group of trees. Bulwark quickly followed her example, and soon they were resting in the grove’s shadow.

Daring fell asleep as soon as her head hit her makeshift pillow, made from the turban and cloak. The young stallion yawned, and looked around their camp site. When he spotted a bushel of light green, juicy-looking grass, he leaned down, and tore it off the ground with his teeth. He chewed idly for some time, his gaze drifting over the lake. He was wandering, what the sunken city of Sanarth had been like; and if it was now home to sea-ponies, or if its only occupants were fish.  When he was done grazing, the temptation of sleep pulled heavily at his head. He rested it on his fetlocks and was soon fast asleep.  He dreamed of swimming with a seamare in the lake's dark waters; floating idly through the streets of a city whose buildings were made out of green stone.

 

When the sun began sinking beneath the horizon, and the unbearable heat of day had  passed, they replenished their supply of water from the lake, and gathered food from the surrounding trees. Then they set off again, leaving the sunken city behind.

They went around the lake, and had to climb the cliff at the far side to follow the river upstream. Daring flew up ahead and then proceeded to lift up their luggage and finally Bulwark himself with a rope. The young stallion wasn't happy about literally bearing down the pegasus with his weight, but the cliff was too steep to climb in any way. When they were both atop of it, they gazed once more over the lake. Its surface was shining golden in the light of the sinking sun. A fresh breeze brought the smell of green grass and ripe fruits with it. When the last rays of sunlight vanished beneath the horizon, they turned their backs to the lake, and set off in a brisk trot.

 

**

 

When they reached the other end of the canyon, the late afternoon sun was bidding the day goodbye. The land before them dropped rather suddenly, and gave way to a wide, plain valley surrounded by steep cliffs on every side. But most noticeable were the flowers. Throughout the whole valley grew a thick carpet of blue flowers. The wind brought their sweet smell even to the top of the cliff, and the valley was alive with the buzzing of bees and other insects.

Bulwark wasn't even surprised anymore when Daring jumped from the cliff, and glided down in a steep dive. Just above the ground she pumped her wings, and landed with a heavy thud. The wind she made sent leaves and flower pedals flying. She was grinning widely as she looked back up to the colt, and waved her hoof. He rolled his eyes, then scanned the cliff from where he was standing all the way down to the bottom. After carefully planning his route, he sprang into action. Without hesitating he jumped from the cliff, and, making his way from edge to edge like a mountain-goat, soon set hoof beside the pegasus.

“Walk the Valley of Flowers,” recited Daring from the verses, when the earth pony joined her on the ground. “Should be easy enough.”

The mare started to walk in direction of the far side of the valley but hesitated after a few steps. She looked intently at the plants at her hooves and raised an eyebrow. All over the valley grew the same kind of flowers. They were entirely blue, even to their stems. The plants had large leaves, and several small bulbs grew from their blossoms on long stalks.  In a snap the pegasus reached down, and bit some flowers from the ground. She chewed on them for a few seconds, wrinkling her brow, her eyes wandering aimlessly. Then they widened in terror, and she spat the plants back out as fast as she could. Daring began coughing, and frantically tried to clean her tongue with her hooves; which only managed to add a taste of dirt.

Bulwark watched her antics, first with a curious frown, but then he burst out in laughter. Daring glared at him when she had stopped coughing, her tongue still hanging out. The colt held in his laughter just long enough to get another look at her, trying to compose himself. A tear rolled from his eye and he burst out again, collapsing on the ground and hitting it with his hooves. The mare rolled her eyes, and fished out her canteen from her bags. She washed out her mouth, then took a few sips to quench her thirst.  

“You finished yet?” she asked, annoyed, when she had replaced her canteen. Slowly the young stallion composed himself. He got back up and proceeded to wipe the tears from his eyes with a hoof. Suddenly he screamed out in pain as plant juice from the flowers, which he had smashed during his fit of laughter, came into his eyes. Instinctively he tried to rub the irritation away, but only managed to spread more of it in his eyes. The colt reared on his hind legs, holding out his forehooves in despair, and screaming in mindless agony. Now it was Daring's turn to break into a laughing fit, and his time to frantically rummage for his water canteen.

When the colt had found it, he unscrewed it as fast as he could, and just splashed all his water over his face, and into his eyes, blindly. With the last drop from his canteen did he finally manage to wash the juice from his eyes, and let out a relived sigh.

His newfound sight drifted mirthlessly to Daring, who was rolling on the ground, holding her belly. He snorted angrily, and she stopped for a seconds and looked up. But when she saw the colt staring daggers at her with violent red eyes, she just couldn’t hold it.

It took some time before both of them were trotting on their way again. The adventuress was still giggling from time to time, but Bulwark didn't share her humor. “Stupid flowers!” he grumbled, frowning.

They had traveled through the better part of the valley when their legs became heavy, and they were ready to call it a night. With no favorable place in sight, they just took off their saddlebags, and curled up on the ground where they stood. With the a slight breeze rustling an ocean of blue flowers as their lullaby, finding sleep was no problem.

 

When the morning sun crawled over the valley's edge, and its warm light shone unto Bulwark's face, he stirred in his slumber. He yawned, and shifted his legs to a more comfortable position, trying to doze back into sleep. But the rustling of shifting feathers made his ears twitch, and he felt something soft brush his side. The fighting pony opened his eyes, and looked around lazily, wondering if Daring was already awake. His gaze drifted over the sleeping figure of a young, pine-green pony; blue flowers; their luggage, lying nearby in one big heap; some more blue flowers. His eyes went wide and his focus snapped back to the sleeping colt. He was lying on his back, limbs stretched in every direction, and snoring peacefully.

“What the hay?” Bulwark exclaimed, and jumped to his hooves, his voice was much higher pitched than he was used to. He was sounding more like a mare than anything he remembered. Then he heard the rustling noise again, and felt something shift on his back. Startled, he stumbled back several steps, and sat on his hindquarters with a thump. Something was disturbing his balance. He turned his head around and inspected his backside. From two holes in his cloak protruded two golden, feathered wings. He reached out with his hoof in disbelief, gently touching one of the appendages. He snapped it back when he could feel something touch a previously unknown spot somewhere beyond his shoulders. “By Celestias flowing mane!” he called out dumbstruck.

His outburst woke up the other pony in camp. The colt idly stretched his legs, yawning widely, before he rolled over, and stood up. “Morning,” he said to nopony specific. “Ha, my voice sure does sound funny,” he added in an afterthought. Only when his wandering gaze drifted over a pegasus mare, sitting on her hindquarters, and staring at him open mouthed, did the colt shock to full wakefulness.

“Okay, this is weird.” With one quick jump he was next do Bulwark, and grabbed the fighting pony’s head between his hooves. “Bulwark? Is that you in there?” he asked, looking worried. The pegasus just nodded. “Alright then! So you are me, and I’m you! Fancy that!”

The now stallion Daring let go of the mare's head, and took a few tentative steps around the camp, flexing his muscles. Then he stopped, and lowered his head between his own forelegs. “Fully equipped I see. That's new!” His joyful exclamation for this discovery was muffled by the clothing covering most of his body.

The now pegasus mare shook herself out of her stupor, just in time to interrupt the colt reaching a hoof under his cloak. “What are you doing?!” she demanded sharply.

“Just inspecting the goods,” the young stallion replied nonchalantly, looking up.

“Don't! That's private!” Bulwark snapped, stood up, and walked closer to the adventurer.

“How can it be private? We are walking around naked all the time. Nothing I haven't seen.”

“Looking is okay, but no touching!”

“Pff! Now you are just being a stuck up Canterlotian!” Daring waved her complaint off with a hoof.

Bulwark stomped her hoof on the ground. “I am not stuck up!”  

     “Alright. Fine then!” Daring chirped at once, and proceeded with his experimenting.

With one quick jump, and a thrust of her wings, the pegasus dashed at him in a flying tackle. They rolled over the field of flowers in a tumbling heap. When they came to a halt Bulwark had the earth pony on his back, pinned under her hooves.

“Ooh! Look at you now. Suddenly all forceful! Well normally I'm the one on top, but I can see the perks of this position too!” the former mare said with a teasing smile. Their cloaks had shifted during the struggle and he was staring blandly at the pegasus’ now naked flank and the wide spread wings.

“Could you be serious for one second here?” Bulwark yelled in his face.

“I am serious!”

“That would make it worse! You're molesting the both of us!”

“I'm not! You’re just being prude, is all!”

“I'm only acting like a proper gentlecolt should!”

“You are the one pinning me down against my will.”

“To stop you from raping me!”

“Now you are just being foalish.”

“I'm not a foal! I'm a grown stallion!”

“Technically, you are a mare right now and I'm the grown. . . let me check that. . . yes, grown stallion right now.”

Bulwark jumped off him and took a few steps backwards. “What's wrong with you?”

Daring got to his hooves, and faced her, anger flaring in his eyes. “It's your stupid male hormones. I can't think straight, and I can't stop staring at my own flank!” he shouted.

“That's because you were a loose mare to begin with!” Bulwark snapped back.

The adventure pony took a step closer, and stomped his hoof. “You take that back this instant, or else!”

“Or else what? Will you hit me and violate your own body, or will you hit yourself and violate mine some more?” the mare replied and stood up to the young stallion.

Daring was foaming with rage, the adrenalin flowing through his veins making it hard to think. She slightly lowered her head and tucked her ears back, getting ready to fight. But the futility of it all made him even more angry. He shouted out in rage: “You're a stupid feather-flank!”  

“Mud eater!”

“Bird brain!”

“Hay head!”

They inched closer and closer with each insult traded until their snouts touched, and they stared at each other fiercely. Both of them were breathing heavily, their bodies tense with pent-up anger. The two ponies continued to grind their foreheads for long moments. Then slowly but steadily their muscles relaxed. and angry snarls turned to amused smiles. Finally they burst out in laughter from the absurdity of the situation. The travelers leaned against each other for support to not simply fall over.

When the fit had worn off, and Bulwark had gained control over her breath again, she pulled Daring-Do into a friendly hug and patted his back with her hoof. “Sorry I called you a loose mare. Maybe Iam kinda old fashioned.”

Daring returned the hug and nuzzled his neck. “It's okay. I really shouldn’t have tried to do anything with your body you are not comfortable with.”

The fighting mare nodded, and pulled away from the hug. She turned to walk back to camp. “Just don't do anything I wouldn't do, not while I'm watching, and I don’t even want to know! Then I think, I can live it off. But if you do, I will claim the same rights myself!” she called back over her shoulder, feeling a little bit more adventurous than before, wondering if she would be stuck in this body so long she had to find out about it anyway. With a sigh Bulwark began rummaging through their luggage, fishing out something to eat, hoping that doing something normal, like making breakfast, would distract her from those thoughts for the time being.  

Daring grinned widely at Bulwark's proposal and hurried to catch up to her.  “Did you notice, that despite being in my body, you still have your own cutie mark?” the adventurer asked as he trotted to the mare. The pegasus held in and took a look at her flank, as well as Daring's, who was lifting his cloak with a hoof to show her.

“Huh? Guess it makes sense. Right?” Bulwark answered.  

The former pegasus tried to give a wing-shrug, but found he was missing everything required to do it. A feeling of emptiness spread from his back and made his usual smile fade. He sighed and joined the mare in breakfast.

“So, got any idea what happened to us?” the pegasus asked with her mouth full of dried dates.

Daring looked around, then bent down and inspected one of the blue flowers closely. “I think I have,” he finally said. Bulwark's ears turned to him as he started to explain. “I think I have heard from travelers about these flowers. They are called Poison Joke. Apparently if you even touch them they play some magic prank on you. Like making your voice sound funny, or turning your mane rainbow-striped.”

The mare's eyes went wide as the realization struck her. “And we have been sleeping in this stuff, tried to eat it, and rubbed it in our eyes!” she exclaimed. Daring just nodded. “Can this get any worse? And how do we get back to normal?” the fighting pony asked.

“We probably shouldn’t linger, but the effect should wear of on its own,” Daring explained. “In time,” he added. “I hope.”

The pegasus nodded and hurried her meal, while beginning to pack her saddlebags. Daring too made haste to get ready. Soon Bulwark swung her bulging brown saddlebags over her back. To her surprise she found it hard to even lift them, and almost collapsed when she dropped them on her back. “Celestial! When did these become so heavy?”

Daring-Do chuckled, walked over to him and lifted the bags from the pegasus' back and on his own with ease. He grinned widely when he saw Bulwark staring, her mouth agape. “Better get used to having awesome wings and pegasi magic, and let super strong, earth pony me carry your absurdly heavy bags.”

Bulwark gave a dry chuckle, and picked up the former pegasus' bags. “Yea right, flying and stuff. No offense, but I hope I won't have time to learn it.” Without further delay they started trotting to cross the remains of the Valley of Flowers.

They had not walked more than a minute before Daring burst out in excitement with a new idea. She poked Bulwark in the shoulder to gain her attention. “We should totally have sex!” he exclaimed out of the blue.  

“What?” the mare replied, her jaw dropping.

“Yes! Think about it!” the adventurer continued, grinning widely. “How often do you get the chance to experience it from the other gender's perspective? This is a once in a lifetime chance! We can't possibly pass this up. Think of the adventure!”

Bulwark just turned his head back front, and fastened his pace. “Pass!”

“But the adventure!” Daring pleaded, and tried to catch up with her.

“Not here, not now!”

“So maybe later?” the stallion inquired with a sly smirk. He received no answer. The pegasus just snickered, and dashed ahead, jumping, and pumping her wings into a short flight.

 

***

 

Daring landed gently at the top of a steep cliff next to a small waterfall. It was one of the streams feeding the river, they had followed upstream. A rope hung from her mouth, and went over the cliff's edge. “Wow!” she exclaimed as she saw what fed the falls. The plateau she was on was dominated by a deep pool, its still waters shining bright orange in the late afternoon sun. She could not make out any other apparent water source, so she guessed that this must be the river's spring, a place where some underground stream exited the mountains deep below the lake's surface.  Some moss, grasses, and the occasional thorny bush grew near the pond, clinging to the rocky ground. Their smell and sight made her mouth water, and her stomach growled involuntarily.

“You've fallen asleep up there?” Bulwark's call from below brought her attention back to the task at hoof. She turned back to the cliff, trapped the rope under her hoof and let it fall from her mouth.

“It's okay!” she yelled down the cliff and waved her free hoof. “Get the bags ready, and I'll lift them up!”

Soon she had the bags on the cliff, and by the time she pulled the earth pony over the cliff her coat shone with sweat. When she was sure he was safely over the edge, she dropped the rope and walked to the pond, dragging her hooves. She trudged into it, until the water almost reached her belly, barely noticing the cold bite on her legs, and let herself collapse into the lake. She disappeared in the pool, only the occasional bubbles breaking the surface hinted at her presence.

Bulwark had stayed a few moments at the plateau's edge, taking in the surroundings, until he followed the mare to the pool. When he reached its edge, she burst back through the surface, spluttering water, shaking her head, her mane spraying water in every direction. The colt shielded his eyes with a hoof, and shrank back, as the freezing drops made him shudder. “Celestia's grace! One would think you are a sea pony, the way you jump into any pool of water we come across!” he remarked. Daring chuckled dryly.

“It's refreshing,” she replied, shuddering, her teeth clattering. “But this one's way to cold!” She quickly got out of the pond and shook out her coat, mane, and tail thoroughly. This time Bulwark jumped back, avoiding the unwanted shower. He raised an eyebrow as he watched the mare find herself a spot still warmed by the setting sun.  

The colt walked back to the pond and lowered his head, taking a long drink directly from its edge. It was so cold it hurt his teeth, but that made it exquisitely refreshing. He drank greedily, savoring the taste of minerals and water plants. When he had quenched his thirst, he raised his head, and licked his lips dry.

“Is it still far to that Mirror of Truth?” the young stallion asked, as he walked back to their luggage, and began digging through it for something to eat.

Daring raised her head from where she was lying, she looked around, then her eyes wandered aimlessly, as she tried to recall the map from the stone head. “We are at the origin of the river that flows into the lake by Sanarth. The mirror should be here!” she finally exclaimed.

“Hope we don't have to search for it long. We are running low on provisions!” Bulwark replied, as he finished going through their belongings. He turned back to the lake without taking any food, and started grazing on the scarce grass growing near the shore.

The mare watched him curiously, her growling stomach telling her to join in the meal, but she didn't feel like getting up yet. Just laying on the warm rock and enjoying the day's last sun felt far more appealing to her at the moment. She yawned widely, stretched her limbs, and continued to gaze at the landscape.

It was the lake itself, that caught her attention. Now that nopony was disturbing its waters anymore, it had become absolutely calm; not a single ripple rose on its surface. She marveled at how it reflected the sinking sun, the high rocks surrounding the wellspring, and the pony grazing at its shores, as if she was looking into a mirror.

“A mirror,” she mumbled, and sprang on her legs. “The lake is the mirror!” she exclaimed. With one quick flap of her wings she jumped right next to the colt. Her sudden movement made him stagger back in surprise.

“Woah!” he called out, curiously eying the pegasus, who was now leaning over the lake, and staring down at its surface. “What do you mean the lake is the mirror? Like literally? The Mirror of Truth?” he asked as he walked to stand beside her.

“Just look! The lake is perfectly calm, a natural mirror.” she explained, without looking up.

Bulwark lowered his head, looked at the water's surface, and found that he could indeed see his own reflection staring back at him.

“So, this is all? Look into the Mirror of Truth? Nothing more to. . .”

The words stuck in his throat when the reflection was wiped away by gray mist, and replaced by something else. Images flashed before him, and his eyelids twitched. Frantically he tried to turn his head. But he couldn't close his eyes nor look away; his sight was magically drawn towards the vision. He leaned closer and closer, until the image was all he could see. He clenched his teeth. Cold sweat was forming on his brow, while his mind yelled and screamed, forcing his body to obey, straining his muscles to draw away from the lake.

As soon as it had started, the vision stopped. Both Bulwark and Daring-Do stumbled away from the pond, breathing heavily. It took them a moment to compose themselves, before they looked at each other in bewilderment. “It's not how it looks, I can explain!” It was the colt who broke the silence first, his voice trembling at the edge of a panic.

“What? How could you explain. . . . Wait a second! What are you so worked up about? Did we even see the same thing?” the pegasus inquired, tilting her head slightly.

Bulwark watched her intently for a few seconds, then let out a sigh, and sat on his hindquarters. He shook his head slowly. “No, I don't think you saw what I did.”

Daring took a step closer, and stared at him inquisitively. “So what did you see?”  

The colt averted her gaze and shrank back a little. “I. . . uh did see. . .” he stammered, but then shook his head, and let out a long sigh. He looked down at his own hooves. “No, this won't do. You probably have to hear this.” he mumbled to himself, then took a deep breath to build up his courage, and looked the pegasus into the eyes.

“I saw myself standing over a dead pony. There was blood on my hooves, and blood on my snout!” The young stallion explained deadpan. “I killed him.”  He lay back his ears anxiously, but held the mare’s gaze, waiting for her reaction.

Daring scratched her chin with a hoof, contemplating for a moment what Bulwark had told her. “Who was the pony? Do you know him?” she finally asked, making a wide gesture with her hoof.

The young stallion let out a breath, he didn't realize he had been holding, and let his head sink. He slowly shook his head. “No, could have been anypony. But I don't think that was important in the vision anyhow.”

“How so? Do you know what it means?”

The colt nodded. He swallowed hard before he answered. “It's what I fear most; that if I become a soldier or whatever, if I keep doing what I do best, I will end up killing somepony.”

Silence spread between them, and nopony spoke for long moments. Finally, when he got no response from his travel companion, Bulwark looked up in wonder into her solemn face. “What? No witty comment? No telling me how stupid I am?”

Instead of answering, she threw her legs around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Hey, I don't know,” she hushed into his ear. “But I know you are a good pony. Even if your fear comes true, I'm sure you'll work it out. Just remember that there are ponies who are there for you, no matter what!” she told him and nuzzled his neck.

The colt was taken by surprise, and only laid a hoof around her shoulder, when she had finished speaking. He could feel his eyes water up; he blinked and quickly dried them on his fetlock. “Thanks,” he said as they separated. “I guess I needed that.”

Daring gave him a warm smile. “You’re welcome! Stupid friends! Remember?”

He had to chuckle at that remark. “Heh! What would life be without them?”

For a few moments, they just sat at the lake, lost in their own thoughts. Finally Bulwark sheepishly scratched the back of his head and spoke up. “So. . . what did you see?”

The pegasus blinked a few times, shot a glance at his inquiring face and quickly looked away. “Oh, you know. . . the usual,” she said and gave him a forced simper.

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. “Really?” he asked, stretching the word.

The mare nodded eagerly. “Yes! Eh. . . you remember when we had changed bodies?”

The colt sighed. “How could I ever forget that?”

“Right! So I saw us. . . and we. . .” she tried to explain, but stopped mid-sentence, and  let her head sink. “I don't really want to talk about it,” she said bleakly.

Bulwark stood up and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, can it be any worse than my vision? Come on, this might be important to find the goblet!”

Daring took a deliberate breath, then looked up, newfound determination burning in her eyes. “I saw myself. Or rather what remained of myself. A wrinkled corpse lying forgotten in some lost ruin, still wearing its helmet and shirt, its lips drawn back in a ghastly grin!” she told the colt, willing her voice not to fail, forcing herself to face the image of the vision again. When she had finished, she stared blankly at the young stallion, waiting for him to say anything.

“So. . .,” he began, stretching out the word, raising a hoof in a wide gesture, “you are afraid of dying? That's it? I think any sane pony is afraid of death.”

The mare shook her head. “Not just dying. I face mortal danger on a daily basis. I have escaped certain doom by hairsbreadth more times than I can count. It's what I do; it's what I do best!” she explained, spreading her wings wide. But then she let them and her head sink. “But just lying there?” she continued somberly. “Forgotten by everypony? Left to rot ‘til some other, luckier adventurer will find my bones?” She slowly shook her head and tried her best to hold back tears.

Bulwark shifted on his hooves and looked around uncomfortably. Suddenly his face lit up, and he grinned at Daring. “You could get yourself a sidekick!” he offered.

The pegasus raised her head, and looked at him curiously.

“Yes! He could either save you from certain doom when you are being stupid, or give you a proper funeral.”

“Or rot beside me, when we both run out of luck.”

“Pff, or that. One way or the other, you won't have to die alone and forgotten!”

Daring's lips curled up slightly. “And you’re offering yourself for the position?”

“What?” The colt was taken in surprise.  “No! I am not your sidekick!” he protested sharply.

Now the dam was broken, and a wide grin spread on the mare's face. “Oh come on, we could be like Batmare and the Coltwonder!”

Bulwark raised a hoof in protest and shook his head. “No! I'm a totally awesome and independent character in my own right. Like everypony in the Awesome Six!”

The pegasus laughed wholeheartedly. “You wish!” she exclaimed, and jumped into the air, doing a happy somersault. “Come on now my faithful assistant. To the Bat-stable!” She shot off into the sky, leaving a gray-scale blur in her wake, laughing and corkscrewing as she went. The earth pony just shook his head and went back to the lake-shore to get back to his dinner.

“I guess I brought this on myself. Oh well, at least she is not gloomy anymore. So mission accomplished.” he mumbled, and couldn’t help but smile at his companion’s antics.

 

***

 

The unicorn, known by his fellow Patriots as the President, sat on a comfy couch inside of a large tent. He was reading an old, leather-bound tome by the light of a candlestick. His horn glowed, as he idly turned a page with his magic. The unicorn then levitated a grape from a bowl of fruit on a table next to him, and dropped it in his mouth, without ever looking up from his reading.

“Mister President?” somepony inquired from just outside of the tent, his voice muffled by the thick fabric.

“Come in!” the stallion answered, looking up. “Ah, Loaded Dice. Report! How is the progress on the portal?” he asked, when he recognized his henchpony walking into the tent.

The addressed pony took a deliberate breath before he answered. “We have searched the entire valley, but without success. There seems to be no hidden mechanism, or lock on the gate. I have personally tried to dispel the magic protecting the gate, but the enchantments are on par with those of the Canterlot palace vaults, if not stronger. I doubt even the princess could break them. Breaking the portal with violence was equally unsuccessful. The gate repels any force directed against it with equal power. Two workers were injured before we found this out.” He explained factually, but his eyes wandered nervously around the tent.

The President listened intently; when Dice had finished, he contemplated the report, frowning. “Hmm. . .”

The white unicorn began to shift his hooves nervously, and a fine shine formed on his brow, as he waited for what seemed to be an eternity. He almost jumped when the President finally spoke up. “Do the wards extend past the portal?” the royal blue stallion inquired.

Dice squinted an eye as he tried to recall the results of his magic examinations. “All of the stonework is included in the wards,” he replied at last.

“What about the rock the vault was dug into? What about the very ground it stands on? Are they protected too?”

This time Loaded was quicker to answer. “No, they are not,” he said, shaking his head. A grin spread on his face, and soon shared by his boss.

“Dice, order the workers to dig a tunnel to bypass the portal. Use explosives if you have to, just make sure the site itself does not collapse!” the President ordered.

“Yes sir!” the henchmen replied eagerly, and turned to take his leave.  

“And Dice?” his boss called, just as he was about to exit the tent. The unicorn looked back over his shoulder.

“We can't replenish our workforce out here, so see to it that the two injured make a swift recovery.”

Loaded Dice nodded and left the tent. When he was gone, the President picked his book up and went back to his reading, smiling content. “Soon,” he murmured to himself. “Soon, the goblet will be mine.”

Chapter 5

The ground was treacherous; every other step broke loose splinters from the rock, and sent them tumbling down the steep slope. It was a constant remainder that every misstep could break loose a rocky avalanche. Daring-Do and Bulwark were traveling along a derelict, winding mountain path. The mare was in the lead, walking slowly, her wings extended for extra balance. The young stallion followed closely behind her, warily watching the loose stones above them, his steps deliberate and tense. The two of them were connected by a few pony-lengths of rope, skillfully secured around their chests. Daring hoped she would be strong enough to hold the earth pony if he should slip and fall; the other way around worried her far less.

Both of them let out sighs of relief when the way turned into a pass through the mountain ridge, and no five hundred hoof drop awaited them if they should stumble. Bulwark removed the bothersome rope, and repacked it before they moved on. Their steps echoed from the sheer walls that towered on the sides of the pass as they wearily began to make their way through it in a slow trot. The fighting pony's eyes traced small cracks along the rock. The weather had eroded the stone to the point where whole boulders threatened to break off and bury a large part of the pass in debris. He swallowed hard. “So this is the Hidden Chasm? Celestia, please let this hold while we are in it.”

“Wow, what an amazing echo!” Daring exclaimed, marveling how her words resounded from the walls. “Don't you agree?” she asked and looked back over her shoulder.

The colt twitched, put his ears back and tucked his head between his shoulders. He shot dreadful glances at the rocks towering above them. “Psst! Not so loud! You want to get us killed in an avalanche or something?” he hissed back at her sharply.

The mare stopped; her gleeful expression froze on her face, and she too looked at the cliffs around them. She gave a sheepish chuckle and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Heh, that would ruin our day now, wouldn’t it?”

Just as Daring turned to trot on, her ears twitched. The wind blowing through the pass was carrying a hoarse voice to her. Bulwark’s eyes widened when he too heard it. “Help! Anypony, please help me!” It was a desperate call, coming from further along the pass.

The two travelers jumped into a gallop at once, their fear of an avalanche put aside for the moment. They dashed through the winding pass, their hooves spraying gravel and striking sparks as they went. Small trickles of rocks broke loose from the walls, and cascaded to the ground behind them. After they had rounded a few bends, Daring came to a halt. The suddenness of her action left Bulwark sliding on his hooves. He crashed into the mare, rebounded, and stumbled to the ground.

When he got up again, the pegasus had already jumped ahead and was cradling the head of an unfortunate pony in her hooves. Bulwark blinked a few times, his pupils shrank, and he took a step back as he beheld the whole of what was before him. An avalanche had blocked the way ahead, and had buried a red-coated stallion up to his shoulders under heavy rocks. He had cuts and bruises all over his body; his mane was a mess of dried blood and dirt, his lips cracked and bleeding. Just as repugnant was the smell; the metallic scent of blood hung over the pass, mixed with the stench of feces and vomit.

“Hang on, we'll get you out of there!” called out Daring, desperately shaking the pony’s head, trying to keep him conscious. The stallion’s eyelids fluttered and he looked at her blearily.

“Celestia be praised,” he pressed forth, “I didn't think anypony would find me.”

“Save your strength! We’ll have you out of there in no time,” the mare reassured him, and gave him a warm smile. “Bulwark!” she exclaimed and looked over her shoulder. “Dig him out, then lift the boulder, so I can pull him free!”

The earth pony stood frozen, his fur standing on its end. Every fiber of his body screamed at him to panic, to leave the gruesome scene and the potential mortal danger behind, and run. He clenched his teeth, and forced his left foreleg to take a step ahead, then his right hind one. Slowly he battered his primal instincts down with sheer force of will, and walked over to the trapped pony.

He briefly wondered how the adventuress managed it with such seeming ease, envying her for being able to stay so calm in a situation like this. But he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know; to know what horrors she had seen on her adventures, that had steeled her like this. He shook his head to drive off the thoughts, and quickly fished out an entrenchment tool from his saddlebag. He began shoveling away the gravel and smaller rocks that covered the pony, trying to focus on the task at hoof, and not imagining what he would find under the rubble.

While the colt labored away, Daring tried to comfort the injured pony. She had gotten out her water bottle, and carefully fed small sips to the stallion's dry lips. When he had stilled his thirst, she began to clean his face with a wet cloth from dried blood and vomit. She hoped the gesture would at least distract him from the pain the shifting weight on his body was sure to cause.

Bulwark dug as fast as he dared to. Holding the spade in his mouth he wriggled it under the rocks, careful not to injure the trapped pony with his tool, then slowly lifted them, watching wearily for any sign of his actions causing the rock to shift and pile even more rubble on the stallion. Only when he worked in save distance from the stallion did Bulwark dare to shove the spade with his hoof, and to throw the gravel to the side with a yank of his head. It took him more than half an hour to move the rocks, and his coat was shining with sweat by the time he was done. Now all that remained was a large boulder that lay on the injured stallion's hip. The colt wiped his brow and took a deep breath, looking over the fruits of his labor. “Alright,” he said, “I can raise the rock now. Get ready to pull him out.”

Daring positioned herself before the injured, and grabbed the mane on his neck with her teeth. “Ready,” she mumbled between clenched teeth.

The young stallion got ready to work his earth pony magic; he loosed his shoulders and leaned his head from side to side, producing an audible crack from his spine, then took a deep breath and focused on the rock. The boulder was at least twice as high as he was tall and about twice as wide. Bulwark didn't even dare to guess how much it weighed. He figured this would give him one tartarus of aching muscles. The fighting pony took a firm stance, digging his hooves into the gravel on the ground, and probed the rock with the top of his head to find a good angle of attack. When he had found one, he breathed deeply once more, then brought all of his power to bear.

The boulder shuddered, and smaller stones rolled down its sides as the motion broke them free. Bulwark clenched his teeth and took several steps on the spot; his hooves dug through the ground, struggling to gain traction. Small droplets of sweat formed on his brow and ran down his face; he licked them from his lips and took a labored breath. When his hooves finally stopped slipping, he tried for one last effort. The earth pony clenched his eyes shut and pushed with all the power he could muster, bellowing a primal scream as he went.

With a tremor the rock began to move. Daring wasted no time; as soon as there was a hairsbreadth between the stone and the trapped pony, she pulled him by his mane and dragged him free. The stallion yelled in pain as his broken body was wrenched from its fixed position, and his wound coat was dragged over the rough ground. As soon, as the injured stallion was free of the rock the fighting pony let go, and it crashed back into its place. The ground shook, and gravel cascaded from the blockade and the surrounding cliffs.

The colt rolled his head, trying to loosen his burning muscles, and let out a relieved sigh as he walked towards Daring and the injured pony. But his relive was short-lived. He grimaced, and inhaled sharply through his teeth when he saw the other stallion's condition. Bulwark took a deliberate breath to composed himself, then reluctantly walked over to the mare. She was laying beside the wounded pony, resting his head on on of her fetlocks and brushing his mane with her free hoof, hushing soothingly, trying to comfort him.

“This doesn't look good,” Bulwark whispered into her ear. “His hip is crushed, his legs broken, and he is probably bleeding internally.” He shook his head somberly. “I don't think there is anything we can do.”

“I know,” the pegasus replied calmly, her eyes shining with tears.

The injured stallion ached in pain as his twitching and cramping muscles ground broken bones against each other. “I'm not gonna make it, am I?” he pressed forth when the spasm had passed.

The colt walked around the two ponies to stand in front of the wounded. “I'm sorry,” he sighed, let his head sink and looked down at his hooves.

The other stallion swallowed hard. “I feared as much,” he gasped. His ears sank and his body was hit by another spasm. “You did, what you could,” he said when he regained control of his muscles. “I'm glad anypony came at all.”

“There is one thing we could do,” offered the adventuress, swiping her eyes with her free leg. “We could end you suffering.”

Bulwark looked up at Daring, his eyes widened in terror as the meaning of her words sunk in.

The injured stallion shuddered, and stared at the mare with his ears lain back. Another spasm hit his body and left him gasping for air. He swallowed hard, then nodded resolute.

Daring started to get up, but Bulwark stopped her with a raised hoof. She looked at him confused; the fear in is eyes had been replaced by iron determination. “I'll do it!” he said.

“You sure?” she asked, eying the young stallion doubtfully.

“Yes!” he said and nodded forcefully. “This should be clean and fast.” He swallowed and fished a long survival knife from his saddlebags. “I'm a fighting pony; it has to be me,” he explained, his speech murmured by the knife handle between his teeth.

The mare nodded slowly. She once again rested the injured stallion's head on one hoof and continued brushing his mane with the other. Bulwark positioned himself right in front of the injured pony and made ready to strike. The stallion formed a silent 'thank you with his lips.

“May your next life be long and full of joy!” Bulwark exclaimed solemnly, then lunged his head in a powerful thrust. His aim was true; the knife went between the pony's rips, and pierced his heart. The dying stallion tensed up, and the colt let go of his knife and looked him into the eyes. “May we meet again in happier times,” he sobbed as he watched the pony's eyes break. The stallion let out his dying breath as his body relaxed, then he was still.    

The pegasus carefully laid the dead pony's head on the ground, then got up on her hooves. “You okay?” she asked when she saw the colt was still staring at the deceased with a deadpan expression.

“Yea, I'll be okay,” he answered toneless and retrieved his knife. He began to clean it with a corner of his cloak mechanically. “Will probably have nightmares from this, but I'll be okay.”

Without warning Daring swiped him into a tight hug. The knife fell to the ground cluttering. “You did the right thing. Nopony could done it better!” she whispered into his ear.

Bulwark swallowed a lump in his throat. “Adventuring is not always fun and games, is it?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“No, it isn't!” the mare sobbed.

The colt gave a long sigh. “Well, if we hadn't come, he would have died on his own. This way, at least he wasn't alone.”

Daring gave him a mirthless chuckle. “That's something, isn't it?”

“It's better than nothing,” the young stallion replied soberly.

They stood this way for long minutes, comforting each other, sobbing, and weeping in silence. It was Bulwark who finally spoke up when he felt that the moment had passed. “We should bury him.” he said and drew away from the mare.

“Yes,” answered Daring and dried her tears. “That we should.”

 

***

 

They left the pass soon after, leaving behind a nameless grave made out of rocks. The landscape on the other side of the mountain was very different, and the way down it's side far less treacherous than the one they had come up. It was more of a long, gentle downward slope, that slowly became a wide yellow savanna. They made good progress and were soon trotting among grass higher than their heads. Daring had to jump into a short flight from time to time to get her bearings. It was dry time and all of the plants were withered and dead. Dust whirled up under the ponies' hooves as they made their way among dried up puddles of broken, crusted mud, and gnarly, leafless trees.

“Be on watch for predators. There are probably lions in the bushes, and I bet my helmet; they are hungry!” the adventuress warned her companion, suspiciously eying their surroundings, her ears turning and twitching at every sound. The young stallion just nodded and followed her example.

 

 

“Is it still far to that Silent Lake? It's almost sundown; we should be looking for a place to make camp!” the earth pony inquired, his stomach grumbling as if to underline his point.

“Oh no! It shouldn’t be far!” Daring exclaimed. She parted a wall of high grass with her hooves and looked through the gap. “In fact,” she said and widened the opening until the colt got a look too. “It is right here!”

Before them stretched a sheer endless waste of hard baked soil. The former lake had completely dried up and all that was left was a hole in the vegetation that stretched for miles. The two ponies saw the air above the lake shimmering in the heat of the sinking sun. Dust devils danced over the lake's ground to some ethereal music.

“This place gives me the shivers!” exclaimed Bulwark with a haunted look. “I don't hear no birds or critters. There are not even insects to be seen. It's like we are the only things alive on the planet.”

The mare frowned and looked around skeptically for long moments. She finally shrugged and stepped through the grass to get to the lake's shore. “Well, it is called the Silent Lake. But we should probably be on our guard. Maybe this place is haunted, or there is a giant spider or something.”

That night they made a fire. Not only because for the first time fuel was readily available and it would ward off the chills of the night, but they hoped it's light would keep away whatever was lurking at the lake.

“What the hay?” The angry curse of the young stallion broke the night's silence and startled Daring, who had been staring absentmindedly out onto the lake.

“What's wrong?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Our provisions!” exclaimed Bulwark. “All of them are rotten, even the dried fruits, even the hay!” he exclaimed baffled, then shook his head in disbelief and threw the spoiled food away in anger. He began rummaging through their luggage again. “Looks like we're down to iron rations,” he said and got out two tins and a can opener. “We got,” he started and squinted his eyes, trying to read the labels. “Two cans of beans.”

“Mmh, beans! My favorite!” the mare joked, but quickly turned on a thoughtful frown. “Lets share only one of them. We don't know when we will find something to eat again.”

The colt snorted in response, opened the can and placed it next to the fire. Then he sat down beside Daring with a thump. “This day is just getting better and better!” he sighed and stared into the flames.

They had been sitting at the fire for a few minutes, each silently sunken in their own thoughts, when suddenly the adventuress' ears twitched and she jumped to her hooves. She took a wide stance, her head lowered, and stared into the near field of high grass. Bulwark quickly got to his hooves and positioned himself at her side.

“Who goes there! Show yourself!” Daring demanded loudly. A rustling came from the grass, and the stalks shook.

“There is no need to be alarmed. I do not mean anypony to be harmed!” replied an androgynous voice with a thick Zebracian accent. Daring relaxed a little and let her guard down. A striped mare embarked from the high grass and walked into the light of their fire. “I'm just a traveler like you two. I'd like to share your fire, mind if I do?”    

The pegasus sighed in relieve, and gestured at their camp. “Please, be our guest. Let us share light and laughter!” she exclaimed like it was a set phrase and gave the zebra a warm smile.

“You are very kind. Meeting you here is truly a lucky find!” the zebra replied happily and settled herself by the fire opposite of Bulwark.

Daring too sat back down beside her companion; who wasted no time and poked her in the flank. He beckoned her to lean closer. “You invite a stranger into our camp, just like that?” he whispered into her ear.

Daring looked at him surprised, then laughed and waved his concerns off with her hoof. “Oh relax. It's an unwritten code among travelers; share your fire with any traveler that might come along, like he is your friend, and friends you shall be, and friends at any fire you will find!” she explained and gestured in a wide arc at the other mare; who was making herself comfortable, enjoying the warmth of the flames.

She nodded at Daring's words and gave the young stallion a genuine smile. “You friend’s words are wise indeed. Heed them, and you shan't ever be in need.”

Bulwark blushed and lay his ears back sheepishly. “Sorry, I'm kinda new to this traveling thing. Please. . . eh . . . let us share light and laughter.” His attempt at using the adventuress’ welcoming phrase earned him giggles from both mares. He found their felicity to be infecting, and a bashful smile found its way to his lips.

“Heh! So, what brings you to this lonely place. Oh, and by the way: I'm Daring-Do, and this is Bulwark,” the pegasus asked and made a quick introduction when the laughter had faded.

The zebra nodded at them both before she answered. “Amara is my name, let me tell you whence I came. As part of a caravan to Maredria I traveled for days, in a sandstorm I lost my ways. Walked without direction for the longest time, and feared that certain doom was mine. But the stars yet led me to this ground. I can't say, how happy I am, that you I have found!”

The two ponies had listened to the zebra's words intently. Especially Bulwark was mesmerized by the native's curious way of talking.

“So, you have been wandering this waste for days? You must be starving!” exclaimed Daring. “Would you like to join us for supper? I fear it's not much, but we'll gladly share what we have!” she offered, gesturing at the can of beans, that was steaming by now.

“It is true that food is hard to find in this land, even if you know many a plant. Your offer is welcome and kind. I will accept gladly, hope you don't mind!” Amara replied with a thankful smile.

“Alright,” Bulwark sighed and got to his hooves. “Then I’d better open the other can, or this won't even serve as an appetizer.”    

They stayed up long into the night, sharing their food, stories, and laughter. Strangers they may have been when they met, but friends for the night they had become. Their merry little company made the shadows of the night seem that much brighter, and the fear of what might be hiding the dark was forgotten for the time being.

 

***

 

They broke camp shortly after sunrise and the young stallion was busy rearranging their luggage. “You will need a compass, water canteen, fire stone, pot, knife of course, and a blanket,” he counted from his mental list and began packing everything into a makeshift backpack he fashioned from a wool blanket.

“Better give her two blankets. The desert can be freezing cold at night!” Daring interposed from the side. She had drawn a map into the sandy shore of the lake and was using it to explain to Amara the way to Manedria from which they had come.

“Or course,” Bulwark grumbled and reluctantly added another blanket to the package.

“Ah, come on Bulwark. It's no problem. We can share the ones we have left!” the pegasus offered.

“Well, I hope it won't be a problem!” the young stallion remarked sharply and shot the adventuress a wary glance. His antics made the two mares giggle, which in turn didn't improve his mood.

Daring waved the colts concerns off with a hoof, and Amara gave her a curious look. “Are you sure your young companion does not mind? I don't want to impose on ponies so kind!” she asked and looked over at the colt; who was binding up the makeshift backpack with a length of rope.

“Oh, don't mind him, he's just shy!” the pegasus explained and shook her head amused. “He would escort you to Maredria himself if we had the time; making sure no lions would come within a mile of you for fear of their skin!”

“I'm only shy in comparison to you!” the young stallion protested as he walked over to the mares. He offered the zebra the packed backpack with an outstretched hoof. She had to giggle at the two Equestrians’ jibes. But she quickly remembered her manners and took the bag from Bulwark's hoof with a respectful nod, then swung it onto her back.

“Your generosity saved me, and very thankful I am. Meet me again, and help you I will, if I can.  Goodbye and good luck on your way!”

“Goodbye Amara! It was nice meeting you. Stay save!” said Daring and waved her hoof.

“Goodbye, and be careful of rock slides on the pass!” said Bulwark concern in his voice.

Amara gave them a grateful nod, then she was on her way, and the two ponies soon were on theirs.

 

***

 

It was the noon of the next day, when they reached a table mountain, standing lonely in the savanna's high grass. They stared in wonder at a building set into the steep face of the rock. It was a step pyramid; it's seamless surface looked like is was part of the mountain itself. The pyramid's edges were rounded and worn down by the elements. Plants grew among cracks and cavities in the stone. The two ponies looked up to the top of the building, where they could make out the remnants of a half-collapsed structure.

“This is it, the last landmark I remember from the map. Whatever physical, or metaphorical stone we have to carry into the sun; it is probably inside this pyramid!” Daring speculated and started to move towards the structure. Bulwark was still staring at it with wide eyes. When he realized that the mare was walking on he quickly shook himself out of his stupor and hurried to catch up to her.

“How can a huge building like this stand in the middle of nowhere. We haven’t seen any signs of settlements for days,” the earth pony asked, his eyes still shining in astonishment.

“This building is very old, maybe thousands of years! It most likely was a temple, or a tomb of an important leader. Possible it was the only structure in an entire city made out of stone. Look how it is hewn from the very mountain! This must have taken decades to build. Now, huts made out of mud and straw, or even wood, would have decayed over the centuries. Withered away by time, 'til nothing was left of the city but this monument of the glory it once had!” the self proclaimed archeologist explained eagerly. She was gesturing around the landscape and looking over hills and trees as if she could still see the houses that had once stood there.

The fighting pony nodded slowly and watched as the stone steps of a flight of stairs, that led up to the top of the of the pyramid, rose before them as they drew near. They were easily half as high as he was. “Who build this? This steps are too big for anypony to walk on.”

Daring shook her head, and shrugged. “I don't now. At least not yet. But there have been civilizations on this world, living long before ponies learned to speak. Who knows what creatures lived here before the zebras settled the land?” Both ponies walked in silence for a moment, and Bulwark pictured how big the creatures, that had build this steps, must have been. He was taken aback by the pegasus giving an amused chuckle. “Or it was zebras, and they wanted to impress whoever came to this temple by the sheer size of their steps!” she remarked, and quickened her pace.

When they reached the bottom of the steps Daring spread her wings and looked at Bulwark with a challenging smirk. “The entrance is most likely on the top. Race you to it!” she exclaimed and began jumping up the stairs, lengthening her jumps with powerful flaps of her wings. Only her saddlebags kept her from just flying up to the top.

“Hey, that's cheating!” yelled Bulwark after the ascending mare, but took up her challenge with a cocky grin none the less. He dashed after her, working his earth pony magic, leaping over two of the giant steps at once. Splinters cracked from the stairs as his powerful, steel shod hooves struck the stone. He caught up with the adventuress on the final flight of steps. They gave each other a challenging smirk and redoubled their efforts. When they reached the top Daring was half a pony-length in the lead. But her triumphant laughter stuck in her throat. The ground of the platform, she hoped to be the first to set her hoof on, was not there. Instead a pitch black hole gaped underneath her. She quickly pumped her wings to hover, but with wide eyes she saw Bulwark sailing past her.

“Wohaa!” he shouted and started plummeting into the darkness. Daring had the presence of mind to grab him quickly by the flailing end of his cloak, but the additional weight was to much for her to carry. With a startled scream both of them vanished into the bowels of the pyramid.

 

Daring pumped her wings in a desperate effort, trying to slow their fall without hurting her appendages on the walls she couldn’t see. From below came a strangled gasp from Bulwark, and he struggled on the end of the cloak she was holding. After mere seconds she felt a burning sensation in her flight muscles. She clenched her teeth, ignoring the pain and willing her wings to keep on beating. Suddenly the weight in her hooves was gone. Immediately after that she hit the ground, and the impact drove the air from her lungs.

For a second she just lay without moving, her ears ringing. She was wondering if rock shouldn’t have been a lot harder than what she had hit. Then the pain came over her like an ocean wave, flooding through her entire body. She gasped for air, and something beneath her stirred. “Ugh!” somepony moaned in the familiar voice of the young stallion. The pegasus felt the ground beneath her raise and shake as Bulwark dropped her unceremoniously from his back.

The adventures staggered to her hooves, and shook her head, trying to clear out the ringing. “You okay?” she asked into the darkness. She heard a cracking sound and a startled groan from her companion.

“I think nothing is broken,” he moaned. “What about you?”

“I hit on somepony. But you know; I always like to be on top!” Daring exclaimed.

“Ugh, can't be that bad, if you are joking again like this!” he groaned, prompting an amused giggle from the mare, and began rummaging through his saddlebags. Moments later bright sparks lit up the darkness of the pyramid as the fighting pony struck a flint stone with his horseshoe, and ignited a torch.

Daring blinked a few times before her eyes had adjusted to the new light. When she could see clearly again she eagerly looked around the room in which they had crashed.

They were standing at the bottom of a quadratic shaft. The hole, which they had fallen through, could only be made out as a small bright speck atop of them. The light that shone through barely reached the bottom. The ground was littered with debris and remnants of a flight of stairs that had once spiraled along the walls all the way to the top. A single corridor lead from the room. But it was impossible to make out were it went; the light of their torch was swallowed after a few pony-lengths.

They quickly checked if they had dropped any equipment, and readjusted their gear. Then Daring ignited a second torch on Bulwark's lit one, and stepped towards the corridor. “Only one way to go!” she exclaimed with excitement and lead the way.

Daring assumed the tunnel lead towards the mountainside, hoping her sense of direction had not been confused too much by their fall. The walls were incredible smooth for something hewn out of rock. Whoever build it must have taken a lot of time to smooth it out, chiseling the walls to an almost polished surface. After they had gone a few steps paintings and symbols began adorning the walls on both sides. The pictures were of a simplistic design. The first ones showed animals in a stylized manner, like somepony had tried to draw what they were, rather than what they looked like.  

“Have you ever seen something like this?” Bulwark gasped in awe, staring at the drawings with wide eyes.

“Not exactly,” Daring replied. “They look similar to hieroglyphs I have seen in the Great Pyramids in Neighgypt. But they must be much older. Just look at the animals! Some of them have been extinct for thousands of years!” she exclaimed, flashing her torch over a picture of a creature that looked like a very small pony with a thick, shaggy coat. “Others. . . .“ She shuddered as the light revealed the form of roughly pony-shaped, black creatures with insect-like wings and long fangs.

As they went on the drawings began to show mostly hybrids with the body of a pony but the heads of many different animals. They were shown in various acts, ranging from watering plants, to kneeling before a fellow creature that had been drawn with thrice the size of the others. The two travelers walked through the history of these beings in wonder, but one picture in particular made Bulwark suddenly stop and take a closer look. “What is this?”

Daring stopped and turned back to see what had gotten the young stallion's attention. In the glow of their torches she made out the drawing of a tall blue box with slender windows and a bright light at the top. Something that looked like a light-brown earth pony stood beside the box. Daring frowned. “That is the Doctor in the Tardis!” she grunted, turned away, and trotted on.

Bulwark stared after the mare, and looked at the picture two more times in wonder, before he hurried to catch up. “What?” he asked perplexed. Daring let her breath out in an annoyed sigh.

“That supercilious oaf turns archeology into a joke. You can find pictures of the Doctor in the Tardis in every single ancient culture on the planet and probably every other planet as well! I swear, if I see him one more time; I will take his silly glowing stick, and. . . .” The adventuress stopped dead in her rant and tracks. They had reached the end of the tunnel; it opened into a wide, high chamber. A big hexagonal pillar rose in the middle of the room, reaching about half of its height. Winding steps lead up the pillar, but only a few of them were left; the rest lay broken on the ground. But none of that had stunned the adventuress. What had stopped her were the remains of a pony, huddled at the room's left wall.

Daring quickly shook herself out of her stupor and rushed over to the corps. It was a rather grotesque sight. The dry air of the pyramid had slowed the body's decay. It was completely dried up; its green coat clinging to the bones; lips drawn back in a ghastly sneer; eyes nowhere to be found. Judging by the shape of the body and the gray streaks in the otherwise auburn mane, she guessed it had been a middle aged stallion. Ragged clothes still clung to the pony, and some of his gear was scattered around him. The mare winced when she saw his cutie mark; it was a compass.

“What have you. . . oh. . . oh, merciful Celestia, no!” Bulwark had walked next to her, and dropped his torch when he saw what she was standing in front of. His startled words shook her out of her own shock. “It's my father!” he gasped.

The pegasus took a step aside and watched the young stallion in concern. Bulwark just stared at the corpse for some time, his face void of expression. Finally something caught his eye, and he pulled it from under the dead pony's hoof. It was a photograph. The earth pony put the picture on his hoof and looked at it. His legs gave away and the sat down heavily on his hindquarters when he saw what was on it.

Daring took a hesitant step towards him and reached out toward the colt with her hoof. “Just give me a minute,” he muttered, interrupting her before she could touch him. The mare took a glance at the photo he was holding in his hoof. It showed a green-coated stallion standing next to a yellow mare with a fiery red mane. In the center before them stood a small colt, who had a pine-green coat and a fiery red mane. The stallion had draped one leg around the mare's shoulders. Both adults cradled the colt with one of their forelegs, and all of them were smiling happily into the camera.

The adventuress shot another worried glance at her companion’s emotionless face. She let out a sigh and looked around uncomfortably. Her eyes fell on a book that was lying open and face down next to the dead pony. She placed her torch on the ground, picked up the book carefully, and looked at the page it was on. Her face lit up in surprise when she read it. “It's his journal!” she exclaimed, and quickly flipped through the pages until she found the entry she was looking for.

“Today the sea voyage ended; and we arrived in Maredria. We got supplies from local merchants and hired several bearers; mostly zebras and a few camels. Then we headed towards the lost city of Sanarth.” She quickly skipped several pages before continuing. Bulwark had not moved or even looked up; only the twitching of his ears and one of them turning towards her voice gave indication that he was listening.

“We arrived at the Valley of Flowers and made camp. Too late did we realize it was a field of poison joke! Normally this would have been funny, but one of my companions laughed too loud at a zebra whose stripes had become rainbow colored. A fight broke out. By the time I separated the stallions, Blue Sky lay dead on the ground. I chased away the zebra in anger. I fear he will not survive the desert; for he had no water and was bleeding from a lame leg.” Daring swallowed hard and skimmed ahead.

“We made it up to the pond where the Mirror of Truth is supposed to be. We searched for a long time, but didn't find anything. Then without warning Amber Mane cried out in terror from the side of the well. I hurried over to her and asked what was wrong. She was clearly distressed, but assured me that she was alright. I fear she wasn't telling the truth. Amber acted strange all evening long. I'm sure she wasn't telling us something. In the morning she was gone without a trace.” Again the adventuress turned several pages before she continued.              

“We found the Hidden Chasm. The ascend had been treacherous, and one of the bearers got hurt. We had no choice but to leave him behind. His screams still haunt me; shivers run down my spine when I think of the curses he spat after us.”

“Disaster befell us while we traversed the pass. A rockslide came down on us. Several bearers as well as Silver Heart were caught in it. A rock hit one of his hindlegs, and he suffered an open fracture. I couldn’t stand to see him suffer; his frightened whinnies struck terror in my core. I fled from the scene; as did all the other survivors. I feel ashamed when I think about it.” The pegasus shook her head and skimmed through more pages.

“We made camp at the Silent Lake. None of my companions is left, and only two bearers. We have lost almost all of our equipment and supplies. I rationed the food so it will last a few more days. Our meals are meager; no one is in the mood for talking.”

“Another setback strikes me in the morning; my bearers have betrayed me! They left with all our food. I'm now alone; but still I press on. I am so close. I can feel it!” reluctantly Daring skipped to the final entry.

“I fell into the stupid pyramid! Broke a leg in the fall.” She read slowly as the writing became less and less readable. “Couldn’t climb back out, so I dragged myself further along, until I reached this room. I can't climb the pillar. I have no more food or water, and I think I'm running a fever.” She swallowed hart before she read the last words that were scribbled into the journal.

“I feel the end is coming. Whoever finds this, please find my family in Canterlot. Tell my wife and son that I love them!”

She closed the book and put it down, then walked back to Bulwark. The colt had lowered the picture and was staring at the wall stubbornly, his lips trembling. This time he didn't stop her from putting a hoof on his shoulder. “You can stop pretending now,” she said gently. “He was your father after all.”

Before she could say anymore the colt whirled around and flung himself at her. He broke down  sobbing, hot tears streaming from his eyes onto the mare's shoulder. She looked surprise at first, unsure  what to do, but then put her legs around him and patted his back. “It's okay!” she hushed into his ear and brushed his mane with her hoof.

For several minutes the colt let out all of his pent-up grief, but eventually his tears ran dry. He drew back from the mare and wiped his face with his fetlock. “Thank you,” he sniffed tiredly.

“Your welcome!” Daring replied with a sympathetic smile. She watched as Bulwark gathered the photograph, and slipped it inside the journal, before he put the book into his saddlebag.

“Can't even bury him in this dump!” he complained and cleaned away more tears from his eyes.

“Well, it is a pyramid,” offered the mare. “The old Neighgyptians buried their kings in pyramids. Is as good a tomb as it gets.”

The fighting pony gave a mirthless chuckle. “Right,” He took one more glance at his fathers body before he took up his torch again, walked towards the pillar in the center of the room, and tried if the lowest remnants of a step could bear his weight. “Let's just get out of here. I don't like this place!” he explained and began ascending the pillar, jumping from one remaining step to the next like a mountain goat.

The adventures gathered her torch and looked at the dead explorer lying at the wall. A shudder ran down her spine, but she clenched her teeth on the torch's handle and fought the feeling down. With a determent face she saluted her perished college, then wheeled around and followed the colt.

 

When she came to the top of the pillar the earth pony was already examining what was on it. In the middle of a wide platform stood a triangular arch, four ponies wide and almost ten ponies high. It was made out of pitch black stone, contrasting sharply to the rest of the pyramid. Bulwark was running his hoof among the surface, inspecting the runes that were carved into the arch on every surface. “Have you ever seen something like this?” he asked awestruck, only briefly looking over to her when she reached the platform. He started to walk around one of the arch’s foots.

“Stop, don't. . .” Daring shouted and reached for the earth pony with a hoof. But just as he walked through the arc the runes on it lit up in a bright, blue light. A flash from inside the arc blinded the mare for a second. When her sight returned, she blinked several times, but her companion was nowhere to be seen.

The adventures shook her head and walked towards the artifact. “I hate magic portals,” she mumbled under her breath and stepped through the arch.

 

***

 

For the fracture of a second Daring-Do found herself surrounded by nothing but white light and had the sensation of falling. Then it was over as suddenly as it had begun. She stumbled when she felt ground under her hooves again and dropped her torch. She blinked to clear her vision and shook her head to clear it. When the mare had mastered her senses again, she looked around.

She was inside a narrow tunnel, barely high enough for her to stand, and only wide enough for two ponies to pass through. The walls were roughly hewn from the stone, contrasting sharply to the polished walls of the pyramid she had just been in. Daring took a relieved breath when she found the naked form of Bulwark standing right behind her, where the tunnel ended in a dead end. “First time traveling through a magic portal?  You alright?” she asked and turned around to face him. When he didn't answer after a few seconds she gathered her torch from the ground and shone the light on her companions face.

Her eyes widened in terror and she almost dropped the fire again when she saw why the colt had not answered. He had been turned into stone; his gray features stared at her unmoving, still conserved in the same surprised expression, he had worn when he had stepped through the portal. “That's why I hate magic portals!” the mare cursed.

Daring wasted no time and began strapping down her equipment. She changed her desert cloth for a fresh, olive shirt of many pockets, in which she stuffed every piece of her luggage she deemed absolutely necessary. Then she got her old pith-helmet from the depth of her saddlebags and brushed over it's rugged surface with her hoof, greeting it like an old friend. She sat it on the ground, lit a candle at her torch and waxed it to the helmet's rim. When it stuck firmly to the headgear she inspected it proudly, turning it on her hoof, then sat it on her head. From her cloak she fashioned a large sling by knotting two corners together, and put it around her companion's stoney form.

“Carry the stone into the sun. Hay, I wish it wouldn’t be this literal!” she mumbled and gauged the weight of the earth pony's petrified body. She took a deep breath. “Alright, here goes nothing!” She took the knot in her mouth, and used the sling to pull the statue onto her back. The effort made a vein stand on her brow; she clenched her teeth and pulled with all her might. Slowly the rock lifted from the ground. When it rose past her haunches it fell over right onto her back. Daring's legs almost gave in when the whole weight slammed down on her shoulders, but miraculously kept standing.

The mare gasped for breath, her legs trembling as she made the first steps along the tunnel. “Why does it always have to be stone?” she pressed forth between labored breaths. “Why couldn’t he be turned into marshmallow, or a cloud, or something else that doesn't weight a bucking ton!”

After what Daring felt was an endless march, the corridor widened up into a long chamber. It didn't take the mare long to reach its end. She stopped before the remnants of a wooden construction, no further tunnels in sight. Twitching with dread, her eyes scaled the chamber's wall in front of her. “Blasted!” she called out when she found the tunnel continued at the top of the wall, right above the broken wood.

“Wait here!” she said and lowered stone Bulwark from her back. The mare let out a relieved sigh and stretched her legs, then she dashed back through the tunnel she had come. Moments later she came back to the statue, carrying a rope in her mouth. She fastened one end around the pony's chest and jumped into the air with the other one in her mouth. A few quick wing strokes brought her up to the the higher tunnel.

The light of the candle on Daring’s helm revealed the passage to look almost the same as the lower one. She couldn’t make out where it lead, as the candle only illuminated a few steps before her. “Right then, no time for feigning tiredness,” she exclaimed to motivate herself and spat in her hooves. She clenched the rope firmly between her teeth and began walking along the tunnel, drawing her companion up the wall.

The pegasus' hooves slid over the ground; she had to fight for every step she took forward. After laboring for several minutes, Bulwark's form finally rose over the edge; she gave him one final pull, then he fell over onto the higher ground. The motion made Daring stumble over her own hooves as the resistance on the rope was suddenly gone. She fell to the ground face first. “Ugh!” she moaned as she untangled herself from her own limbs and rope and struggled back onto her hooves.

Reluctantly she walked back to the statue of her companion, gathering the rope as she went. When she reached him she unfastened it from his chest and draped it across her own. “Back to work,” she mumbled, took the cloak sling's knot back in her mouth and heaved the pony stone once again onto her back. When she tried to take the first step she almost lost her balance and stumbled to the side, crashing the statue into the wall. Daring quickly got back into the middle of the tunnel and glanced in fright over her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief when she found that the incident had left no damage. “Heh, sorry!” she apologized to the petrified earth pony, then began to walk down the tunnel.

After walking several minutes the adventuress found that the darkness ahead had started to dissipate.; something was lighting up the tunnel. With renewed vigor she quickened her steps. The tunnel sloped downwards, making it easy for her to break into a fast trot. When the tunnel finally opened to a wide, light flooded chamber, a relieved smile crept on the mare's face.

Daring was rushing to the end of the tunnel when she saw that it was not on the same level as the chamber. She tried to brake by crouching on her hind legs, but her momentum kept her sliding over the ground, hooves flailing for traction. The edge drew nearer and behind it a sheer drop. One of her forehooves went over the edge, then she finally stopped sliding. The mare broke loose a small avalanche, sending pebbles cascading to the ground below, as she tried to stop herself from toppling over. Only with great effort did the pegasus eventually regain her balance. She sat down firmly on her hindquarters, and the statue hit the rock behind her with a loud thump.

“Phew!” she took a deep breath, wiped droplets of sweat from her brow and allowed herself a moment of rest.

It was short-lived. The rock beneath her hooves cracked, and the ground gave away. Daring was too startled to scream, as she and the statue on her back fell towards the bottom of the chamber. On their way down she saw the far end of the chamber where high windows, carved into the rock, let the light of the sun flood into the room. She briefly noted that she was falling at the same speed as the rocks around her and watched in wonder as they spun seemingly weightless around themselves.

Then her body hit the ground. For the fraction of a second she heard water splashing, then cold waves crashed around her and she found herself tumbling underwater.

But Daring found it was too soon to thank Celestia for hitting a pond. The petrified earth pony she still carried in a sling on her back, the knot tightly secured in her teeth, pulled er down mercilessly. She found herself rolling, the statue gliding from her back and slipping beneath her. She held onto it with stubborn determination and began to paddle with her wings. The adventuress was not about to loose her companion in the seemingly bottomless depth of a random pool, with the suns rays, that were supposed to turn him into flesh again, only a few steps away.

Despite her desperate struggle the pegasus was drawn deeper underwater. Already her lungs  started burning from the lack of oxygen. One more time she made a stroke with her wings and legs, then her body gave in. With an involuntary gasp her lungs flooded with water. Panic overcame her and she flayed her limbs in every direction, fighting for survival. After a few more moments her movements slowed down and the mare felt her consciousness slipping. Still she held onto her companion, as they both faded into darkness.

 

A bright light engulfed her, and Daring had a feeling of weightlessness. Then her body hit solid ground. Water was driven from her lungs by the impact. Her eyes snapped open; she spat water and took a deep, rattling breath, trying to get as much life-giving air into her as she could. For a moment she just lay on the floor, coughing violently, trying to free her lungs. Only when she heard another pony doing the same did she look up.

“Bulwark!” she exclaimed, her voice raw. She coughed again before she could continue. “You are not a stone anymore!”

The fighting pony was lying on the ground nearby. He looked up from his own misery when her heard her voice and pointed a hoof at her. “You are not a stone anymore too!” he stated between hoarse coughs.

The two ponies realized that something was amiss almost at the same time and looked at each other in confusion. “Wait a second!” the colt exclaimed in bewilderment. “You were a stone! Right after I walked through that arch there was another flash of magic and you appeared behind me as a statue. I carried you through a long tunnel until we fell into a pool. I almost drowned, trying to get you out!”

Daring briefly noted that the colt was not naked anymore, but was wearing his saddlebags; through they appeared much lighter than before. She raised a hoof in protest and was just about to tell her own version of the story, when a deep, rumbling voice interrupted her.

“Ah yes. At this point everyone notices that this cannot be a coincidence. That's why this is the last test.” The voice had an unworldly quality to it and it was hard to pinpoint where it came from.

The two ponies looked around the chamber startled. Their eyes grew wide at the sight of six translucent forms, standing in a half circle before the high stone arches that made up the chamber's windows. The two travelers quickly got to their hooves and faced the specters, getting ready for fight or flight. The six ghostly figures looked like griffons; their incorporeal forms were dressed in equally translucent, old fashioned armor. By that and their hard, scarred faces, as well as the swords and axes at their sides, Daring figured them to be warriors.

“Please, don't be alarmed. We mean you no harm!” another griffon, standing in the middle of the group said, raising an empty claw. The specter had a higher voice and a more slender build than the others, marking her a female.

The adventuress took a step closer, her caution instantly swept away by curiosity. “You are the Huscarls of the Elements!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes!” the griffon furthest to the left replied. “It was us, who stole the goblet from Discord and hid it away in this far corner of the world. And still we carry out the duty that cannot be forsworn. Even in death we guard the goblet from the Spirit of Chaos and his followers and test those who seek the cup for his taint.”

“You have been tested and found worthy!” the female exclaimed ceremoniously.

“You have walked the Valley of Flowers and laughed at its jokes, even though they were on you!” the griffon furthest to the right called out.

“You have faced the Mirror of Truth and shared your secret fears, even if lying would have been easier!” the one next to him went on.

“You have passed the Hidden Chasm and showed kindness to a stranger, even though your instincts demanded to abandon him!” the female explained.

“Wait a second, that was a test?” Bulwark, who had been standing a few steps behind Daring, watching the whole scene in awe, asked angrily and approached the griffoness with an hostile snarl on his face. “That dying stallion who had his body crushed and was lying in his own blood and shit was a test?” He yelled the question, stomping his hoof on the ground.

The shield-maiden raised an eyebrow at his outburst. “Yes, and you did well in this one, young Bulwark. You compassion is admirable!”

“So you just killed a pony so you could test my compassion?” the young stallion shouted, raising high on his legs and staring at the six huscarls, rage burning in his eyes.

“It was you who delivered the killing blow,” explained the griffon second to the right. He seemed to be confused by the earth pony's anger. “But it is true that we set him up for the test. There were just two of you seeking the goblet, so we had to arrange random travelers, instead of using members of your group.”

“Just like you arranged the death of my father's companions? Did you kill them too for your stupid test. Did you kill him when he didn't meet your standards?” Bulwark was foaming with rage, spitting the words at the ghosts.

Daring laid a leg and a wing round the fighting pony's trembling form. “Easy there hot shot!” she hushed soothingly into his ear. “This are centuries old warrior spirits you are yelling at. They lived during the reign of chaos. Discord made them what they are!” she explained. The fighting pony stopped quivering under her feathers and didn't jump at the specter's throats, but he still snarled at them with his ears lying on.

“The death of Vanguard was not our doing!” the griffon furthest to the left explained. “He could have turned around and gone home when his last companions did. But his monomaniacal obsession with the goblet kept him going, and he rushed blindly into his grave.”

“Know this Bulwark son of Vanguard!” exclaimed the female warrior. “We, the Huscarls of the Elements have sacrificed everything to keep the goblet from Discord, even our own lives. We do not play lightly with the lives of others, but there is no other choice. Should Discord get his claws on the cup; he would bring forth another era of chaos over the world and millions would die under his rule.”

“We do not expect you do understand our actions, but in the name of Harmony, hear us out.”

The young stallion shot one more angry glance at every griffon, then he snorted and shook his hoof at them threateningly. “If you were not already dead, I would kick your feathery flanks for what you've done!” he snarled, then sat demonstratively on his hindquarters.

“Ha, 'tis a hot blooded one!” exclamation the huscarl furthest to the right, laughing. “I like him!”

“Can we continue with the ceremony now?” asked the one to the left, rolling his eyes.

“Please go on!” replied Daring, before any griffon could, giving them a stern look.

“Right then,” said the huscarl whose turn it was to make his statement, composing himself before he went on with the ritual.

“You have rested at the Silent lake and generously shared mead and meat with a stranger, even though it meant going hungry yourselves.”

Both Bulwark and Daring didn't show any reaction the the meat and mead part, if for different reasons.

“You have carried the stone into the sun, loyally standing by your comrade, even risking your own lives!”

“And so you have conjured the Magic of Friendship and we offer you the key!” exclaimed the last griffon finally, throwing up his fore legs in a wide gesture. Every other huscarl turned its head in his direction with a scowl on their ghostly features.

“What? You expect me to test a pegasus and an earth pony for magic? And how would I even do that? I told you before, I'm a warrior, not a sorcerer!” the left griffon explained defensively. “And besides, they passed all of your stupid test. If that doesn't make them friends, I don't know what does!”

Despite sharing part of Bulwark's contempt for the ancient spirits' actions, Daring couldn’t help but smirk at the last one's antics. But she quickly suppressed it before anypony could notice.

“Anyhow,” the female spoke up, silencing her companions before they could engage in unseemly bickering. “You have passed the tests. The key to the goblet's vault is yours, if you will have it. And you come at the right time. An agent of chaos has found the vault's entrance.”

“The President!” the adventuress hissed grimly.

“Yes, that's what he is called,” replied the huscarl. “He has brought with him an army under his command and they use strange alchemy to break the chamber's barriers. Our power in this world is fading, and we can no longer stop him. So it falls to you. You must hurry and take the goblet to safety before it falls into his possession!”

The pegasus nodded slowly, then turned to her companion, looking at him sternly. “You know I would understand if you want to back out now,” she explained. “You have found what you came for. This is not your adventure.”

“The hay it is!” the young stallion disagreed sharply. “This is no longer an adventure! Not with the fate of the world resting on our backs! And we are into this together!” He shot the mare a though smile. “And besides, we are stupid friends, aren't we?”

To his surprise, Daring looked at him, her eyes shining with tears, her lips trembling. Then without warning, she kissed him on the mouth.

The young stallion's eyes widened in shock. He quickly put a hoof on her chest and pushed her away. “Wow! What the hay? Friends don't kiss!”

“Sorry, overtaken by the moment!” the adventuress replied sheepishly and dried her eyes on a fetlock.  “And in Stalliongrad the do!” she exclaimed, grinning.

“No they do not! You're making this up.”  

“Well, you'll have to travel to Stalliongrad if you want to find out!”

The sound of one of the ghost clearing his throat brought the two friends attention back to the six ghost.

“Oh, right! Almost forgot about you,” Daring said and turned back to them. “We'll take the key. And then we'll go and kick the President's sorry flank. You have my word on that!” she exclaimed, sporting her trademark smile.

The six griffons nodded in unison. “So it shall be!” A bright light shone forth from all six of them and engulfed the two ponies. It quickly shrank, becoming smaller and dimmer, until only a tiny shimmer could be seen over their chests, and then it was gone.

“Wait, that's the key? How does this even work?” Bulwark asked confused.

“Magic!” the griffon to the right replied and gave him a wink.

On the shield-maiden's motion the other six ghost floated to the side and cleared from the windows. The  female warrior gestured with her foreleg for Bulwark and Daring to come closer. When they had walked to the window, she pointed her translucent claw towards a long canyon in the middle of a rocky plain. The hull of an airship's lifting bag could be seen protruding out of it.

“The vault is hidden in this ravine. Take the pass that leads from the left of this chamber.  Follow it swiftly and you can make it to the vault by nightfall. The gates will open at your touch and will. We will pray for your success. The fate of the world now rests on your backs, my little ponies!”

“Alright, no pressure then!” the pegasus mare said and adjusted her helmet. As the maiden joined her brethren Daring gave them a serious look. “You can rest now. We'll take care of the goblet!” she said solemnly, then saluted and headed for the chambers exit.

Bulwark just shot them a final angry scowl before he trotted after her, and they both left the Huscarls of the Elements behind.

Chapter 6

The moon had shrunken since they had last seen the Patriot's airship, but it still provided enough light to make out the blimp's bloated form, anchored at the bottom of the ravine.

The two ponies stopped at the edge of a steep cliff and surveyed their adversary's camp. Below them, in the shadow of the ship and even further around it, stood dozens of white tents. From some of them still came light. Only a few figures could be seen in the camp, sitting around two fires.

Daring made out more lights several paces away from the camp. Oil lamps stood between stacks of tools, material, and piles of debris. They illuminated the entrance to a tunnel that was dug into the side of the cliff. But what was right next to the tunnel caught the adventuress' interest: A rectangular shape, barely visible against the rest of the bright stone that made up the canyon's wall.

“Look there, at the cliff where they are digging! That must be the portal!” she whispered excitedly, then immediately jumped in the air and spread her wings.

This time her companion was expecting her impulsive behavior and grabbed her tail in his teeth before she could fly down the cliff. “Not so fast!” he hissed as loud as he dared to and dragged his winged friend back to the ground. When the adventuress had her four hooves back on earth and had turned to listen to him, Bulwark spit out her hair and looked at her crossly.

“We can't jump in without a plan. It will only get us captured!” the young stallion explained sternly. “This time we do it my way!” he said and tapped on his chest with a hoof.

Daring gave a sigh but nodded. “Okay captain, you've got a plan?” she asked, folding her wings back reluctantly.

  “Actually I do!” the fighting pony replied. “This is what we'll do!”

 

.oOo.

 

Daring-Do descended to the bottom of the canyon, gliding on silent wings. She carried the earth pony in her hooves, who eyed the quickly approaching ground calmly, already planning his way after the landing. They landed several dozen paces away from the patriot's camp. The mare dropped Bulwark just above the ground and sat down beside him with a few quiet flaps. The two adventures' hooves barely made a sound when they hit the stone; they had wrapped them in soft cloth to muffle their noise.

They quickly took cover behind a boulder and glanced around it towards the campsite. When they were sure that nopony had noticed their arrival, they set off towards the dig site.

Keeping their bellies close to the ground, crawling from cover to cover, they soon made it to a stack of wooden crates at the edge of the dig and hid behind it. Daring removed her helmet and slowly raised her head over their cover. Two ponies, carrying red saddlebags with wires protruding from them, were walking towards the tunnel's entrance, chatting without a care in the world as they went by. The mare raised a hoof, signaling Bulwark to stand by.

The two workers went into the tunnel that was being dug a few steps away from the portal. When they had vanished from view Daring dropped her hoof, and both she and the fighting pony quickly moved out of their cover. They crept towards the far side of the dig like shadows moving in a flickering light.

The two made it out of the crates and onto an empty space right before their goal, where they came to a slow halt.

“So this is it?” asked Bulwark, his eyes wandering about the ancient portal. It towered ever higher before him, so he had to crane his neck to make out the top of it. The gate was marked by an almost polished, rectangular space in the wall. All along its edges magic runes had been carved into the rock. Yet there were no slits, no gaps, no hinges, nothing that would hint at the presence of an actual door.

“I think so,” answered Daring, walking up to the portal. She put her hoof against the imposing stone wall and brushed it over its smooth surface in wonder. Her eyes gazed over the runes framing the portal, and she wrinkled her brow. “I wonder how it opens,” she finally muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile Bulwark turned around on the spot anxiously, looking in every direction. “The gates will open at our touch and will; that's what the Huscarls said!” he mentioned without looking back at the mare. “I only hope it's not too loud,” he remarked. “It was far too easy to get here; I don't like it!” he exclaimed, as he turned back to the door and walked beside Daring.

The mare looked at him with concern on her face. She knew the colt was right, but they were too close to the goblet to turn back now. “Maybe the patriots just didn't expect us to show up at all,” she offered with an unsure smile.

“Maybe,” the young stallion replied. He took a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably on his hooves. “No use turning back now. You'll do the honor!” he said and gestured towards the wall with a knock of his head.

The adventuress nodded and turned her attention back to the portal. She leaned closer, pressing her hoof harder against the stone, and stared at it intently. “Open!” she said firmly.

The portal obeyed.

A shudder passed through the stone, starting at Daring's hoof. It rippled along the portal's surface like waves on a pond hit by a stone. The tremors were barely audible, but the two ponies could feel the vibrations passing under their hooves. When they had passed, the rock beneath the mare's hoof began to retract from it like an organic mass and formed a circular hole. When it stopped growing, it was just big enough for a pony to pass through while standing upright.

Both the pegasus and earth pony stared at the entrance in wonder. It was Daring who recovered first. “Well, that was unexpected!” she remarked. “Strangest stone I have ever seen.” The mare gave a shrug with her wings and started to walk into the now open vault. Bulwark quickly shook himself from his stupor, glanced once more at the portal, shook his head and followed the adventuress.

Once he stepped through the portal, it closed behind him. He didn’t even have time to turn around and look at it in horror, before it shut close. The two ponies were left standing in pitch black darkness. “Ah, just great!” he cursed. “Wait a second, let me light a torch.” The young stallion began rummaging through his saddlebags.

But before he could even get his flint out, two blue flames burst to life in braziers before them, drowning the chamber in their eerie light. In a cascade, several pairs of two flames lit up behind the first, lining the way to the far side of the chamber on either side.

“Oh, that’s convenient!” Bulwark remarked and stopped searching in his bags. Daring gave him a knowing smile and started walking down the room. The colt trotted after her and fell in step at her side.

“Why is this place so big anyway? Just to store one cup?” the young stallion wondered, his eyes wandering along the high walls of the chamber.

Daring thought about this for a moment before she answered. “There could be several reasons. Maybe this place was a temple or the tomb of a mighty king before the griffons made it the goblet's vault. Or maybe it has to be this big to contain Discord's power and hide it from him.” She shrugged. “Or maybe griffons are just plain megalomaniac.”

After they had walked a few more minutes in silence, still looking around themselves in wonder, they had almost reached the base of a stairway, that rose at the far side of the room. Suddenly an explosion thundered from the left side of the chamber, hurling rocks and debris in every direction. The two ponies threw themselves flat to the ground and covered their heads in their hooves as stones rained down all around them. A big dust cloud rose from the explosion, quickly swallowing the whole room. The adventurers' eyes teared up immediately and they struggled to breath, coughing violently. They pressed their fetlocks over their snouts, trying to filter the air through the fur on them in vain.

After torturous moments, the dust finally settled, and they stumbled to their hooves. The two ponies shook the dust off themselves. Daring blinked and spat, trying to get the dirt out of her system.

They had not yet fully recovered when the first Patriot stuck his head through the newly blasted entrance at the side of the chamber close to the portal. It was Loaded Dice. He looked around the chamber, rejoicing the moment of his triumph, until he spotted the forms of the two adventurers. “You again!” he cursed, and jumped into the chamber with a snarl. In his wake followed several other Patriots. They streamed into the chamber and took stance behind the unicorn.

Daring briefly counted their opponent's numbers, but stopped at twelve and ground her teeth. The fighting pony at her side spat on the ground, trying to get the taste of limestone and sulfur from his tongue. “That explains why the camp was so empty,” he remarked dryly.

“Never mind that, run!” exclaimed Daring, and she dashed for the far side of the room. The colt hastily gathered a rock from the ground and put it within easy reach in his saddlebags, before he jumped into gallop, and followed the mare's lead.  

“Get them! Don't let them reach the goblet first!” Dice shouted from behind them, immediately followed by the trampling of dozens of hooves and the flapping of many wings.

The two adventurers went up the stairs in a wild dash; their foremost pursuers were already hot on their hells. The steps were wide and still lined with fires on both sides; they finally led to a high pathway. The two fleeing ponies could only make out contours of a still unlit room behind it. Only when they dashed through the door did magic torches, that were set into the walls, come to life with the now familiar blue flames.

They had come into a tall but narrow corridor; only two ponies would be able to stand in it side by side. After only a few more paces the adventurers reached a junction and came to an abrupt, sliding halt. Frantically the two ponies looked down either passage, but they only saw bends and more paths crossing. It was impossible to tell where the corridors were going.  

“This place is a maze!” Bulwark exclaimed, brushing his mane back in a nervous motion.

“Good, maybe we can shake them off in it. Keep close!” Daring told him and jumped into gallop once more. She followed the right path, only to immediately take the next bend to the left. The earth pony dashed after her, struggling to keep up; it was all he could do not to crash into a wall, while following her unpredictable movements.  

“Where are they? Where have they gone?” came a shout only seconds later, echoing through the corridors, coming seemingly from every direction.

“Swarm out! We have to find them!” The order came in the angry voice of Loaded Dice. Daring had to smile; she could almost picture the white unicorn, now red-faced and foaming with rage.

Somepony pulled her tail, distracting her from her thoughts. “Slow down!” her companion said from behind, his words muffled by her tail in his teeth.

The mare slowed down to a trot. Bulwark relinquished her tail and pulled even with her. The two had lost the wrapping on their hooves during their initial dash, and their steps now echoed through the corridors loudly. “We should save our strength. We'll need it when we run into our pursuers. With everypony running wild in this labyrinth, it's bound to happen,” he explained, keeping his voice down so it wouldn’t travel though the entire labyrinth. The adventuress nodded and rounded the next corner with a somber expression on her face. The fighting pony, on the other hoof, couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of upcoming conflict.

He didn't have to wait for long. After they had passed a few more intersections they almost ran headfirst into one of the pursuing groups after rounding a corner.

The two earth ponies and the pegasus flying overhead were shocked for the break of a second to actually find the ones they were searching for. This hesitation was all Bulwark needed.

The fighting pony bolted at them and leaped into a long jump, heading straight for one of the earth ponies. The red stallion had just enough time to duck his head before the fighting pony landed on his back and used him as a steppingstone for his next jump. The colt propelled himself from the pony’s back with such force that it sent his opponent sprawling on the ground. Bulwark's jump took him in a high arch towards the wall. When he was level with the flying pegasus, he rebounded off the wall, tackled the baffled flier by his flank, and smashed him into the other side of the corridor.

Both ponies fell towards the floor. The pegasus hit the stallion Bulwark had used as a trampoline, and both of them collapsed into an entangled heap. The fighting pony himself rolled while still in the air and hit the other earth pony with his steel shod forehooves, using him to break his fall. The impact hammered the red stallion to the ground and knocked him out cold.

The whole struggle only lasted seconds; Daring could only watch wide eyed how the colt was the only pony rising in the end. He brushed his mane back, and looked down at his beaten foes, grinning widely. She only managed an awkward simper when her companion turned back to her and beckoned her to continue onwards.

“Come on!” he exclaimed excitedly. “Maybe we run into some more!” He laughed and jumped into a mad gallop.  

The adventuress chased after him and took flight. A feeling of foreboding made her stomach turn. “Wait up, Bulwark!” she yelled after him, pumping her wings to catch up with the wrought up fighting pony.

She passed some more beaten up ponies. Two who had dared to stand in the young stallion's way lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, while another just cowered at the side of the corridor, shivering in fear and hiding his face under his hooves. Daring gladly registered that her companion still had enough self-control to pull his strokes and spare the ones who didn't dare to fight him.

When she finally caught up with Bulwark, he was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. But when her heard her approaching wing strokes and turned back, she saw he was grinning like a madpony nonetheless. Daring quickly landed beside him and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Easy there hotshot! You are running a battle fever!” she explained, taking his face in her hoof and forcing him to look her into the eyes. The colt's eyes wandered around restlessly, his pupils were wide, and his fur stood on end. Only when she started to brush his wet, sticky mane from his face did he actually take note of her presence, and his gaze focused on the mare.

“What? Daring?” he gasped between rattling breaths.

“Relax, mate, I've got you. Just take a deep breath and calm down!”

The colt nodded and slowly found his composure again. When the adventuress was sure he would not run off again, she patted him on the shoulder and let go of him. “You were running a battle fever,” she explained again. “High on adrenaline. You would have burned through your energy and  collapsed in no time if I hadn't found you.”

Bulwark nodded again. “Thanks,” he replied deadpan. “I don't know what came over me. I just acted, didn't think at all. Everything was in a haze!” he explained. “Nopony could stand before me. I felt so powerful!” He swallowed hard. “That's actually quite frightening when I think about it. Thanks again for pulling me out.”

Daring gave him a warm smile and patted his shoulder again. “You're welcome. That's what stupid friends are for.”

The young stallion returned her smile weakly. “Right. Whatever would I do without you?” He gestured with his hoof further along the corridor. “We have to go on, or they will surround us here. You take the lead!”

Daring nodded firmly and started them on their way again, leading in a slow trot. Bulwark followed in her wake; his eyes were still wide, and he shuddered when his thoughts went back to his loss of control.

 

***

 

The echoes of clopping hooves and flapping wings haunted the two adventurers on their way through the labyrinth, and they tensed up every time a shadow flickered behind a corner. When they finally made it to a bigger chamber, where four corridors met, they breathed out sighs of relieve.

In the middle of the chamber rose a small pedestal, surrounded by four big braziers, which went ablaze in blue flame as soon as Daring entered the room. But what made her and her companion stop dead in their tracks and stare in wonder was the item on the pedestal. Before them, shining silver in the flame's light, was a chalice with a red gemstone, cut in the form a lightning bolt, adorning its foot.

“Wait, that's it? This is the Griffon's Goblet?” Bulwark exclaimed in bewilderment.

“What did you expect?”

“Well, after all these stupid trails? Inside this humongous vault? I was expecting something. . . bigger.”

Daring chuckled at the young stallion's remark. “Oh Bulwark, it's not always the size that matters!”  Her response was enough to make the colt blush and stifle any further comment. The mare giggled at his bashful sight and started to trot towards the pedestal with a gleeful stride, her wings extended in eager anticipation. Her companion only followed her a few steps into the room, but he didn't enter the circle of the four fires, preferring to leave this moment to her alone.

The mare wore a wide, triumphant grin on her face as she approached the chalice. When she reached the pedestal, she stopped and took a moment to look at the cup in wide eyed wonder from every angle. Then she grabbed it in her mouth unceremoniously and took it from its pedestal.

“Hold it right there!” a shout interrupted her, and the cacophony of dozens of ponies approaching announced the arrival of unwelcome guests. Loaded Dice had finally caught up with them. He and his minions arrived from every direction; earth ponies took stance at the entrance of the four corridors, while pegasi floated above their heads. Every possible escape route was blocked in an instant. Daring briefly noted that a royal blue unicorn was standing just behind Dice. Something about the way he stared at her and the goblet made her skin crawl, and her wings spread to take flight involuntarily. His sinister smile didn't help to ease her feeling of dread either.

While Bulwark slowly backed towards the mare, his eyes darting over their pursuers, the mare dropped the goblet into her helmet nonchalantly and set it back onto her head. “Loaded Dice!” she greeted her old rival, giving him a mocking grin. “As usual, you are too late!”

By now the fighting pony was right next to her, facing the ponies at her back. “On three, I'll create an opening, and we run for it!” he hissed between clenched teeth, not taking his eyes off the possible attackers. Daring tapped him with her wing, hoping that the gesture would be more inconspicuous than nodding her head.

“Stop playing the fool, Dice, and get me the Goblet!” the stallion behind Loaded Dice ordered impatiently, his gaze never leaving Daring and the artifact hidden under her helmet. The trickster snorted and took a step toward the mare. At once Bulwark wheeled around and put himself between him and her, his eyes shooting daggers at the two unicorns, prompting the blue one to shrink away involuntarily.  

“Don't worry Mister President!” Loaded Dice reassured his superior with a cocky grin. “I got this!” And with that his horn lit up, and the aura of his magic surrounded the defiant earth pony, lifting him from the ground.

“Oh please!” groaned Bulwark, rolling his eyes. “As if that'll work twice!” With one fluid motion he drew the rock he had put into his saddlebags earlier and threw it into the air before him. When it came down again, he kicked it hard with his front hoof, and it shot towards the spell caster in a blur. Dice only looked at his opponent in wonder and didn't even duck. The stone hit his horn; with a sickening crack, the magic-working appendage broke, and the unicorn was thrown back onto the ground. He gave a startled 'oomph'; then he lay still, and his eyes rolled back into his head. The President winced at his fellow spellcaster’s fate.

“Three!” Bulwark shouted just as he was released from Dice's telekinesis. Ge landed on his hooves and immediately bolted towards the corridor, that was now only blocked by one unicorn. The stallion did not offer any resistance; he threw himself to the ground, shielding his horn with his hooves as the fighting pony dashed towards him. Bulwark passed him without a second glance, and Daring followed close, the wind made by her flyby ruffling the President's mane.

Only when he was sure that the danger had passed did the unicorn get back to his hooves. He stared at the escaping adventurers, and his face quickly contorted with anger. “Go get them! Don't let them escape!” he shouted to his minions in red faced rage. The addressed ponies stumbled over their own hooves, trying to follow their leader’s orders as fast as possible. They swarmed into the corridor, Daring and Bulwark had vanished into, in frantic pursuit.

The president took a disappointed glance at the unconscious Dice lying on the floor, snorted angrily, and then started to walk after his minions. “And where is that useless mercenary when I need him?” he mumbled between clenched teeth, leaving the broken unicorn behind.

 

 

The two adventurers trotted through the labyrinth at a steady pace. Since they had left the central chamber, they had not run into any more Patriots, and Daring was navigating their way by instinct.

“That was pretty impressive how quickly you dealt with Dice!” she exclaimed and gave him an approving nod.

“I think I overdid it,” admitted the fighting pony, letting his ears sink.

“Nah. That ass had it coming, and maybe growing back his horn will give him time to think!” the mare replied, waving her companion's concerns off with her wing.

They took a right turn at another crossing, and a triumphant smile spread on Daring's face. The maze's exit was at the end of the corridor ahead. The two ponies made a final push, but when they came through the doorway to the entrance chamber, they almost fell over their own hooves as they came to staggering halt on the steps.

In the middle of the hall lay a lone griffon. When he heard them enter the chamber, he opened his single remaining eye, stood up, and lazily stretched his muscular limbs. “I was wondering when you two would finally show up!” he exclaimed. The mercenary began walking towards them with predatory grace, his black-tipped wings spread and his tail swaying from side to side.

The two adventurers bared their teeth and braced themselves for attack. “On my signal, we rush him and head for the door,” Daring whispered to her companion. He gave her the slightest nod and pawed the ground with his hoof.

“Now, why don't you just give me the goblet, and nopony has to get hurt?” the griffon offered haughtily as he walked closer to his prey. When he got no reaction whatsoever from the two ponies, he raised an eyebrow but didn't stop his advance.

“Now!” the adventuress shouted, when the predator had reached the base of the stairs, and jumped into a steep dive. Her companion sprang into gallop and charged at the griffon, his head lowered like a battering ram.

The cyclops didn't even flinch. He ducked under the mare's dive effortlessly and lashed out at her wing with his claw, ripping out several of her feathers. Daring yelped in surprise; she lost control of her flight, spiraled through the air and crashed ungracefully to the ground headfirst.

Bulwark was close behind the adventuress when she made her attack. He screamed at the griffon in anger and threw himself at him with blinding speed. But the griffon swatted him to the side with the back of his claw like a fly and sent him tumbling across the floor.

With his two foes on the ground, the predator walked idly towards the pegasus. Daring was just gathering herself up; she glanced worriedly at her damaged wing, wincing as she flexed it. When she noticed the approaching griffon the adventuress quickly wheeled around, braced herself for combat and snarled at him threateningly.  

“I won't ask you a third time. Give me the Goblet!” he demanded, grinding one of his claws across the ground menacingly.

Suddenly the predator wheeled around and slashed out at Bulwark, who had flung himself at him, as silently as he could. The colt ducked under the swing, got inside the griffon's reach and assailed him with lightning-fast strikes from his front hooves. The mercenary backed away from the earth pony's onslaught, ducking, averting and blocking the incoming blows with experienced ease.

With an angry shout Daring joined in the fray; she jumped on the griffon and started pummeling his back with all four of her hooves, balancing herself with wild flapping wings.

The half-lion roared in anger, and rose on his hind legs. He thrashed his hulking body around, flapping his mighty wings. The adventuress was thrown off him and managed to land on her hooves. But before she could muster another attack the predator had grabbed Bulwark around his neck and threw him at the nearest wall like a rag doll. The fighting pony hit the rock with bone-shattering force, and the air was driven from his lungs; he couldn’t even give a startled moan when his body hit the ground.

Daring gasped, and reached out towards her companion with her hoof when she saw him writhing on the floor and not rising. A large shadow fell on her, reminding the adventuress of her own predicament. She swallowed a lump in her throat and started to back away.

 

 

Bulwark took a labored breath, and with it came a wave of pain, that rolled through his body.  He groaned and clenched his teeth. The earth pony tried to stand up, but found that his body only shot more pain to his brain and would not follow his will. With great effort he finally managed to lift his head and started searching the room for Daring.

In his blurred vision he saw that the griffon had grabbed the mare by one of her wings with his claw and had lifted her up to his face. She was still struggling, trying to wring herself from his grip, and she managed to land a punch in the predator's face. The griffon shrieked in anger and started to shake her violently. The pegasus was thrown around like a puppet, the whole weight of her body yanking at her trapped wing. Finally the feathered appendage gave away under the abuse.    

Even over the ringing in his ears Bulwark could hear a bone in her wing snap, and a subsequent cry of pain. It was more than he could bear, and something inside the young stallion broke.

 

 

Only when the pegasus' struggles ceased and she hung limply in his claw, groaning in agony, did the griffon release her from his grasp. Daring fell to the ground and collapsed on her side. She curled into a ball, cradling her broken wing against her flank with a hoof, and sobbed between clenched teeth.

The pony's assailant lumbered over her, staring her down with a snarl on his face, his claw raised threateningly. “Now give me the Goblet!” he demanded. But before either of the two could say any more, an earsplitting, feral roar echoed through the chamber.

“What the. . . “ the Griffon wondered, as he looked up from his prey. But before he could finish a pine green streak crashed into his flank, and the two went down in a rolling heap.

Daring looked up in wonder, and her heart leaped, when she saw it was Bulwark, she had thought injured and on the ground, who had come to her aid. The young stallion had come out of the tumble on top and was standing on the griffon's chest. He looked over his shoulder towards Daring, and her eyes widened in shock. The fighting pony's face was a contorted mask of hate, and his eyes were glowing in white hot rage. “Run!” he bellowed, spitting bloody foam from his mouth.

The mercenary underneath him attacked while Bulwark was distracted; his talons tore into the earth pony's shoulder and hooked into his flesh. The young stallion roared and tried to kick at the griffon's leg, but he was lifted and then flung towards the chamber's wall once more before his strike could connect.

Daring fought down the pain in her wing, clenched her teeth and stumbled to her hooves. She shot an anguished glance towards her companion, then made for the chamber's door, her broken wing hanging limply at her side.

Meanwhile the griffon rolled over, jumped to his feet and quickly turned towards the wall at which he had flung the colt. He was still too slow. Bulwark had rolled in the air like a cat and hit the wall high above the griffon hooves first. In a mad dive he flung himself at his opponent once more. His outstretched forehooves hit the predator straight in the shoulder, and the pony's steel horseshoes shattered the base of his left wing with a sickening crunch. The griffon shrieked in pain, and both fighters went down again in a kicking and clawing mass.

The mercenary struggled frantically to keep the striking hooves from his body, but no matter how many he averted or blocked, two more found their mark, and he suffered blow after blow. Bulwark was holding nothing back for his own defense anymore. Every counter the predator managed to land ripped bloody wounds in the fighting pony's coat, but he didn't react to them at all. The young stallion was just kicking and biting at his enemy in a frenzy, foaming and screaming like a madpony.

Just at this moment the other Patriots arrived in the chamber. They stopped dead on the top steps and stared at the two fighters tearing each other apart. A field of telekinesis parted their ranks, and an angry-looking President made his way to the front, only to stumble to a halt and stare open-mouthed when he saw what the holdup was about. To add to his terror, he spotted the pegasus mare with the goblet under her helmet vanishing through the stone portal. The passage sealed shut behind her.  

Finally, in a desperate attempt to stop his enemy's movement, the griffon grasped the earth pony in a bear-hug, lifting him off the ground. Bulwark trashed but could not break the iron-like grip that was crushing his front legs against his body. Breathing heavily, the griffon tightened the grasp in a frantic effort to break his opponent's back. Already the first cracks could be heard from the earth pony's tortured joints, when Bulwark leaned his head back and bashed it against his opponent's face with all of his might.

The griffon’s beak tore a bleeding gash into the pony's forehead right above his left eye, but the force of the blow made the appendage crack and sent the half eagle staggering backwards. He stumbled over his own paws and fell heavily on his back, the impact driving his breath away. Before he could recover the fighting pony was upon him, pummeling him in a hail of steel, howling in mindless rage. The predator managed to shield his face with crossed forelegs, but his resistance only managed to further enrage his opponent. Bulwark reared on his hindlegs and stomped onto the griffon's crossed limbs with bone-shattering force, breaking his opponent's last defense.

Still he did not stop; again and again his hooves came down on the predator’s head and he tore into his opponent's throat with his teeth, ripping out feathers, ripping out flesh. Only after the griffon had stopped to move whatsoever did the berserking pony rise from his defeated enemy.

He slowly turned towards the other Patriots at the top of the stairs and started walking towards them. His breaths were coming in rattling gasps, and red foam dripped from his mouth. He was swaying from side to side and bleeding from several wounds, but still the ponies shrunk away from the young stallion in fear.  

The President could have sworn the madpony was staring directly at him, all his rage directed at his very person. He involuntarily took several steps back, stumbled over the stairs and fell on his hindquarters as the fighting pony approached the group. Then Bulwark's steps slowed and he came to a halt. The young stallion groaned, huffing in rage and tried to take one more step, but his legs gave away. He stumbled to the ground and lay still.

It took the Patriots and their leader a few seconds to realize that the danger had passed. When the President did, he quickly stood up and composed himself before any of his minions would see his embarrassing slip. His gaze wandered from the unmoving colt towards the far side of the chamber, where the mare had vanished through the door, and he grimaced in anger. “She got away,” he cursed under his breath and started walking down the steps. Already his mind was racing, frantically grasping for ideas how he could get his hooves on the grail still.    

When the President walked past the bleeding body of Bulwark, he stopped and looked at him for a moment. He inched closer and held his ear over the colt's nuzzle. And there it was: the ace up his sleeve he needed to win the grail. Faintly but steadily the colt's chest was still rising and falling in shallow breaths. The unicorn turned to address his henchponies. “Get this pony in the camp and patch him up!” he snapped, prompting them to spring into action. A smile crept on his face as he walked towards their own entrance, they had blown into the vault. “I have an idea!”

Chapter 7

As soon as Daring-Do had passed through the portal, she shrunk into the shadow of one of the supply crates scattered around the dig site and stared back at the portal, panting heavily. When she was sure she was not immediately being pursued, she ripped a sleeve of her shirt with her teeth and tore it into a long shred. She used it to bind her broken wing to her flank; her tortured whinnying was stifled by the end of the bandage she was holding in her mouth. Daring suppressed the pain and pulled the improvised bandage tight. She couldn’t afford the injured limb to hinder her during the next part of her escape.

When she was done patching herself up, she raised her head over the crate, looking around the camp, shooting a glance back at the entrance the Patriots had blown into the vault. After she made sure that nopony would spot her, she left her hiding place and headed towards the canyon's wall, scurrying from cover to cover. When she was standing at the foot of the cliff, she turned around once more, looking for pursuers. With nopony in sight she quickly began to climb the cliff, jumping from hoofhold to hoofhold, balancing herself with her one good wing. It didn't take her long to reach the top. She grasped the cliff's edge with her teeth, then swung her hooves up and used them to pull herself onto the top.

Daring allowed herself a moment to catch her breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a fetlock. Then she turned back to the cliff, lay on her stomach and crawled towards the edge. Letting only enough of her head protrude over the cliff so she could look back down at the dig site, back down at the portal. She bit her lower lip and waited for any signs of a pony leaving the vault, dreading who it would be. She knew that after the fight between earth pony and griffon only one would walk out of the chamber alive. She had seen it in Bulwark's eyes, had seen the murderous intent to kill or be killed. The memory made her shudder; it was nothing she had ever seen in a pony or ever wanted to see again. Still, she had to know her companion's fate, and so she waited.

She didn't have to wait for long. Voices came from the side entrance to the vault; soon a group of ponies exited the tunnel, and her heart skipped a beat. One of them was carrying the unmoving form of Bulwark on his back. Daring watched paralyzed, at how the Patriots bellowed orders through the camp, and a great commotion broke loose.

She let out the breath she didn't knew she had been holding when she saw how a unicorn, who had galloped from the main camp, began treating her companion's wounds. A relieved smile crept on her face, and she could feel her eyes water up. “He's alive! Thank Celestia, he's alive!” she exclaimed, sobbing in relief with her hooves over her mouth to muffle the sound. Yet she was puzzled at the same time, dreading what the Patriots planned to do with the colt.

Her feeling of unrest only grew when the royal blue unicorn from the labyrinth’s center walked to her companion and the mare treating him. “The President,” Daring muttered under her breath when she realized that he was giving the orders. She ground her teeth and forced herself to sit still and watch, even though a voice in the back of her mind told her to swoop down and save the day. She shifted her body around uncomfortably and bode the things to come.

After long, torturous moments the doctor finished her work and turned towards her superior. They traded some words, and even from the distance Daring could make out that the mare had a argument with the President. But in the end she gave in; she walked back towards her bags reluctantly and levitated a small bottle out of them. On their leader's command, four bulky stallions took stand besides the fighting pony and held down his legs. The unicorn mare opened the bottle in her magic field, careful to hold her distance, and hovered it under the unconscious pony's nose.

Bulwark stirred and came to his senses, coughing and retching, when the aroma from the smelling salt reached his nose. He looked around himself in confusion, and then tried to break free when he realized where he was. But the stallions holding him were too strong and he couldn’t move a hoof. “Stop struggling, or you'll open up your wounds again!” the doctor scolded him sharply, raising her voice over the commotion. Reluctantly the colt ceased his resistance and let his body slump back on the medical blanket on which he was lying.

The President raised a hoof, and slowly, the commotion around him quieted down. “Daring-Do, we got your little coltfriend!” he shouted, turning on the spot so his voice traveled in every direction.

“I'm not her coltfriend!” the young stallion protested strongly, and Daring had to smile at her companion's antics despite the dire situation.

The president ordered Bulwark to do something, but she couldn’t make out his words. The colt snapped back at him sharply and shook his head. His defiance didn't amuse the unicorn at all, and he pressed his hoof on the fighting pony's bandaged shoulder. Daring winced as her companion's pained outcry echoed through the canyon.

“As you can hear, he is alive!” the President shouted in every direction once more. “For now!”

The unicorn looked around the camp until his eyes fell onto a sledgehammer. He levitated the heavy tool to his side with his magic. Even from the distance the adventuress could see the sadistic sneer on his face as he spoke up once again.

“You have ten seconds to come out from wherever you're hiding and give me the goblet, before I smash the colt's head in with this hammer!”

When he heard the threat Bulwark tried to break free once more. “Don't listen to him, Daring! Run! Get away from hmpfhmhmmf. . . .“ His words were cut off by the unicorn telekinetically shoving a rag in his mouth.

“Now you speak up! But I only need her to hear you squirm!” the President mocked and lifted the hammer high above the earth pony's head.

“Ten!”

Bulwark struggled, trying to get his hooves free, but he might as well have tried moving a mountain.

“Nine!”

Daring bit her lower lip and rubbed her face with her hooves. Her eyes darted from the President looming above her companion, over the ponies holding him and the group that surrounded them; they darted over the empty camp, over the airship and back to the President and his hammer.  

“Eight!”

Thoughts raced through her head. What would happen if a pony like the President ever got his hooves on the Goblet?

“Seven!”

How much destruction he would cause.

“Six!”

How many ponies would die by his hooves.

“Five!”

Even the princess had been powerless to stop Discord's rampage until the griffons stole his goblet.

“Four!”

Would Celestia be able to stop the Patriots once they had this power?

“Three!”

Could she risk it?

“Two!”

The fate of the world and millions of ponies against the life of a single colt.

“One!”

Bulwark stopped his struggles. He shut his eyes tight and turned his face away, sending a silent prayer to the goddess that it would be over fast.

The President reared on his hindlegs, and as his hooves came down stomping, so came the hammer.

“Stop!” Daring's shout echoed throughout the canyon. The unicorn stopped the hammer just a hoof wide from Bulwark's head. Everypony turned towards the call's origin.

Daring-Do stood on the cliff’s edge, her form contrasting with the moon rising behind her, her mane blowing in the wind. Tears were gleaming in her eyes, yet she stared down with all the hatred in the world at the unicorn who had dared to threaten her friend.

“Ah! Miss Do, how nice of you to join us!” the President called to her, dropping the hammer. The tool fell to the ground and left a small crater, too close to Bulwark's head for the colt's comfort. “Now, if you would be so kind as to come down and hoof over the Goblet, then we can all have a lovely soiree!” he went on with a smug half-grin.  

“Not so fast!” Daring objected sternly, raising the rim of her helmet. With a nod of her head she dropped the goblet from it and caught it on her hoof. She presented it to the onlookers below, holding it out over the edge for everypony to see. “You have to guarantee my companion's safety, or I'll drop this cup and shatter it into a thousand pieces!”

The smile faded from the President's face. “What? You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh yes, I would!” exclaimed the adventuress. “I would travel to the end of the world, drown in a pool of mud, and burn down all of Equestria for the sake of my friend! Don't think I would hesitate one second to destroy a stupid drinking cup if I have to!” She waved her hoof with the Goblet on it over the cliff threateningly, her eyes burning with fierce determination.

The Patriot's leader below raised his hooves in a calming gesture. “Alright, alright. Your companion won't be harmed!”  

Daring just shook her head at his words and raised the goblet higher on her hoof. “Not good enough!” she exclaimed sharply. “You will swear on your name and honor. You will swear that no harm will come to my companion, Bulwark son of Vanguard!” she demanded loudly. “Or to me!” she added in an afterthought.

The President ground his teeth angrily and considered her words for a moment. “Alright, I swear!” he replied finally. But the disapproving look on the mare's face, and her waving the goblet over the edge again told him she wasn't satisfied with that. He swallowed down his anger before he placed a hoof over his heart and began a solemn vow. “I, New Order, swear on my name and honor, that no harm will be done to your companion, Bulwark son of Vanguard, nor you when you give me the Griffon's Goblet.”

With this the adventuress finally lowered the goblet. Even a maniac like the President couldn’t break his vow in front of all his followers. It would ruin his credibility, so he had to keep his word, at least for now.

Daring nodded solemnly, put the goblet back in her helmet and began descending to the ground of the canyon again.

When she reached the ground, two black-dressed, burly guards welcomed her. They escorted Daring towards their boss, one of them walking on either side.  

The president awaited them in the light of several oil lamps, all of his followers gathered in a half-circle behind him. Bulwark was lying nearby, still gagged and now tied up with thick ropes. Daring grimaced when she stepped into the circle of light and saw the triumphant grin on her enemy's face. When she came before him, she gave a pained, defeated smile, dropped the goblet into her hoof nonchalantly and held it out to the president. “Here you go, New Order. You win! Now keep your word!”

“Why so gloomy, Miss Do?” the unicorn inquired, as he levitated Griffon's Goblet from her hoof. “You should rejoice to be part of this historical moment!” A wild gleam came to his eyes as he spoke up, not only addressing her but everypony present. “This will be remembered as the crucial step in overthrowing the tyrant Celestia and bringing forth a new order!” He almost shouted the last words, and everypony but two stomped their hooves on the ground and began to cheer.

Daring raised an eyebrow. “And who will be in charge of this new order?” she inquired when the cheering of the crowd had died down. “You?”

The unicorn chuckled at his beaten foe's banter. “The Republic of Equestria will be led by an elected representative,” he explained haughtily. “But of course, I will run for the post,” he added with a growing smile. “And if my fellow citizens will have me, I will be the first president!” His voice went up at the last words, and again the crowd began to cheer loudly, until he silenced them with a raised hoof.

“And you truly believe that?” inquired Daring doubtingly. “Princess Celestia has been the beloved ruler of Equestria for over a millennium. The ponies adore their princess and worship her as the goddess of the sun. You really think they will thank you if you overthrow her?”

New Order waved off her concern with a hoof. “Of course there will be a few ponies who are in league with the tyrant and will resist the change,” he started to explain. Then his eyes went wide and his pupils tiny; a sadistic smile crept onto his face. “But they will dealt with, just as we will deal with all the mules, cattle, and other pests that have infiltrated our society. They all will be dealt with, like I will deal with the princess when the Patriots bring new order to the land!” he exclaimed, and this time his followers went crazy, stomped the ground, cheered loudly and began to chant his name.

Daring shrank away, taking a few steps towards Bulwark, her ears lowered in fear. “They are mad, all of them!” she muttered under her breath.

New Order rose on his hindlegs and threw his forelegs wide. “Now my faithful comrades. Bring me the wine! I shall drink from the goblet and take Discord's power as mine!” he announced festively, raising his voice above the crowd's fanatic chant.

“What, you just drink from the cup? No fancy magic ritual? No sacrificing of virgins and bathing in their blood to appease to your dark god?” Daring remarked, baffled.

The unicorn gave her an amused chuckle. “No, I fear it is this simple,” he said and smiled at her mockingly. “No more chance for you to snap the goblet from under my nose while I prepare for a ritual.”

Daring shuffled even closer to her bound companion, shaking her head. “Nopony can control the power of Discord. It knows only one master, the one that is bound in stone,” she uttered, her voice shaking with dreadful foreboding, but nopony heard her words. The wine had arrived and the cheering and chanting crowd drowned out all other voices. The two adventurers could only watch in horror how New Order's servant poured him and filled the Griffon's Goblet.

The President lifted the cup for a toast. “To the new order!” he said, then levitated the goblet to his lips and drank deep. When he had emptied the cup, he lowered it slowly and looked into it curiously.

The crowd had fallen silent, and everypony was looking at New Order expectantly.

Nothing happened.

Somepony from the crowd could be heard coughing, and the Patriots began to look at each other in confusion. New Order was shaking the cup with his magic in frustration, when suddenly a shock wave erupted from the unicorn. It was not one that could be seen or heard, but a shock wave of magic that everypony could feel passing through his body. Daring could feel it in her wings and fluffed her feathers involuntarily. The magic coming from New Order felt wrong; it made every hair of her coat stand on end.

The unicorn began to laugh maniacally, and his eyes started to glow in an eerie light. “Power! Infinite power!” he bellowed, rising on his hindlegs.

The eyes of the two adventurers widened, and they had to crane their necks back as they watched the form of the unicorn expand rapidly. It was no simple growth. New Order's body was contorted as the chaos burst free from it. He laughed maniacally; soon his voice was echoed by another one, and then another, until his laughter came as a chorus from countless mouths all over his bloating body. Only when his topmost head was towering above the anchored airship did his growth stop.

Daring stared at him in open-mouthed terror. Only looking at New Order's new form made her eyes hurt, her head spin and her stomach turn; it was just so fundamentally wrong. Even his most devout followers shrank away from the now towering monstrosity that was their leader.

”Oh, isn't this wonderful? Cheer, my little ponies! Be happy! Your leader demands it!”exclaimed New Order, speaking with the voices of an entire choir. He took an eager step towards the airship and stepped onto one of his ponies that had not jumped away in time, squashing him under one of his many hooves like a bug. The President Monster didn't even notice.

Panic broke loose in the camp; ponies screamed and galloped away in every direction. Some stumbled and were trampled by their comrades. Others ran heedlessly into tents, heaps of tools, and crates. Somepony knocked an oil lamp from its post; it smashed on the ground right next to a tent and set it on fire.

Daring jumped into action without hesitation. As soon as the guard's attention was no longer on them, she heaved her tied companion onto her back, wincing as his body pressed onto her broken wing and dashed away from the monstrosity, heading for the cover of a supply heap at the edge of the camp. There she sat onto the ground and let Bulwark slide from her back. Only then did she pull the gag from his mouth and began to untie him.

“I told you to run!” the young stallion snapped at her as soon as his mouth was free.

“Oh Bulwark, of course I saved your life! You don't have to kiss me for it!” Daring replied snippy, some of her words muffled by her trying to untie the knots on his bindings with her teeth.

The colt rolled his eyes, but he put his ears back as he spoke up again. “It's not that I'm ungrateful, but you may have doomed the world to save me,” he uttered meekly.

“It's what stupid friends do!” Daring exclaimed as she finally pulled off the rope and freed the colt's legs.

“Yes, if you put the emphasis on stupid!” Bulwark remarked, rubbing his fetlocks where the robes had chafed him and stretched his limbs.

Without warning the pegasus flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He inhaled sharply through his clenched teeth when her action put pressure onto his wounded shoulder. “Easy there on the stitches!” he muttered, squirming in her grasp.

The mare lifted her weight from his shoulder but didn't end the hug. “I thought I had lost you!” she whimpered into his mane, and he could feel her body shaking. With a sigh the young stallion let go of his anger and put a hoof around her shoulder.

“When I left you with that griffon and you didn't come out, I was sure you were dead. And then when that bastard threatened to kill you. . . ,” she explained between sobs, pouring out all the misery. “I just couldn’t. I couldn’t leave you behind. Not again, not even if it meant sacrificing the world!”

“Shh. . . . It's okay!” the young stallion shushed into her ear and patted her back, trying to calm her. At the same time he looked back at the center of the camp where the President Monster had begun a rampage among its former followers, obviously dissatisfied with their reaction to his new form. Bulwark swallowed hard as a large torrent of fire reflected in his eyes. “It's okay!” he forced himself to say again, brushing his companion's mane.

“Right then!” exclaimed Daring, ended the hug and stood up tall. “Enough with the mushy stuff. It's time to save the world!” she proclaimed, straightened her helmet and turned towards the ongoing commotion, sporting her trademark smile. Bulwark had to chuckle at the pegasus' sudden change of mood. Her perfect, heroic poster pose was only disturbed by her having forgotten to dry the tears from her eyes before she struck it.

The adventuress took a few moments to assert the situation. Most of the camp was burning by now or destroyed in some other way. The discorded monster was stomping and slashing at the ponies running from him aimlessly, bellowing in mindless rage. The Patriots were still incapacitated in mindless panic, but from somewhere Loaded Dice had emerged. The unicorn was busy ushering the survivors onto the airship. He yelled at somepony to cut the lines.

Daring strained her eyes to make out the artifact she had recently given up. Eventually she caught a glimpse of it as a light reflected on something the behemoth was holding in a tentacle right next to one of his topmost heads.

“Tell me you've got a plan!” pleaded Bulwark from where he was lying. Daring looked down to him and shot him a confident smile.

“Two plans actually!” she announced, then immediately went serious. “How are your wounds? Can you stand?” she inquired concernedly.

The fighting pony groaned as he stumbled to his hooves and almost fell over again. Putting weight on one of his front hooves sent a sharp pain through his leg. Nevertheless, he managed to stay upright. “I think I broke something!” he moaned. But he quickly pulled himself together with a deliberate breath. “So what's the plan?” he asked Daring, still clenching his teeth, but fresh resolve was shining in his eyes.

Daring-Do restrained herself from kissing him again. She hid a proud grin behind her hooves, then quickly cleared her throat and composed herself. “We have two options. The first is: we get the goblet back from that monster and drink from it ourselves, hoping that we don't get overwhelmed by the chaos and gain the power to defeat him!” she explained soberly.

Bulwark grimaced and shook his head. “Let's go with the other plan then.”

Daring nodded, and a fresh smirk spread on her face. “Okay, listen up! This is what we'll do!”

 

***

 

The President was still rampaging around his own camp, but by now almost everypony of his former followers was either dead or had boarded the airship. And so it was the starting vessel that provoked his ire. Pegasi were still busy lifting the last stragglers onto the gondola, and every unicorn aboard struggled to keep a magic shield up to repel the monster's attacks. Torrents of green flame scourged against the glowing fields, rocks struck them, and shadowy tendrils whipped with thundering cracks. One by one the shields broke and shattered like glass, and the unicorns who had cast them sunk with exhaustion to the ship's floor. Only one of them was left standing, his coat shining, his face contorted with the effort to hold his spell, when suddenly a stone hit the back of one of New Order's topmost heads.

“Oi! Why don't you pick on somepony your own size?”

The monster turned around, clutching the place the rock had hit with a slimy tentacle. He didn't even notice that this limb had been the one he had used to hold onto the Griffon's Goblet and that the disturbance had made him drop it.

Behind him stood Daring-Do in the middle of an open space among the wreckage of the camp, grinning mischievously and juggling another stone in her hoof. Just as the President turned towards her she threw it at one of his faces as hard as she could. Her aim was true, and this time her attack took out one of the monster's eyes. The President didn't notice the bright clinging of a cup hitting the ground besides him as he roared in startled agony.  

The monster lashed out at the adventuress with half a dozen limbs. She quickly leaped to the side and avoided being smashed by a giant hoof, then backflipped as thorny tentacles grappled for her legs. The mare was slowly driven backwards, but with quick reflexes and nimble acrobatics, she averted every attack the monster threw at her by a hairsbreadth. This infuriated the creature even more, and it redoubled its efforts to smash the pony. All of the President's attention was taken by the pegasus as he stomped after her, bellowing in rage.

He didn't notice that Bulwark was sneaking behind his back. With his teeth the earth pony grabbed the goblet from where it had landed and made back for the shelter of some crates. When he was well in cover and had set down the cup, he grabbed a large stone and threw it into the air. Keeping the back of the monster in his sights, he wheeled around and hit the falling rock with a mighty buck. It was kicked high into the air, and it followed a high arc and crashed into the monster's back, exploding into pieces on impact.

The President staggered and bent his back in torment, trying to reach for the maimed spot  with a giant arm. He turned around, snorting furiously, but his attacker was nowhere to be seen. New Order huffed and spat a wide jet of violet flame, scorching the entire area before him. A satisfied grin spread on his faces when he had incinerated everything he could see. Even the very stone had been reduced to smoldering lava. When he turned back to where he had last seen the mare, his smile faded again; Daring-Do was nowhere to be found.

The pegasus joined Bulwark in his hiding place. He shot her a worried glance when she arrived, his face illuminated by a brand new lava river flowing not ten steps from where he was sitting. The cursed artifact was standing on the ground right before him, seemingly aglow with the foreboding of certain doom.

“It didn't shatter when it hit the ground?” Daring asked, biting her lower lip.

The colt shook his head. “Not even a scratch,” he uttered baffled.

The mare stepped forward until she was standing right before the object. With a furious grimace she raised her hoof over the goblet and stomped on it with all her strength. The hoof hit the cup with an echoing clop.

Daring raised her leg tentatively and shook it absentmindedly to drive away the pain. She made an unhappy frown when she saw what was underneath it. The cup was still shining in polished luster, not a dent, not even a scratch on it.

“Let me try!” Bulwark exclaimed, his jaw tensing. Daring took a wide step backwards as the earth pony reared above the artifact. He came down with a mighty stomp, putting all his weight on his one good hoof. With a loud, metallic clang steel horseshoe hit silver chalice. Bright sparks flew, and the ground beneath the cup cracked under the impact.

When the fighting pony lifted his hoof, both travelers felt their hearts sink. Hammered into a small crater in the ground lay the Griffon's Goblet, its unimpaired finish reflecting the red glow of the nearby lava as if it was mocking them.

“What now?” Bulwark asked, staring at the artifact in blank despair. He swallowed a lump in his throat. “Drink from it?”

Daring-Do looked at the goblet for long moment with wide, twitching eyes, grinding her teeth. “Not yet,” she finally muttered, and she slowly came back to her usually self, sporting a tough smile. “We are not that desperate yet!” she exclaimed, and she looked up from the cup towards her companion. Bulwark slowly raised his gaze. When he saw her eyes, his face lit up with new hope.

Daring began explaining her plan, gesturing wildly with her front hooves. The colt nodded several times, then interrupted her and started arguing, but she swatted his concerns away with a hoof. The mare recited her words, patting the ground with every one and finally pointed at her chest. “Okay,” the colt said, finally giving in.

The mare laid a hoof on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. “One more try. It's do or die now!”

The colt nodded, his lips pressed to a thin line. “Let's do this.” He exclaimed soberly.

The two friends looked at each other for a few more seconds, then embraced in a solemn hug. They briefly patted each other on the back and separated. Daring picked up the goblet with her mouth, and the two ponies dashed out of their cover.

 

***

 

The President stood in the middle of the burning camp, looking after the airship vanishing in the distance. There was nopony around anymore, nothing on which he could vent his anger. As the leaves of a tree turn towards the light, so did the monster turn towards Canterlot, letting out a low grumble. He took a step forward, and as his bloated body set into motion, it began to grow wings.

Just as the creature of chaos was about to jump into flight, a heavy rock crashed into his back, smashing one of its wings. The beast roared in anger and turned around. He puffed black smoke from his nostrils when he saw his assailants. Daring-Do and Bulwark stood among the remnants of the camp. The colt had a pickax resting at his side, the mare a machete tucked under her good wing. They were grinning at the President mockingly; the wind made by the fire ruffled their manes, and the flames were shining brightly in their eyes.

“Leaving already?” the mare shouted. “The party has just begun!”

New Order roared, his voice a cacophony coming from a dozen throats, and rose to the adventurers' challenge. He leaped towards them and lashed out with a thorny wrecking ball that grew on a thick, scaly arm. The two ponies took up their weapons and leaped to the side, barely averting the crushing impact of the giant flail.

When their hooves touched the ground again, they retaliated immediately; they charged towards the beast, hacking and slashing at his outstretched limb as they went. The monstrosity screamed in pain and retracted its assailed appendage before it could be turned into mincemeat. Still the two ponies were galloping towards him as he lashed out at them with a swarm of black, slimy tentacles.

The two adventurers dashed left and right, ducked, jumped, and rolled to avoid the tentacles, all the while slashing away at any that came too close. Crisscrossing over their own paths of attack the two ponies hacked themselves a way through the dark appendages.

    Bellowing in rage, New Order pulled his tentacles out of their reach and raised one of his hooves for a stomp. It came down with earth-shattering force and made the ground tremble.

Daring and Bulwark averted the impact deliberately only by a step. Chips of rock exploded from under the monster's hoof and showered the adventurers in a hail of sharp stones. But even as the mare took a bleeding cut to her face, and a sliver split one of the young stallion's ears, the two didn't falter in their attack.

“Now!” yelled Bulwark, dropping his ax. He dashed towards the monster's body ahead of the mare, came to a sliding halt a dozen steps from her and crouched down. Daring took a running start and jumped onto his back. With a primal roar the colt strained his muscles and sprang up like a trampoline as the mare jumped again.

Empowered by her companion's aid she soared in a high arc at one of New Order's heads. It just stared at her in startled wonder as she flung at it, swinging the blade in her mouth in a wide half-circle. And it still wondered when it tumbled towards the ground.

The beast thrashed about itself, roaring in mindless agony and flailing all of his grotesque limbs aimlessly. Bulwark dashed away from the monster, his head craned back to look at his friend's descent. He sidestepped wildly as the ground around him was plowed by the creature's fury. He lunged into a desperate jump, when Daring came down and caught her in his hooves. The two ponies crashed to the ground in a rolling heap, and a forest of malformed limbs battared down right behind them, tearing up the rock in vain. The adventurers were out of reach.

New Order was foaming in rage with each of his remaining heads, while one neck only spurted black blood. He retracted all of his arm and tentacles, puffing dark smoke from his nostrils.

Daring and Bulwark felt the ground beneath them shake. When they looked up from the heap they had landed in, they could see the monster approaching with big, stomping steps. They quickly untangled themselves, stumbled to their hooves and faced the beast, barring their teeth in defiance.

The President stopped a few steps from them. This time he didn't lash out with his arms, but instead he began inhaling through his every mouth, bloating up like a balloon.

“Here it comes!” Daring hissed to her companion, and Bulwark stepped in front of her. Now hidden from the monster's vision, the adventuress quickly raised the brim of her helmet and dropped the Griffon's Goblet from her head onto the ground. With the artifact in position she made ready to bolt away, but held her position for the moment.

“Hold it,” she hissed to Bulwark between clenched teeth. “We only got one shot at this!”

For a few more seconds New Order inhaled deeply. He held in the air for a moment, looking like he was about to burst, then he spat a torrent of violent green flame down at the two ponies.  

Only when she was sure the monster had no more way of averting his attack did Daring spring into action. “Now!” she shouted and dashed away from the goblet to the right, and Bulwark did the same to the left. They galloped as fast as they could, pumping their legs with all the strength they had left, desperately trying to get away from the flames.

The blazing onslaught hit the ground with a deafening roar, and in the center of the inferno stood the Griffon's Goblet. For a few seconds it withstood the avalanche of the unbridled power of chaos, shining brightly. The lightning bolt on the cup began to glow bright-red, and the artifact started to vibrate. Faster and faster it shook, until a high-pitched shriek was emitted from it. Still New Order continued his attack, determined to reduce his enemies to nothing but hot ash.

With a deafening bang the goblet burst apart into a thousand pieces. The fragments melted in the raging flames and were finally blown away by the hot wind.

And suddenly the fire coming from New Order's heads stopped. For a moment all of his faces looked confused, then his eyes widened in terror and his form began to deteriorate. His eyes bulged and he let out startled gasps as his bloated body shrunk in on itself.

In mere seconds it was over, and all that was left of the one-time leader of the Patriots, the self-proclaimed President who wished to bring forth a new order with the power of Discord, was a tortured body, its eyes staring into nothing.    

 

***

 

Heat, smoke, crackling fire, the taste of blood, pain: these were the things that Daring noticed when she came back to her senses. She groaned as she tried to rise, every fiber in her battered body protesting and sending hot needles of pain to her brain. She clenched her teeth, forced her limbs to obey and rose to a sitting position. The mare heard the blood rushing in her ears; her head hurt with a vengeance, each beat of her heart sending a new wave of pain through it. She lifted a hoof to rub her temple and blinked several times to clear her spinning vision. She looked down at herself and around the canyon. The pegasus briefly noted that her tail was singed and that she was covered in soot. Her coat was torn and bleeding from several places. To makes things worse her helmet was gone and nowhere to be found.

But the monster that had once been New Order was nowhere to be seen either. The adventuress let out a relieved sigh, but her comfort was short-lived. With a shock she remembered her companion and she started to look around frantically, trying to rise to her hooves. “Bulwark! Bulwark, where are you?” she shouted. She listened intently, her ears turning and twitching, but to her terror, even after long moments the only sound to be heard was the crackling of flames. “Are you alive?” she yelled desperately.

The mare staggered to her hooves and started to drag herself to where she had last seen the earth pony. But her hooves stopped before a glowing pit of molten rock, where the monster's attack had hit the ground. She walked around it and started searching among the rubble of the camp. She walked through burning tents and heaps of ash. “Bulwark, are you alive?” she called out again, starting to sob.

 

 

 

“I'm alive!” A strained call came from further away, jolting her out of her oncoming despair. The mare dashed towards the sound, swaying and nearly stumbling as she ran. Her eyes lit up with new hope when she saw a pony rising behind a pile of debris.

Daring crashed into the earth pony before he could even fully stand up, and they both went to the ground again. The colt let out a startled “oof” as he was tackled. He moaned and looked up in surprise when he found himself entangled in a tight hug.

“Ugh, careful please! I'm kinda wounded here!” Bulwark was just as dirt-covered, singed and cut up as Daring, but his pained complaints told the mare that he was very much alive. She quickly let go of the young stallion and got back on her hooves.

“You okay?” she asked meekly as the fighting pony stumbled to his hooves, groaning.

Instead of answering he returned her hug as soon as he was on his hooves. Daring could feel tears welling up in her eyes and returned the embrace. The relieved sobbing she felt from her companion told her that he was faring no better. For few moments the two friends just stood this way, relishing each other's presence and the simple fact that they were still alive.

When they had calmed down enough to stand on their own they began searching through the side of the battle. They finally found New Order's dead body and stood over it, looking down at it with a mixture of relief and regret.

“You can't imagine how glad I am that your plan worked!” Bulwark muttered with a heavy sigh.

Daring nodded. “Discord's power made the goblet, so it was the only thing that could destroy it,” she explained soberly.

They stood for a few more seconds, then Bulwark turned without a word and walked away. Daring quickly followed and walked by his side.

“Let's get away from here!” the colt exclaimed tiredly while they headed for a part of the camp that was not as charred as the rest. He let his head hang and dragged his hooves over the ground. Daring too felt dead tired. But they both knew that they had to get away from this place to find any rest.  

In the few remnants of a tent they found some supplies. They quickly wiped their sooty coats with a wet cloth, then addressed each other's wounds as best as they could. They packed water bottles and canned food into sacks they fashioned from blankets, then they were on their way.

As they walked through the almost completely burned down camp, Daring suddenly stopped and glanced at a pile of ash. She walked over to it and poked into it with a hoof. A sentimental smile spread on her face when she pulled a round object from the debris. She blew the ash from it and brushed away some dirt with her hoof. Her pith-helmet was now even more dirty and dented than ever, and the brim was burned off at one side; she still sat it onto its place on her head with great satisfaction, greeting it like an old friend. “And with this, we are ready for another adventure,” the pegasus muttered to herself, and she turned back towards the waiting colt.

As they left the canyon, a new day dawned, and the rising sun warmed their backs.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Daring asked her companion, feeling a little of her spirit coming back with the first light of day.

The young stallion shrugged. “Head for the next tavern! I'm dying for a mug of cider, or ten!” he exclaimed. The mare shot him a wide grin, and he went on. “Maybe find those gorgeous zebra twins again and. . .uh. . .”

“Rut them like a wild animal!” Daring finished for him. Bulwark blushed, and both broke out in relieved laughter. They quickened their steps, their hooves feeling lighter, as if they were magically drawn towards Maredria.    

 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

I didn't read it (not that I didn't have problem with checking out fic) just you could have make a Fimfiction account and posted it there and then left a link. would have worked so much better that way.

[Bon_Bon 87]

It is a really cool story! Just finished reading it!