by G. M. Berrow
Now all Daring Do and Rosy Thorn had to do was steal the key, retrieve the Everleaf, and rescue Gallant True. All at once. Two Pegasi against a monster and thirty henchponies? No problem at all.
“One more thing, Thorn.” Daring held up her hoof.
“Yes, Daring?” Rosy replied, a familiar eagerness in her eyes. It was the same look that Daring wore when faced with danger. It made Daring feel better about what she was going to say.
“It’s every pony for herself out there. If one of us gets captured, there’s no going back. Understand?”
CHAPTER 8
The Ambush of Ahuizotl
“On the count of three,” Daring announced. She leaned back onto her hind legs in order to get a better launch. “One… two… three!” The two Pegasi burst through the palm fronds, soaring straight toward the mob. They were relying heavily on the element of surprise, which, if used correctly, could give them the upper hoof they needed to distract Ahuizotl. The henchponies weren’t the brightest, so they were easy to disorient.
“What is this?!” Ahuizotl roared, spinning around to catch a better look at the intruders. Rosy Thorn flew past him, her right wing an inch from his nose. The monster swatted at her but missed, allowing Daring Do to spiral under his stomach and touch his left foreleg. Ahuizotl felt the tickle of where Daring had brushed him and instinctively dropped the Everleaf to thwack away the pest. “I’ll destroy you for this!” the monster snarled in anger. “Any little pony who messes with the great Ahuizotl pays the price!”
The golden Pegasus grinned in triumph and looped back around, intending to snatch up the leaf while Rosy continued to buzz around his head like an angry bumblebee. Ahuizotl leaned back on his hind legs and growled, using both forelegs to try to catch Rosy. But she was fast, swerving in and out of his range like it was a game.
Now on the ground, Daring Do darted left and right, searching for the prize and narrowly avoiding the poisoned arrows that were being shot in her direction by the henchponies on the jungle’s edge. The ponies holding Gallant’s ropes stood with blank faces, trying to decide whether to drop them and fight, or hold on. They were lost without Ahuizotl’s orders. Gallant gave a delighted giggle as he watched his niece in action. “Jolly good show, it is!”
“The leaf, you fools!” Ahuizotl shouted to the rope-holding ponies. “Stop her from getting the leaf!” He pointed to the ground about fifteen trots away. “Over there!”
Three ponies dropped their ropes and galloped over, but it was too late. The Everleaf lay an inch from the stone precipice of the fortress, looming over the churning waves of the sea. Any false moves and the leaf would be taken by the wind down into the water.
Daring Do narrowed her eyes and took off without a second of hesitation. In one continuous motion, she seized the leaf, poked it into a spare glass vial she always had with her, and tossed it inside her saddlebag. “Thanks, Ahuizotl!” Daring smiled. Instead of saving his trinket, he had pointed it out to her. “Saved me the trouble!”
The moment the leaf landed in her bag’s secret compartment, the Everleaves gave a massive jolt. “Whoaaaaa!” Daring Do yelled, plummeting to the ground. The shock must have been due to the powerful magical specimens being joined together once again. She felt them begin to shake, and struggled to keep the bag against her side as she pulled herself upright. It would be bad if anypony, especially Ahuizotl, noticed her bizarre behavior—then both the Everleaves would be at risk!
“Be careful, Daring!” Gallant called out in concern.
A shriek rang out as Ahuizotl plucked Rosy Thorn from the air with the claw on the end of his long, skinny tail. “Daring! Catch!” Rosy yelled, and flung a tiny key toward Daring Do. It was for the Unichain! Four henchponies jumped forward to catch it at the same time as Daring, landing on top of the adventurer in a heap of limbs and feathers, some ornamental and some attached to Daring’s wings.
Rosy wriggled to free herself from Ahuizotl’s grasp, but it only made the beast clench tighter. He cackled in glee.
Meanwhile, over by the doorway, Gallant True grunted as he struggled to fling the last two ropes off his hind hooves, garnering newfound strength from the presence of his niece and her cohort. The old stallion bucked his hind legs against an orange pony, who toppled over like a milk bottle hit by a ball at a county fair game. “Take that, you… insolent hooligan!” He bristled, shaking a hoof at the fallen soldier.
“Don’t get up!” Ahuizotl thundered, approaching the pile of ponies. “I want Daring Do trapped under there. She is mine.” The henchponies did their best to hold their positions, confining the Pegasus in a pseudo-cage built by their bodies.
That was all Daring Do needed to hear. She burst up through the middle, flinging the stallions off her with one hoof in the air, and shot into the sky. “I don’t think so!” she called out, a wide smile visible beneath the locks of gray mane that were falling across her eyes. “I belong to nopony, and neither does my uncle!”
At this, Ahuizotl ran for Daring Do, still carrying Rosy in his claw. He reached out, narrowly missing Daring’s tail. Rosy freed herself and flew toward her companion, but Ahuizotl managed to grab the blue Pegasus again, a consolation prize for what he had lost. Unfortunately for Rosy, Daring didn’t witness her recapture.
“Hurry up, Thorn!” Daring shouted, racing toward Gallant. She scooped him up by the shoulders of his itchy sweater and took off into the sky, wings working twice as hard to carry the extra weight. Once they burst through the cloud cover, Daring slowed for one last glance over her shoulder to check that Rosy Thorn was right behind them. She wasn’t. But Daring had told her the deal. Daring Do had a task to complete. And now, with the two Everleaves secured and her uncle by her side, she might actually stand a chance.
CHAPTER 9
The Secret of the Everleaves
They weren’t too far away from Ahuizotl’s temple, but Daring Do knew that he would never seek them in this direction. The Everleaf had pointed southward, so the beast would reckon that the Eternal Flower was to be found down there. And for all Ahuizotl knew, Daring and Gallant had gone that way as well. The clouds had done an excellent job of hiding their actual course.
“We should be fine to rest here for a moment,” Daring assured her uncle, setting him gently down on his four hooves. He touched down on the soft white sand with a heavy sigh of relief. “I was wondering when you’d show up, my Darling Do.”
“Hey! Don’t—” Daring started to protest out of habit. But then she stopped herself—if anypony could call her an old nickname, it was her favorite relative. She stifled a giggle and drew him into an embrace. “I was strategizing!”
“Well, it took you long enough,” Gallant replied, removing the Unichain from his horn. “I was getting really tired of pretending to wear that thing.”
“Pretending?” Daring’s jaw dropped. She held up the hard-won key. “You mean we took the trouble to get this for nothing, and you could have used your magic to help us?” Her mind drifted back to Rosy Thorn and she felt a twinge of guilt. The mare could take care of herself, right? Yes, of course she could.
“I’m afraid so, Poppit.” Gallant sat down on the sand and removed his glasses. He unfolded his kerchief and rubbed it on the lenses absentmindedly. “Stole the key myself last night when those dim guards were sleeping. Was wearing the silly thing more for show, you know? You have to let these ponies think they are running things. Surely I taught you that trick, my dear.…”
“Obviously.” Daring Do felt like she was five years old, getting quizzed again on tactics. “But let’s focus on what is actually important here—you are safe and I have the Everleaves!” She grinned at him, puffing up her chest with pride.
“Yes, yes.” True nodded. His horn sparkled with a light blue magic glow, and he placed the glasses back on his muzzle. “I suppose it’s a bit better. Not perfect, but it’ll do for now.”
Daring trotted over to him and looked down. She held up her right hoof. “You’re not even going to do th
e secret congratulatory hoof-bump?”
“Oh, that was for when you were a filly.” He laughed. “To keep you motivated. We don’t have to bother with it now. You’re a grown mare with a successful career of your own!” Gallant stood up and brushed off his sweater, though it made little difference in the ratty garment’s appearance. “If you didn’t have the leaves, I would be a little surprised. I practically spelled this one out for you, love.”
“Thanks.” Daring Do rolled her eyes. She must have been delusional to think she’d receive praise from the stallion.
“Fancy a paddle?!” Gallant trotted over to the shore, his yellow mane waving in the wind. He pushed up his wool sleeves and waded out into the refreshing blue water. Daring shook her head with a chuckle. Gallant True was getting even kookier in his old age. She tossed her pith helmet onto the sand but kept her saddlebag on her shoulder. Too many valuables in there to put it down, even for a second.
“So have you studied my diary, then?” Gallant closed his eyes and breathed in the salty air. “Since you found my Everleaf, I take it you found that as well.”
“Read it cover to cover,” Daring Do assured. She closed her eyes as well. The soft rhythm of the waves made her sleepy. “Is it true that the Eternal Flower changes its appearance after every time it’s been seen? And that it replants itself somewhere new?”
“Very good, darling.” The old stallion smiled, eyes twinkling with intrigue. “And what else did you learn?” He took a step toward her, intentionally making the water splash up onto her olive-green shirt.
“That the only way to tell the true Eternal Flower is by its vines, which curl up like the symbol of infinity. But I don’t understand the Everleaves—where are they from and how do they work?” Daring pressed.
“As for where I obtained them—that must remain a mystery,” Gallant said cryptically. He shook off his hooves and trotted back onto the dry shore. “I’m afraid my colleague Thaddeus Vine is the only one who knows that. Shouldn’t have told him… but anyhow, let’s take a gander at how they work, shall we?”
Daring Do followed him, lifting her bag off her shoulder. She reached inside and unzipped the secret compartment. The two leaves were intact and vibrating like two magnets trying to join each other. After so much hype, Daring Do was eager to see what the Everleaves were capable of.
“Do you remember the three rubrics?”
“The what?” Daring Do tried to recall the information from the diary, but the text was dense and she was going on very little sleep. “Oh, come on, Uncle Ad, can’t you just tell me?”
“Very well,” Gallant conceded. “If he already knows, you might as well know, too. The diary, please.” He held out his hoof.
Daring passed the book over to him, and the pony frantically flipped to a page near the back. From the way Gallant True was acting, Daring Do had clearly glossed over the most important part. “There!” He pointed his hoof at a little drawing of a stone shield.
“The rubrics were found on an ancient carving at the site of Orshab, the same site where I found the leaves—where legend says that Mooncurve the Cunning took a sip of nectar from the very flower we seek.” He showed Daring the image of Mooncurve. He was a tall, thin Unicorn with a long mane, ornamental cuffs on each hoof, and a cloak embroidered with flowers. Daring Do felt like she’d seen him somewhere before. Was it really possible that this pony was still alive somewhere, after thousands of years?
“Rubric number one: ‘To read the compass, leaf the pages’…” Gallant pointed his hoof at the next rule on the page, growing more eager with each passing moment. “Number two: ‘To reach the island, travel the scales.’” Gallant began to pace around his niece in a circle. With the soft breeze blowing on the tropical beach, it felt just like the days in Horseshoe Bay. Only this was a real quest, with real stakes. Not a filly’s game.
“And number three.” Daring finished it off, finally recalling the words. “To reveal the truth, examine the roots.”
“Correct!” Her uncle laid the diary down on the sand, opening it to what must have been the only two blank pages in the whole book. He gingerly removed the two Everleaves from their vials, brought them close to his face to inspect them, and then placed them side by side, flat on the parchment. They flew to the pages.
Leaf the pages, Daring thought. So that’s what it meant. The two leaves began to spin around at a crazy speed.
“They’re calibrating to form the compass,” Gallant True explained. He kept his eyes on the progress. “It can be on any book, really. But I’ve only ever tried this one.” The leaves stopped, both pointing slightly inward toward each other. “And it works.”
“Now what?” Daring said, unimpressed. “That tells us nothing.”
“Just wait for it!” Gallant barked. A moment later, two beams of green light shot out from the tip of each leaf, converging into one large beam that pointed straight out to sea. A glowing, visual path to follow.
“There’s only one place those leaves could be pointing.” The realization washed over Daring Do like the waves on her hooves. “And it’s not the ocean floor.” The adventurer reached into her shirt pocket and procured her small lightweight map of the known world. She unfurled it and pointed to a little patch of dots off the western coast. “The Isles of Scaly!”
“Dragon territory…” Gallant breathed in awe, his jaw agape. His glasses slid a few inches down his muzzle. “But of course—to reach the island, travel the scales!” He put a hoof on Daring’s shoulder. “Nopony can go there, unless they travel by dragon. Dragon scales! It makes perfect sense now!” His face suddenly fell. “What are we going to do?!”
“Well, Uncle, I think today’s your lucky day.” Daring Do held up a small shell carved with the ancient Symbol of Scaly—a dragon tooth with a five-pointed star in the middle. “I think I know somedragon who can help.” She touched the shell to her lips and blew. A sweet whistle rang out, and somewhere in the distance, a scaly green ear perked up.
CHAPTER 10
Travel the Scales
The two ponies gripped the sides of the rope as tight as they could without strangling the dragon. The beast had been kind enough to bow down and let the ponies wrap the rope around his body, understanding that the older one was nervous. Dragons could be intuitive and wise, if they cared to be. Fortunately, this one and Daring Do were old friends. This wasn’t the first time Knuckerbocker had saved her hide.
“Stop pulling on the rope so hard!” Daring Do reminded Gallant. She would prefer to fly beside her uncle and the dragon, but the rubrics had clearly stated that they needed to “travel the scales.” Besides, the only way any other creature could attempt to enter the realm of the dragons—the Isles of Scaly—was with a host. Ponies had to charm their way to the mystical place if they wanted to visit, though most ponies would never dare. Dragons didn’t like intruders.
“Whooaa!” Gallant True called out, looking equal parts terrified and thrilled to be riding on the back of a massive green creature. The beast tilted left, his great wings riding a pocket of warm wind. Gallant slid down, holding on to the rope so tightly his hoof was turning white from the lack of circulation.
Daring stifled a laugh. “And you call yourself an adventure pony?”
“Why do you think I wanted you to come with me, Darling Do?” He lifted his right hoof to pat Daring on the back, forgetting that he was holding on for his life. Daring reached over and grabbed him by the sweater to pull him upright, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “See?!”
“I certainly can’t blame you.” Daring winked. “I’d want to have me along on any adventure! But… why didn’t you just ask me? Instead of the whole Botanical Society banquet charade? Wouldn’t it have been a lot easier?” Daring smiled and added, “And I wouldn’t have had to wear that awful gown.”
“After disappearing for all those years?” Gallant asked. It may have been from the wind blowing in his face, but the stallion’s eyes looked especially watery. “Would you really have come?”
“No, probably not,” Daring admitted, turning her eyes forward. “I was pretty annoyed with you after you stopped writing from the Frozen North. You just disappeared!” Daring Do turned back to him. “But… I’m glad I’m here now.”
“Me too, dear.” Gallant True breathed a sigh of relief. “Me too.”
The golden mare spread her wings and hugged her uncle. The embrace was stopped short by a hearty growl from Knuckerbocker. The dragon flapped his great wings faster as he began to descend. As they broke through the clouds, it was obvious why. A gorgeous landscape extended out below them, like glistening emerald jewels encrusted on a slab of aquamarine.
They had arrived at the Isles of Scaly.
“How glorious!” Gallant marveled, removing his spectacles. “Each island looks like the curve of a dragon’s claw!”
“Five islands total,” Daring Do explained. “One for each of the dragon tribes of the sea. Knucker belongs to the largest tribe, which dwells on the biggest island at the top—Octave. That’s where we’ll start.”
Knuckerbocker drew his neck back and let out a stream of fire, signaling his arrival to the realm. Several geysers of fire from various locations around the island shot up in response. He flapped his spiky wings as they touched down into the tropical surroundings, nearby trees swaying from the powerful gusts of wind he was creating.
The dragon’s claws made contact with mossy ground. He folded in his wings and leaned down into a deep bow, touching his chin to a patch of teal grass. He expelled a little burst of flames from his nostrils, and the grass instantly burned to a crisp. A second later, the grass regenerated itself, growing in fuller than it was before.