My Little Pony - Daring Do and the Eternal Flower Read online

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  For Erin, to whom I am eternally grateful

  CHAPTER 1

  The Grandest Affair in the Land

  There were a hundred lively conversations taking place at once in the grand ballroom, but only one mattered to Daring Do. She wasn’t a part of it… yet. But she would be, as soon as she could make her move toward the board of directors. Daring didn’t want this entire night to have been for nothing. The fancy mane updo, the uncomfortably snug sequined ball gown, and the absolute agony of having to socialize for hours with ponies she knew nothing about (nor cared about, for that matter) were all means to an end.

  Tonight was the night Daring Do would find out the truth about the Eternal Flower and if it was really able to grant a pony the unfathomable legendary prize—immortality. For all she knew, it was a myth like so many other leads throughout her career had been. But Daring Do had a strong feeling about this one, and it would not be silenced.

  The evening was a posh event. There were fifty massive round tables. Each was covered in a crisp white tablecloth and set for ten guests. Gorgeous blooms of jasmine, lavender, and rainbow hibiscus were arranged into tall centerpieces, and they filled the air with perfumed freshness, delighting everypony. Each lucky guest’s place was set with gold-plated utensils, fresh flower petals, and an exclusive party favor. There was a tiny chocolate truffle in the shape of a rose, and next to it was a real long-stemmed blossom with a card bearing the guest’s name.

  MS. DARING DO—HONORED GUEST OF THE EQUESTRIAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY. The elaborate calligraphy bore many loops and swirls, much like the vines of ivy that covered the bandstand. Twinkling white fairy lights were draped throughout, cascading down from the ceiling like the branches of a weeping willow tree. Society ponies, the ones who always attended these benefits, loved the intricate details. They’d buy an expensive ticket, get dressed up in their finery, and dance the night away, all in the name of some cause or another. Any excuse for a party.

  A young mare wearing diamond-encrusted hoofcuffs trotted past Daring’s table. “What’s the cause of the evening again?” she asked her friend, who was checking her bright blue eye shadow in a small pocket mirror.

  “Something to do with saving flowers,” the friend replied. “I just love flowers, don’t you?” she added before the pair cantered off to apply more makeup and make more vague yet supportive statements about the event of the evening.

  Bubbles fizzed on Daring’s tongue as she took a delicate sip from her flute of sparkling cider. The mare pretended to listen to General Sparks prattle on about his collection of rare Horavian bits, but she was actually too preoccupied with scanning the room to bother with numismatics. The sea of taffeta, tulle, and tuxedos was a hindrance to her goal: find the scholars who knew something about her current obsession.

  According to the only botanical journal of the society Flora and Foalna, she should be looking for two specific society members named Vine and Fern, who had published a recent article entitled “Reaching into Eternity: The Legend of the Eternal Flower.” Daring had wisely taken the extra time to secure a copy of the guest list before the event, so she knew they would be there.

  “Oh, what the hay!” Sparks chuckled in amusement. “How about some visuals, too, so you can really get a sense of what I’m describing?” The general pulled out his wallet, flipping through the photos one by one. “Ah yes! Here is one of my favorites… the magnificent Morrow Era silver two-bit piece, circa 796 Before Celestia…” He adjusted his monocle and smiled at Daring. “Isn’t it a beauty?” His curled white mustache moved with each word he spoke.

  “Wow, never seen anything like it…” the adventurer replied with a courteous nod and a forced smile. Daring’s attention was not on the pony in front of her. Where were those two ponies with the secret information she was desperate to obtain? The only reason she was in attendance at this ridiculously over-the-top fund-raiser for the Equestrian Botanical Society was to spy on them.

  Over by the dessert table, Daring spotted a light gray pony with a dark purple mane chatting with a stallion who could have been a scholar. But the guy wouldn’t turn around.

  “Would you care for another glass of cider, miss?” A white-gloved waiter appeared, wearing a black jacket and bow tie, bottle in hoof.

  “Yes,” Daring snapped, and craned her neck around him. “But hurry.” She wouldn’t have minded if he weren’t blocking her entire view of the room. The waiter topped her off and stepped over to the next guest. If Daring was going to have to stay for the entire event of speeches and presentations, she might as well sip some of the sweet bubbly concoction.

  Suddenly, she spotted the duo. Her targets were all the way on the opposite side of the grand space, at another table, completely out of earshot. But Daring Do was a master lip-reader. She smoothed down a few wisps of her gray-and-black mane, which was done up in an incredibly uncomfortable French twist. The pony was the picture of sophisticated elegance in her shimmering olive-green ball gown. Daring hated nothing more than dressing up, but as long as she looked at it as another one of her expert disguises, she could deal with being a bit fillyish for one night. Seeing her reflection in the mirror was still odd, however.

  The band switched to a fast number, and several ponies got up to take part in the merriment. The guests began pairing off, twirling and stomping their hooves to the beat.

  “Excuse me for my ill manners, Miss Do. I would ask you to dance, but I’m afraid I have four left hooves.” Sparks bowed his head to her, his monocle almost falling off his left eye. He’d taken the hint and stashed his pictures back in his coat pocket. “Though if you begged, I could attempt a fox-trot.…”

  Daring Do waved her hoof and shook her head in response. “That’s quite all right, General. I don’t dance. Actually, I—”

  Daring cut herself off midsentence. She took another gulp of cider and watched with focused intent on an ancient little mare wearing a high-necked, ruffled black ball gown chatting with a rotund young stallion in a brown suit. Madame Willow Fern and Mr. Thaddeus Vine, respectively. Not only were they members of the board and experts on every type of grass, tree, and flower known to ponykind, but they also had theories on the specific item she was interested in. If anypony would have the information she was searching for—the actual truth of the Eternal Flower—it was the two of them.

  Their eyes shifted around as they spoke, clearly suspicious that they were being listened to. “—after the presentation we’ll take her—” Madame Fern was saying. Her painted red lips were a bright contrast to her teal-colored hide and emphasized each word.

  “Maybe we should do it now while—” Mr. Vine frowned. His bushy yellow mustache made it more difficult to read his lips. He looked over his shoulder at the crowd of ponies rushing the fresh batch of caramel apple tarts. “Nopony will notice if she’s missing—”

  Ponies crossed in front of Daring, heading to the dance floor, unknowingly causing her to miss words here and there. But she didn’t dare to move now.

  “—might not believe—” Vine said.

  More ponies crossed through Daring’s line of vision. Get out of the way! t
hought Daring.

  Vine was still talking. “—dire circumstances!”

  “—then she will go, that’s what he said—”

  Two mares paused in front of their table, fixing each other’s mane updos before continuing on toward the cider station. Maybe it was time to lurk a bit closer.

  “—location of the Eternal Flower!” Fern exclaimed, her face riddled with concern.

  Vine gasped and put his hoof over Fern’s mouth. “Not here.”

  Daring leaned forward, her eyes growing wide. Her instincts had been correct! They did know something about the item Daring Do sought.

  There were many reasons to believe the mythical bloom was indeed real. For the most part, Daring Do only hunted for items that were more tangible, or at least made of something sturdy like gold or Earth pony steel. Flowers were alive and, in turn, ephemeral—a pony could quest a whole lifetime for a rare plant, only to find that the species had become extinct. Daring Do didn’t like to set herself up for disappointment. Tangible objects that lasted forever were her game.

  But after the recent events in Marapore, where Daring had rescued the villagers from the fiery eruption of Mount Vehoovius, her opinions had changed on the matter. Golden Rule, the local Maraporean scholar, had given her a parting gift: Indigenous Magical Plants of the North and South, Volume 5: Flowers. The rare book contained a wealth of information on the subject, including a cryptic entry on the Eternal Flower: the only plant that was believed to last forever.

  The elusive magical blossom was understood to be the giver of immortality to anypony who consumed its sweet nectar. The only trouble was that nopony knew where to find it. Even if they did, they would never be able to pass along the information, since the bloom replanted itself in a new location each time it was seen. To make matters even more complicated, it was said that the flower evolved each time by developing new attributes based on whoever was looking for it. The Eternal Flower did not want to be found. So, naturally, Daring Do had to have it.

  The song ended and a new one began. It was a slow tune.

  Enough waiting and plotting from across the room! Daring stood up and trotted straight to Madame and Thaddeus’s table, leaving the general openmouthed at her hasty departure. Daring reached out her hoof to the startled Thaddeus Vine and raised her eyebrows. “Care to dance, Mr. Vine?”

  The poor stallion was barely able to mutter a response before Daring Do was tackled to the floor by two strong henchponies in tuxedos. Daring had made a rookie mistake. She had been so busy watching her own targets all evening that she hadn’t bothered to notice she was a target, too—of Dr. Caballeron himself!

  CHAPTER 2

  Daring Takes the Lead

  The sleeve of the sequined dress tore as Daring Do sprang to her hooves, shoving the heavy ponies off her. She couldn’t care less if the frock was ruined. The gauzy swathes of olive fabric made every movement twice as difficult. With a graceful pirouette, Daring spun on her back hoof and pummeled the two burly ponies, sending them sliding across the slick wooden dance floor. The bigger of the two, a pony with a short orange mane, slammed against one of the tables. He grunted in defeat, and the floral centerpiece crashed to the ground, shards of silver glass exploding everywhere. The ponies seated at the table gasped in shock at the scene, shielding their precious faces. A few of the mares cried out, though it was unclear if they were upset about the fight or the spilled cider on their dresses.

  The room began to empty out. The band played on, switching the song to an upbeat number that matched the action unfolding in front of them.

  “Anypony else want to tango?” Daring Do called out to the two henchponies she could see. The ponies, disguised as waiters, looked to one another with blank expressions. They weren’t the most intelligent of characters. “No? Well, I guess that means I’m doing a solo performance!” Daring spread her wings and soared up to the twelve-tiered Crystal Empire chandelier. She flew at top speed, encircling the massive fixture in a dizzying tornado of gold, gray, and glittering green. The crystals on the chandelier shone through the blur and appeared as a mesmerizing light show. Everypony down below stopped in their tracks, including the waiter henchponies. The band picked up the pace to add to the excitement. Daring pushed to go even faster. One of her favorite tricks to defeat an enemy was to create a confusing distraction. Worked every time.

  “It’s going to fall!” a Pegasus mare in a yellow gown cried out. Her face twisted in horror as she motioned to the swaying chandelier. The supports on one side had snapped, and now only a single steel chain suspended it. “Everypony, run!”

  Ponies scrambled to the edges of the room, but the two waiter henchponies stood their ground. The other two were still groaning on the floor, holding their heads. Daring Do peeled off toward the corner, where the ceiling met the top of the wall. The gigantic chandelier circled like a pendulum with momentum. Exactly as Daring calculated it would. She bit her lip in anticipation. It would just be a second until…

  WHAM!

  As the chandelier dropped down, it landed on a table with a loud crash, demolishing everything except the table itself. Pieces of crystal dislodged and shattered like shining fireworks. Then the table rolled onto its side and careened toward another, creating a domino effect that resulted in five tables creating a barrier around the four henchponies in the middle of the dance floor. They were trapped!

  “I call that one the box step!” Daring laughed from above. Catching the group of ponies had been relatively easy. Just a quick dash, a swoop, and a crash, and now they were completely helpless. Dr. Caballeron always hired such oafs to work for him, but it made her job easier. Brute strength was nothing against cunning wit and agility. Even in a formal evening gown.

  “Not so fast, Do!” a familiar voice rang out across the cavernous ballroom. It had a distinctly foreign lilt. Daring Do would know that voice anywhere.

  “Caballeron!” Daring growled, searching the crowd. She furrowed her brow and zeroed in on him, standing by the very table she was trying to approach when the scuffle broke out. It was where the board of directors of the Equestrian Botanical Society was sitting. “Haven’t you learned to mind your own business by now?” she taunted him.

  The smarmy stallion smirked and smoothed back his short salt-and-pepper mane. The stubble on his chin was overgrown, like he’d been on the road for weeks. And judging by his outfit—the usual tan shirt and red polka-dot scarf—Caballeron hadn’t been attending the event. He had been waiting in the wings for his moment to swoop in and ruin everything for everypony.

  Caballeron paced back and forth, his cutie mark of a gold skull with red and white gems in its eyes moving almost as if it were talking. “On the contrary, Do. I have kept a closer watch on you than ever.…” He trotted over to Fern and Vine. Rope was already bound around their hooves, and tape had been placed across their muzzles. They squirmed and cried out, but their pleas were undecipherable. Madame Willow Fern looked like she was about to faint. “And my new friends Willow and Thaddeus here have agreed to help make you cooperate with my requests.” He touched the madame’s chin with his hoof and winked. She squirmed, her face contorted into an expression of anguish. “Isn’t that right, my lovely madame?”

  “Release them, Caballeron!” Daring shouted. “You have no quarrel with the members of the board. This is between you… and me.” She flew over and landed on a nearby table, her head positioned down and teeth exposed in a tight clench. Her eyes narrowed. There was no way Dr. Caballeron was going to ruin any more of this night. The remaining guests were gathered together in little groups, tittering about the lack of security at the affair and wondering if they could get their bits refunded. Typical high-society ponies in a crisis—worried about small things instead of their own safety.

  “I’ll release them on one condition, Daring Do.…” Caballeron sauntered up to her. “You let me and my ponies walk away free right now.” He raised a brow. “Deal?”

  “What’s the catch?” Daring jumped off the t
able and met him eye-to-eye. Caballeron had a sneaky look on his face. It could only mean one thing. “You’re up to something, and I don’t like it.” She raised a suspicious brow, searching his face for hidden clues.

  “Let’s just say we got what we came for.” Dr. Caballeron sneered. “And that the Eternal Flower will be found!” The pony held up a clear glass bottle, inspecting it with satisfaction. Inside was a single leaf, the edges a dark jade color fading into a vibrant lime toward the stem. Tiny gold specks sprayed across it like freckles across a muzzle. The fact that Dr. Caballeron wanted it so badly meant it must be valuable. Caballeron smiled, his eyes alight with victory. “Ahuizotl is going to be so delighted when we hoof-deliver this specimen to him.”

  “Hawking stolen goods for money again, Caballeron?” Daring scoffed. “I would expect nothing else from you.”

  Suddenly, Mr. Vine locked eyes with Daring. He gave her a tiny nod that seemed to say, Let him go. Message received—the bottle with the leaf was of no consequence to Vine. The transaction was so subtle that Caballeron missed it entirely.

  “Just scram, Caballeron!” Daring growled through gritted teeth. “And don’t let me catch you coming anywhere near Madame Willow Fern or Mr. Thaddeus Vine again.”

  “Excellent choice, my dear.” Dr. Caballeron smirked, stepping away from his hostages. He trotted over to the enclosure where his henchponies were trapped and bucked his hind legs against one of the tables. The heavy table budged enough for the ponies to escape. They came spilling out, their suits rumpled and creased, and their expressions sheepish. It was not the first time Daring Do had defeated them without so much as batting an eyelash.

  As the band of ruffians gathered themselves, Daring took the opportunity to untie Vine and Fern. The rope had burned their hooves and wrinkled their fancy clothes.

  “Adios, Daring Do!” Dr. Caballeron called out as he hoofed it over to the main entrance archway. He stopped for a moment and turned around, a sly look on his face. “By the way, Daring, you really should consider wearing dresses more often. You look kind of… nice.” Then he and his ponies turned on their hooves and cantered out the door and into the dark night. Daring Do had never been more irate. Nopony told her she looked nice.