My Little Pony - Daring Do and the Eternal Flower

by G. M. Berrow

  CHAPTER 3

  The Reading Room of the Equestrian Botanical Society

  Madame Willow Fern’s once-beautiful black ruffled gown was stained from where an apple tart had toppled onto her lap, and her mascara was running down her cheeks. Her graying mane was falling out of its braided updo. The little pins stuck out every which way, and as she trotted, one would occasionally fall onto the wooden hallway floor with a tiny click. Yet there was a determination in her eyes as she led Daring Do and Mr. Thaddeus Vine through the hallways of the Equestrian Botanical Society.

  Due to her advanced age, the mare couldn’t trot as fast as her counterparts. They tried their best to remain calm and patient despite the urgency of the situation. Daring gave Vine the side-eye, and he snapped to action. “Do you, uh… need a hoof, Willow?” The mare promptly brushed him off with an unceremonious grunt.

  Things couldn’t get much worse for Daring’s new acquaintances. In one fell swoop, Dr. Caballeron had managed to ruin the entire Equestrian Botanical Society banquet with his ambush. On top of that, the wicked stallion had gotten away with stealing a precious rare leaf. Daring couldn’t help but wonder what made the plant so special, but her gut told her not to mention it until they got to the board members’ library. It was the safest place in the building, according to Madame. A bunker in disguise—soundproof and impenetrable to unwanted intruders. Perhaps they should have left the leaf specimen in there, Daring thought as she trudged after the pair.

  The timeworn building reminded Daring Do of her university days, which were spent roaming the dark, wood-paneled halls of academia, soaking up every piece of information like a sponge. Instead of likenesses of famous archaeologists, these walls were adorned with paintings of famous botanists and the plants they’d discovered. The air smelled stale and dusty with an undertone of fresh flowers, thanks to the beautiful arrangements on each of the credenzas. Daring counted at least twenty doors before they finally reached the one that said READING ROOM.

  “It’s just in here, dear.” Madame Fern glanced back at Daring and shook her head. “I knew we should have found you first.”

  “After you.” Mr. Vine bowed his head, eyes downcast in a mournful manner. Daring wondered if the stolen leaf in the jar had belonged to him. Perhaps it was part of some research and he had been on the verge of a scientific breakthrough.

  Once inside, the air became thick, and Daring could almost hear the silence. The shelves upon shelves of dusty old books were great for absorbing noise, making it a perfect room for a top secret meeting.

  Daring Do planted her flank on the edge of a brown leather sofa and got straight to business. “So, what were you two talking about before Caballeron decided to drop in?”

  The two scholars exchanged a worried look. “Go on, Willow.” Vine nodded toward the old mare. “It’s okay. Tell her everything.”

  “There isn’t much time, so I’ll be concise—Caballeron has taken the Eternal Leaf.” She sat down in the armchair across from Daring and riffled through her jeweled clutch. “The whole point of this evening, my dear, was to recruit you for a mission.”

  “A mission?” Daring raised an eyebrow. Madame Fern had her full attention now. “Of what nature?”

  Willow waved a hoof. “Well, I suppose it was originally a quest but has now turned into a rescue mission.” She shook her head in regret. “I just wish—”

  “We need you to find somepony.” Vine cut her off as he reached into the pocket of his purple waistcoat and pulled out a mahogany pipe. He lit it, took a long draw, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Our trusty colleague Gallant True is missing.”

  He pointed to an oil painting on the wall. The Unicorn stallion pictured was smiling—goofy yet noble. His thinning, short mane was dusty yellow, with a neat, trimmed mustache to match. It was nothing like Thaddeus Vine’s, which Daring thought looked distinctly like two large caterpillars had decided to nestle atop his muzzle. The pony in the portrait had a coat the color of milk chocolate, wire-framed glasses, and a navy-blue bow tie.

  “That’s him…?” Daring felt her heart beat faster. “That’s Gallant True?”

  Vine nodded, looking at the portrait wistfully. “Poor fellow was one of our top researchers, but he had taken the Eternal Flower project all on his own. It was he who’d hoped to bring you here tonight and recruit you to go out and find it with him.…”

  Daring Do stood up and walked closer to the painting. It was definitely him. The missing pony was none other than her own uncle.

  CHAPTER 4

  The Key to Gallant True

  The face staring back at her from the painting was such a sight for sore eyes. Daring Do had known the pony by another name—he was her uncle Adventure. When she was just a little filly, Uncle Ad would come to stay for weeks at a time. The brawny Unicorn would spend his days writing research papers and creating fake quests for his niece. They had been the highlights of her childhood.

  There were treasures for little filly Daring Do to find buried on the beach in Horseshoe Bay, hoofmade traps set up outside the house for her to outsmart, and daylong scavenger hunts. The crazy clues Uncle Ad had prepared would force the two of them to spend hours traipsing through the forest. It was messy and glorious.

  They’d trot through the squishiest mud and climb up the tallest trees, following a treasure map. When they finally reached the X that marked the spot, they’d found a treasure chest with a set of crowns and their lunch of apple sandwiches and carrot cake inside. Rulers of the jungle! they’d chant. Discoverers of the treasure! As a result of her uncle’s visits, Daring had grown to love all things thrilling. But he was a busy man with important research to do. He would often be called away abruptly, and Daring Do would have to fill the time in between by making her own excitement.

  Over the years, she and Uncle Ad had lost touch, but Daring heard through word of muzzle that he was busy hiking through the arctic trails of the Frozen North. Daring recalled their last meeting in a diner just outside Vanhoover a few years back. It’s big, Daring, he’d said, taking a sip of his hot spiced apple cider. There were dark circles around his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in days. The next treasure I’m going to find is going to change life as we know it. Ponies will never be the same when they hear of this.

  “Your uncle spoke of you often.” Thaddeus Vine’s scratchy voice pulled her back to the present situation. He crossed over and positioned himself in front of the painting. The ornate golden frame, carved with artistic renderings of at least fifty different flowers, shone under the light of a green glass wall sconce. “Said you were the most fearless pony he’d ever met—even as a filly—but that you were also incredibly stubborn.”

  Vine delivered a crooked smirk, regarding Daring. “In fact, it was his idea that we throw a banquet just to bait you.” His wiry mustache curled up, one side higher than the other.

  Daring leaned forward. “You did what?”

  “Gallant insisted that you would never dare to attend an event you had been formally invited to.” Thaddeus walked back over to Daring and added with another chuckle, “That’s why we had those ponies trail you and mention it loud enough for you to hear.”

  The moment came rushing back to Daring. She’d been in the marketplace doing some shopping to stock up on carrots and dandelion tea when she’d heard a couple of mares talking about the banquet. They’d mentioned that it was to include a special presentation of the Botanical Society’s findings of new plant species from the past year, and then in hushed whispers they had said the magic words: Eternal Flower.

  Daring had quickly noted all the details of the event as muttered by the random ponies and planned to show up the next night decked out in her finest attire, without an invitation. Daring Do didn’t need to be invited to things; she just went.

  “That sneaky Ad…” It was going to take some adjusting to refer to him by his actual moniker. “I mean, sneaky Gallant True.” Her uncle’s plan had worked.

  Daring Do hated being predictable, but it
was endearing that her beloved uncle still knew her so well—even after all these years apart. Once she really considered it, she realized that she missed him immensely. Certain innocence returned to her for the briefest of moments—the fleeting feeling of fillyhood.

  Daring Do wanted to see her uncle again as soon as possible, to share with him her stories of triumph in the face of danger. Maybe he would be proud. There had been so many priceless antiquities put safely in museums and powerful relics saved from the wrong hooves. It was a far cry from digging up “buried treasure” in the sand. For one thing, she wasn’t so naïve now as to believe that X marked the spot. It never did.

  “I’ll do it!” Daring announced, puffing up with pride. “I’m going to rescue my uncle, and we are going to find that flower. Anything you can tell me about the specimen that Caballeron nabbed?”

  “All we know is that your uncle believed the leaf had been plucked from the stem of the Eternal Flower itself. He said it was the key to all his research—that it would finally allow him to find the bloom with you by his side.…” From the way his eyes were becoming watery, it seemed like Vine was more upset about losing the flower than about losing Gallant. Daring thought back to the moment before Caballeron had escaped—Thaddeus had nodded to her. Let him go. But why did he want to let him go? It didn’t add up.

  “He kept saying over and over how he couldn’t wait to see you face-to-face,” Vine continued. “Those were his words: ‘face-to-face.’”

  “Well, now that I’m on the case, it won’t be long until that happens,” Daring said as she put her hoof on Vine’s shoulder. The touch made him jump. Daring shot him a sideways glance. “Did I startle you?”

  “No, of course not!” Thaddeus frowned. “I’m just overwhelmed by the events of the evening, Miss Do. Surely you can understand that.” He turned away from her and moved back a few paces. Something about his body language was perplexing.

  “I almost forgot!” Willow Fern exclaimed. The old mare hobbled over and procured a tiny object from her clutch. “Gallant wanted you to have this.” She gave a weak smile as she passed it to Daring Do.

  “A key?” It was made of rusted bronze and shaped like a daffodil, and along one side of its stem, there were several pegs of varying length. Daring Do racked her brain for what it could possibly open. Vine was getting antsy. Willow Fern nodded. “We found it when we searched his office. It had a note attached that—”

  Thaddeus cut in. “That explicitly stated to give this to you, should anything happen to him.” He began to pace around, hooves padding alternately against the wooden floor and the soft red Saddle Arabian rug. “I assume you know what the key unlocks?” He sneered.

  “Of course…” Daring lied. She held the key up to the light, turning it over. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen this old thing!” She smoothed her hoof over the worn grooves of the engraved daffodil, buying extra time by appearing deep in thought. In truth, she had no idea what it was for. But it was a clue, and if there was anything her uncle had taught her, it was that things were not always what they seemed. Daring hid the key inside the secret pocket she’d sewn into her glittering green gown. Pockets were essential in any garment.

  Thanks, Uncle Ad, Daring thought. I love your games and all, but something a little more obvious could help right about now. The wheels started turning in her head. Daring looked up at the expectant pair and flashed a smile. “Do you mind if I use the library for a few minutes? I need to do some last-minute research.”

  “Be our guest, dear.” Madame Willow Fern grabbed her colleague by his coat lapel and led him out the door. Vine gave Daring a suspicious look, but Willow smiled. “Your uncle always used to say that most of an adventure pony’s work takes place inside a library.” The door closed behind them, and Daring Do was alone in the reading room.

  CHAPTER 5

  The Diary and the Everleaf

  “Face-to-face, huh?” Daring said to the little key, echoing her uncle’s words. “Let’s see what we’re working with, Uncle Ad.” She began to snoop around the room, picking up lamp bases and rattling them, pulling back rugs to check for trapdoors, and pulling the particularly large books off the shelves. Her search yielded nothing, and Daring began to grow frustrated. If only there were some sort of more tangible clue to go on, she might be able to determine where to look. “Face-to-face…” she repeated to herself. Daring’s eyes scanned the room once more for a lockbox, a chest, anything that might match the key in her hoof. Whatever it went to surely held more answers!

  Suddenly, it dawned on her. Face-to-face. Daring rushed over to the portrait of Gallant True and stared into the image of her uncle’s face. It was such an accurate likeness—the eyes seemed to tease her for having taken so long to decipher his riddle. There was no doubt that this painting was harboring a hidden message. She squinted, but it only appeared as a blurry version of the bespectacled pony.

  Then Daring noticed a small pin on his neck kerchief, a golden arrow that reminded her of the Arrow of Marapore, a recently recovered relic. It was arranged diagonally, with the tip pointed directly at the bottom right corner of the picture. As an experiment, Daring’s eyes traced the invisible line all the way to the carved golden frame. There it was—a small opening next to a bundle of Razdonian roses, just big enough for a key. The adventurer smirked.

  Sure enough, the daffodil fit perfectly inside. Daring held her breath, twisting the key slowly. There was no telling what she might be about to find. The frame instantly swung open, revealing a secret compartment!

  The gold interior echoed the design of the frame. A single shelf with carvings of flowers all over it bore two items—a worn leather book and a vial like the one Caballeron had stolen. The beautiful leaf inside the vial appeared to be identical as well, displaying every color of green on the spectrum and flecked with gold. Subtle pulsating waves of glittering light surrounded the treasure, reflecting onto Daring’s face as she inspected them. There was only one plant this leaf could belong to, but even more questions arose in Daring’s mind now that she had it in her possession. Where had Gallant obtained the leaf? Why were there two? Why had Thaddeus Vine been so blasé about letting its sibling get away? And most important—how was it going to help her find the Eternal Flower and rescue her uncle? A small piece of white tape on the bottom of the vial said EVERLEAF 2/2. So that’s what it’s called, Daring thought. Not that the name helped much.

  “Maybe there are some answers in here.…” The book, though small, felt heavy in her hooves. It could have been her mind playing tricks on her, but valuable items always felt weightier to Daring Do. She looked back over both shoulders to make sure nopony had crept into the library. She half expected Thaddeus Vine to turn up again, but it was still clear. She opened the book.

  My Eternal Flower Diary, by Professor Gallant True, it said in her uncle’s hoofwriting. Daring Do fumbled to turn the page and read aloud in a low whisper. “‘I, Gallant True, have been granted a unique chance to exhume that trophy of the centuries, that living entity of ponykind’s mystical desire since the time of Star Swirl the Bearded—the Eternal Flower! I now vow to devote my days, my wealth, and my academic energies to the achievement of this remarkable assignment.’” Her uncle had left his most prized possession in her hooves—his years of research on the Eternal Flower! It was the greatest clue he could have given to her, and it certainly was no mistake.

  Daring Do felt a twinge of excitement, just like when she was a filly and the two of them were about to search for treasure together. There was no stopping her now. She gingerly closed the picture frame compartment, removed the daffodil key, and took one last glance into her uncle’s likeness. “Hold tight, Uncle Adventure! I’m on my way.”

  CHAPTER 6

  To Catch a Leaf Thief

  Daring soared across the chilly night sky, beating her wings as fast as she could. Low, wispy clouds rushed past, enveloping her body in a cool dewy mist that was refreshing and sent shivers up her spine. Caballeron and his ponies
had had a sizable head start on the journey with their easy escape from the banquet and the subsequent briefing in the reading room. Even if Daring was at a disadvantage, she could still revel in how amazing it felt to be out of that ridiculous dress and back in her regular uniform. Her signature olive-green safari shirt and tan pith helmet allowed her to move freely, dodging low branches, forest predators, or whatever other dangerous obstacle might be thrown at her.

  Immediately after leaving the Botanical Society, Daring had set out westward toward Smokey Mountain. Her trustworthy instincts told her that Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies wouldn’t want to wait long to sell the stolen goods to the highest bidder. If there was to be an exchange of the Everleaf for money, it was definitely going to happen on this very night. The question was—where were the culprits hiding?

  “Come out and face me, Caballeron! Don’t be the coward I know you are!” Daring shouted down to the bushy treetops. The land below rushed past in a blur of green and black. Nothing yet—no tents or visible campfires in the forest.

  The determined Daring Do would not stop until she found the gang of thieves. Gallant’s diary had explained one key detail that Caballeron was unaware of—both of the Everleaves were needed to locate the flower. This detail was written on the very last page of the diary. Apparently, Gallant had just made the discovery that when the two Everleaves were brought together, they acted like a compass, pointing the way to the flower’s exact location. When they were separated, they pointed the other way, away from the flower. Apart, they led the pony astray—in the opposite direction from the seeker’s goal.