CHAPTER 13

Escape from Mount Vehoovius

“But… but…” Mojo took a step back, dumbfounded by the new development. He grabbed Daring’s cloak by the neck, brought her muzzle up to his, and growled. “What have you done, Daring?! This ruins everything!”

The golden Pegasus wished she had an answer, but for the first time, she was actually nervous. Where had her beloved compass, the very essence of her pony identity, gone? Daring Do suddenly felt a whole lot weaker. She looked back at her flank in shock. It had to be some sort of trick of the light, right?

Mojo tore out of the cage and rushed over to the relics, his eyes full of fiery rage. He didn’t even notice little Tater Tot slipping out and darting toward the entranced animals. Mojo snatched the Sword of Lusitano from the stand, held it high over his head, and placed it on the ground horizontally. It appeared he was going to try to perform the spell anyway!

Golden Rule gasped. He knew what this truly meant—if Mojo succeeded, the power of the relics would be gone… forever. Nothing else would ever be able to protect Marapore, Lusitano, or Ponypeii from Mount Vehoovius again.

Everything was falling apart. Golden Rule dashed over to the distracted Daring Do.

“Daring! I know you don’t know me, but you have to trust me. Your cutie mark is still there; he just can’t see it.” Golden Rule gestured to Mojo. “Remember the hide ointment I left for you? It was special; it hides your cutie mark. It takes a few days to work, but I was hoping you’d figure it out or at least use it.” The golden-maned professor smiled. “And you did.” He had done a lot of careful planning to make sure she would be safe if she came to rescue the villages.

“What?” Daring replied, coming back to life. “Well, why didn’t you say so sooner, Bucko?! Anything else you want to clue me in on?”

Golden Rule spoke very fast. “I actually am the Golden Pedagogue. I tricked him so I could get you here. I knew it would confuse him and you’d save us. I was under a silencing spell when I visited, but I resisted it enough to leave you some clues.…”

“Not to be rude, Professor, but we need to cut this lecture short!” She threw the cloak off and snapped into action. “We have work to do! Come on!”

Across the platform, Mojo had the Staff of Ponypeii in his hooves. He cackled maniacally as he lowered it onto the sword in the proper formation. The walls of the cavern rumbled again, and more debris rained down. The smell of sulfur was becoming stronger. Clouds of black smoke rose from every surface.

“Taaaater!” Daring shouted across the bubbling lake of lava. The red baseball cap actually made him easy to spot amid the smoke. Maybe that kid knew what he was doing after all. “You and GR lead the animals out! I’ll take care of the rest! Hurry!” Tater nodded, and Golden Rule rushed off to help.

Now it was time for Daring Do to save some villages.

“MOJO!” Daring hollered over the thunderous volcanic activity. “Hand over the arrow. Now.” She proceeded toward him with caution. Negotiations were a delicate matter.

“And why should I do that?” Mojo twirled the arrow in his hooves like a baton. “I’m mere moments away from getting what I want. All I have to do is put this arrow there.” He pointed to the pile of relics, which were now pulsating with a strange green light. Something was definitely happening, but Daring Do didn’t want to stick around to see what it was. Or to become a molten Pegasus, for that matter.

“I’ve dealt with Ahuizotl, and I can deal with you!”

Mojo froze. “Whose… name… did… you… SAY?!”

“Ahui—!”

“RRRRRRAW!” Mojo dropped the arrow and lunged toward Daring Do. “Don’t you know who made me this way?”

“Ahuizotl did this to you?” Daring replied in awe. “But why?” Daring Do knew the doglike monster was evil. He was her nemesis, even. But she never expected him to be the answer to this riddle.

“He scarred me!” Mojo lamented. “All because I tried to leave his clan of henchponies. I didn’t want to live that life anymore! I wanted to go back to the Navy. Back to my ship with Captain Pony!” He growled, the sound low and guttural.

“You can still fix this!” Daring shouted, wiping away sweat from her forehead. A geyser of lava shot up and almost reached the top of the cave. A considerable drop landed near the relics and sizzled on the hot stone. “You don’t have to hurt anypony else. Just give me the relics!”

Mojo looked back at the relics and then to the crumbling cave. He knew that she was right. This was over. He might as well go down with this volcano, as a sea captain would with his ship. That much, he remembered. He looked back at Daring Do. “Take them,” he growled. Daring took a small step forward, unsure. “I said, TAKE THEEEEEEEM! Get out of here! Leave me!”

The Pegasus zoomed forward and snatched the three relics with one swift motion. She grabbed Mojo’s leather quiver and threw them into it. She hovered in the air for a moment, then swooped back down for the glass vial as well. She soared off through the black smoke and out the top of the volcano. She didn’t let herself look back at the poor beast she was leaving behind. It was too tragic.

When she had put enough distance between herself and the volcano and could finally breathe again in the delicious fresh air, Daring Do looked back. Smoke billowed from the top of the roaring monster. It looked surreal against the lush tropical backdrop. If the aftermath of its impending doom weren’t going to be so sinister, it would have been pretty. But there was only a matter of minutes before Mount Vehoovius was going to explode for real. She knew what she had to do. Three villages. Three relics. One Pegasus. It was worth a shot.

Her heart was beating almost as fast as she had flown, but Daring Do had successfully reinstalled the Sword of Lusitano in its rightful place. The statue of a beautiful and powerful mare wasn’t hard to find—it was right in the center of town, like in Marapore. And though she hadn’t had time to explain how she’d retrieved their precious sword, she could hear the villagers cheering with gratitude as she zipped off toward Ponypeii to do the same.

As she slid the Staff of Ponypeii into the hooves of a stone pony who looked like an old magician, a group of uniformed ponies galloped by. One of them was calling out orders like it was some sort of rescue party. “You ponies take the groups on the left; I’ll go to the right. Gather everypony up and usher them to the coast!”

“Captain Pony? Is that you?” Daring Do couldn’t believe it. The famous sea captain she’d just spent weeks with was here with his crew! Right now.

The bearded captain stopped in his tracks. “Do I know you, madam?”

“Of course you do, I—” Daring suddenly remembered the whole “stowing away” thing. “I think we met once in Trotterdam at the port. Anyway, really have to fly!”

She soared into the great blue and off to her new home village of Marapore. A loud crash came from the mountain. The volcano was starting to flow! The red geyser shot up into the air in powerful spurts, landing against the mountain’s sides and heading straight for the villages. Daring Do clenched her teeth and picked up even more speed. That lava wouldn’t reach them. Not under her watch.

When she saw the town square of Marapore come into sight, she didn’t know what to expect. But there everypony was, waiting calmly. Golden Rule and Tater Tot had made it home and were surrounded by the hundreds of pets that still needed to find their ponies. There was a clear path to the statue. Daring Do didn’t even bother to land. She flew straight for the stone stallion and slammed the arrow into its hoof in midair. The moment the arrow touched the stone, the relic lit up and two beams of light shot across the town, creating a perfect sixty-degree angle and one corner of a very special triangle.

“The relic has connected with its brothers!” Kaaxtik shouted. “Miss Ravenhoof! You did it! We’re protected from the fiery beast!”

At this, Mount Vehoovius expelled another great spray of lava. It was the biggest yet. Multitudes of molten hot liquid rained down through the atmosphere. Everypony crouched in fear. But whenever it got close to the town, there was an invisible force field covering the village. Not a single drop landed on them or their structures. The ponies watched in wonder. It was a miracle. Now there was just one pony left to save.