My Dear Daring.
Disclaimer: I do not own MLP:FiM or Daring Do. I do however own Joker Cardheart.
New Apprentice
"Give it up Ahuizotl! I have the necklace of Bokun, and you've lost! You're all alone and there's nowhere for you to run!" Daring shouted, a triumphant smirk on her face.
Ahuizotl growled, back further into the Mayan temple wall. His big cat minions were caged in his own trap just a few feet away, and he knew that despite his larger size, he was no match against a healthy Daring Do. Suddenly however, much to Daring's surprise, his growl became a dark chuckle, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You may have the necklace Daring Do, but I am not alone, soon enough you'll meet your match!" He warned.
It was at that moment that something moved out of the corner of Daring's eye. Whipping her head around she was greeted by the sight of two albino hyenas standing behind her. One wore a green collar while the other wore a black one, and both were baring their teeth at her.
Behind them stood a pony, it's features hidden by the shadows of the Mayan temple. It's green eyes stared at Daring, filled with an unidentifiable gleam. Daring found herself becoming entranced by those intensely burning eyes, only to be snapped out of her daze by the sound of breaking metal.
Turning back to Ahuizotl she found both him and his cats gone. She cursed under her breath, and only grew more frustrated when she found that the shadowy figure and hyenas had disappeared as well. Daring stood there for a moment, glaring at the spot where the figure had been, before slowly making her way out of the ancient temple.
That event had happened nearly a month earlier, but the event still plagued Daring's mind. It wasn't the fact that her arch enemy had gotten away that bothered her, he always managed to find a way to escape. It was the shadowy figure that constantly invaded her thoughts. Just who was that mysterious pony?
Daring shook the thought away, she would not let it bother her tonight. The museum she had given the necklace to was hosting a celebration, and she was determined to have a good time. So, dawning her favorite red dress Daring made her way to the party. Upon entering the ballroom, she was immediately met by a middle aged green stallion.
The museum curator and host of the celebration greeted her with a smile, "Ah, there's our guest of honor! So glad you could make it Miss Do, and again I would like to thank you for donating this brilliant discovery to us."
"It wasn't that big of a deal, really. I'm just happy that other ponies will get the chance to see and enjoy this discovery." Daring dismissed.
"Always so modest Miss Do. Oh! Before I forget, there's someone here I want you to meet. An old friend of mine's niece is here, she's training to become an adventurer much like yourself, and I think you'll like her." The curator insisted.
Daring nodded, "Of course, it's always a pleasure to meet a fellow adventurer. Please, lead the way."
With that Daring followed the green coated stallion through the crowded ballroom. They weaved their way toward the dance floor before the curator approached a group of ponies. He approached one pony in particular, a white pegasus mare. Daring could only see the left side of the mare, but what she saw peaked her interest.
Unlike the other mares here, she wore a black tuxedo instead of a dress. Her coat was mostly white in color, save for the brown patches on her hooves and snout, her black tipped ears, and the black heart around her left eye. She had a brown mane and tail, and her tail was tied with a green band. Her cutie mark resembled a card with suit symbols on it.
A charismatic aura seemed to surround her, giving her the appearance of worth listening to. She held herself with such grace and confidence that it was almost unreal, and what little Daring could hear of her voice was smooth and calming. The smile that played on the mare's lips gave Daring the impression that she was just as cool headed as she was confident.
When the white mare turned to look at her however, Daring's breath caught in her throat, and her whole body seemed to freeze on the spot as she found herself staring into a pair of bright green eyes. An unidentifiable gleam entered their emerald depths, and Daring couldn't help the image of the shadowy figure that flashed through her mind.
Daring shook her head to clear it, mentally scolding herself, Get a hold of yourself! If this is gonna happen every time you see a green eyed pony, you're going to be in a lot of trouble.
"Miss Do, allow me to introduce you to Joker Cardheart, niece of the famous anthropologist Jester Spades. Miss Cardheart this is Daring Do." The curator introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Cardheart." Daring greeted.
Joker shook her head, "No, the pleasure is all mine, and please, call me Joker. Your reputation is well known among my uncle and his peers, you're quite the conversation starter. And I have to admit, I've been admiring you from a far for quite some time myself."
Daring couldn't help the small shiver that ran down her spine at her last words, or the light blush that seemed to form at the tone in which she said them.
Before she had a chance to reply however, the curator broke in, "Well, I'll leave you two to your business then, the night may be young but I have many other guests to attend to. Have fun now!"
With that he trotted off into the crowd, leaving the two mares in relative solitude. It was also at this time that the musicians began to play an exotic spanish number, causing the white mare's eyes to light up once more.
"Oh, this is an excellent song! I hope you don't think me too forward, but may I have this dance?" Joker asked, extending her hoof to Daring.
Much to her own surprise, Daring found herself accepting the outstretch hoof without much thought. Soon she found herself out on the dance floor, being lead into a breathtaking tango by the other pegasus. It appeared that Joker was every bit as graceful as she seemed.
"So, Joker, I've been told that you're working to become a professional adventurer yourself. How is that going?" Daring managed to force the question out, though it came out softer than she would have liked.
The white mare chuckled softly, "Indeed I am, in fact I've recently come into an apprenticeship with a rather experienced treasure hunter."
Daring's ears perked, and she began to relax, "Oh really? Not very many adventurers are willing to take on apprentices, you're very fortunate. Would it happen to be anyone I might know?"
"Oh, I'm sure you know him quite well, after all, you won the reason for tonight's celebration from him earlier this month. Mr. Ahuizotl sends his regards by the way." Joker explained to the now very stunned mare.
Daring's eyes were wide, her body numb as she continued to move to the music. Her mind was racing, trying to make sense of the situation and form a half decent sentence. Her gaze flicked to Joker's face, expecting a menacing glare or a mocking smirk or something to indicate she was indeed the apprentice of her arch enemy. So she was greatly surprised when she was met with caring eyes and a gentle smile.
"Y … Y-You were the figure!" She finally sputtered out in a hiss.
Joker nodded, "Yes, I was the pony in the shadows. I would like to apologize for that by the way, I was unaware that you could not see me. And I do hope Bonnie and Clyde didn't startle you, they have the tendency to be a little bit over protective."
Daring said nothing, how could she? She was so shocked by this sudden confession that the words got caught in her throat. Soon the song ended, and Joker slowly lead her off of the dance floor.
The white mare turned to face Daring, her expression now slightly playful, "Well, it's been absolutely amazing getting to know you, but I'm afraid it's getting late. I must be off, my uncle's waiting for me, and it looks like you could use a good night's sleep yourself." She turned to leave, but then glanced over her shoulder, "I look forward to seeing you again soon, my dear Daring."
With that Joker trotted off, disappearing into the crowd. By the time Daring snapped to her senses the other mare was gone, leaving her to gather her thoughts.
Well? What do you think? Please read and review, but no flames please. If you have any questions or want me to clear something up don't be afraid to ask. If you see any spelling or grammar errors please tell me. Will upload more chapters at some point.
Edit: I'm changing the context of the stories a little bit, instead of specific moments the stories are just going to be random one-shots in a way.