Daring Do and the Curse of the White Hyena.

Chapter two: The Adventure Begins.

Disclaimer- I do not own MLP:FiM or any of it's characters, I do however own Joker Cardheart and her hyenas.

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"Ah'm not so sure about this, are you really sure we can trust this Cardheart pony? You said so yerself she wasn't exactly yer friend, how do we know this ain't just some kind of trap?" Applejack asked as she and the rest of the group prepared to set off on their adventure.

Daring sighed, hoisting her pack onto her back, "Joker's not one for setting up traps. She prefers to outsmart her competition, rather than take them out with traps and brute force. Staying one step ahead of her opponents while still giving them a fair shot is what she does best, she's always looking for a challenge."

Twilight frowned, "Why is she after the Laughing Ghost anyway? Is she trying to find the dark magic?"

"She couldn't care less about the magic even if it was the key to eternal life, she's just interested in the statue. Unlike Ahuizotl, Joker seeks to find objects of power purely for the challenge of it, not for the power itself. She doesn't see the point in trying to take over or even destroy the world." Daring scoffed.

"Believe it or not, not every adventure has to deal with the fate of the world, my dear Daring." Joker chuckled as she entered the antique shop.

Daring Do rolled her eyes, but gave a small smile, "But it makes for a more exciting book if it does."

Joker nodded, "True enough I suppose. Now, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your lovely group of companions?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight began, "And these are my friends Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack."

"A pleasure meeting all of your acquaintances, my name is Joker Cardheart, but for the sake of easy conversation, please feel free to just call me Joker." Joker introduced with a small bow.

Daring glanced around, "Where's thing one and thing two? It's not often you don't bring the terrible twosome on an adventure."

Joker smirked, "Oh they're around I can assure you, but you know how shy they can be when it comes to strangers my dear Daring. Now, shall we get started? After all, this treasure isn't going to find itself."

Reaching into her saddle bag, Joker pulled out the map and spread it on the floor. Most of the map was faded and illegible, but a small part of the bottom left corner was still intact. It showed a picture of the Laughing Ghost, and a few words where written under the picture in another language.

"Oh my, this map of yours certainly has seen better days hasn't it? How old is this statue exactly?" Rarity questioned, brushing away some dust.

"Thousands of years. Many ponies believe the Laughing Ghost was made only a few years after the royal sisters defeated Discord and imprisoned him in stone." Joker explained.

Daring nodded, "It's a controversial topic, but some ponies believe it was created to trap a great deal of Discord's chaotic magic. Other think it was made as a tribute to him by some of his followers, believing he would return one day to reclaim his empire."

Fluttershy's eyes widened, "Oh, it would be very good then if some bad pony got to it."

"Then we'll just have to get to it first!" Rainbow Dash declared.

"There's just one problem with that plan of yers Sugarcube, we don't even know where to start looking. Does anypony know what this here map even says?" Applejack demanded.

Daring placed her hoof on the map, "My Sanskrit's a little rusty, but I think it says, 'The journey begins where an empire ends. Behind the falling water, the gates guard the path.'"

The room fell silent for a few moments before Pinkie Pie spoke up, "Yeah, I got nothing. What the hay does that even mean?"

"Ok, let's just take a moment and think about this." Twilight offered, "Behind the falling water, do you think it's referring to a waterfall?"

"Maybe, there are a few in the area, but I have no idea what the empire they're referring to is! Do you have any ideas Joker?" Daring sighed, turning to the white pony.

"Well, I may have a thought. A couple of years ago an expedition team discovered an ancient city hidden in a waterfall a couple of miles from here. The discovery was abandoned though, due to the number of severe storms and landslides in the area." Joker explained.

Rarity perked, "Well that sounds promising!"

Fluttershy whimpered, "It also sounds really dangerous."

"It's the only clue we've got though, I say we check it out." Twilight suggested.

"Twilight's right, it's worth investigating." Daring agreed, "Joker, you know where this place is, you lead the way."

Joker nodded, "Of course, I'll go call a cab."

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Chapter two is done I apologize for it's shortness, please read and review. Let me know if you see any spelling or grammar errors.