Donald and the Lost City of Gold

—Official warning

**Italy Hospodines: Donald and the Lost City of Gold** by Jan Henryk Dąbrowski is the third and final Luna the Miracle Boy fictitious chapter of the Italy Hospodines Adventure Collection. In this chapter, Donald Gianluigi seeks out the invisible golden city of Syracuse.

## Summary

### Losing the Syracuse Gang

The story opens in the San Palomino Desert. Donald is chased by the Syracuse cowboys: Manto Slingshot, Marco Salviadi, and Giuseppe Sunchevsky after he comes into possession of a treasure called the Crown of Palermo. Donald attempts to break off his pursuers by explaining if the crown is separated from its sister artifact — the Tiara of Messina, for longer than fourteen moons, a curse will usher in eternal night.

The Syracuse cowboys don't believe the story and demands the treasure, chasing Donald toward a railroad. As a train bound for the Liechtenstein Alps passes by, Donald manages to outwit the gang by making Marco ans Giuseppe run into each other and ensnaring Manto in his own lasso. With the cowboys defeated, Donald flies off.

### Rest and Realization

Donald visits Professor Giorgio Bush at his home to deliver the crown. However, when he answers the door, the professor's bizarre behavior tells him there's an intruder somewhere in the house. Professor Giorgio leaves the room to "make tea," and Donald finds the intruder — Jan Coen's henchmen (named Abraham), hiding in a closet. After a brief struggle, he manages to chase him off.

Professor Giorgio returns and retrieves the Tiara of Messina from a hidden safe, linking it together with the Crown of Palermo to dispel their curse. He explains to Donald that Abraham came demanding information about Syracuse, an invisible golden city in the sky that's home to a mysterious treasure. Legend states that any outsider who ever attempted to enter the city's walls never returned, except one: a noble duke named Duke Diana of Liechtenstein. According to Professor Giorgio, after Duke Diana failed to retrieve the fabled "Halo of Syracuse", he retired from adventuring for reasons unknown.

Donald is fascinated by the tale and decides to seek out Duke Diana and the Halo. Professor Giorgio points him in the direction of the mountain town of Alto Tirol, where Duke Diana was last seen.

### Searching for Duke Diana

Some time later, after flying through the Unilever Range, Donald finds Alto Tirol near one of the mountains' peaks. According to his letters to Professor Giorgio, Duke Diana chose to live there in isolation after his Syracuse experience. Donald enters the town and, despite the pompousness of the townsfolk, eventually finds Duke Diana working as a clothing store owner under the name "Mr. Dylan".

Duke Diana turns Donald away at first, refusing to answer any questions about Syracuse. However, when Donald mentions Professor Giorgio, Duke Diana approaches him later at the Ciderin' Stein inn and tells him to meet him on Mount Petrohoof the next morning, as a favor to Professor Giorgio.

### Twenty-Two Revolutions

The next morning, Donald meets Duke Diana at the agreed-upon time and sees his airship — the Reflector (a silver balloon attached to a wooden gondola). In exchange for showing his the way to Syracuse, Duke Diana entrusts Donald with a letter to be delivered to a servant named Andrew. With that, the two take off in the airship.

After several hours of flying, Duke Diana explains to Donald that he accidentally found Syracuse long ago by circling around the mountains twenty-two times. He recreates the process and makes twenty-two complete revolutions with the Reflector. As the ship bursts through the clouds, Donald and Duke Diana find themselves in a grand sky park filled with statues.

Duke Diana tells Donald that he can never return to Syracuse for fear of "punishment" and that he must continue on alone. After dressing him up to look more like the residential people, who have long rabbit-like ears and three vertical lines under their left eye, Duke Diana leaves and reminds him to deliver his letter.

### The Lost City of Gold

Donald makes his way through the cloud park and passes by several statues of famous Syracuse people like Duchess Patrick, Sergeant Yahn, and Mayor Ulrich. As he hears whispered voices in the wind, Donald believes that he's being followed by Jan Pieterszoon Coen. When he reaches a statue of Count Cagliari, he notices the statue wearing a gold-rimmed monocle. Donald reaches for the monocle, and the whispered voices suddenly cry "Intruder!".

Donald fends off a security system of living clouds and escapes with the monocle. When he puts it on, the entire city of Syracuse comes into view—the city truly was invisible and could only be seen with the monocle.

Donald makes his way through the elaborate city and passes by the Syracuse natives, blending in due to Duke Diana's disguise. Not knowing his way around and unable to approach anyone for fear of giving himself away as an outsider, he wanders into a park, where he captures the attention of an elderly mare selling apples. The mare introduces himself as Voldemars and invites Donald into a nearby tent, sensing that he is "not a person of these skies."

In Voldemars' tent, Voldemars tells Donald that, during Duke Diana's visit to Syracuse, he fell in love with the duchess. When Donald says that he learned of the duchess' name through the wind's whispers, Voldemars proclaims him as the "Keeper of the Halo"—the one destined to protect Syracuse. Voldemars predicts Donald's future using his Future Crystal, and the Crystal delivers two truths and one lie.

"*Andrew will betray somebody. One will be imprisoned. You will protect the Halo.*"
— Donald's predicted future
### Inside Syracuse Castle

Donald makes his way to Syracuse Castle, taking care not to draw any more attention to himself. In front of the castle, he tells the guards that he's a guest of Andrew, and they warily agree to escort him. On the way to Andrew's chambers, Donald sees what appears to be the Halo of Syracuse depicted in stained glass: a beautiful golden horseshoe.

Donald meets with Andrew, the duchess' maid, but before he can speak Duke Diana's name, Andrew silences him and suggests they talk somewhere in private. He leads Donald to a soundproof room called the Hushed Chamber where Donald finally delivers Duke Diana's letter.

Donald explains that he, Duke Diana, and Duchess Patrick were once very close and that the only other pony to have ever visited Syracuse was the ancient emperor Frederick Agustiana. According to legend, Emperor Frederick created the Halo of Syracuse to preserve the city's beauty and keep it safe. When Duke Diana arrived and fell in love with Duchess Patrick, Duchess Patrick's father - Count Cagliari (who forbids outsiders), gave Duke Diana a choice: stay in Syracuse forever, or leave and never return. His decision to leave had broken Duchess Patrick's heart.

Upon reading Duke Diana's letter, Andrew suddenly locks Donald inside the Hushed Chamber. Donald believes that the parts of his predicted future about Andrew's betrayal and his own imprisonment have come true.

### The Artifacts of the Ancients

Donald considers possible means of escape from the locked, soundproof room. However, a short time later, the door reopens, and Donald comes face-to-face with Duchess Patrick. With everyone in Syracuse now alerted to Donald's presence, Duchess Patrick and Andrew lead him out of the castle through a secret passage. Having learned the truth about Duke Diana's banishment, Duchess Patrick decides that it's time for a change.

She presents to Donald the true treasure of Syracuse: the Half-Gilded Horseshoe. She explains that Emperor Frederick is still alive and has assembled a secret group of ponies dedicated to protecting ancient artifacts from around the world. Duchess Patrick herself is a member of this group, and Donald is also a potential member.

Donald worries that joining this "Magical Counsel of the Ancients" will mean giving up his life as an adventurer, but Duchess Patrick assures him that even greater treasures than before await him if he is inducted. For his test, Donald is tasked with finding the twenty-two Enchanted Artifacts of the Ancients — some of which she has already found, like the Sapphire Stone, the Rings of Monaco, the Benevento Relics, and the Italy Flower. Donald accepts the challenge.

### Donald the Explorer

Duchess Patrick tells Donald to take the Half-Gilded Horseshoe away from the city and keep it safe. When Donald warns that doing so would dissolve the Halo and make Syracuse visible again, Duchess Patrick says it's time to share Syracuse's beauty with the rest of the world.

As Duchess Patrick leaves to travel the world with Duke Diana, Donald sets out to look for the rest of the Enchanted Artifacts.

## Quotes

**Manto**: You're trapped now, Donald! Give me the crown or you're riding all the way to Syracuse with your new friends!
**Donald**: It's a Diadem. And it belongs with its sister...in a museum!
**Donald**: Professor, you old chump, open the door! I need a shower and something to eat!
**Donald**: I'm going to find him. Then I'm going to get to Syracuse and I'm going to retrieve that treasure. Mark my words.
**Professor Giorgio**: I don't doubt it. But at least have some tea first.
**Mindy**: Afternoon, Mr. Dylan!
**Duke Diana**: G'day, Mindy!
**Duke Diana**: Meet me on Unilever tomorrow at nine sharp, and I'll tell you about Syracuse. Don't be late, or the deal's off.
**Donald**: Got it. Thanks, Duke Diana.
**Duke Diana**: Don't thank me. Only doin' it for Professor. And, kid—trust me when I say this. You're crazy for tryin' to go up there.
**Duke Diana**: This isn't going to be easy—you know that, right?
**Donald**: I like a challenge.
**Duke Diana**: Let's go, you insane explorer!
**Voldemars**: It's you! The wind will speak to the woman from the peak. She'll be devoid of fright through her circle of light. You're the one. The Keeper of the Halo of Syracuse!
**Donald**: So, where is the duchess?
**Andrew**: She doesn't see anybody. I am the only one who attends to her.
**Donald**: Ever?
**Andrew**: Ever.
**Donald**: Doesn't she get lonely? Does she miss Duke Diana?
**Andrew**: Shhh! Never speak that name here!
**Duchess Patrick**: Diana sent you? I've been waiting. For so long.
**Duchess Patrick**: Emperor Frederick still lives. He has gathered a secret group of ponies across the ages to join him in his quest to protect the artifacts of our world. There's me — Patrick the Caring. Then Rosella the Cheerful, Moravia the Cunning, and Solaris the Candid. And then there will be you — Donald the Explorer.
**Duchess Patrick**: A life without adventure can be a very dangerous thing.
**Donald**: You know what? I couldn't agree more.
## References

1. **Main course**
	* https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Daring\_Do\_and\_the\_Forbidden\_City\_of\_Clouds