Origin Story (Epilogue) · 11:16am Jan 30th, 2015
And we return to the adventures of...
art by Flutterflyraptor
Origin Story (Epilogue)
Early during Season 4, I had the idea for a new fanfiction -- a short story unrelated to Fallout: Equestria. Even though I decided against writing that story, the idea wouldn't leave me alone. Instead, I took the idea, reworked it to fit within the Fallout: Equestria universe, and have been writing up small portions of the story and giving them to my players in my Fallout: Equestria tabletop roleplaying game. Each portion, which I have also been sharing on my blogs, includes a report written by Daring Do while on a mission during wartime Equestria plus several pages of a never-before-seen Daring Do prequel, ostensibly intended to be used as a cryptography pad.
Previous Pads:
Origin Story (Prologue & Framing)
Origin Story (Part One)
Origin Story (Part Two)
Origin Story (Part Three)
Origin Story (Part Four)
Origin Story (Part Five)
Origin Story (Part Six)
Origin Story (Part Seven)
Origin Story (Part Eight)
Please enjoy! 
As always with Origin Story, please let me know if you stumble across any errors in this writing. Nothing here has been through a proper editor. 
art by DashieSparkle
Final mission report.
I’ve devised an escape. The lingering effects of the couatl poison have weakened me severely; I am not certain I’ll be able to pull this off.
Either way, this is my final report. You will not hear from me again. I’m retiring. For real this time.
Final Pad Begins
Final Pad -- a rough draft excerpt from
Epilogue: Fame
Several years passed before I again had the Amulet of Atonement in my hooves. By then, my fever-dream desire to exchange myself for A.K. Yearling had been replaced with a more calculated plan. I would not allow A.K. Yearling to be forgotten or erased. Through her name, I would publish the stories of my own adventures – mostly true tales slightly retooled for the storytelling. If I could, I would make that young goddaughter of an Equestrian ambassador, that quiet mare with a love of writing, known throughout Equestria. I couldn’t give her back her life, but I could preserve her in memory.
I did not, in truth, seize upon the idea until I had a few more exciting adventures under my hat (or A.K. Yearling’s hat, as it were). But I did depart the company of my schoolmates and fellow Equestrians with the drive to find a way to make right what I could. A fire had been lit within me. I had lived an adventure like those I had loved as a filly. It was both more painful and horrifying than the carefree adventures taken when reading under the summer shade. But more exhilarating by far. Emboldened by a sense of purpose, I severed ties with my past and stepped into the jungle. I could not imagine what life lay in wait for me, but I was eager to embrace it all the same.
All I knew is that it would start with a stone.
~-------~ oOo ~-------~
Professor Underhill and Packer were bent over new charcoal rubbings and a pile of ratty journals sprawled across a stone table in the Ruins of Kaltion, quickly referencing one after another by the light of their lamps. Daring Do could hear their muffled voices as she approached through the darkened hall, limping slightly. The professor’s voice was flush with excitement, and she could have sworn she heard him shout “Eureka!” as she entered the ruins.
“So the Stone is the key?” Packer asked, looking over a few stray sheets once again. “How exactly does that work?”
“Well, it... I don’t know exactly,” Professor Underhill admitted. “But it seems clear from the writings of Kaltio that the key which opens the passageway to the Tree of Life is concealed within the Sapphire Stone. Now, we just have to find where it is.”
“Daring!” Bluebell shouted, interrupting. She galloped over, throwing her hooves around Daring Do. Bluebell hugged Daring so hard she knocked off her pith hat.
Behind Daring, Fleetwing looked miffed that he wasn’t hugged first. “Hey, I’m the one who saved the day.”
The students swarmed around them. Professor Underhill and Packer dropped what they were discussion to attend to their returning students. “Daring Do, it is good to see you whole and well! When Fleetwing said you were captured, I feared the worst.”
Daring Do felt wobbly and not at all whole or well. She suspected she was in shock. The physical strain and trauma of the last day, piled upon the loss of her friend, was more than she was able to deal with. Without a battle to fight, or a deed to do, she wasn’t left with any adrenaline-charged distractions. The dust had settled, and now everything felt oddly numb and disconnected.
Professor Underhill pushed his way through the students and began examining Daring Do for injuries.
“Daring, you won’t believe it! We went to the forbidden ruins out by the lake, and discovered stuff about ancient spirit magic that could hide keys as things, and one of those keys can get us to where the Tree of Life is hidden!”
Daring Do looked up at the pony, trying to remember his name. The others had their own adventure without her. One, she suspected, that involved far less arrows. She blinked, her thoughts feeling like molasses. “...I thought the forbidden ruins were... forbidden?...” she said slowly.
“Professor Underhill says we don’t have to do what the zebras say,” another of the students claimed. Professor Underhill shot him a silencing look.
“Huh?” was Daring Do’s only response.
“You need rest and medical attention,” Professor Underhill said. “We’re too far from a proper Equestrian hospital, but I’ll ask Goldentongue if he knows any nurses he can trust. Fortunately, we do have beds in easy reach, and you will start making use of one of them right away.”
Daring Do nodded.
Lowering his head and his voice, “I heard you found the Amulet of Atonement! Amazing. I’ve been on pins and needles waiting to see it. A marvelous treasure, finally uncovered.”
He held out a hoof, “Give it here, and I’ll see to it that it will be on display in the finest museum in Canterlot.” He grinned, “I think we should call this the Underhill and Do Expedition on the historical registrar. Student or not, you deserve the recognition.”
Daring Do stared at his hoof blankly.
“You... still have it, don’t you?” Underhill asked, a taint of apprehension creeping into his voice.
Daring Do continued to stare as she felt her mental fog begin to clear. “No,” she said. “Mhalifu... disappeared with it.”
That much was true. The zebra airship captain had been holding the Amulet of Atonement when she threw herself into the Orcus Pit. Daring Do said nothing of the huge, blue, doglike monster that had crawled up out of the well. Or the silver chain she spotted dangling from something clutched in its strange tail-hand as it fled into the jungle.
Daring Do was beginning to suspect she should say nothing of that to anypony. Especially Professor Underhill.
“Then it is missing?” Underhill sounded deeply disappointed. Daring Do couldn’t blame him. No amazing museum exhibition was to crown this trip. No plaque with his name under a prize. That would have to wait, at least, until after his expedition next summer.
The expedition that he was clearly intent upon regardless of the dictations of primi ordines Jua.
“Fame,” Daring Do said softly, but firmly.
“What?” asked Professor Underhill, turning back towards her. Having heard she did not possess the Amulet, and having told her to get bed rest, her teacher had already turned his back and was almost back at the stone table when he heard her.
“Fame,” Daring Do repeated. “That’s what you really care about, isn’t it? Archeology isn’t about history for you; it’s about making a name for yourself. This whole trip was just for you to try to get permission for your next expedition,” she said, waving a hoof as she recalled the dinner conversation with the ambassador. “And now that Jua has said no, you’re going to go ahead an do it anyway, because who cares what the zebras want?”
“Go to bed, Daring Do. Now.” Professor Underhill pointed a hoof back down the hall. Daring and Fleetwing had passed the sleeping bags set up for camp on their way in. “I don’t know what’s gotten into your head. You’ve been through a trying experience, I understand. But...”
“My value becomes greater with each who knows about me. What am I?” Daring Do repeated dully. “Fame. It was your riddle.”
Daring Do put on her pith hat, turned and left.
Final Pad Ends
And so begins…
art by Pims1978
Kkat, it was a helluva ride getting these. Hopefully we can do her proud when we get to Roam.
I like it. maybe you should start writing adventure novels.
And the story is all tied up with a nice little bow.
Well done. You're definitely one of the top writers on this site.
Might want to consider formatting this into a fimfic story for more people to find instead of just those of us that read your journals.
2757574
Well, technically, FoE is an adventure story.
2757577
I'm with you on this. I think seeing it up on the site will be a nice formal introduction to Kkat's story for those of us unfamiliar with the journal.
kkat, you ara maginificent, keep feeding us this and we will be following you home. ( in a good way)
Magnificently done. I really do think you should publish this as a story on the site. Whether or not you do, thank you for this.
Well done! You did great with this
... ah, the craziness I go through 
XD
But, I have nothing bad to say about this. It was just that good to read.
Oh, how I loved this! You certainly did one of my top 3 favorite ponies justice. Can't wait to see what you do next!
Great story!
It also gives some interesting thoughts and views of Zebras side of things potentially in your main story. Certainly a difference of culture and quite a bit taking things for granted on the ponies side of things was going on. But certainly ponies weren't the only ones taking things for granted or doing questionable things there.
I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the fact with some of the spirits we've seen them deal with in this story, that they have the nerve to get all excited about Luna taking the reins of the war after all that death at Luna's school.
Still, I've got to wonder just how far the Whispers powers go to erase the history of an individual when Daring Do kept remembering her. I can't help but imagine Goldentongue going back to Equestria and being asked by Celestia how his goddaughter is doing while everyone else draws a blank at the question.
Edit: Though it does give an interesting side warning of searching for knowledge simply for the sake of fame. It's very reminiscent of our own past history in archaeology and how people raided and destroyed others historical heritage for the sake of fame or even for power when you consider the cultists and there supporters.
What if Daring Doo is Rainbow Dash's mother?
I have a question, if Celestia and Luna are for all intents and purposes dead, in body at least, than how does the sun and moon get raised every day? I would assume that before Celestia there were lots of powerful unicorns gathering together to raise the sun and moon but I can't really see that happening in the wasteland.
2758471 In the future, questions like this probably belong on Fallout: Equestria's page, my page or in a PM. I don't think it has anything to do with this blog post or "Origin Story" in general.
That said, happy to answer. As you learn in Fallout: Equestria, the travel of the sun and the moon have gone "wild", regulating themselves much like the weather in the Everfree Forest. This does mean that they no longer behave in the clockwork fashion ponies expect, and can lead to some very "strange" phenomenon like seeing the moon during the day or even solar eclipses!
2759381 Hay thanks for that, I was reading this other guy's thing and the question came to me and I saw you post and tossed the question your way. I feel doubly stupid because I've read the whole Fallout: Equestria and I already knew the answer, I just didn't remember at the time I wrote the question. I'll keep in mind where to send future questions, thanks again.
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Kkat, you are amazing!
I don't think you can, unless you die.
Fame is much like a rumor. It is frequently in direct contradiction with reality, but it persists because people tell each other about it.
Well, I finally got around to reading Origin Story. The feeling it left me with is a bit bittersweet. It's incredible how your talent for writing comes through in even as short and rough a piece as this. Your skill in writing engrossing action scenes, realistic character interactions, and above all fantastic world building come through here far better than I was expecting. On the latter point particularly, the world you've built for the zebra lands sounds incredibly deep and intriguing between this story and your blogs on the topic. It's so tantalizing realizing how much of this world there still is to explore. Which is where the bitter part comes in. This story served to remind me how much I wish we had more stories from you, and how much of a shame it is this one wasn't completed. Up until now I had resigned myself to accepting Fallout: Equestria as a standalone story, but being reminded of your talent with Origin Story rekindles that longing for more from you. At least I can hope that Fallout 4 will inspire you to continue writing. Cheers.