First story...

Sup, I'm writing a story on this site for the first time and I would appreciate some input from the community. :)
The story is called Symbiosis.

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Daring Do

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Daring Do frowned in concentration sketching down the last of the intricate markings on the corroded wall before turning back to the focal point of the weathered temple and storing her journal in her saddlebags. Slowly she made her way across the massive chamber until she reached the artfully carved alter set directly below a well like opening set far above in the arching ceiling. "According to my translations this 'Lemniscate Vault' can only be opened under the light of a solar eclipse imbued with the might of a stalwart heart during an artificial solstice." Daring said looking up at the pillar of fading sunlight descending from the well as she reached into her saddlebags once more retrieving a curiously shaped crystal. "six years of petitions to Celestia have finally paid off..." Daring mumbled absently while she admired the artifact that was only second in power of the tree of Harmony itself.

"Celestia said that she and Luna would eclipse the sun at noon on the summer solstice." She said placing the crystal Heart in the complementary niche in the alter and stepping back expectantly. For a moment nothing seemed to happen but as the beam of light grew ever dimmer the Crystal Heart pulsed with golden energy, lighting up the temple with incandescent rays of light, in accordance with a plethora of intricately concealed spell matrices inscribed on the walls of the temple. This blinding display continued for exactly five minutes and forty seconds, Daring counted, before the glowing spellwork slowly faded back into moss dappled stone and the alter split in four sliding diagonally into the floor with a stony groan. She almost lost control of her common sense and bladder as she fantasized about how much treasure she would find if whoever designed this temple went to such lengths to preserve it's sanctity but then she realized that this was most likely only the first line of a multi-layered defense.

It was at this point where she took a moment to gulp in trepidation at the daunting challenge that laid before her. "This is gonna suck more than that time Ahuizotl tried to drown me in that damn water temple, isn't it?" She retrieved the heart and for a second Daring appeared hesitant until she yelled in frustration, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" before storming headlong down the newly formed staircase where the alter used reside, she ran all the way to the bottom with glowing lines guiding her way where she reached a foreboding tunnel stretched out before her. "That was stupid... I have to stop getting so riled up over that flankhole." Daring ground her hoof into the side of her head in exasperation.

Composing herself Daring proceeded meticulously down the hallway cautiously testing for for loose panels in the floorwork, she turned what was supposed to be a brisk twenty minute walk into ten hours of grueling squinting suspiciously at blue tinted stone. Groaning with fatigue she emerged into another vast chamber. "Why did that feel so pointless!? This place makes no sense... first the masterful spell matrices that only a aficionado of the arcane arts could have etched and now a utterly plain hallway with literally no traps!" Once again suppressing her frustration she instead looked to what the room held. Spaced evenly around the room were five unique plinths each boasting a magnificent statuette; a red eagle, a blue otter, a brown honey badger, a white hare and a black viper.

"I...Those...There was nothing on the wall about this..." She fumed approaching the statues, examining each one critically for a sizable amount of time when she accidentally noticed that each figure was facing each other in a predetermined pattern. Daring trotted over to the only one not facing any of the others, the honey badger, and inspected it from every angle. Finally determining that this was the best course of action, if not the only one, she hesitantly reached for the statuette but without warning the badger came alive before her eyes and viciously bit into her leg just above the hoof, shouting in pain Daring dexterously reached back into her saddlebags with her free hoof and pulled out a silver chain and promptly wrapped it around the neck of the animated statue forcing it to release her hoof as the spell inscribed on the chain drained the magic out of the golem's animation matrix.

"At least this golem didn't outweigh me by a couple tons, but why design such a petty trap unless..." Daring looked down at her raised hoof where for a split second a drop of blood clung before gravity took it's toll and beckoned the precious fluid, "Oh crap!" The instant the droplet touched the floor red lines sped along the floor shaping a gigantic conjuration circle, touching each of the statues and sparking the rapid expansion of four of them... the badger still being valiantly restrained by the silver chain remained stationary. Volatile crimson grooves crisscrossed their bodies as they gave Daring the closest approximation of a hateful glare that any inanimate object could emulate.

Climbing from their pedestals with a resounding thump the four golems attempted to surround Daring. The instant first automaton came within striking distance she flourished her whip and lashed out at the construct but the hare jumped up out of range. She had precious few seconds to spare if she wanted to avoid becoming a meat pancake the windblown hare was on the verge of turning her into with its thick alabaster legs, Daring retained her cool visage while she gracefully twirled out from beneath the beast, her whip lasing out five times in quick succession bringing it to its knees. Jumping to her feet she dashed back to the entrance hoping to escape from the three other statues. Limping slightly she just passed the tightly bound badger when the viper intercepted her. Panicking Daring grabbed the end of the chain lying by her feet and began to spin the badger around herself till she could barely hold on to it anymore, she let go of the end and the badger went spiraling off. It missed the viper completely but rammed right into the recovering hare's pallid chest.

Arcs of brown and silver mana radiated from their contact, ravaging the ground around them as it's radius increased. The mana that had been expanding a was now being sucked right to a single spot and silence temporarily descended on the room, instantly the air rippled with power and gale force winds radiated from the two crumbing statues. Daring peeled herself off the far wall staggering over to her chain still covered in the remnants of the two golems. Grinning she tied the end of her whip to the first link of the chain, "Come on you stupid piles of rubble!" she said twirling the whip and chain above her head. The red eagle angrily blazed to life and soared with flaming claws rending the air straight towards her, Daring smirked as she chained the eagle until she realized that silver melts. "No! That was a priceless relic!" However luck was on her side when the spell bound to the chain continued to function while it melted on the eagle busy reverting it to its former shape, she hefted the hot statuette at the otter with the same results but now Daring was in a bit of a predicament; a chain-less predicament to be precise.

The viper closed in on her, its dull onyx eyes filled with malicious intent while slowly it slithered over the rubble. Using the last bit of unmelted chain still attached to the whip Daring spun it around the vipers neck squeezing until it reverted back to a statuette, she promptly picked up the statuette and smashed it a on the floor over and over again. A crack echoed off the wall as the viper's head snapped off. "Bucking mages..." Daring huffed trying to catch her breath, "Why do they always have to make things difficult." dragging herself to a corner Daring decided to grab a little shuteye while she still could.

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