A Daring Day

by EchoWing


Chapter Six - ...Earn the Reward

Twilight and Quiver materialized atop the pyramid’s summit as rain continued to fall to find two more unconscious followers of Ahuizotl and a familiar pair of pegasi standing nearby, one with a prismatic mane rushing over to greet them. “All right, Quiver! It worked!”

As Twilight recovered from the brief hug, she turned to Quiver and asked, “What worked?”

“Your friend’s plan, your Highness.” Daring Do took off her pith helmet and gave Twilight a respectful nod as she explained, “Quiver cooked up the plan to save you.”

“It wasn’t that impressive.” As Daring led them down the steep steps on the side of the pyramid, Quiver explained, “We figured out what Ahuizotl’s plan was, releasing the nahual and such, and it didn’t take much to figure out a way to prevent it.”

“The cloud cover. The magic of the seal needed the touch of sunlight and the touch of an alicorn, otherwise it wouldn’t work. But how did you know that rainwater would be enough to get that gunk off my horn and let me use my magic?”

“I didn’t, but I figured there was a fifty-fifty chance that whatever they used to block your magic was water soluble.” They reached the foot of the pyramid to find two more unconscious guards, and Quiver dropped his voice. “Anyway, I couldn’t contribute to the cloud cover, and someone needed to be inside to get you free. There was still a chance that Ahuizotl would notice what was going on, and we needed him lulled into a false sense of security. I figured that if he was expecting and planning for Daring Do, he wouldn’t be ready for some fanboy showing up out of nowhere. Playing to his ego certainly didn’t hurt.”

“Quiver got Ahuizotl’s character almost perfect. An arrogant bully who buys into his own hype and loves to get attention.” As the stallion rubbed his neck, she added, “Trouble is that he’s a lot more homicidal than I’ve shown in the books.”

“Which I was prepared for.” Quiver somberly looked to his friends and admitted, “Ignoring the fact that I’m not a pegasus, I’m also a lot more expendable than the three of you. Better I die trying to do something good than it happen to someone important.” He stopped as Twilight did, and noticed the grim look upon her face. “Twilight?”

“No.” The princess hugged him and said, “You’re plenty important, Quiver. And you’re not expendable. Nopony is, not to me.” She broke off the hug and added, “But don’t you ever do something that crazy again. I’m in no rush to lose any of my friends, even if it’s for good cause.”

Dash gave him a playful shove with one wing. “And you’re definitely no idiot.”

Quiver smiled. “I’ll try to remember that.” He looked to Daring Do and added, “And don’t worry, Ms. Yearling, your secret’s safe with me. I am sorry though; you won’t be able to turn this into a book.”

“Probably not. I’m hardly in it, after all. Real shame too; ‘Daring Do and the Tomb of the Nahual’ would’ve been a great title.” She grinned and looked back at her fellow author as she noted, “Anyway, I never thought I could write them all, just the ones I played a part in. Never really had a head for doing what a real author does and make things up.”

The stallion raised an eyebrow. “We don’t make everything up.”

“More than me. Anyway, come with me back to my hut. I’ve got some stuff to pack up before I head back home, and I could use a little help.”

Twilight nodded. “We can at least share the train with you as far as Canterlot.”

The four continued on until Quiver broke the silence. “I don’t suppose I can ask a few questions?”

“You just asked one, and I think you earned a few more. Go ahead, but don’t expect me to answer all of them.”

Quiver smiled. “Okay, I’ll be careful. One, in the events chronicled in Ring of Destiny, Caballeron got away with a big bag of gold. Obviously some of it was from your book earnings, but did he really get to keep it?”

“Not for long.” Daring grinned and explained, “One reason that I refused to work with him that didn’t make it into the books is that he and his henchponies are all gambling addicts. Odds are good they wasted that money at the nearest casino.”

“Interesting. Now two, before Ring of Destiny was published, there were reports that your next book would be delayed. Then we not only got Ring of Destiny, but another book right after with Volcano of Destiny, and the delayed one’s still to come. Why is that?”

“Believe it or not, Volcano of Destiny was one of the books that were still pending review. My publishing company gets asked to delay the odd book here and there, for whatever reason, and some just end up clearing before others. All I know about why is that the orders come down from the owner of my publishing company…” She turned back to Twilight and added, “Princess Celestia.”

That prompted a gleeful squeal from Rainbow Dash. “So she knows the truth too? Awesome!”

“And she knows that I’m keeping Ahuizotl under control, but she’ll also know what he tried to do today soon enough.” She raised a warning wing and noted, “Now, next question’s your last, so make it a good one.”

Quiver took a breath. “Alright, let’s make this the big one. It’s pretty clear that you write using an alias, for whatever reason, but that leaves the question of which is the alias and which is the real you. Are you A. K. Yearling by birth, or Daring Do, or somepony else entirely?” Everypony paused, and he shook his head. “Nah, you won’t answer that question. And it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Well, can I ask a question?” Heads turned to Rainbow Dash as she asked, “The last time we met, you got injured by Caballeron’s thugs. You put a splint on it before you left, but by the time I caught up, the splint was gone and you were okay. Nopony heals that fast on their own, so what happened?”

“Honestly, I’m not too sure about that one. All I know is that while I was trying to catch up to Caballeron, I stopped for a few minutes to rest, and then I felt a strange warmth go through my leg where the break was. Once it passed, the leg was healed.” She flexed her wings and noted, “I wish the same thing could’ve happened with my wing, though. It’s still sore after all this time.”

“And you didn’t put it in the events of the book because you couldn’t explain it yourself.” Quiver nodded thoughtfully. “I certainly can’t. Limbs don’t just magically heal on their own. There has to be a reason behind it.”

“If there is, I can’t think of one.” She looked back at Twilight and asked, “What about you, ma’am? Any ideas?”

“Well, I have heard of one unicorn who had healing magic like that, but nopony’s seen her for well over a thousand years. That would normally rule her out, but…” She smiled and thought aloud, “Stranger things have happened.”

-

Ahuizotl fumed as he sat at his throne within the pyramid, grateful that it had been moved into the chamber above the nahual’s tomb. “<When next I see that accursed pony, he shall regret ever having crossed my si-YIIIIGHT!>”

“<Please hold still, Lord Ahuizotl.>” He sharply glared at the follower tending to his wound. “<The cut is shallow and uninfected, but…>”

The beast grumbled, but gestured with his uninjured arm for the healer to carry on. Despite the injury, none of his followers had lost their zeal, so what little humiliation he’d suffered had been minor. He himself doubted that the stallion would ever cross his path again, any more that he doubted he would ever see the one who’d led him to this pyramid in the first place.

“Well.” Ahuizotl’s head snapped towards the chamber entrance as that very pony stepped inside, clad in the same long high-collared cloak and Nehru jacket. “It would seem you found your way here after all, even if you didn’t quite achieve your aims.”

“You!” Ahuizotl roared and pointed at the stallion. “Seize him!”

The guards knew enough Equestrian that, combined with their lord’s tone, they swiftly followed his order. If the newcomer showed any anxiety, it wasn’t clear on his face. “Come now, must you be so inhospitable? I gave you everything you needed to accomplish your goal, short of handing you the alicorn upon a platter. If there’s any blame for how things have gone, it certainly doesn’t lie with me.”

Ahuizotl frowned. “Then what brings you here?”

The bearded stallion with a slicked-back mane grinned. “My dear Ahuizotl, this structure is centuries old, abandoned to the elements and weathered with age. Even if you didn’t have both keys, the presence of alicorn magic alone may well have been enough to loosen the lock.”

The beast’s eyes widened at that possibility. “<Release him!>” His gaze shifted to the ponies working to mop up all the water that had come down upon the seal. “<Away with the buckets! Cast aside the mops! Help our friend!>”

“You should be thankful for this rainstorm.”  As their guest approached, the stallion added, “As little as there was, the erosion has probably helped.” He claimed a spear from one of the followers and stuck it into one of the joins between the seal and the rest of the floor. “Give me the place to stand, and I shall move the earth.”

With a sharp push of the weapon, the seal was pried loose. The stallion pulled it the rest of the way free, and then carried it off as Ahuizotl rushed to inspect the opening. As light streamed in, he stared in amazement, then looked back. “What is the meaning of this?” At the newcomer’s curious murmur, he reached into the sarcophagus and pulled out what he needed to prove his point. “This!”

The stallion turned back as something large and vaguely spherical crashed to the ground behind him. At his hooves was a fanged skull, its features suggestive of both feline and primate and what flesh remained upon it dry as dust. “A mummified skull. Come now, Ahuizotl, are you not surprised?” He turned away to examine the seal as he explained, “The ponies here don’t have what their Equestrian neighbors have, and the mage who defeated the creature knew that. Killing the nahual was their best means of making certain it wouldn’t return. Besides, regardless of how it entered that sarcophagus, that creature could only emerge in one way without access to oxygen. Dead.”

“And you knew!”  He snarled and charged upon the stallion. “You will suffer untold pains for this –!”

He stopped in his tracks as the stallion turned back to face him, only to jump back as the stallion hissed. His blue eyes were now a golden yellow, and catlike fangs were now present among his teeth. The hiss turned into a frightening smile as the stallion gazed upon him. “Do not waste my time. I am beyond you, beyond any of you. Death itself doesn’t even frighten me – I’ve mastered it.” He turned his gaze back to the artifact in his hoof and noted, “And regardless, my business with you is concluded.”

Ahuizotl watched the pony make his way into the hall leading out of the chamber, and quietly wondered just was sort of pony this was, and what he would need that seal for. But he quickly decided that it was not worth it to find out, especially as he heard the pony’s chuckle echo after him.

-

Whistles sounded at the train station in Canterlot as passengers went from one train to another, heading all across Equestria for whatever reason. Among them were a quartet of ponies on the platform between two trains as a conductor called out, “All aboard for the next train to Ponyville!”

“That’s the three of you.” Back in hat and cloak and glasses, A. K. Yearling turned to address the remaining three. “Well, I don’t know what’ll happen the next time we cross paths, but hopefully, it won’t be this kind of exciting.”

“Hey, any kind of exciting works for me, as long as I don’t end up tied up or something.” At Twilight’s arched eyebrow, Rainbow asked, “Too soon, huh?”

“Far too soon.” With a final nod to his fellow author, Quiver followed his friends onto their train as Yearling went her own way. “Anyway, I’ve had enough excitement for a while.”

“I can agree to that.” The three boarded their train and made their way to a compartment. It started rolling almost as soon as they got settled in. “Anyway, I hope word doesn’t spread too far about this last adventure. I can think of several ponies who’d want to do something about this.”

“Yeah, well, they’d have a hard time topping what Quiver did.” Rainbow looked to him and said, “Seriously though, as crazy as that was, it took guts. But don’t make a habit of it, huh?”

“Not in the plan. I’ll leave the derring-do to…” He paused, and then groaned. “I knew I was forgetting something.” He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a hardbound copy of Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams. “I was hoping I could get an autograph on this trip. What I did get was great too, but…”

“Hey, maybe next time.” Twilight yawned and settled into her seat. “Right now, I feel like getting a nap. Wake me when we get to Ponyville.”

Quiver smirked. They’d all been sleeping on the ride to the station in Canterlot, but maybe Twilight had earned the extra nap. He then noticed a similar smirk on Rainbow Dash’s face as she subtly indicated the book in his hooves. After a second, he opened it, and found a note written on the inside page.

Quiver Quill,

One thing you can probably tell about me from the series is that I work alone because of trust, or the lack thereof. In my lines of work, it’s hard to trust anyone. Nopony knows the full story, or the complete truth about me, except for me and one other pony. And that’s only because she wheedled it out of me over drinks. It’s easy to not open up to others, to hold it all inside and keep things to yourself, but it doesn’t net you many friends.

You don’t have that problem. When you’re ready, open up to them. They’ll be there for you, one writer to another. But don’t wait too long, or you’ll regret it.

Your fellow author, and a mutual fan…

He turned the page to the cover page and his eyes reached a scrawled name underneath the printed text reading “A. K. Yearling”.

…alias Dazzlesprite.

Quiver gave a small chuckle, then closed the book and tucked it back into his saddlebags. Names may not matter, at least not as much as the actions taken by those who bore them, but a sign of trust was never unwelcome.

Maybe one day he’d actually think that he deserved it.