The small group eventually made their way to the outskirts of the temple, and there the four were camping. Reina left to gather wood for them while Rainbow Dash took a nap with the foals. The two babies were awake, and Daring Do just finished nursing, wiping her mouth with milk on her chin. She was utterly embarrassed, her face bright pink. Despite being uncomfortable, she had to admit Rainbow Dash's milk was rather tasty! Like pasta, potatoes, and sourdough bread, all blended together and melted into a creamy warm milkshake.
"Hehe, ya such a baby!" Ahuizotl teased his rival with a snicker.
"Ya drink from ya mom's teats too!" Daring snapped back. She then plopped down on her soggy diaper. The adventurer's cheeks flushed pink, seeing she should get a change. But seeing Rainbow asleep, she didn't want to wake her up. They'd been flying for nearly an entire day, and they stopped near the fountain of youth for a break, where the two once enemies had initially turned into babies.
The adventurer looked over the calm waters and asked something that just came to her mind. "Hey, Ahuizotl, why do ya want to take the basin? Why can't we be friends?"
Ahuizotl paused, then said. "Fine, I have fun playing with you and competing to find stuff!"
Daring Do was surprised and then exclaimed! "So, tat's it?! Ya, do all tis crazy stuff for fun?!"
Ahuizotl nodded and explained. "Yeah, it's not like I'm gonna rule ta world or anything like that. I have fun going around, finding ancient artifacts."
"Otay, well, why dun we work together ten?” Daring Do proposed. “If we did, we could unlock the ancient history of Equestria and beyond!"
"As if!” Ahuizotl coldly hissed. “I'll never work with ya!"
"Seriously!?"
Ahuizotl put a paw to his chest and exclaimed. "Look, if I stopped now I would have to forgo my title as king of the cats! I earned tat, and I dun want that changing anytime soon!"
Daring Do narrow her vision and then shouted. "Ya being a meanie's head!"
"Ya gonna pay for tat!" Ahuizotl snapped.
The two babies started to fight, rolling around in the tent as Rainbow Dash woke up and shouted. "That's enough, you two!" She looked absolutely exhausted, with bags under her bloodshot eyes. "I've been flying nonstop all day. Can you please quiet down?! I need a nap." The mare turned around and started to fall back to sleep.
The two babies apologized through incoherent babbling. Rainbow then got back under the covers as the two babies turned to face each other and continued arguing.
"So tats it, after we turn back ta big ponies ya gonna just go back to being crazy and trying to destroy the basin?!" Daring asked.
Ahuizotl nodded. "Yeah! And ya gonna have ta try ta stop me!"
"Dun ya see how pointless that is?” Daring pointed out, hoping to get through to him. “We could do much more if we weren't fightin' all ta time!"
"Well, ya keep stealing artifacts!" Ahuizotl hissed.
Daring Do threw her hooves over her chest and quickly snapped. "Nah uh!"
"Yeah, huh!” Ahuizotl replied. “Ya tink ta ponies who made tese temples want ya stealing their stuff?!"
"Well...no, but ya not any better!" Daring pointed out once again.
"No, but at least I not calling myself a hero in books that I write about myself!" Ahuiztol snapped.
Daring realized Ahuizotl might have a point. "Well, I think that some artifacts should be kept safe due to their world-destroying properties. But ya have a point. How about tis let's make a deal?"
"Like what?" Ahuizotl humphed and snorted.
"After we turn back to being big again, we work together to uncover ancient mysteries and not steal artifacts unless we absolutely have to!” Daring Do proposed. “And I'll make ya my sidekick in my books!"
"Not uh ya, be my sidekick; I'm bigger!" Ahuizotl insisted.
Daring Do toddle over towards the kitten, took a hoof, brushed it over his head, and replied with a smirk. "Not anymore!"
"Ugh, when we get bigger I wiww be!” Ahuizotl grumbled. “I didn't hit a growth spurt until I was like eight!"
Daring Do shook her head and shouted. "No way! My readers will never accept me as a sidekick! I already the hewo, I can’t change tat!"
Ahuizotl then stuck his tongue out. "Ten I not gonna help ya! No deal!"
"Seriously?!" Daring rolled her eyes in disbelief.
"Eyup!" Ahuizotl nodded.
"And there's nothing I can say that will change ya mind besides making ya ta main protagonist in my Daring Do books?" Daring asked.
"Nope!" Ahuizotl shook his head and turned his back to Daring.
Daring turned away with a pout. "Fine! Be that way! You not even good enough to be my sidekick anyway!" She then waddled over to Rainbow Dash and snuggled next to her as Ahuizotl plopped down and stuck his tongue out. Daring knew deep down she should accept his deal. But her readers would be so confused if she suddenly became a sidekick to her nemesis. She couldn’t change now, and there was no way she could start a new series and still call herself Daring Do.
Maybe there was a way to fix this, but the regressed adventurer couldn't figure it out, so she decided to nurse from Rainbow, seeing she was still hungry. She’d sleep on the proposal and think about it.
When Reina returned, and Rainbow wash rested, the ragtag group set off again. They soon arrived at the foot of the temple. It looked like any other ancient temple from the outside, standing over them and with depictions of a feathery serpent playing with young foals. It was rather impressive but also nerve-racking.
The worst part about the temple was the entrance. It was too small for the adults to go through, but it was big enough for the two babies to fit.
Rainbow Dash placed Daring Do next to Reina, then went up to the temple entrance, where she read the sign overhead. "From here on, only foals affected by the waters of the fountain of youth may enter."
"Wait, so is there no other way inside?!" Reina replied in disbelief. She took the kitten, brought him closer to her, and said. "I'm not sending my son into a dangerous temple filled with traps all by himself! I’m not putting my baby in danger again!"
Rainbow Dash looked over and sighed. "I agree with you, but we might not have a choice. If only foals can enter, then we must trust Daring Do and Ahuizotl to find their way through and get the cure."
Reina wasn’t convinced. "We should look around the temple; it's old; there could be a crack in the walls or something!"
"Yeah, maybe, but we don't have time to waste!” Rainbow protested. “It may not be important to you, but my friend is a foal right now, along with the rest of her family, and they'll probably lose their farm if they’re not cured soon. I can't let that happen!"
"I don't care! I am not sending my son in there without me!" Reina shouted back. “Never in a million years!”
Ahuizotl nuzzled his mother and then babbled something the adults couldn't understand.
"Ugh! This is ridiculous! Is there really no other way?!" Reina cried.
Rather than reply immediately, Rainbow Dash went into Reina's diaper bag and pulled out a ball of string that had been used to play with baby Ahuizotl. She then tied it around the kitten's waist. "There, now you’ll always have a connection to him. Can we get going now?!"
Reina chuckled. "Ok, guess that works,” Before she nervously added. “…Though, we don't know the length of the temple."
Ahuizotl started to get stern as he babbled angrily at his mom. She finally relented as he had gone through dangerous temples many times before. "Fine, just be careful in there."
Rainbow Dash took Daring Do out of her carrier and then checked her diaper, which was slightly wet. "Ok, let's get these two fed, and their diapers changed, then we’ll give them diaper bags with enough supplies to last an entire day. Okay?"
"Right," Reina responded. She then laid her son down for a diaper change.
After their diapers were changed and their bellies were full, Daring Do stood by with Ahuizotl. The two looked ready for an adventure despite being diapered and each having a bag around them with the supplies they needed.
Reina looked over their supplies. "About a dozen diapers, wipes, powder, three bottles of milk each, bandages, pacifiers, sleeping mats, and their favorite plush animals."
"Ok, it sounds like they have everything." Rainbow sighed.
Reina bent down to their level and asked. "Ok, you two, ready for the journey?"
"Yes, mam!" The foals proclaimed, but it came out as incoherent baby babble. Reina dawwed and nuzzled them. "Alright, you two, get a move on. And please be careful."
The two did as she instructed and went through the small hole in the temple, where Reina waited nervously as Rainbow Dash watched. Daring and Ahuizotl were confident and still had their adventurous spirit despite being babies. Rainbow Dash was sure they'd be fine, but that serpent depicted on the temple seemed rather ominous. She could only hope AK Yearling and Ahuizotl were ready for what was to come.
The two babies were now waddling around what appeared to be a nursery of some sort. It had playpens, highchairs, and even changing tables made entirely of stone. There were many other foals in the area, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves without care.
"So this is where all the other regressed adults ended up?" Ahuizotl mumbled, looking around the room.
"Yeah, it seems so; I think we better get out of here before we end up like them!" Daring added.
"Oh, do I see two new foals have come to play?" A voice whispered as the two foals looked across the way and saw an emerald green-scaled snake slither over. Her eyes had dark yellow slits and a long forked tongue that would stick out every so often from her mouth; all the while, she flexed two fluffy pink wings on her back. She then waved her tail in front of them. At the end of the green scaled tail was a pink baby rattle, and as it shook back and forth, the sound of beads or seeds echoed across the playroom.
Daring Do stood her ground and shouted. "Stand back! Ya will not take us!"
"Oh, Daring Do and Ahuizotl, I'm not here to harm you." The snake whispered as she shook her tail, the foals utterly transfixed by it. "Look at my tail. Do you want to play with it?"
The two babies nodded in agreement and tried to grab the tail with their pudgy hooves. But the snake kept pulling away, making the two bounce on their diapers as they tried helplessly to grab it. "Such adorable foals; now come along and play with the toys." She whispered as she pushed the two toward a stack of blocks. The two foals began to stack them on top of each other as drool came down their mouths.
"What good babies." The snake then cared for the foals changing diapers and wagged her tail to keep them entertained. This went on for an hour as she took them all into her embrace with her tail and plopped bottles of fresh milk into their mouths; she then slowly drifted off to sleep.
The emerald snake woke up a few hours later and then changed diapers. As she was looking through a drawer, she sighed. "Oh dear, we're running out of foal supplies. No matter. A quick trip to Ponyville, and I'll have a fresh supply!" She then had tendrils of magic wrapped around her, and she transformed into an emerald green coated pegasus pony.
She looked down over her foals, all drooling and babbling mindlessly. "What good little babies. Don't worry: Mama will return shortly." The mare then unfurled her wings and set off through a hole in the roof.
The feathered serpent was humming a tune as she headed to Ponyville and to the Ponyville general store. She noticed things were different from her last visit a few months ago. There were signs with “Mrs. Swindle” hanging from rooftops and some others plastered Filthy Rich's face. There was a rally with the two ponies debating on stage about who would be the best mayor, and it was all somewhat surprising.
Still, the disguised pegasus shrugged as she did her best not to get involved with the ponies. If she had it her way, she would take all these silly adults and turn them into her mindless babies. But then she knew Celestia and Luna would find her, catch her, and lock her up in Tartarus for her crimes. So, for now, she'd enjoy babying the ponies inside her temple of foals she’d built a few hundred years ago. She added to her collection whenever some foolish archeologist stumbled upon her temple for any reason.
The disguised pegasus then went to Ponyville General, strolled to the baby aisle, and went about stocking up on supplies: Mostly diapers, wipes, and toys that she piled into her shopping cart. Despite being a few hundred years old, she was constantly updating the foal supplies, seeing as they improved over time. And she wanted nothing but the best for her babies.
The disguised mare then noticed Twilight Sparkle nearby with a shopping cart. The newest princess of Equestria looked absolutely terrible. Her mane was a frazzled mess, her coat was covered in puke stains, and there were bags under her eyes. The mare groggily went through the aisles, picking up supplies as she looked over at the green-coated pegasus. She glared at the mare for a bit before saying. "You look absolutely terrible."
"Well, I've been caring for five foals and trying to stop Mrs. Swindle from being elected mayor. So yeah, I'm pretty worn out," Twilight yawned as she tossed a few cans of formula into the cart.
"Oh, I can see that,” The pegasus replied. “Well…would you mind if I see them? Do you know? Your foals?"
Twilight seemed suspicious and asked. “Who are you exactly?"
The pegasus promptly responded. "My name is Víbora, and I am from the southern jungles."
"Right…" Twilight seemed even more suspicious now as if she suspected something was up with the pegasus.
"Well, if you need assistance, I have tons of experience with foals." The pegasus offered in an unusually sheepish fashion.
"I'll consider the offer, thank you," Twilight responded somewhat hesitantly as they both made their way to the cash register.
As they both went and checked out their items, Derpy flew in. "Hey, Twilight. I need to ask you a favor."
"Oh no, did anything happen while I was gone?!" Twilight asked as a concerned look flashed across her face.
Derpy shook her head. "No, all the foals are taking a nap right now. But um…I have an urgent package to deliver, and I need to do it right now."
"Right, ok, I'll go check on the foals,” Twilight reluctantly sighed. “Is Spike ok?'
"He is,” Derpy nodded. “But you know him; he's not equipped to handle all of them alone."
"Got it! I'll get back right away!" Twilight said, then turned to Víbora and asked. "I know we just met, but would you mind helping me care for my foals?"'
Víbora wings flew upward as her eyes widened! She was always up caring for more babies besides her hypnotism on her latest visits, which would last nearly the entire day. Still, she was sure she had plenty of time until she had to go back and shake her rattle tail at them again. "Of course! Let's hurry!" The two then flew off to the Golden Oak Library together.
Daring Do groaned as she rubbed his eyes and looked around, trying to gauge where she was and what was happening. She looked over the nursery and saw the other foals either napping or playing with the toys. The oddest thing about these babies was that they were not crying. She wasn't an expert on foals, but the foals here seemed dull and lifeless as if they were brainwashed to be like foals and overly obedient.
The filly then got up on all fours as she waddled across the room, looking for Ahuizotl. She then turned and happened to see the kitten playing with blocks and drooling. He was doing the task mindlessly, taking a block and putting it on top of another, then it would plop over, and he would just do the task again. Despite him being her arch nemesis, she wouldn’t leave him like this. So she shook the kitten and shouted, "Hey Ahuizotl, snap out of it!"
Ahuizotl slowly came to. He blinked and asked. "Wh…what happened?" He looked around, then sniffed the air and blushed as he looked down at his diaper, seeing it was sagging. "Wh…how long were we acting like babies?!"
Daring Do looked down at her own diaper, seeing it was rather sodden before she said. "I believe that feathered serpent hypnotized us and made us act like babies for a bit."
Ahuizotl looked around and asked. "Otay, well, where is she?"
Daring looked around, then said. "I think she turned into a pony and went to get foal supplies. If tats ta case, we got time. It will take all day for her ta go to Ponyville ten come back."
"Ten, we gotta leave before she does! We can't beat her with that rattle tail!" Ahuizotl cried.
Daring nodded in agreement, turning her attention to a bunch of bigger foam blocks as she got an idea. "Hey, if we can take tose blocks and make stairs to tat ledge over there, then we can escape!"
"Good idea!" Ahuizotl exclaimed. He ran off towards the blocks, but Daring fluttered over and said to him. "Um, Ahuizotl, we should change owa diapers first."
The kitten looked down with his cheeks flushing red as he squeaked, "R..right. Okay."
The two then first went to the diaper changing table where the stash of foal supplies was. As Daring Do change Ahuizotl first, he commented. "I'm not a parent, but leaving all tese foals for so long is pretty irresponsible!"
Daring looked around at the babies, still noticing how lifeless they were. "She brainwashed them even beyond them acting like normal babies, tey like zombies, just doing whatever she says and staying here. If we dun escape, we're gonna end up like tem! We gotta get out of here and get back ta being big, ten we can hewp ta babies!"
They then switched positions as Ahuizotl cleaned Daring Do up. “Look, ya better not make tis an opportunity to get rid of me."
Daring scoffed as she strapped the kitten up in a fresh diaper and said. "I should be saying ta same thing! We may go back ta being enemies again after we grow up. But for now, we maintain ta truce, and we also gonna free all tese ponies."
"What!?" Ahuizotl shouted in disbelief. “Tat’s not part of ta deal!”
Daring only pointed at the foals. "We can't just weave tese ponies like tis. Even if tey can't go back to adults, they gotta grow up and live their lives. This is no way to live for anyone."
Ahuizotl looked over the ponies once more, then reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Otay, fine, we go get ta cure and help tese foals escape. Then when we grow up, we go our separate ways."
"Agreed!" The two shook on it once more, then went back to setting up the massive blocks to create a set of stairs to reach the ledge above so they could escape.