Ahuizotl ran over to Rainbow Dash and Reina, who patiently waited for the foals to return from their adventure. He was much relieved to see his mother and rushed into her paws. Reina held her son close to her chest and cried. "Oh, Ahuizotl, I'm so glad you're ok!"
The kitten blushed, nodded, and said. "Yes, Mama, I'm otay…."
Reina patted his diaper and began a diaper change, then had him feed from her teats; all the while, the kitten started to relax a bit.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, looked around with a concerned look as she asked. "Where is Daring Do?"
Ahuizotl gulped as he felt nervous, considering he and her were still enemies. He knew this would look like he'd abandoned her, but the former lord of cats had no choice: He had to tell them what had happened. "Well…she… she's still in ta temples!"
"Why?! Why did you leave her there?!" Rainbow Dash shouted in disbelief!
Ahuizotl got somewhat scared, then Reina got in front of her son and snapped at Rainbow! "Hey, don't shout at my son!
"It's otay; I get why she doesn't trust me," The kitten whispered. He then crawled around his mother and came up towards her with a worried look on his face. "Rainbow Dash, l didn't have a choice! I would be in that temple as a drooling baby if I stayed. Daring Do sacrifice herself, so I can grab ta cure," He then showed off the bottles filled with the rejuvenating waters and continued to explain, "I got these so I can give ta water out to Daring Do and the other babies that Vibora has trapped."
They both turned to him as he looked up, "Daring Do is still in the temple as a baby, but I can cure her and the others. But I gotta go back in!"
Reina frowned and narrowed her eyes as she bellowed! "No way!"
"Mom!" Ahuizotl pouted.
Reina jumped at her son and looked down at him, seeing the determined look in his eyes. Then she apologized. "Right…sorry, I must remind myself you're not a little kitten. I don't want you staying a baby forever, and I just got you back."
Ahuizotl hugged his mother. "I'll be fine. You wait out here, otay? If you see a giant snake come by, stop her from entering ta temple, otay?"
"Ok," Reina replied, then watched her son disappear into the temple.
Ahuizotl slowly crept into the ancient nursery once more and saw that the padded room now had massive teddy bears lumbering about and caring for the foals inside, changing diapers, getting them bottles, and playing with them.
Luckily for Ahuizotl, he'd snuck in through what appeared to be an empty ancient diaper pail. He watched, waiting until the teddies started to take the foals to put them down for naps. He then saw his opportunity, climbing out and waddling towards Daring Do, who was playing with blocks and stacking them on top of each other clumsily.
With the giant teddies lying about, Ahuizotl carefully jumped nimbly over the teddy bears. He then ran towards his nemesis, nuzzled her, and asked. "Hey, Daring, are you ok?!"
Daring looked up with drool coming down her chin. She clapped her hooves and exclaimed: "Hello, pretty kitty!"
Ahuizotl was somewhat surprised by her response. He tried shaking her a little. "Hey, snap out of it! Ya dun remember your nemesis, Ahuizotl?"
"'Member ya?!" The little adventurer plucked her hoof into her mouth and began to suckle on it; then, a surprised look came over her face. Daring Do start to bounce on her diaper as she squealed, "Yeah, Ahuizotl, my bestest friend!" She then jumped onto him as Ahuizotl groaned out loud. "Great, ya brain is completely mush!" Daring Do just giggled as she continued to hug him.
The kitten looked around his face, and then he turned to see that trying to herd these babies to the waters at the end of the temple would be nearly impossible. However, he got an idea and took out the few bottles of the enchanted waters. If he can get the foals to grow up to still fit the hole in the wall above, they would be easier to manage, and he can get them all cured simultaneously!
Ahuizotl then went to a cabinet filled with empty baby bottles: Half he served with the enchanted waters, and the rest he filled with milk. The kitten then went to each sleeping baby and hoofed a bottle into their mouths. He finished by plopping a bottle into Daring Do's mouth. It wasn't long until he saw the babies around him growing older, their bodies becoming less chubby and their features more defined.
Daring Do was now much older, with her wings much more prominent and her mane and tail growing longer. She slowly woke up, blinked, turned towards Ahuizotl, and asked. "Um, Ahuizotl? What happened?"
"You were acting like an actual baby," Ahuizotl responded with a smirk as he placed a paw to his chest. "But lucky for ya, I came by!"
Daring looked over with a curious look. "So, what are we supposed to do now?"
"Well, we need to get these foals to ta fountain and turn them back to adults, but we gotta do it quietly," Ahuizotl explained.
The adventurer nodded as she and Ahuizotl woke up the now older foals. It took some negotiating, but many seemed to have their former adult minds restored, so they all quickly and quietly listened to Daring Do and Ahuizotl. They then had the colts and fillies form a line, then went up the stairs they made of foam blocks (which were still there, surprisingly enough).
Daring looked down at Ahuizotl, realizing he was still a toddler as she asked. "There wasn't enough water for you?"
Ahuizotl shook his head and then exclaimed. "Tat's otay, we need ta get tese ponies to ta fountain at ta end of the temple, and we gotta do it fast before Vibora comes back!"
Daring Do gave a nod, and then she turned her attention to the foals as she exclaimed. "Hey, listen! If you want to turn back into an adult, follow me! We'll get ya through the traps, and you'll all be back to adults in no time."
The foals silently nodded in agreement, following Ahuizotl and Daring up the foam stairs and toward the fountain.
Daring Do and Ahrizotl first helped the school foals climb the rock wall, with many indigenous ponies (mainly earth ponies) seeming to have the most trouble. Meanwhile, archeologists were doing rather well as they nimbly jumped from one foothold to the next.
The little adventurer then turned towards the archeologists who made it and asked. "Um…can ya help ta other foals? Ahrizotl can't support all of them!"
A pegasus colt came forward. "Well, I think that this just shows the survival of the fittest and that we pegasi deserve those waters more than them!"
Daring was appalled by this colt's words and snapped. "Listen here! If you hadn't noticed, ya was in diapers for Celestia knows how long! You aren't any better ten anypony! Ya go down there and help tose other ponies before I turn ya back into a baby!"
At that threat, the pegasus colt quickly nodded and flew down to help the other struggling with the rock wall. Another pegasus, a filly, also flew down to help the indigenous ponies climb. Another colt archeologist took a whip, lowered it, and used it as a rope to help the last ponies up to the top of the wall.
Ahrizotl got up, seemingly out of breath, looking up at Daring Do with a smile. "We did it!"
"Yes, we did, but we still have a long way to go." Daring Do then led the group of foals toward a long foam bridge with a ball pit underneath. Just like before, giant foam hammers were swinging across, and foam balls were shot all over the place.
Thinking fast, Daring Do took out a few diapers and instructed the colts and fillies. "Otay, I know ya all older. But ta best way to get through this trial is fow some of us to be diapered."
Ahuizotl nodded as he thrust his pampered rear out. "We can use our diapee butts to block the balls."
"As if! I will never wear those diapers again! Never!" The colt from before vowed!
"You will wear these diapers, especially since you can fly and help deflect the foam balls from the air!" Daring snapped, getting rather frustrated at this rude colt. He seemed like archeologists of old who cared more about glory and proving absurd theories than actually watching history.
Ahuizotl, meanwhile, explained. "While ta pegasi block ta balls with their diapers, I can lead the other earth ponies to keep an eye on a swinging hammer and warn ya to keep you from being knocked down!"
Daring Do clap her hooves and squealed. "That sounds like a great idea!" So she and Ahuziotl arranged the teams. The pegasi were diapered up and flew backward, with their padded flanks slapping the balls being shot at them. Meanwhile, the earth ponies told the pegasi when to stop or keep going as the foam hammers swung from the bridge's sides.
With the ponies all working together, they made it across the other side of the bridge, and that was when they came onto the maze. But at this point, they heard someone shout! "My babies! Get them!"
Daring turned back with a look of horror and shouted! "Oh no! Vibora is back!"
Ahuizotl smirked., "It's otay, we got tis! Tis is the easy part! All the teddies are still back at the nursery, so we must get to the end, do the puzzle, and win!"
"Right!" Daring Do turn towards her fellow ponies and shouted! "Alright, everypony, follow me! Hurry!"
The foals followed Daring Do and Ahuizotl through the winding paths that made up the maze as the two, fortunately, remembered the right ways to take. Upon reaching the end of the labyrinth, the earth ponies all stopped and started to use their inherent strength to hoist the pieces and slot them into the suitable holes rather seamlessly. But by this point, they can hear the sounds of padded paws and the slithering of a snake coming ever closer.
When the door to the fountain revealed itself, Daring Do took Ahuizotl by the paw, and she quickly dove into the water. In a matter of seconds, she and her nemesis had transformed back into adults. Then they went to the entrance and shouted! "Get to the water! We'll keep you safe!"
The rest of the ponies did as they instructed. But just then, Vibora faced them, uncoiling her massive body! She was accompanied by a couple of her enormous teddy bears. But instead of attacking, she shook her tail and whispered rather sweetly. "My dears, don't listen to them. Your lives as adults were dull. Wasn't being foals more fun and easier? Come to me, and I'll bathe you back into the fountain of youth and regress you into adorable babies. You'll be safe with me forever."
Many of the indigenous foals seemed to stop, along with the archeologists.
Daring Do shouted as loud as she could! "All of you listen! Vibora stole you from your family and has caged you here. Yes, life would be easy staying here and being a baby. But it'll be for all of eternity! Do you want that? Do you never want to grow up again, or be able to use the potty, or do any of the fun grown-up things you used to like to do?"
The foals looked at each other one by one. The tone of hypnosis seemed to be failing as they shook off Vibora's whispering, transforming back into adults when they dove into the fountain's waters.
As she saw her foals turning into adults, Vibora shouted! "No! stop!" She then unleashed her teddies, who ran toward the group. But Daring Do and Ahuizotl quickly knocked the teddies down and kept them from grabbing the foals. But then Vibora wrapped her tail around Daring Do and her nemesis. They groaned in pain as she crushed them with her long tail and shouted, "You will pay for ruining everything! One way or another, you'll be my helpless babies forever!"
"No, stop!" Shouted a voice. She looked to see all the ponies that were once foals were now adults, with a dozen of them being rather gruff-looking indigenous earth ponies and the three archaeologists, a female one who seemed relatively young and quiet, a middle-aged stallion with his whip, and an elderly looking pegasus who seemed rather posh.
The female pegasus slowly came forward and pleaded. "Mother, please don't do this. You know that we had to grow up sometime, right?"
The natives all bowed and said in unison. "Yes, great mother. Although you imprisoned us, you gave us life and kept us safe. We are eternally grateful. Don't harm these two."
The middle-aged pegasus blushed. "As embarrassing as it was wearing diapers, I enjoyed being a foal. But it can't last; everyone has to grow up someday."
The posh elderly stallion scoffed! "My word! You all have gone mad! But I must agree with my fellows, don't hurt these two."
Vibora then had tears come to her eyes as her tails began to slack, and then Daring Do and Ahuizotl slowly got themselves free from her grasp. She then turned to her pony form. “Y…you’re right… I'm so sorry!" Vibora then burst into tears and wrapped itself with its tail; it then began to wail rather loudly.
Despite the creature having imprisoned a dozen ponies, Daring couldn't help but feel bad for the beast. Her cheeks flushed red as she trotted over and tried to console her. "Hey, it's ok. You were trying to do what you thought was right. I'm sure ponies wouldn't mind occasionally being foals again if they had you to care for them."
"Yes, I agree with Daring," Ahuizotl nodded in agreement. "You weren't bad; you were just confused."
Vibora gave slow nods as she wiped the tears and said, "Well…I wasn't, and if it weren't for you, I would've never stopped." She then transformed into her pegasus form, slowly trotted toward the group, and gave each of her former foals a hug and an apology. They were then all escorted out of the temple and into the jungles with the sun streaming downwards.
Ahuizotl then looked upwards and gave a deep breath as Daring Do turned towards her "Nemesis" and asked. "So, what will you do now?"
The lord of cats paused, then said. "Well, seeing that I risked my neck to save you, I think it's only fair that you do me a favor."
"Oh, like what?" Daring, hesitantly asked.
"Write a book about this adventure…and make me your partner." Ahuizotl proposed.
"Partner?" Daring Do blink.
"Yeah, partner!" Ahuizotl explained. "Despite all our silliness as babies, I came to…well…enjoy being in your company. And you have a point when you said our constant fighting is rather pointless. If we go on adventures together from now on, I think we should be partners."
Daring Do burst into laughter, and it took a few minutes to get a hold of herself before she said. "After all these years, it took you turning into a kitten to realize our constant battling was pointless?!"
Ahuizotl looked toward his former foe and snapped. "Don't test me!"
Daring held up a hoof. "Hey, no hard feelings. And don't worry, I'll write this adventure as a kid's story, just like I made that one journey with a huge temple toilet," She blushed. "It sure was weird going through potty training a second time. I'm glad I didn't have to do it again this time."
The cat then took out a paw and shook Dairing's hoof. They then made their way to the front of the temple. There Ahuizotl embraced his mother, and Rainbow Dash cheered for Daring Do, seeing she was now an adult.
But with the sun setting, it was time for them to start finding their way home. Ahuizotl and Daring Do shook paw to hoof once more before going their separate ways, with Daring Do leading the ponies to her home as Ahuizotl escorted his mother into the jungles to theirs.