//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - Our Heroes 
// Story: Edited Details 
// by ILurvTrixie 
//------------------------------//

	Daring Do, aka AK Yearling, aka The Bane of Ahuizotl, aka one of the best upcoming writers in Equestria paced her writing room again. She still wasn't sure where it had gone south. 
The whole operation was pretty straight forward, a minor relic, a series of semi-magical stones that had been collected and formed into fused pile. Just a collection of small spells and effects, things that most unicorns learned in their first few years of practice. They didn't appear to have any outright benefits to the continued battle between the forces of Ponydom and Ahuizotl, but when rumors suggested it was being sought, Daring had to get there first.
The trip was almost uneventful, cross continent, only one hoof-fight with mercenaries. She had to add a bit more drama to the novel and had included a completely fabricated account of cloak and dagger spy games in the little town she had bought lunch in. A bit over the top in her own opinion, but it was an action novel.
After reaching the ruins, she had found them overgrown with vines and other plants, leaving her completely surprised when griffon guardians pulled themselves from the living walls to stop her from reaching the artifact. The griffons were surprisingly pleasant overall, seeking to simply subdue and throw her out. She still felt a bit bad for writing them into more aggressive jungle guerrilla warriors, but again, the novel was to be more action packed.
She had reached the artifact despite their best efforts but...
She grumbled in frustration, putting a hoof to her face. She still couldn't believe it. She didn't want to write it. There was no way for it to be a positive effect in the end.

She had lost the artifact.

More correctly, the moment she touched it, it had vanished in a flash of light. The griffons had wordlessly exchanged glances, and simply retreated back into the living woods, vanishing expertly. She had no leads aside from the fact that the artifact 'felt' like it had teleported. But to where? And how? She really should have been more suspicious with how easily she managed to reach it. Was it a cursed item? Was this entire thing a set-up? 
She groaned, sitting herself in front of her typewriter again, glaring at the last paragraph.

	The griffon guards stood valiantly against Daring Do's onslaught, for every blow she landed another griffon would leap into the fray, beak clacking shut where a limb had been a moment earlier or claws swiping through the air to rend flesh that darted desperately out of the way. Daring was holding her own, but through sheer numbers would not be able to reach her goal. She looked around the room desperately, panting as yet another blow narrowly missed her skin, tearing through her jacket. Her compass clattered to the ground from a torn pocket, and she leaped for it, narrowly avoiding another attempt to sever a leg with a clack of the griffon's beak. She cracked the compass on the ground with a wince, fracturing the plate glass front before throwing it into the narrow beam of light that illuminated the chamber. The impromptu burst of fractured light forced the griffons; used to fighting in the dark corners of the temple; to cover their eyes. Long enough for Daring to burst through their lines.

And now came the part she really didn't want to do. Usually the writing served to help organize her thoughts, but without any leads, this had the potential to be an adventure she just had to write off. She sighed, placing her hooves on the keys, and started typing.

Daring reached for the artifact, but as her hoof made contact with it it vanished in a shimmering light.

Daring Do frowned. Writing about your own failures, no matter how realistic, never felt right.

She blinked, realizing she wasn't feeling that disappointment so much as a surge of magic. She leaped from her writing chair as her manuscript began to glow, the typewriter erasing part of the line before beginning to write again.

Daring reached for the artifact, but as her hoof made contact with it she and it vanished in a shimmering light.

The glow from the manuscript pulsed outwards, flooding the room; even as Daring covered her eyes it was blinding. As the glow receded she was... still at home? Untouched? Completely healthy and well? Daring rolled her eyes, checking the changes to her manuscript. Well, the story claimed she had vanished. But what had actually happened?


~*~


Fluttershy was headed into the outskirts of the Everfree with a small bucket of hair care sundries in her mouth. While she was the local wildlife caretaker, her duties never officially extended to the residents of the Everfree. But, well, she always felt a little happier to show kindness to all her animal friends, even the ones that were a little dangerous at times. And she knew some of the larger animals didn't want her intruding on their territory, but they were usually nice enough to let her stop by and give them a helping hoof when needed. Such as when an infestation of fleas was troubling them.

"Hey! Is anypony around? Hey!"

Of course, usually they didn't sound like yelling ponies. Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head as she nervously cast about.

"Hello? I'm stuck over here! Gah. Stupid mud. Gonna rip my feathers right out. Hello!"

It was coming from... Fluttershy peeked her head through the bush, vaguely curious, but more afraid of the yelling pony on the other side. The figure was obviously a pegasus of some kind, and vaguely familiar, although Fluttershy was having a hard time placing 'why' they were familiar when they were covered head to hoof in thick mud. They cast about, and noticed Fluttershy, who eeped, retreating slightly into the bush.

"Hey! I could use a hoof over here! ....Please? ...Hello?"

Fluttershy shook, as she slowly eased her way out of the bush, staring with sad soulful eyes at the stuck pegasus.

"Well thank goodness. Look, I'm just a little stuck here. Do you have a rope or something I could use to get the muck off my wings without it feeling like it's trying to yank them out?"

"I...um"

"Oh, so you do talk!" The pegasus laughed. "Sorry, I was a bit surprised when I ended up here."

Fluttershy flinched at the laughter, shuffling her hooves nervously. "I could.. bring a bucket of water. I mean, that might help with the mud."

"I'd appreciate that! Say, you look somewhat familiar, have we met?" The pegasus stared at Fluttershy, who flushed and shook her head. The pegasus laughed again. "Yeah, I'm probably not too recognizable under all this muck. I'd appreciate that water ASAP."

Fluttershy nodded, emptying her hair care products carefully outside the bush, and heading for the nearest river. She wouldn't be able to help very long, she did have a manticore with a mane problem to tend to. She scooped up a bucket of fresh water, nodding a polite hello to the river serpent who eyed her curiously. The Everfree was a fascinating place. She didn't always feel so comfortable, but during the day time, when she could make eye contact with the animals in the least threatening way possible, and could simply ask them what was wrong, it was pretty nice. Occasionally she would come out to speak with Zecora. 
The zebra shamare had been surprisingly popular since the rumors of her actions had been cleared up, the Crusaders coming out to help her gather ingredients; Applebloom especially seemed to be picking up a knack there; Twilight and her magical studies, Rarity for dyes, Applejack for exchanging advice on plants, fertilizing, and planting schedules, Dash for news about the weather patterns in the Everfree.
Fluttershy blinked, realizing she had been a bit lost in thought there. Where was-?

"HYARGH!"

With a startled squeal Fluttershy's head shot up as she took a step back, sending the bucket of water flying. Her back hoof caught the slightly glowing pile of stones, and in a flash, she and the artifact vanished.

The trapped pegasus panted. Her straining there, loud though it was, hadn't helped anything. She was still rather unbelievably stuck. At what point did mud stop being mud and turn into glue? Daring Do barely managed to complete that thought before the bucket of cold river water landed on her head, softening the mud. Thank goodness for pith helmets.


~*~


Daring Do was glaring at the manuscript. For whatever reason it had refused to budge from the typewriter. So now she was studying the hammer she had gotten her hooves on, debating the cost of a new typewriter versus leaving the thing cursed as it was. A typewriter that typed on its own could be interesting, if it had anything worth saying. As long as it didn't actually end up causing trouble of any kind. 
Or maybe she was just feeling overly sentimental about all the stories she had written down with the old mechanical scribe. She sighed, glaring at the manuscript for the fourth or fifth time in as many minutes. 

The document began to glow again, and the typewriter began to type. Her eyebrows shot up as she read along with the new words being put forth.

The griffon guards stared in horror as the artifact vanished with their quarry. Generations of dedication undone in a single afternoon. They bemoaned their fate before realizing that the air was still shimmering. Something was coming back. The room grew bright and with a blinding flash, a small shy pegasus with yellow coat, pink mane, a cutie mark of three pink butterflies, and aqua eyes appeared. The artifact was on the floor behind her, grey and inert, as she stared around the chamber in surprise and fear.
"W-where..?" She stared at the griffon guards with the same degree of wide-eyed surprise they seemed to be showing her. "Uh.. H-hello?"
With wordless shrieks the griffons leaped for the intruder, who ran as fast as her hooves could carry her. Her accidental escape kicking the artifact through a crack in the wall.
Fluttershy had no idea what was going on. Her aqua eyes darted left and right as she desperately sought someplace to hide, or someone she could ask for help. But she was alone except for the griffons behind her. She scuttled into a hard turn, dashing into an unfamiliar room to avoid being trapped by the collapsed hallway ahead.
It was a dead-end. An unfamiliar object seemingly made of fused together stones was resting near the back of the chamber by a pile of rubble. Her eyes drifted upwards over the rubble pile to spy a hole in the roof. The ruins extended further above, but at least it was an exit.
She took a deep breath to calm herself, and powered her wings in a desperate attempt to climb quickly.
Only to find the hole above filled with the snarling face of a griffon guard.
Her wings locked in fright, snapping against her sides as her eyes widened and she tumbled to the floor, skittering down the rubble pile. A hoof brushed the just starting to glow artifact, and both she and it vanished in the familiar shimmering light. The guards waited patiently. They knew they'd be ready next time.

Fluttershy?

Where had she heard that name? It was familiar. It was. It was...!

It wasn't ringing any bells right at the moment. Daring Do frowned. She knew it was something she'd run into somewhat recently, but for the life of her couldn't pin down. Perhaps the next time the typewriter sprang into action she'd have a better idea of what was going on?

She glared at the mechanical scribe, gesturing at it threateningly with the almost forgotten hammer. "You got lucky, punk."

The typewriter had no comment.