//------------------------------//
// A Daring Descent 
// Story: An Earthbound Journey 
// by ShadeJak 
//------------------------------//

“No… way…” Rainbow mouthed, in utter shock at the yellow pegasus who was fending off the gang of jackal bandits with a whip she held in her teeth.

“A.K. Yearling is Daring Do?!” Twilight gasped when she noticed the same sunhat, shawl, and glasses lay on the floor next to the pegasus

“Or she really likes to dress up,” Applejack said.

“I admit, I never read the books but she has quite a sense of style,” Rarity mused.

The pegasus leaped into the air, cracking her whip and wrapping it around two of the jackals and yanking them off the ground, flinging them into two of the others. The remaining four advanced on her immediately but Daring took to the air with a flip, and drop-kicked one in the face, rebounding off and into the next one’s face and doing a spin in the air swinging her whip again to snag another and swing it across the floor into the last one, who narrowly dodged it. The jackal bandit laughed at her, only to suddenly get hit in the face with the pegasus’ hat when she flung it at him, then Daring herself leaped at him and slammed her hoof on his face, knocking him out. Landing, the pegasus picked up her hat and placed it back on her head, before tending to her disguise to put it back into her messenger bag and slinging it back on.

“If that’s the best you got, I’m worried my next book’s gonna need some rewrites,” Daring taunted as she prepared to leave, then paused before she continued.

The four immediately hid, attempting to stay silent as they tried to figure out a way to approach her without seeming suspicious, though the excited grin was evident on Rainbow’s face.

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Rainbow thought, her wings suddenly flaring out with excitement. Barely suppressing a shudder, Twilight attempted to force her friend’s wings back into folded position as to not give them away, but in no more then a second later, the large urn they were hiding behind was yanked away by a whip and it rolled away, revealing the scowling yellow pegasus on the other side.

Tossing her whip in the air and catching it on her wing, Daring regarded them with suspicion. “Alright, you have two seconds to explain what you’re doing here. Don’t waste them.”

“Save the world from Sombra!” Twilight shouted as fast as she could. Daring cocked her head and raised her eyebrow.

“Sombra? As in King Sombra?” the yellow pegasus asked.

“You know about him?” Twilight asked; her hoof planted over Rainbow’s mouth to keep her friend’s excitement down.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t… why should I trust you two enough to answer?” Daring asked, no less suspicious of them.

“Now hold on a sec,” Applejack said angrily as she came out of her hiding place, followed by Rarity. “Lookin’ past the part where you’re a real pony… we’re the ones who saved Equestria several times.”

“Yes… you’d think we’d get more recognition for that,” Rarity mused as it occurred to her ponies generally seemed to forget the times they had been at ground zero for rather catastrophic events.

“Does the Elements of Harmony ring any bells?” Twilight asked. “Look, my name’s Twilight Sparkle, I’m the—”

“I don’t recall saying I cared who you are. I wanted to know why you’re here,” Daring snapped with an eyeroll, cutting them off. "I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony but why should I trust you? I already know the changelings have been causing trouble again who’s to say the four of you aren’t just setting me up?” she asked accusingly.

“Sheesh… paranoid much?” Applejack asked, looking over at Rarity, who nodded in agreement. “If yer so suspicious ah’ll list off every member of the Apple Family an’ tell ya the story behind the Zap apples to prove ah’m me.”

“And no changeling can match my fashion sense,” Rarity scoffed.

“And I’d LOVE to see one even TRY to be half as awesome as me!” Rainbow said, pushing Twilight’s hoof away. “And let me just say you are like the coolest pony EVER! I’ve read all your books like three times they actually got me into reading and is there ANY chance I can get an autograph when this is over?” she asked hopefully. An awkward silence passed before Daring let out an exasperated sigh.

“Look, just get lost, alright? I work alone, I can’t spend my time worrying about you guys’ safety,” Daring replied.

“Well, we’re here for a reason, too,” Twilight said. “We have a mission to stop Sombra, so—”

“NEVER! AGAIN! I work ALONE!” Daring snapped lividly, then winced when she realized what she’d said first. “Look, do what you want but don’t expect me to look after you and don’t get in my way. I’m gonna get what I came for and that’s that!” She ordered, turning and flying off down the hallway.

“Well, that was a mite rude of ‘er,” Applejack said with a snort.

“Not as cool as I imagined her to be…” Rainbow said, ears drooping.

“So now what do we do?” Rarity asked.

“What did she mean by ‘never again’?” Twilight wondered. “In her books she was always working alone when it came to actually getting the artifacts.”

“That really important, Twi?” Rainbow asked sadly. “I feel a little down right now that my hero just kinda blew us off like yesterday’s trash.”

“Be that as it may, Rainbow, we need to get that Eye, with or without her help,” Twilight explained. “Trixie’s got a bunch of hired goons here and who knows what Sombra has in store for us so we need to hurry!”

~

“Okay… two paths. Which one?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“Shall we flip on it?” Rainbow asked.

“I for one think we should go whichever way Daring did not go down,” Rarity said. “There’s no indication one’s right and one’s wrong, so there’s a chance sooner or later we’ll run into her again.”

“That makes sense, I suppose,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “Though we’d be going in blind. We have to keep our guard up then!” she looked down and saw hoofprints, implying that Daring had landed at some point and chosen left.

“Right it is, then,” Rainbow said. Not long after they progressed down the pathway and down another set of stairs, they reached a room where several caskets were propped against the walls. An open doorway awaited up ahead. “Well, let’s get moving, hmm?” Rainbow asked with a smirk, when suddenly the caskets glowed with a green light and slid open, and four mummy horses emerged from them.

“Four mummies, one each or can I take ‘em all?” Rainbow asked with a grin. The mummy horses’ eyeholes glowed green and they shuffled towards them, their bandages unraveling and glowing with a magic aura as they lashed out like whips.

“Look out, Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, firing a bolt of magic and blasting the bandages away before the pegasus could be strung up by them. Rainbow flew above the mummies and began flying in circles around them to form a miniature cyclone, but as she did, the mummies’ bandages unraveled more and wrapped around her, surrounded in magic aura as their eyeholes glowed brighter. More bandages flew out and snared Twilight, who quickly teleported away. Applejack took out her lasso and swung it over a mummy horse’s neck and gave it a firm yank, breaking its neck and sending the head rolling into a wall where it burst into dust and dried bone. Looking around, Rarity floated an urn and flung it at another mummy horse, smashing it into the undead creature and knocking it over. The mummy horse puffed out foul air from its nostrils and got up, its bandages magically stretching and flying at her and Applejack, snaring them both. Twilight hurriedly fired magic blasts at the remaining three, causing bursts of dust to fly off of them and making them stagger a little. At that moment, however, two more mummy horses entered from the doorway, their eyeholes glowing green as they approached. Their magical bandages flew off and stretched impossibly far, wrapping around Twilight’s horn and flinging her at a wall before she could teleport.

As it lifted her up again, however, a whip-crack was heard, snapping the bandages and severing them from Twilight’s horn, causing her to fall. The unicorn and her friends looked over and saw a scowling Daring Do standing there, holding her whip in her teeth.

“Well, I gave you an opening, use it!” she said, turning her attention to the one that snared Rarity and Applejack. Twilight nodded and fired several magic blasts at the mummy horse holding Rainbow Dash and blasting it apart, freeing her friend.

“Okay, NOW I’m ticked!” Rainbow shouted, flying circles around the ones Twilight had been freed from and causing a cyclone that left them little more then a pile of dust, bone and unraveled bandage.

Striking the mummy horses in the face with her whip, Daring caused them to stagger backwards, freeing Rarity and Applejack who immediately took action as well. “Get behind me!” Daring ordered as she flung the whip into the air and caught it in her hoof, cracking it at the legs of the mummy horse in front of her and causing it to topple over. The mummy horse lashed out its magical bandages as it lay on the ground, capturing Daring and hoisting her into the air. The pegasus struggled as she attempted to swing the slack on her whip enough to grab it in her teeth again.

Applejack immediately rushed forward, doing a flip in the air and facing away from the mummy horse as she delivered a crisp apple-buck, smashing it to pieces and causing it to lose its grip on the pegasus explorer, who simply got up and challenged another mummy horse. “Uhhh, you’re welcome?” Applejack muttered with an eyeroll.

Facing the remaining mummy horse, Twilight used a fire spell, setting it ablaze and causing it to run about for a few seconds before collapsing in a burning heap.

“What did I tell you guys about leaving?” Daring asked, adjusting her hat.

“So I take it this wasn’t a rescue?” Rarity asked.

“The other way was a dead end. The jackals tricked me into thinking they’d gone that way so I turned around,” Daring replied. “Look, this place is dangerous, and I’m here for something and I don’t do foalsitting or especially team-ups! I’ve handled worse then this before!” she said coldly.

“What the hay is your problem?!” Rainbow demanded, flying in the other pegasus’ face. “Seriously, every book I read, it made me admire you a little more every time. And sometimes a lot more! And not to mention we’ve come out on top of some pretty serious stuff, too by sticking together! What’s with this attitude?”

“Maybe you picked the wrong pony to look up to...” Daring said curtly as she began to walk past her. She stopped on her tracks when a hissing sound was heard.

“Snakes?!” Twilight asked, shaking as she recalled her dislike for them.

“No. It’s… oh buck me…” Daring muttered as her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, as did the other four ponies’.

~

Light returned, and the five ponies found themselves in a large chamber somewhere inside the pyramid, all of them chained to a wall. Down below were several jackals sneering up at them, and at an altar was a large horse statue with a pharaoh headdress, missing an eye.

“Wonderful…” Daring said, scowling.

Twilight immediately attempted to teleport but suddenly felt a painful shock go through her body. Looking upward she saw an inhibitor ring put over her horn.

“I wouldn’t bother. Those things are normally made for catching unicorn criminals, if I have my history correct…” a cultured male voice said, and from behind the jackals emerged a brown earth pony with a black mane and tail, wearing a white shirt and sporting a gold skull cutie mark.

“Dr. Caballeron…” Daring growled; hatred in her eyes as she looked down at the stallion.

“Why, Daring… how easy it was to figure out you’d show up,” Caballeron said with a smug smirk. “Maybe not as gullible as you once were, but certainly no less predictable.”

“Let me down here and I’ll wipe that smile right off your face!” Daring shouted furiously.

“I’m afraid not. The blue unicorn promised a hefty sum for getting to this Eye of Light artifact and I intend to walk out of this a rich stallion!” Caballeron announced. “Ah, brings me back to the old days… you remember the old days, don’t you, Daring? The ones you left out and sometimes outright lied about in your adorable little best-selling fables?”

“Shut up…” Daring hissed. She knew it wouldn’t stop him from talking, and cost her something she liked to keep to herself but if it kept him talking it bought her more time to figure out an escape.

“Ohhh, your new friends haven’t heard, have they?” Caballeron asked.

“They’re no friends of mine! I just got stuck putting up with them when they got in my way!” Daring replied; snorting at the other four chained with her. She struggled angrily with the chains around her forehooves, and felt a slight jiggle, but kept the angry look present.

“What’s he talking about?!” Rainbow asked, looking over at the sneering earth pony, then at Daring, who didn’t answer.

“NOTHING!” Daring shouted, jerking her head and causing her hat to come off. Catching it in her teeth, she gave it a crisp throw into the air and pulled her hind legs up, bucking it as it came down and causing it to bounce off a column and strike the hook that held her chains, tilting it and allowing her to free herself. With her wings still bound together she lunged at the nearest jackal, wrapping the chain around its neck and flinging it into Dr. Caballeron and sending them both tumbling across the room.

“Passionate as ever, Daring. Now let’s see if the myths are true!” Caballeron said, taking a yellow, gleaming gem from his saddlebag and holding it up. He shouted something in a foreign language, and Twilight grew worried.

“Oh no…” Twilight muttered, eyes wide with fear as she recognized it as an old summoning incantation. Suddenly the gem glowed brightly and floated into the horse statue’s eyehole, and the statue began to crumble away, revealing a large, coiled form underneath that looked like a giant cobra made of numerous ancient bit coins, the gem now glowing in the middle of its forehead.

“Amazing! Just as the hieroglyphs said would happen!” Dr. Caballeron said. “A little… security measure that the king whom the gem belonged to had placed on his money hoard. Not only does it shine light in darkness, but was used to trigger a curse he put to summon his magnificent guardian!” He rubbed his chin with his hoof. “Perhaps I should triple the price that unicorn offered when this is over,” he said with a smirk. “Dispose of these pests!” he ordered, laughing as he stood back, his remaining jackals hastily joining him as the cobralike entity looked down at the four ponies and Daring.

“Daring! Get this thing off my horn and I can help free the others! Please, you have to trust us!” Twilight insisted, Daring pausing for a second as she looked over at the looming bit cobra and nodding. Galloping over, she grabbed the ring on Twilight’s horn with her teeth and yanked it off. Immediately, Twilight teleported out of the shackles, now with her forehooves around Rainbow Dash and teleporting again, this time with her friend and thus freeing her as well. Reappearing between Applejack and Rarity, Twilight repeated what she’d done.

“Thank you, Daring.” Twilight said with a smile.

“…You’re… welcome… now how about getting these off?” Daring asked with a small but visible smile as she sat down and raised her hooves up.

“Sure thing!” Twilight replied, firing a bolt of magic at the shackles and making them snap apart, freeing the pegasus explorer.

“LOOK OUT!” Rarity warned, and Twilight teleported herself and Daring away from the giant guardian as it lunged at them, smashing into the wall and sending coins flying everywhere. The gem glowed on its forehead and the coins that had fallen off began to roll towards the snake construct, reforming what it had lost.

“Who has popcorn for this?” Dr. Caballeron joked to one of the jackals, who laughed as they watched eagerly.

Freeing her wings and putting her hat back on, Daring took to the air. “We get the gem, it should be beaten, otherwise it can keep reforming,” she shouted, avoiding another strike from the guardian.

“Then we just need to break it down as much as we can!” Applejack said. “Rarity, pass me a couple a’ those rocks, Rainbow, Twi, hit with everythin’ ya got!”

With compliant nods, the four set to action while Daring flew around the giant cobra to keep it occupied. Applejack bucked several large chunks of debris at the cobra while Rarity flung a few of her own with her magic, both smashing off coins that made up its body as Twilight fired bolts of magic and Rainbow built up speed as she zipped around the room. The cobra began to show signs of growing weaker as it lost more around its neck. Seeing her opportunity, Rainbow picked up more speed as she felt air begin to swirl around her and slammed into the weakened spot on the guardian, smashing clean through and decapitating it. The back half of the body shattered apart while the head fell to the ground, pulling itself across the floor.

“Oh no you don’t!” Daring said, flying at it and pulling at the gem with all her might. The pegasus cried out when a burst of crackling magical energy shocked her. “I… hate to say it… but I might… need help,” she said, straining her words as she fought off the pain from the magical feedback that kept her from pulling the gem, a worried expression on her face as she saw it slowly reforming again.

“I gotcha!” Rainbow said, wrapping her forelegs around Daring and pulling, adding her strength to hers.

“Count me in, too!” Applejack said, galloping over and doing the same. The magical energy crackled more violently as the gem slid out more.

“I know when my help is needed…” Rarity said with a smirk as she trotted over and followed in her friends’ example.

Dr. Caballeron grew worried and looked at the jackals flanking him. “Stop them!” he ordered, and the bandits rushed forward.

“Not a chance” Twilight said, firing magic bolts to drive them back.

“Almost… there…” Daring strained, pulling as hard as she could and barely avoiding the snapping jaws of the cobra guardian. “GOT IT!” she shouted, as she felt it come loose and a burst of magic blasted the four ponies backward. The cobra instantly fell apart into a pile of lifeless treasure, and the glow from the Eye faded.

“How dare you! I had a huge reward waiting for me!” Dr. Caballeron protested.

“Not anymore!” Twilight said with a smirk, floating the chains that had held her and the others captive earlier and wrapping them tightly around the stallion and his thugs, prompting an annoyed sigh from Caballeron.

Daring stood up, dusting herself off and taking a few breaths as the pain from the magic protecting the gem went away. “So I’m guessing this was what you were after?” she asked, raising up the gem with an inquisitive look on her face.

“Yes, actually. We need it to get through the Hayseed Swamps back in Equestria. Apparently we have to get through it if we’re gonna get any closer to stopping King Sombra,” Twilight explained.

“I see…” Daring muttered. “This was what I was after, too. Thought I’d get a chance to study it a little; then donate it somewhere thieves like that won’t get to it. Not to mention the adventure was… worth it I guess…” she mused.

“Well, thanks for hel—” Rarity began only to be pushed aside by Rainbow Dash.

“Was that awesome or what? Come on, Daring! This has to have chilled you out a little, right?” Rainbow asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Daring sighed and looked away. “Look, I’m… sorry about before. I’m not good at trusting others or especially teaming up. There’s a reason,” she said, casting a cold glare at Dr. Caballeron. “...a reason I’d rather not talk about. Ever,” Daring explained. Looking around, the pegasus studied the wall patterns. “From the way the hieroglyphs are arranged… there’s another passage that leads to another exit over… there!” she said pointing to the corner behind where Caballeron and his thugs were chained up. “Word is a flying machine was seen headed that way. Then there’s that rumor of a giant stone unicorn.”

“Well, we better check this out then,” Twilight said, approaching the wall Daring had pointed at and noticed a small eye-like formation in the wall. Pushing it with her hoof, a hidden door with a stairway behind it opened up.

“What about you?” Rainbow asked.

“I’ll deal with these losers,” Daring said. “And… thanks. Here, I guess you need it more then I do,” she added, throwing the Eye of Light to Rainbow, who caught it in her hooves. “I’ll head back home after, I gotta work on my next book before another one of these letters I get from a seriously obsessed fan drives me crazy. Calls herself my number one fan but… ever had to put up with one of those?” she asked with an eyeroll.

Rainbow grinned sheepishly. “Ehhh… sure hope not!” she said, looking upward for a second and hoping her idol didn’t figure out who had sent those letters. “I’m… uh, sure you give it time, she’ll… uh, back off and stuff,” she said innocently, causing Daring to raise an eyebrow, open her mouth to speak, but then decide not to. “Well, heh, seeya later! A-are we cool now, though?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” Daring said with a sigh and a small smile.

“YES! AWESOME!” Rainbow said, barely restraining herself from hugging the other pegasus and instead just laughed sheepishly and rejoined her friends. “Seeya ‘round! Can’t wait for the next book.”

“I’m sure you can’t,” Daring responded. “Take care, you four!” she said, turning to leave the other way as the four friends gathered up their things and headed up the stairs of the opened passage.

~

“WAS THAT AWESOME OR WHAT?!” Rainbow asked excitedly, flying about erratically around her friends as they walked up the stairs. “Daring’s not so bad once ya get to know her after all! Oh no! I forgot to ask for an autograph! So not cool! Maybe I can send her a—no, no, she’ll figure out that was me who sent the others!” the pegasus mourned with a loud, annoyed snort.

“Yeah, it was quite an adventure, Dash.” Applejack replied.

“Maybe if she writes a book about this we’ll be in it! That’s better then any autograph!” Rainbow said excitedly, her spirits up again.

“What are the odds of that happening, Rainbow?” Rarity said with an eyeroll. “Now let’s get moving, shall we? I do admit as hot as it is out there I prefer the open air to this ghastly smell down here!”

Reaching the exit, Twilight pushed another eye formation on the wall and a door slid open. Stepping through it, the four found themselves outside the massive pyramid again.

“Well, now what?” Twilight asked. Before she could think any further, however, a faint stomping of something large was heard in the distance…