//------------------------------// // Fact and Fantasy // Story: The Two Sides of Daring Do // by Godzillawolf //------------------------------// The Two Sides of Daring Do Chapter 2 Fact and Fantasy The two physically identical ponies continued on their path. Yearling tried to focus... but her mind kept going back to one thing: how little she was doing in all this. Her clone had found out exactly how she'd came to be. She had found the bad doctor's hoofprints easily. She had defeated one of her archenemies and his minions with ease. Yearling's Special Talent WAS adventure, and yet her duplicate was outdoing her at every turn. The author just felt...useless. Like the parts of her adventures she cut out of the books for not being interesting enough. She could write herself out of this and it'd be the exact same story... She shook her head to clear it. 'No...I'm not just going to fade into the background.' She was snapped out of those thoughts when they finally arrived at what looked like a cave hidden by vines. Daring Do tried to reach for the vines, but Yearling rushed in and frantically tore them down. “Uh...you okay?” “I'm fine...” The author took a moment to check if the vines had been poisonous. Something she should've done first. “This place in part of an ancient mine built here a long time ago. They were an important part of the economy back then and the legends said that the Belt was used to dig several of them...” Daring Do looked at the ancient writing around the edge of the 'cave.' “Yeah, they normally wouldn't make an elaborate design around the opening for just any old mine.” Yearling gave a snarl. “...That's right...Let's move on.” She gave another snarl when it turned out her clone had already created a torch and lit it before she could even try getting supplies out. She remembered to check to make sure none of the strange symbols she'd found on that one 'tomb' that had turned out to be some sort of container for an ancient poison called 'ray-dye-ation' that Celestia had had to save her and the workers from were present. She didn't want to spend another six months recovering in bed. The author made an effort to keep her stride ahead of her clone, but Daring Do just increased her own pace to keep up without problems. Yearling tried to distract herself by looking around the mine. Naturally, having been made during ancient times, it looked nothing like one would expect a modern mine to look, being a carefully carved tunnel into the earth with pillars of stone rather than wood. But she also noticed that the rock had been cut far more carefully and more effort had been put into the pillars. Like this place was made for more than just digging precious substances out of the ground. Like it'd been intentionally spruced up for something more. The mare noticed as they went deeper it seemed more effort was put into making the tunnel look more like a temple, such as more eloquent designs to the stone pillars and in some places water pouring down into indents that sent it deeper into the structure. “There must be a lake above us,” Daring Do surmised. “Either that or some underground reservoir, where else would all this water come from? Bet when we grab the Belt the entire place floods.” Yearling gave a growl. “Of course...I'd hate to fight Ahuizotl down here,” she remarked, eyes falling on the water in particular. “Yeah. Not much space to move in and he and his cats could cover an escape attempt pretty easily.” They kept trotting along, finally reaching a much more temple-like area, with stone pillars lining the rooms and a flat stone roof and floor, much more polished and intricate. It seemed made to resemble a Roaman temple. Likely one dedicated to Atlas himself. Daring stopped Yearling. “This is normally where the first trap is, isn't it?” Yearling grumbled. “Or where they start, yes.” She'd originally thought it was strange that nearly every temple, whether the artifact was evil or not, had layers of traps. Or why they just didn't bury it in a pit deep under ground if they didn't want anypony to find it so badly. When she'd questioned Celestia about it (why wouldn't she know Celestia?), the answer had been simple 'why bury or destroy something utterly that might someday be useful if you can hide it so only one truly determined or chosen may find it?' It was as good of logic as any other. Of course for an adventure audience, they didn't need an explanation. Escaping traps was cool. The author looked around and saw a small string hanging over the path, positioned such that the lighting made it hard to locate unless you were actually searching for it. She also noted that there were circular marks across the floor. She picked up a rock and threw it onto the string, resulting in a series of spikes erupting from the floor through those circular marks. Yearling smirked. “Got it.” “Actually, you missed one,” her clone said, throwing another stone into the air and hitting a SECOND hidden string Yearling had been yet to notice. The result was a series of spears bursting out of holes in the walls and would have impaled any unfortunate Pegasus that had been flying there. “One out of two isn't bad.” Yearling snarled to herself before the duo continued forwards now that the death traps had been triggered. As they went through a series of narrow passages, several swinging swords were activated by specific plates on the floor, aiming at the head. Yearling pointed to the statues of Alicorns lining the hallways. “Respect the Gods.” As Yearling moved forwards with her head bowed to avoid the blade, she stepped on another plate and was pulled back by Daring before a second blade could slice off her legs, hat tumbling off her head. She then pointed to several hidden pressure plates. “The plates are at exact increments. Looks like the blade alternate between aiming for the head and the legs. Two pronged. Watch yourself.” The clone handed the author back her pith helmet back. Yearling gave a glare of anger, but took her signature cap back, put it on her now somewhat disheveled mane, and followed the pattern to safety. “Wow, this is a big temple...” Daring Do muttered, looking anxious as they went through the normal, non-trapped passage ways. “No bigger than a normal one,” Yearling said absentmindedly as she kept her eyes open for anything her clone was missing. “Huh, that's weird. I just remember a lot of traps and the occasional hieroglyphs...Look out!” “Look out!” Yearling yelled a couple seconds later...right AS her clone pushed her out of a way of a sword swinging from the series before she could do the same. “I saw it you know!” As they entered a new chamber, Yearling instantly scanned it for traps but saw nothing hinting at one. Just a statue of a large creature looking like a mix of a lion and a fish. She then gave a completely annoyed sighed as she felt her clone once more grab her tail in her mouth before she could step out. “...Let me guess, I missed a trap?” Daring Do stomped on the floor, causing it to crumble away to reveal a water filled pit. Filled with hungry looking sharks. “That's a statue of King Leo, why would an ocean deity be in a temple to a pony holding up the sun and moon unless to indicate a trap?” As her clone flew up far enough that the sharks couldn't jump up to bite her, Yearling stared after her. She knew who King Leo was, she even knew his Roaman name was King Poseidon. She'd dealt with several artifacts relating to him (including a trident). Depending on how you interpreted different myths, he was a candidate for Ahuizotl's father (Yearling honestly didn't know, she knew Ahuizotl was ancient, that he'd been accidentally released into modern day on her first adventure by an expedition, but not his actual, concrete origin). But how had she failed to notice that? Why was her clone one step ahead of her at every moment? Why was that copy of her able to realize something she SHOULD have before she could? Yearling gave a scream of rage and punched the wall hard enough to crack it. “WHY ARE YOU EVEN STILL ALIVE DOWN THERE?!” she yelled at the sharks, punching one in the nose as it leapt at her and knocking it back into the pit, panting, mane frazzled. She then took off as fast as she could after her doppelganger. Finally, they reached a center chamber of the temple, deep down beneath the ground. Towering above them was a gigantic chiseled statue of a muscular Earth Pony, holding up the sun and moon in his hooves. Stairs circled it all the way up to the head, where the object they sought certainly set. The pedestal of the statue was surrounded by a massive pool of water fed by the various trenches seen throughout the mine. The pedestal itself was modeled to resemble rocky earth and mountains. About halfway up the stairs, there were a series of stone statues with swords in their mouths. If they'd had an unicorn with them, said unicorn would have sensed magic enchantments on the two giant spheres the statue held aloft. “This is normally where the biggest, baddest death trap is,” Daring remarked, looking around intently. “Yes, of course, way ahead of you,” Yearling replied, as she looked around the room, scanning every last detail of the chamber with an almost paranoid expression. As if missing one little detail was an unforgivable crime. “Uh...are you okay? You look a little wound up...” “Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay?! Everything's great, now I have an artifact to retrieve!” “Uh, don't you mean we?” the clone asked. “Nope, already figured it out!” the author bragged, grabbing a rock, putting it in her pocket, and flying into action with a cocky grin. Yearling flew to the stairs, avoiding the obvious arrow trap that'd be triggered if she tried to fly straight for the belt itself. She flew just high enough to avoid several strings pulled over the stairs to catch somepony off guard, then diving down to evade more to catch Pegasi. She narrowly danced through the cables and avoided touching the various pressure plates on the stairs themselves. As she got to the stone statues, she used her whip to trigger a string, causing them all to swing their weapons into the ground in a wave. She flew after, going in the split second it'd take for them to pull their swords back up, finally making it through. Yearling reached the statue's head, painting and sweating heavily. She checked the platform for strings or obvious traps and smirked. The mare trotted cockily to the case and looked at the Belt before her. While it had a silver buckle with an emblem of the world, it was generally a simple design, being made of leather. She produced the rock she'd grabbed before flying off and tied a piece of fabric around it, then quickly swap the two. She looked around. No booby trap going off. No problem. As her clone finally made it up, the REAL Daring Do finally stepped over, swinging the Belt of Atlas around her hoof like some trinket. “There, told you I figured it out.” “Nice job,” the copy said with an impressed look. “What's your plan for dealing with the pressure plate you're on?” The belt slowly stopped spinning around her hoof and hang limply. “What?” The author slowly looked down, noticing the ENTIRE platform she was standing on had sunk a few inches. “No...I...I figured everything out...how could...” Yearling felt like Atlas had just dropped the sun and moon. She'd done everything right. Everything, and yet somehow...she missed an obvious trap she didn't even HAVE to risk setting off while her clone spotted it as soon as she got there. “Here, let me help you with that...” Daring Do, using a whip to snag one of the huge swords from the statues and pulling it loose. She used the leverage she could get to pull the weapon onto the platform, holding it down enough for Yearling to carefully trot off of. But Yearling didn't. She just stood there numbly. Mentally running through every possible thing she could think of. Every last possible way she could have missed the obvious trap that her clone had managed to catch easily. Even as she started following her copy to safety, she kept trying to figure it out. Had she just been reckless? That was what she wanted to think...but her mind kept coming back to the idea that the clone was just...better than her... 'No...no she's not! It's not!' Yearling snapped out of it and galloped ahead of her duplicate, determined to get out of this rotten place before her clone. That's it! All that mattered was who got out of the tomb first with the artifact! She'd grabbed it! She'd made it past most of the booby traps leading to it! All that mattered was she got out before her knock off! Then there'd be no doubt who the real deal was! It couldn't take her life from her! She wouldn't let it! “Hey! Stop! You're gonna get in trouble!” Yearling snarled and snapped around, glaring daggers at her other self. The two had managed to dash all the way to near the shark trap, though the sharks themselves seemed too afraid of the mad author to make an attempt at her. “Don't tell me who's getting in trouble! I've never had trouble until you came into my life!” Daring Do took a step back in surprise. “What? I was just trying to do my thing. I thought we made a good team.” “Ha! Team?! You were doing everything and left me with nothing! You're not me! I'm me! You're just some kind of clone or doppelganger! Trying to steal MY life! Well I'm not letting you!” “Okay...Uh, Miss Yearling, was it? It's confusing when we're the same pony...I think we need to get you home and you need to lie down. You're not well...” “No! Not 'Miss Yearling!' I'm Daring Do! Not you! Me!” Yearling screamed, disheveled mane hanging around her head despite her pith helmet's best efforts. Tears started down her face. “I'm not letting you take my life from me! I've worked too hard to lose everything because some fictional character I created decided to crash into it! Just let me be me!” The clone looked...rattled by that. Like it was something a part of her didn't want to hear. “Look, you need to-” Before the conversation could continue, the two heard a roar and had to jump out of the way of a large tiger and leopard. A black panther snarled as it leapt over the pit and landed behind them, a bobcat by its side. Finally, a tiny little house cat hissed as she jumped up on the panther's back. “We've got company!” Daring Do said, taking a battle stance. Yearling growled and pushed her double down before leaping up and kicking the tiger in the skull as it leapt at her. She ducked down and double bucked it so hard in the chest it BROKE a pillar behind it. The panther charged her. The mare ducked its bite and uppercut it, making it bite its tongue. She flew up and charged it, driving it into the wall with her momentum and beginning to choke it. “See! I'm Daring Do! I fight bad guys all the time! This is no sweat at all!” Daring Do stared at Yearling in disbelief before having to duck the bobcat and did a jump kick to send it flying. She jumped over the little cat and used her whip to grab it and hurl it into its cohort, knocking both down. “Yearling! Stop it! You're going too far!” “Don't tell me how to live MY life!” Daring Do grabbed Yearling in a sleeper hold and pulled her back, letting the panther crumble to the ground. “STOP IT! THAT'S ENOUGH!” “You don't tell me what to do you figment of my imagination!” Yearling screamed, elbowing Daring Do in the ribs and punching her to the ground. The author panted, looking down at her clone like a madmare. “I made you! You aren't me!” She growled, turning away as she heard some foot steps. She'd expected it. A huge quadruped blue creature in Aztec jewelry. A long snout with front facing eyes. His tail ending in a fifth hand. He leapt over the shark pit with no effort. When the sharks tried to leap at him, he turned with a feral roar, sending the sharks whimpering back into the water. He chuckled and turned back to his enemies. “Well Daring Do, long time no see. Thank you so much for conquering the temple and delivering the Belt of Atlas to me!” Ahuizotl then blinked, looking over the sight before him. “Two Daring Dos? What-” “SHE'S NOT DARING DO!” Yearling normally would've dropped some banter to get him to monologue about his evil plot for the Belt...but instead, she pounced at her nemesis in an utter blind rage. She pounded Ahuizotl into the ground... Or that was what 'should' have happened. What actually happened was her finding Ahuizotl's fifth hand clamped squarely around her throat, dangling her in the air like a fish on a line. He looked over her for a moment with curiosity, then laughed in her face and looked to her impostor. “My my, Daring Do, did you like having one of your fans with you so much you chose an impersonator to accompany you this time?” Yearling found herself hurled across the room and barely caught herself with her wings. “Imperson...impersonator?!” she asked in disbelief. “Of course, the real Daring Do would never make such a foal-like mistake against her greatest enemy!” Ahuizotl mocked, seeming INSULTED she dared think she was worth his time. “Now please stand aside, I have matters to attend to with the real Daring Do!” The author saw red. Rage. Fury. Her mind was suddenly a fog of hate. “I AM THE REAL DARING DO!” What happened next was a blur. Charging her archenemy. Caught by the neck and Ahuizotl roaring in her face, a feral gleam in his eye. A hard punch in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. Being thrown like a rag doll. Being reminded that her archenemy was strong enough to hurl trees with little effort. Slamming into the wall without her pith helmet on. Seeing stars. “But...he always hides behind his cats...” she heard her clone mutter in surprise. Yearling's eyes fluttered open for a second to see her clone try to reach her, only to be ambushed by all of her enemies' cats all at once. Ahuizotl coming over and taking the Belt of Atlas from her prone body. Then everything went black. To Be Continued...