//------------------------------// // Part 1 // Story: Daring Do and the Amulet of Graveeda // by Bother //------------------------------// Daring Do and the Amulet of Graveeda A Collaboration By Bother and Habitual Part 1 “And this next part of the tour is my personal favorite,” the museum tour guide said to the two ponies behind her. “It’s home to the oldest and most priceless pieces in our collection!” Daring Do wanted to scream. This was boring. This was utterly, staggeringly, mind-numbingly boring. It was even worse than paperwork back at the university, and by Celestia, was that ever saying something. She couldn't believe she was going to have to spend another five days in this pathetic excuse of a city, all because of some stupid stipulation in her contract. Damn the pony who invented the concept of fine print!   “As you can all see,” the tour guide rambled in her dry, bland voice, “this is where we house the oldest relics ever found here at Prodigal Point. Some of them are several thousand years old! Erm, please be careful.”   Speaking of dry and bland, that was a good way to describe the entire town. Daring still couldn't believe that the board would do this to her! All because she was having too many ‘adventures' that didn't bring in any valuable relics to the university?! This wasn’t fair! It wasn't her fault that the seemingly dormant volcano had decided to erupt when she’d visited, and how was she supposed to know her old friend was secretly working with the griffons?   Daring was snapped out of her grumbling thoughts as she bumped into the only other pony on the tour. He apologized, as he did for everything, and went back to taking pictures of anything he saw. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. A tourist caught in this city's little trap for those like him. Typical. Maybe Prodigal Point wouldn't be so bad if tourists weren't the only ponies she ran into, but that’s the way it’d been so far. All the locals were locked up in their houses, and the few that she had seen acted as though they were in mourning.   “And this is the pride and joy of our museum!” the tour guide said.   Daring 's attention was actually grabbed. It was the first time this mare had even sounded marginally interested about something. So she did have emotions.   “This is an ancient, sacred relic, the most beloved of the ponies who live here!” The tour guide gestured to an object on a raised pedestal. “Behold—the Amulet of Graveeda!”   Daring blinked several times. The amulet was a large silver coin about the diameter of a baseball. Carved upon it was an image of a very pregnant mare resting upon a large leaf. The name felt fitting given what the amulet looked like, but Daring couldn’t help but think it was odd. The relic in itself was strange enough. The name didn't really help matters.   “It’s said that when—” Suddenly, the tour guide stopped short as somepony called out her name. “Oh! Is it that time already? Shoot… e-excuse me, folks, I need to attend to something! I’ll be back in a moment.”   Daring wasn't sure why, but the tour guide seemed rather glad when she saw who’d called her over. At first she thought it was her boyfriend or something, but then she saw how old the stallion was. It was still odd, though, especially when the tour guide excused herself from their presence while around the crown gem of the museum. Daring was just about to see what they were up to when she was surprised by a sudden poke to her plot.   “Hey, could you hold my camera?” the tourist said.   Daring almost jumped out of her skin from the impromptu grope. “What!?”   “I want to take a picture next to the Amulet, and I can't be in two places at once. C’mon, help me out.”   She rolled her eyes. “You're not even supposed to get close to these things.”   “I know!” The tourist's eyes gleamed. “How many chances do you get to break the rules in a museum? They never let you touch anything! This is a golden opportunity!” Daring started to trot away. “Wait!” the tourist said, thinking fast. “If you don’t do this for me, I’ll tell them that you followed them!”   Daring stopped. What the hay was this? Grade school? Ugh. She turned around with a sickened glare on her face, stomped over to him, and swiped the camera out of his hooves. “Alright, fine! Just hurry up about it.”   The stallion trotted right up next to the pedestal the amulet was resting on with a giddy snicker. She could only roll her eyes as he casually leaned against it, the look of some kind of rogue lawbreaker on his face as he defied all the rules with this one simple act. Daring fluttered slightly into the air to get a good shot. She tried to get the idiot into frame as he constantly fidgeted, trying to get into a more 'photogenic' stance. Heh, maybe she could bust him for doing this. It sounded like good payback, but then again, he was just some stupid kid not even out of college. He wasn’t worth the trouble.   “Would you stand still, kid?!” Daring snapped. “I can't get a good shot—”   And then it happened. The idiot tripped over his own hooves while trying to pose differently again, lost his balance, smashed into the pedestal, and sent the priceless amulet flying. “Shit!” Daring dove for the relic. She slid across the floor on her stomach and watched it arc just over her hooves... right before it landed in her grasp. BZZZAP Daring felt a sudden, terrible shock lance though her body. She could’ve swore there was a flash of light alongside it, too. It was gone in an instant, though, the artifact now safely in her grasp. “Aww, my camera...” Daring looked up. The idiot kid was fawning over his dollar store disposable camera, and didn’t seem to care that he’d almost destroyed a beloved, ancient artifact. She really wanted to break his nose right about now, but her rage was tempered by the knowledge that she was just as guilty herself for going along with his stupid plan.   “Kid, I swear to Celestia—”   She was cut off by the sounds of hoofsteps approaching. Their differences were set aside as they quickly undid the damage, righting the knocked over pedestal and placing the amulet back upon it. They exchanged a pair of dirty glares, then did their best to stand about nonchalantly as the tour guide and the strange old stallion rounded the corner.   “I'm sorry, folks, but we have to close early due to... uh, the exhibit's belated cleaning! Yes!” The tour guide began leading them the way they came. “So if you would please make your way to the exits—”   “Uh, ma’am?” The tourist spoke up, holding up his broken camera. “Is there someplace I can go to recover my film? I kinda dropped this.”   The tour guide absentmindedly took his camera. “Yes, yes, we have facilities for that. Now please, it’s urgent you leave immediately. Thank you for visiting the museum...”   The duo began to leave, but Daring dragged her hooves, hanging back as she strained to overhear something between the tour guide and the old stallion beside her.   “...sure she's ready for this?” The tour guide whispered. “...just come of age to be a candidate...”   The old stallion whispered back in a tired voice. “An entire generation is going to be lost If we don't find a Godmother soon. We have no choice.”   Daring tried to hear more, but they started getting a suspicious look in their eyes. She grinned nervously at them and quickly picked up her pace, brushing past the bumbling tourist that seemed at a loss of what to do without his camera. “What in Equestria was that about?” Daring muttered to herself. She walked out of the museum and out into the strangely empty streets. Her adventure sense was tingling like a familiar itch in her brain, and she was all too happy for any kind of distraction. She knew there was something up here, and it had something to do with that amulet. She needed to know more, but that required snooping and research. Daring sighed. The former would require planning, but at least she knew a place to start on the latter. ()()()()()   “Closed?!” Daring said with wide eyes. “But it's not even six-o'clock!”   “I'm sorry, Miss Do,” the young librarian said as she locked the library door with her magic. “But I can't watch over the library today. I've received some... bad news.”   Daring was about to protest, but then she saw the sorrowful look in the look in the mare’s eyes. She didn't want to cause a scene, but she’d gotten there just as the mare was closing; she’d hoped to get started on her investigation tonight.   “Are you sure I can't step in for a second?” Daring asked. “I just wanted to look at some books to learn more about the legends of this area.”   “All of the lore and history books were checked out earlier this afternoon,” the librarian said in a hollow voice. “I'm sorry, but I’m not up for a late night searching party while you try to find something more obscure. Excuse me...” The librarian brushed past her quietly, not meeting her eyes as she began to slowly trot down the street.   Daring frowned. Now that was certainly interesting. A bunch of books about ancient legends suddenly all being snatched up? What were the odds? Her adventure sense was tingling more than ever now, and she was chomping at the bit to know more. She had to learn something; if not about the talisman, then maybe at least the town...   “What exactly has all of you ponies in such a sour mood?” Daring quickly called out to the librarian. “Er, if you don't mind me asking, that is. It's like you all lost a relative or something.”   The librarian stopped. Her ears drooped a bit, and she looked back at Daring with watery eyes.   “I can't speak for everypony, but... I can say that my husband and I were expecting—”   She placed a hoof over her flat stomach.   “—and now we're not.”   Daring felt a pit form in her stomach. She was momentarily speechless as she stared slack-jawed at the librarian. “Oh… oh, jeez. ..” Daring hurried over. “H-hey look, I didn't mean… ugh, me and my big mouth. I’m so, so, sorry. I had no idea...” But the damage was already done. The librarian was starting to break down, and she almost looked like she might flat-out collapse. Daring wasn't sure if it would help, but she placed a hoof on her shoulder, partly out of sympathy, and partly to steady the poor mare. Bzzzap! A shock like static electricity jumped between them. It was almost like back when she’d touched the statue, but far less pronounced. Daring winced and made a note to ground herself better in the future. These static snaps were getting annoying. In a rather nice surprise, however, the librarian seemed to calm down. Daring did her best to be there for the poor mare as she composed herself.   “I'm sorry, it’s not polite to cry in front of strangers,” she sniffled. “It’s… just been a hard day.”   Daring patted the librarian’s shoulder. “Are you going to be open tomorrow?”   The librarian looked away. “I… I’m sorry, but… I just c-can’t think right now. If you don't mind, I’d really just like to go home.”   “Sure, sure.” Daring stepped back with an awkward smile. “Go on ahead, then. I’ll get the books some other time.” “Thank you.” The librarian cleared her throat and turned to leave. “Have a good evening, Godmother.”   Daring blinked. “Eh? What did you call me?”   The librarian didn't seem to realize what she meant. “Uhhh… what did I say?”   “You just called me...” Daring stopped herself short. Something about this felt odd, and not in a good way. “Never mind. You just get home, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”   Daring took off into the sky, leaving the earthbound mare behind. The cool evening air caressed her wings and face as she headed back towards where she’d been staying, all the while trying to understand why she’d been called the same thing that she’d heard in the museum. It just didn’t make any sense, and Daring Do did not like being left in the dark. “I smell me a mystery.” A rogue-ish grin crept onto her face. “And by Celestia I could certainly go for a good mystery right about now.” Grrrrrrr... Daring raised an eyebrow at the noise. It’d come from her stomach, and her insides suddenly felt like they were shifting around. She also felt absolutely starving. An odd contradiction of hunger and nausea, but it propelled her quickly through the night. “Ugh.” Daring put a hoof on her gurgling gut. “I swear, if I get food poisoning from that awful street vendor earlier, I am done with this place. Mystery and everything else be damned.”   ()()()()()   Daring opened the door to the small house which served as her solitary vacation getaway. She needed a toilet, and she needed one now. Her stomach had kept churning the entire flight over, and now she wasn't sure how much of her lunch was going to wind up on the floor. At least she could be as noisy about it as she wanted; the house was being paid for exclusively her. “Damn iiiiiiiit…” She dashed straight to the bathroom, lifting up the seat cover to the toilet and planting herself before it. “Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit…” She gulped down deep lungfuls of air, resigning herself to a night of misery.   But nothing ever came. She simply sat there for a time, breathing heavily as she tried to not be overwhelmed by the warmth now sweeping through her body. There was a painful knot in her stomach, growing in intensity as time went on, yet no matter how bad it got, the contents of her stomach never came up. Daring wasn't sure this was food poisoning anymore. But whatever the case, she had to weather the storm. Every couple of minutes the knot would get intensely painful, then recede back into a warm blanket of tightness. She'd be lying if she said it didn't feel like somepony was gently stroking her, trying to lessen the discomfort, and she’d be lying twice if she said she didn’t enjoy a good belly rub. What could she say? She liked being pampered. Slowly, the knot disappeared. Its waves of pain were slowly blotted out, faded by the warm rush of that strange ghostly hoof gently caring for her. Soon, all that was left was a warm glow, and her gut felt relieved somewhat as the knot went away, leaving only a loosened relaxation to flow through her. Daring sighed in relief now that the worst had seemingly passed, leaving only that wonderful warmth and a strange weight in her gut.   She looked down and thought she seemed a little bloated. She got to her hooves and inspected herself, and sure enough there was a subtle sag to her paunch. She wrote it off as gas or something. Stupid freaking street vendor. She knew those tofu kabobs had smelled funny. Speaking of food, though, what really grabbed her attention was a sudden craving for peanut butter. Peanut butter and something else, but she wasn't quite sure what. Whatever the case, the kitchen was well stocked, so chances were whatever she was strangely craving would be there. All she had to do was find it.   Daring let her nose do the tracking once within the confines of the kitchen. The peanut butter was easy enough to find, a rather large jar of it to her surprise. But it was what she wanted alongside it that was hard to pin down. She started opening cupboards in pursuit of her quarry, muttering all the while. Bread and jelly? No, not something sweet. Crackers? No, not something dry. Cucumbers? Hmm, closer, but not quite—wait, why was she even considering that? Daring tried to shake that last one out of her head, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was on to something. She perused her inventory one last time, and that was when she found it. It made no sense, but this was exactly what she was looking for. It was the accursed orange food she normally abhorred, but right now looked absolutely delectable.   “Heck yes.” Her prior feelings about carrots were dismissed as she ripped open the bag and spilled them out next to the jar of peanut butter. She wasted little time in combining the two estranged food stuffs, the taste of which left her strangely fulfilled with every bite. Daring just stuffed her face for a time, dozens of unsuspecting carrots being drenched in brown paste before disappearing into the seemingly endless hunger of her maw. “Why does this taste so gooooood…” Daring was about to continue feasting, but then stopped as she began to feel... strange. Her stomach suddenly dragged lower as a heavy... something dropped into her belly, something that wasn’t food. The abrupt sensation sent a queasy feeling through her body, and she realized that she might be evicting all the food from her stomach after all. Daring was taking a few steps toward the kitchen's exit when her stomach suddenly rumbled again. The sensation shook her gut, a long, winded moan accompanying the warmth that bloomed from her stomach's movement. She could swear the sagging pudge of her waist felt even heavier. “What’s happening…” Daring murmured, letting her head rest against lower cupboards as she let herself lay gently on her plot. She looked down at her stomach, unsure as waves of warmth slowly overtook her. Suddenly she could feel it again, that ghostly hoof stroking her paunch, coaxing her into an easier state of mind.   A gentle, soft voice began whispering in her mind. Relax. Breathe. All will be well… Daring felt her stomach move with her breath, in and out. Another rumble shook it about, and the weight within bloated alongside. She groaned lovingly as the care from the ghostly hooves made her feel warm and serene. Suddenly she felt a bump, as though something inside her had tapped gently against her stomach. She looked down curiously and felt it again, and a slight bulge appeared on her belly for an instant.   Daring's stomach rocked about again before she had time to question it. But this time, it didn't stop. Her breathing increased rapidly as she felt something within her growing, the limits of her stomach being prodded as a mass pushed against it. “Ah…” Daring watched her stomach rise and fall with each labored breath, and each time it seemed it would rise higher than it fell. Her belly grew tighter as it rose, her limit being reached, then surpassed, and she groaned as she felt the warm mass within her continue to grow despite the strain. Her stomach was forced into a strange elongated shape, and before long, it was longer than it was wide.   “Mmhhh...” The gentle hooves continued to press against her, coaxing out that wonderful warmth. It seemed to soak down into the strange shape her stomach was taking, but she didn’t mind one bit. She felt her skin stretching as her belly pushed out again, her gut reaching such a size that Daring could swore she saw her belly button peek out from underneath her fur. She continued to watch her gut swell higher, the growth always seeming to catch up before she could exhale completely, always reaching a new height. She wasn't sure if it was going to stop… but then again, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to stop.   Another rumble migrated deeper into the core of her belly, a pressure building up from the growth as it looked for one last bit of room. Daring fidgeted as the top of her belly felt like it was pressed against something, something that was trying to push out from within. Harder and harder she could feel it pushing against the crest of her elongated stomach, and it felt so good, she could barely suppress her moans. The first push made the shape far more solid, her breathing only enhancing the effect. Another felt like it was rushing up to meet the force that continued to press against her belly, like a maddening presence working its way forward. Daring squirmed and moaned as the unseen hooves made her hot and bothered, pressing harder against her fuzzy navel, which was clearly visible to her now. The pressure slowly grew, and Daring watched fascinated as a strange nub appeared from her belly button. It looked to be the same color as her, but it also seemed stuck. The pressure behind it grew and grew, her stomach rocking about madly as Daring's quickened breaths only served to stimulate her more. She felt a thrust, the nub trying to force itself past, only to make her ache and moan madly as it sank back in. It tried it again, and again, and again, matching her quickened breaths each time, in sync with her rises and falls. Every repetition made her squirm and ache for more as the nub gently tickled the sensitive area of her navel. Suddenly, the pressure spiked, pushing farther and farther, not stopping. Daring cried out as her muscles tensed from the surprise, her navel slowly gaining ground, more of it appearing before her eyes. She could see it straining against her flesh now, could even feel it moving. “AH!” She was rocked by a spasm, and the pressure rocketed down the course of her belly. The little nub surged in size momentarily before popping into shape, a gentle throbbing signalling its escape. She looked like a pregnant mare now, and her cries from such wondrous feelings echoed loudly through the private home. Daring tried to register what had just happened. Before she could, though, the pull of sleep began dragging her under. The pressure and warmth was slowly lessening, finally running its course at last. Her breathing grew shallow as her eyelids gently fluttered shut, and she drifted off into a gentle sleep. The prior activity had left her with a belly button that was now an outie, but more amazing than that, a nascent life was within her womb, carefully poking and prodding at its new surroundings with tiny hooves. The unborn foal's gentle bumps and kicks brought a soft smile to Daring’s face as she drifted off to pleasant dreams.   ()()()()()   “What do you mean it didn't work?!” the old stallion demanded. “It had to have! You said she was the last candidate!” There was a nervous murmuring amongst the ponies standing in the circle.   “Y-You don't understand, sir,” a mare stammered. “It would have worked, but a new Godmother has already been chosen! Look!”   The pony held up the Amulet of Graveeda, and sure enough, the carving within was aglow with a single star gleaming in the center. “Impossible,” the old stallion breathed. Each pony in the circle looked at each other as hushed whispers traded back and forth between them. The mare gulped and wet her lips. “W-What do we do now? What does this mean?”   “You know what this means,” a tall pony in a hooded robe said. They all turned. There were more excited murmurs, and they parted way as he made his way into the circle. He approached the mare holding the Amulet, taking it and holding it up to inspect its glow in the torchlight. The old stallion bowed. “Headmaster…” “We have to find her,” the Headmaster said. “Quickly, before the equinox is upon us. Send out everypony we have immediately. The new Godmother must be found.”